With fury blazing in his eyes, Viśvāmitra confronted Vasiṣṭha, his heart consumed by anger and resentment. He cried out, “You have destroyed this hermitage, long nurtured, O deluded one of evil conduct; therefore, you shall not endure!” With these words, Viśvāmitra, enraged beyond measure, swiftly raised his staff, which shone with the terrible power of Yama’s rod, burning with the intensity of a smokeless fire of destruction. Now, listen to the tale of the fifty-sixth sarga. Thus addressed by Vasiṣṭha, Viśvāmitra, mighty and resolute, prepared to unleash the Agni missile. He called out, “Stand, stand!” Raising his Brahma-staff, which shone like another rod of Time, the venerable Vasiṣṭha, his anger kindled, spoke with authority: “O destroyer of the Kṣatriya race, I am standing here—show me your strength! Today, O son of Gādhi, I will destroy your pride in weapons. Where is your Kṣatriya power, and where is the great power of Brahman? Behold my divine Brahmanic power, O dust of Kṣatriyas!” Viśvāmitra released the terrible and supreme missile of fire, but Vasiṣṭha’s Brahma-staff subdued it, just as water subdues the force of fire. Undeterred, Viśvāmitra, burning with rage, unleashed a torrent of celestial weapons: the Varuṇa, Rudra, Indra, Pāśupata, and Aiṣīka missiles; the Mānavāstra, Mohana, Gāndharva, Svāpana, Jṛmbhaṇa, Mādana, Saṃtāpana, and Vilāpana missiles; the Śoṣaṇa, Dāraṇa, the invincible Vajra missile, Brahma-pāśa, Kāla-pāśa, and Varuṇa-pāśa; the beloved Pināka missile, the dry and wet thunderbolt, Daṇḍa missile, Paiśāca, and Krauñca missile; the Dharma wheel, Time wheel, Vishnu wheel, wind weapon, churning weapon, and horse-head missile; two spears, the Kankala weapon, the club, the mighty Vidyadhara missile, and the dreadful Kala missile; the fierce trident weapon, the Kapala missile, and the Kankana missile. All these formidable weapons, O descendant of Raghu, Viśvāmitra hurled in his wrath. Yet, to Vasiṣṭha, the foremost among those who recite mantras, it seemed a marvel. The son of Brahma consumed all these weapons with his staff, as if they were nothing. Seeing his missiles subdued, Viśvāmitra then released the Brahma missile, the most dreadful of all. As he raised it, the gods led by Agni, the divine sages, the Gandharvas, and the great serpents—all were seized with terror. The three worlds trembled when the Brahma missile was invoked. But even this formidable weapon, Vasiṣṭha consumed entirely with the power of his Brahma staff. As Vasiṣṭha absorbed the Brahma missile, his form became terribly fierce, bewildering the three worlds. From every hair pore of the great-souled sage, rays burst forth like smokeless, blazing flames of fire. The Brahma staff, raised in Vasiṣṭha’s hand, blazed forth like the fire of destruction, shining with the power of Yama’s rod. The hosts of sages praised Vasiṣṭha, the best of those who recite mantras, saying, “Your power is unfailing, O Brahman; sustain your brilliance with your radiance. By you, O Brahman, mighty Viśvāmitra has been subdued; your power is supreme and unfailing—may the worlds be free from fear.” Hearing these words, the mighty and radiant Vasiṣṭha calmed himself. Viśvāmitra, defeated and humbled, sighed deeply and spoke: “Fie upon the power of the warrior, the strength of the Kṣatriya; the strength of Brahmanic energy is true strength. With a single Brahma staff, all my weapons have been destroyed.” Reflecting on this, he composed his senses and mind, and resolved, “I will undertake great austerity, which alone is the cause of becoming a Brahman.” Now, hear the tale of the fifty-seventh sarga in the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Bāla Kāṇḍa. Viśvāmitra’s heart was scorched by grief as he recalled his defeat. Sighing again and again, he had become an enemy of the great-souled Vasiṣṭha. He journeyed southward with his queen, O Rāghava, and there, Viśvāmitra, the great ascetic, undertook the most severe austerity. He ate fruits and roots, practiced self-control, and engaged in supreme austerity. In time, sons were born to him—Haviṣpanda, Madhuṣpanda, and Dṛḍhanetra, the great chariot-warrior—all devoted to truth and righteousness. When a thousand years had passed, Brahmā, the grandsire of the worlds, spoke sweet words to Viśvāmitra, who had gained the wealth of asceticism: “The realms of royal sages are conquered by you through austerity, O son of Kuśika. By this austerity, we know you as a royal sage.” Having spoken thus, the great and radiant one departed with the gods to the heavenly realm, the abode of Brahmā. Viśvāmitra, hearing these words, became somewhat downcast with modesty. Overcome by great sorrow and anger, he said, “I have performed immense austerity, yet they know me only as a royal sage. All the gods and all the hosts of sages—there is, I think, no fruit of austerity.” Thus resolved in his mind, the great ascetic prepared to continue his quest. At that very time, the righteous-souled Kakutstha, possessing supreme self, practiced austerity. And Triśaṅku, renowned as the enhancer of the Ikṣvāku lineage, who spoke truth and had conquered his senses, had a thought arise within him: “I shall perform a sacrifice, O descendant of Raghu. I shall attain, with my own body, the supreme state of the gods.” He summoned Vasiṣṭha and revealed his intention. Thus unfolds the tale, reverently preserved from the sacred verses.