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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.62.20

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 62: Story of Viśvāmitra: Menakā and the unfinished mastery of desire. Menakā interrupts his austerity for ten years, renewed effort wins the rank of maharṣi, but Brahmā withholds brahmarṣi until his senses are mastered

In the sequence: Viśvāmitra asks for the higher standing of brahmarṣi and confirmation of mastery over his senses → Brahmā says he has not yet conquered them and must continue

1.62.20

brahmarṣi śabdam atulaṃ svārjitaiḥ karmabhiḥ śubhaiḥ
yadi me bhagavān āha tato 'haṃ vijitendriyaḥ

“If the venerable one declares me (to have won) the incomparable title of brahmarṣi by my well-earned holy deeds, then (may it be that) I have conquered my senses.”

Words: brahmarṣi — brahmarṣi (brahman-seer); śabdam — the title, word; atulaṃ — incomparable; svārjitaiḥ — by well-earned; karmabhiḥ — by deeds; śubhaiḥ — holy, auspicious; yadi — if; me — to me, of me; bhagavān — the venerable one; āha — declares, says; tato — then; 'haṃ — I; vijitendriyaḥ — one who has conquered his senses

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.