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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.5.2

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 5: The ṛṣis appeal for protection. Tapasvins display the victims of rākṣasa attacks, Rāma promises to defend them and gives his exile a purpose

In the sequence: After Śarabhaṅga's ascent, tapasvins of many disciplines gather around Rāma: Vaikhānasas and Vālakhilyas, those living on leaves, water, air, or rays of light, those sleeping on bare ground, and those practicing prayer or the five-fire penance

3.5.2

vaikhānasā vālakhilyāḥ saṃprakṣālā marīcipāḥ
aśmakuṭṭāś ca bahavaḥ patrāhārāś ca tāpasāḥ

Vaikhānasas, Vālakhilyas, Saṃprakṣālas, drinkers of light-rays, many stone-pounders, leaf-eaters and ascetics;

Words: vaikhānasā — Vaikhānasas; vālakhilyāḥ — Vālakhilyas; saṃprakṣālā — Saṃprakṣālas (who wash after eating); marīcipāḥ — drinkers of light-rays; aśmakuṭṭāś — stone-pounders; ca — and; bahavaḥ — many; patrāhārāś — leaf-eaters; ca — and; tāpasāḥ — ascetics

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.