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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.57.4

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 57: Story of Viśvāmitra: Triśaṅku’s curse and appeal for refuge. Vasiṣṭha’s sons reject and curse Triśaṅku, his followers abandon him and he asks Viśvāmitra to overcome his fate

In the sequence: Vasiṣṭha's sons angrily rebuke Triśaṅku for seeking to bypass their father's refusal → they tell him to return home, since they cannot overturn the family priest's decision

1.57.4

aśakyam iti covāca vasiṣṭho bhagavān ṛṣiḥ
taṃ vayaṃ vai samāhartuṃ kratuṃ śaktāḥ kathaṃ tava

'The venerable seer Vasiṣṭha has said "it is impossible"; how then are we able to accomplish that sacrifice of yours?'

Words: aśakyam — impossible; iti — thus; covāca — and said; vasiṣṭho — Vasiṣṭha; bhagavān — the venerable; ṛṣiḥ — seer; taṃ — that; vayaṃ — we; vai — indeed; samāhartuṃ — to accomplish, perform; kratuṃ — the sacrifice; śaktāḥ — able, capable; kathaṃ — how; tava — your

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. 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.