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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.55.5
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: Vasiṣṭha stands his ground, declaring the superiority of spiritual power → his brahman-staff extinguishes the fire weapon like water quenching flame
1.55.5
tasyāstraṃ gādhiputrasya ghoram āgneyam uttamam
brahmadaṇḍena tac chāntam agner vega ivāmbhasā
That terrible, supreme fire-missile of the son of Gādhi was quelled by the brahman-staff, as the force of fire is quelled by water.
Words: tasyāstraṃ — his missile; gādhiputrasya — of the son of Gādhi; ghoram — terrible; āgneyam — the fire-missile; uttamam — supreme, foremost; brahmadaṇḍena — by the brahman-staff; tac — that; chāntam — quelled, extinguished; agner — of fire; vega — force, surge; ivāmbhasā — as if by water
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.