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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.20.10

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 20: Vasiṣṭha’s intervention: The promise and Viśvāmitra’s powers. Viśvāmitra threatens to leave, Vasiṣṭha urges Daśaratha to honour his promise and assures him of the ṛṣi’s power to protect Rāma

In the sequence: he describes Viśvāmitra's unmatched wisdom, austerity, and mastery of weapons

1.20.10

eṣa vigrahavān dharma eṣa vīryavatāṃ varaḥ
eṣa buddhyādhiko loke tapasaś ca parāyaṇam

He is dharma embodied; he is the best of the mighty; he surpasses all in wisdom in the world, and is the highest resort of austerity.

Words: eṣa — this one, he; vigrahavān — embodied, possessed of a body; dharma — dharma; eṣa — he; vīryavatāṃ — of the mighty; varaḥ — the best; eṣa — he; buddhyādhiko — superior in wisdom; loke — in the world; tapasaś — of austerity; ca — and; parāyaṇam — the highest resort, culmination

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.