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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.20.5

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: Vasiṣṭha intervenes, reminding Daśaratha of his duty and warning that a broken promise would destroy the merit of his sacrifices and good works

1.20.5

trastarūpaṃ tu vijñāya jagat sarvaṃ mahān ṛṣiḥ
nṛpatiṃ suvrato dhīro vasiṣṭho vākyam abravīt

Perceiving that the whole world had become terrified, the great seer Vasiṣṭha, of good vows and steadfast, spoke these words to the king:

Words: trastarūpaṃ — of terrified aspect; tu — but, and; vijñāya — having perceived; jagat — the world; sarvaṃ — whole; mahān — great; ṛṣiḥ — the seer; nṛpatiṃ — to the king; suvrato — of good vows; dhīro — steadfast; vasiṣṭho — Vasiṣṭha; vākyam — word; abravīt — spoke

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.