Shloka 1.4.7
कुशिलवगानप्रशंसा — The Commissioning and Public Performance of the Rāmāyaṇa
काव्यं रामायणं कृत्स्नं सीतायाश्चरितं महत्।पौलस्त्यवधमित्येव चकार चरितव्रत:।।1.4.7।।
kāvyaṃ rāmāyaṇaṃ kṛtsnaṃ sītāyāś caritaṃ mahat |
paulastyavadham ity eva cakāra caritavrataḥ || 1.4.7 ||
Vālmīki, steadfast in his vow, composed the entire epic called the Rāmāyaṇa—the great life-story of Sītā—and the account of the slaying of the Paulastya, Rāvaṇa.
Valmiki who practised religious austerities composed this entire epic named the Ramayana which constitutes the great history of Sita and the killing of Paulastya (Ravana).
The epic is framed as moral history (itihāsa): it records exemplary conduct and the consequences of adharma, culminating in the defeat of Rāvaṇa.
The text identifies what Vālmīki has composed: the complete Ramayana, highlighting Sītā’s great narrative and the climactic destruction of Rāvaṇa.
Vratācaraṇa (integrity in vows): Vālmīki’s authority to compose rests on disciplined life and truth-oriented practice.