Ramayana
पादबद्धोऽक्षरसमस्तन्त्रीलयसमन्वितः । शोकार्तस्य प्रवृत्तो मे श्लोको भवतु नान्यथा ॥ १-२-१८
"While I was tormented by grief, there arose a sentence consisting of four verses possessing metrically posited letters suitable to be played as song and string music and that will be called Shloka, not otherwise." ॥ 1-2-18॥
english translation
pAdabaddho'kSarasamastantrIlayasamanvitaH । zokArtasya pravRtto me zloko bhavatu nAnyathA ॥ 1-2-18
hk transliteration by Sanscript