← 1.55.6 · Bāla Kāṇḍa 55: Story of Viśvāmitra: Vasiṣṭha’s staff absorbs the weapons · 1.55.8 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.55.7
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: Viśvāmitra releases a succession of divine missiles: weapons of water, wind, sleep, delusion, torment, destruction, divine nooses, discuses, thunderbolts, and others → the staff absorbs them all
1.55.7
mānavaṃ mohanaṃ caiva gāndharvaṃ svāpanaṃ tathā
jṛmbhaṇaṃ mohanaṃ caiva saṃtāpanavilāpane
the Mānava, the Mohana (deluding), the Gāndharva, and the Svāpana (sleep-inducing), the Jṛmbhaṇa (yawn-causing) and the Mohana, the Saṃtāpana (tormenting) and the Vilāpana (lament-causing)—
Words: mānavaṃ — the Mānava (missile); mohanaṃ — the Mohana (deluding missile); caiva — and; gāndharvaṃ — the Gāndharva (missile); svāpanaṃ — the Svāpana (sleep-inducing missile); tathā — and, likewise; jṛmbhaṇaṃ — the Jṛmbhaṇa (yawn-inducing missile); mohanaṃ — the Mohana (deluding missile); caiva — and; saṃtāpanavilāpane — the Saṃtāpana and Vilāpana (tormenting and lament-causing)
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.