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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.62.8

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: she stays, and ten happy years pass

1.62.8

tasyāṃ vasantyāṃ varṣāṇi pañca pañca ca rāghava
viśvāmitrāśrame saumya sukhena vyaticakramuḥ

While she dwelt (there), O Rāghava, ten years (five and five) passed happily in Viśvāmitra's hermitage, gentle one.

Words: tasyāṃ vasantyāṃ — while she was dwelling; varṣāṇi — years; pañca — five; pañca ca — and five; rāghava — O Rāghava; viśvāmitrāśrame — in Viśvāmitra's hermitage; saumya — gentle one; sukhena — happily, pleasantly; vyaticakramuḥ — passed, went by

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.