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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.16.3

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 16: The Devas beget Rāma’s future allies. Brahmā directs the Devas to beget powerful helpers, their monkey-shaped sons inherit divine qualities and gather around Vālin & Sugrīva

In the sequence: With Viṣṇu's human birth arranged, Brahmā orders the devatās to create powerful helpers: shape-changing, swift, intelligent warriors skilled in strategy and weapons

1.16.3

māyāvidaś ca śūrāṃś ca vāyuvegasamāñjave
nayajñān buddhisaṃpannān viṣṇutulyaparākramān

knowers of magic and heroic, equal to the wind in swiftness, versed in policy, endowed with intelligence, of prowess equal to Viṣṇu,

Words: māyāvidaś — knowers of magic; ca — and; śūrāṃś — heroic; ca — and; vāyuvegasamāñjave — equal to the wind's speed in swiftness; nayajñān — versed in policy; buddhisaṃpannān — endowed with intelligence; viṣṇutulyaparākramān — of prowess equal to Viṣṇu

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.