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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.50.14

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 50: Story of Viśvāmitra: Śatānanda introduces the former King. Śatānanda confirms Ahalyā’s release, then recounts how King Viśvāmitra’s travels with his army brought him to Vasiṣṭha’s hermitage

In the sequence: Śatānanda welcomes Rāma and tells him how fortunate he is to have Viśvāmitra as protector → he offers to explain Viśvāmitra's power and the austerities by which he attained it. Śatānanda now begins a long account of Viśvāmitra's past: descended through Kuśa, Kuśanābha, and Gādhi, Viśvāmitra was once a learned, righteous King who ruled for thousands of years

1.50.14

acintyakarmā tapasā brahmarṣir amitaprabhaḥ
viśvāmitro mahātejā vetsy enaṃ paramāṃ gatim

Of deeds inconceivable through austerity, a brahmin-seer of boundless splendour — this mighty Viśvāmitra you should know as the highest refuge.

Words: acintyakarmā — of inconceivable deeds; tapasā — through austerity; brahmarṣir — a brahmin-seer; amitaprabhaḥ — of boundless radiance; viśvāmitro — Viśvāmitra; mahātejā — of great splendour; vetsy — you should know; enaṃ — this one; paramāṃ — highest, supreme; gatim — goal, refuge

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.