Vasiṣṭha spoke with humility, acknowledging that his strength did not equal that of the king, especially on that day. He recognized that Viśvāmitra, powerful and a Kṣatriya, was lord of the earth, and that his formidable army—crowded with elephants, horses, and chariots, bristling with banners—made him all the stronger. When Vasiṣṭha had spoken thus, a woman skilled in speech replied to the illustrious Brahmarshi with humility. She explained that, contrary to what some say, the strength of a Kṣatriya is not greater; rather, O Brahman, the divine power of Brahmanic strength surpasses that of Kṣatriyas. She praised Vasiṣṭha, saying his strength was immeasurable, and even Vishvāmitra, though mighty, could not surpass him—his energy was unassailable. She then offered to obey his command, promising to destroy the pride, strength, and effort of the wicked one. Thus addressed, Vasiṣṭha, renowned among sages, instructed her: “Release your power, destroyer of enemy forces.” Hearing his words, Surabhi, the wish-fulfilling cow, produced hundreds of Pahlavas from her bellowing. These Pahlavas destroyed all of Viśvāmitra’s army before his very eyes. Enraged, Viśvāmitra’s eyes blazed with fury as he destroyed the Pahlavas with weapons both great and small. Seeing the Pahlavas afflicted by Viśvāmitra, Surabhi again produced fierce Shakas mixed with Yavanas, covering the earth with their numbers. Radiant and mighty, resembling golden filaments, armed with sharp swords and spears, clad in golden garments, these warriors seemed like blazing fires. Yet, the entire army was consumed, and the mighty Viśvāmitra unleashed his weapons, throwing the Yavanas, Kambojas, and Barbaras into confusion. At this point, O Rama, begins the fifty-fifth sarga of the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Bālakāṇḍa. Seeing the confusion and bewilderment caused by Viśvāmitra’s weapons, Vasiṣṭha urged the wish-fulfilling cow to create by her yogic power. From her bellowing were born Kambojas, radiant as the sun; from her udder emerged Barbaras, armed with weapons. From the region of wombs came the Yavanas, and from the land of excrement came the Shakas; in her hair follicles dwelled the Mlecchas, Haritas, and Kiratas. These beings, in an instant, destroyed all of Viśvāmitra’s forces, with their elephants, horses, and chariots. Witnessing his army struck down by the great-souled Vasiṣṭha, a hundred sons of Viśvāmitra, bearing various weapons, advanced to fight. Then, exceedingly enraged, Vasiṣṭha, foremost among reciters of mantras, advanced upon them. With a mere roar, he burned them all up; those sons of Viśvāmitra, along with their horses, chariots, and foot soldiers, were reduced to ashes in a moment by the great-souled sage. Seeing all his forces destroyed, the illustrious Viśvāmitra was seized by shame and deep thought. Like the ocean deprived of its surge, like a serpent with broken fangs, like the sun eclipsed, he was suddenly bereft of brilliance. Deprived of sons and strength, dejected like a bird with clipped wings, all his power and enthusiasm gone, he fell into despair. He appointed one son to rule the kingdom, instructing him to govern the earth according to the duty of a Kṣatriya, and then departed for the forest. Viśvāmitra went to the slopes of the Himālayas, frequented by Kinnaras and serpents, and undertook severe austerities there to win the favor of Mahādeva. After some time, the lord of the gods, the bull-bannered Mahādeva, appeared before the great sage Viśvāmitra, ready to grant a boon. He asked, “For what purpose do you practice austerities, O king? Speak what you desire. I am the giver of boons—let the boon you seek be declared.” Viśvāmitra, bowing to Mahādeva, replied, “If you are pleased, O sinless Mahādeva, grant me the knowledge of the science of archery, with all its branches, sub-branches, Upaniṣads, and secrets. May all the weapons known among the gods, the Dānavas, the great sages, the Gandharvas, Yakṣas, and Rākṣasas become manifest to me, O sinless one. By your grace, O god of gods, may my wish be fulfilled.” The lord of the gods, having spoken, “So be it,” then departed. Having obtained the weapons from the lord of the gods, the mighty Viśvāmitra was filled with great pride. Growing in power like the ocean at the full moon, he considered the eminent sage Vasiṣṭha as already slain. Then, Viśvāmitra returned to the hermitage and released his weapons, by which that forest of ascetics, known as Tapovana, was burned up by the power of his missiles. Seeing the weapon released by the wise Viśvāmitra rising, hundreds of terrified sages fled in all directions. The disciples of Vasiṣṭha, as well as the deer and birds, frightened and panic-stricken, scattered by the thousands in all directions out of fear. For a moment, the hermitage of the great-souled Vasiṣṭha became empty and silent, resembling a desert of reeds. As Vasiṣṭha kept saying again and again, “Do not fear,” he declared, “Today I will destroy the son of Gādhi, as the sun dispels the mist.” Having spoken thus, the mighty Vasiṣṭha, foremost among those who recite mantras, addressed these words, filled with anger, to Viśvāmitra.