← 1.55.16 · Bāla Kāṇḍa 55: Story of Viśvāmitra: Vasiṣṭha’s staff absorbs the weapons · 1.55.18 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.55.17
Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 55: Story of Viśvāmitra: Vasiṣṭha’s staff absorbs the weapons. Vasiṣṭha’s staff absorbs every missile, including the Brahmāstra, Viśvāmitra recognizes the superiority of spiritual power and resolves to attain brāhmaṇa status
In the sequence: flames stream from his pores, and his staff blazes with dreadful force
1.55.17
brahmāstraṃ grasamānasya vasiṣṭhasya mahātmanaḥ
trailokyamohanaṃ raudraṃ rūpam āsīt sudāruṇam
As the great-souled Vasiṣṭha devoured the Brahmā-missile, his form became fierce, bewildering to the three worlds, and exceedingly dreadful.
Words: brahmāstraṃ — the Brahmā-missile; grasamānasya — of (him) devouring; vasiṣṭhasya — of Vasiṣṭha; mahātmanaḥ — the great-souled; trailokyamohanaṃ — bewildering to the three worlds; raudraṃ — fierce, terrible; rūpam — form, appearance; āsīt — became; sudāruṇam — exceedingly dreadful
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.