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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.74.3

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 74: Paraśurāma: The two divine bows and the challenge. Paraśurāma ignores Daśaratha’s plea, recounts the rival divine bows and his vengeance, and challenges Rāma to string Viṣṇu’s bow

In the sequence: Paraśurāma says he has heard of Rāma's extraordinary breaking of the bow and has brought another → he challenges Rāma to draw it with an arrow, after which he will offer single combat

1.74.3

tad idaṃ ghorasaṃkāśaṃ jāmadagnyaṃ mahad dhanuḥ
pūrayasva śareṇaiva svabalaṃ darśayasva ca

This great bow of Jamadagni's line, of fearsome aspect — draw it to the full with an arrow, and display your strength.

Words: tad idaṃ — this here; ghorasaṃkāśaṃ — of fearsome aspect; jāmadagnyaṃ — of (the line of) Jamadagni; mahad — great; dhanuḥ — bow; pūrayasva — draw to the full, string; śareṇaiva — with an arrow indeed; svabalaṃ — your own strength; darśayasva — show, display; ca — and

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.