The sons of Viśvāmitra, together with their horses, chariots, and all their foot soldiers, were reduced to ashes in a single instant by the mighty power of the great sage Vasiṣṭha. Witnessing the utter destruction of his forces, the illustrious Viśvāmitra was seized by a deep sense of shame and fell into profound reflection. He was like the ocean robbed of its waves, a serpent with broken fangs, or the sun eclipsed—his brilliance was suddenly lost. Bereft of his sons and his strength, Viśvāmitra felt as dejected as a bird with its wings clipped. All his power and enthusiasm drained away, and he sank into despair. In his sorrow, he appointed one surviving son to rule the kingdom, instructing him to govern the earth according to the duties of a kṣatriya. Then, renouncing all worldly ties, Viśvāmitra departed for the forest. He journeyed to the slopes of the Himālayas, a region frequented by Kinnaras and serpents, and there undertook severe austerities, seeking the favor of Mahādeva, the great Lord. After some time, the lord of the gods himself—the bull-bannered Mahādeva—appeared before the sage, ready to grant a boon. “For what purpose do you practice these austerities, O king?” asked the god. “Speak what you desire. I am the giver of boons—declare what you seek.” Bowing reverently, the great ascetic Viśvāmitra replied, “If you are pleased with me, O sinless Mahādeva, grant me the complete knowledge of the science of archery, with all its branches, sub-branches, Upaniṣads, and secrets. May all the weapons known among the gods, Dānavas, great sages, Gandharvas, Yakṣas, and Rākṣasas become manifest to me, O sinless one. By your grace, O god of gods, may my wish be fulfilled.” Mahādeva, the lord of the gods, answered, “So be it,” and then departed. Having obtained these mighty weapons from the lord of the gods, Viśvāmitra became filled with great pride. His strength grew like the ocean swelling under the full moon, and, O Rāma, he began to consider the eminent sage Vasiṣṭha as already vanquished. With this newfound power, Viśvāmitra went to the hermitage and unleashed his weapons, by which the forest of ascetics, known as Tapovana, was consumed in flames by the force of his missiles. Seeing these weapons rise up, hundreds of terrified sages fled in all directions. The disciples of Vasiṣṭha, as well as the deer and birds, panic-stricken and frightened, scattered by the thousands in every direction, driven by fear. For a moment, the hermitage of the great-souled Vasiṣṭha became empty and silent, resembling a desolate reed marsh. Vasiṣṭha, however, called out again and again, “Do not fear!” Then 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 Viśvāmitra with words blazing with anger: “You have destroyed this hermitage, long cherished and nurtured, O deluded one of evil conduct; therefore, you shall not endure.” So saying, he raised his staff in wrath—a staff resembling the rod of Yama, the lord of death, like a smokeless fire of destruction. Now, O Rāma, listen to what happened next. Thus addressed by Vasiṣṭha, the mighty Viśvāmitra aimed the Agni missile and challenged, “Stand, stand!” But Vasiṣṭha, raising his Brahma-staff, which shone like the very rod of Time, spoke with righteous fury: “O destroyer of the Kṣatriya race, I am standing here—show me your strength! Today I will shatter your pride in weapons, O son of Gādhi. Where is your kṣatriya power, and where is the supreme power of Brahman? Behold my divine Brahmanic power, O dust of Kṣatriyas!” The terrible and supreme missile of fire, released by Viśvāmitra, was subdued by Vasiṣṭha’s Brahma-staff, just as fire is subdued by water. Enraged, Viśvāmitra unleashed a succession of mighty weapons: the Varuṇa, Rudra, Indra, Pāśupata, and Aiṣīka missiles, followed by the Mānavāstra, the Mohana, the Gāndharva, the Svāpana, Jṛmbhaṇa, Mādana, Saṃtāpana, and Vilāpana missiles. He hurled the Śoṣaṇa, Dāraṇa, the invincible Vajra missile, the Brahma-pāśa, Kāla-pāśa, and Varuṇa-pāśa. He released the Pināka missile, the dry and wet thunderbolts, the Daṇḍa missile, the Paiśāca, and the Krauñca missile. He sent forth the Dharma wheel, the Time wheel, the Vishnu wheel, the wind weapon, the churning weapon, and the horse-head missile, as well as two spears, the Kankala weapon, the club, the Vidyadhara missile, and the dreadful Kala missile. He released the fierce trident weapon, the Kapala missile, and the Kankana missile—every weapon in his arsenal. Yet to Vasiṣṭha, foremost among reciters of mantras, it was as if all these weapons were nothing. With his Brahma-staff, the son of Brahma consumed every single one. When all those weapons had been subdued, Viśvāmitra, desperate and enraged, invoked the ultimate Brahma missile. As this weapon was raised, the gods led by Agni, the divine sages, the Gandharvas, and the great serpents—all were alarmed. The three worlds trembled in terror at the invocation of the Brahma missile. But even that most dreadful of weapons, O Rāghava, Vasiṣṭha consumed entirely with the power of his Brahma-staff. As the great-souled Vasiṣṭha absorbed the Brahma missile, his form became so terrible and awe-inspiring that the three worlds themselves were bewildered.