← 1.55.8 · Bāla Kāṇḍa 55: Story of Viśvāmitra: Vasiṣṭha’s staff absorbs the weapons · 1.55.10 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.55.9
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
1.55.9
pinākāstraṃ ca dayitaṃ śuṣkārdre aśanī tathā
daṇḍāstram atha paiśācaṃ krauñcam astraṃ tathāiva ca
the beloved Pināka missile, the two thunderbolts, dry and moist, then the Daṇḍa missile, the Paiśāca (goblin) missile, and likewise the Krauñca missile;
Words: pinākāstraṃ — the Pināka missile (of Śiva's bow); ca — and; dayitaṃ — beloved, dear; śuṣkārdre — the dry and the moist (two); aśanī — the two thunderbolts; tathā — likewise; daṇḍāstram — the Daṇḍa missile; atha — then; paiśācaṃ — the Paiśāca (goblin missile); krauñcam — the Krauñca (missile); astraṃ — missile; tathāiva ca — and likewise too
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.