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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.74.4

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

1.74.4

tad ahaṃ te balaṃ dṛṣṭvā dhanuṣo 'sya prapūraṇe
dvandvayuddhaṃ pradāsyāmi vīryaślāghyam idaṃ tava

Then, having seen your strength in the drawing of this bow, I shall grant you single combat — a thing praiseworthy for your valour.

Words: tad — then; ahaṃ — I; te — your; balaṃ — strength; dṛṣṭvā — having seen; dhanuṣo — of the bow; 'sya — this; prapūraṇe — in the drawing/stringing; dvandvayuddhaṃ — single combat, a duel; pradāsyāmi — I shall grant, give; vīryaślāghyam — praiseworthy for valour; idaṃ — this; tava — your, for you

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.