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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.51.6

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 51: Story of Viśvāmitra: Vasiṣṭha’s hospitality. Vasiṣṭha insists on hosting the whole army and asks Śabalā to provide a feast satisfying every guest’s tastes

In the sequence: he asks about Vasiṣṭha's austerity, offerings, pupils, and woodland → Vasiṣṭha asks in return about the Kingdom's government, servants, enemies, army, treasury, allies, and family → both report that all is well and enjoy a long conversation

1.51.6

sukhopaviṣṭaṃ rājānaṃ viśvāmitraṃ mahātapāḥ
papraccha japatāṃ śreṣṭho vasiṣṭho brahmaṇaḥ sutaḥ

Then Vasiṣṭha, the great ascetic, the best of those who mutter prayers, the son of Brahmā, questioned King Viśvāmitra, comfortably seated:

Words: sukhopaviṣṭaṃ — comfortably seated; rājānaṃ — the king; viśvāmitraṃ — Viśvāmitra; mahātapāḥ — the great ascetic; papraccha — questioned, asked; japatāṃ śreṣṭho — the best of those who mutter prayers; vasiṣṭho — Vasiṣṭha; brahmaṇaḥ — of Brahmā; sutaḥ — the son

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.