अहं वेद्मि महात्मानं रामं सत्यपराक्रमम्।।1.19.14।। वसिष्ठोऽपि महातेजा ये चेमे तपसि स्थिता:।
Meaning
"I know that great-souled and truthful Rama's valor, and so does the resplendent Vashishtha and these others rooted in austerity here."
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| aham vedmi mahātmānam | अहम् वेद्मि महात्मानम् | I know the great-souled one | Verb (present) |
| rāmam satya-parākramam | रामम् सत्य-पराक्रमम् | Rama, of true valor | Accusative singular |
| vasiṣṭhaḥ api mahā-tejāḥ | वसिष्ठः अपि महा-तेजाः | and so does the greatly splendorous Vasishtha | Nominative singular |
| ye ca ime tapasi sthitāḥ | ये च इमे तपसि स्थिताः | and these others established in austerity | Nominative plural |
Scholar commentary
valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary
Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes
The source reads Vishvamitra's mention of Vashishtha here as pointed rather than incidental: the particle api ('even') is read as acknowledging Vashishtha as Vishvamitra's known rival in matters of policy -- 'even my opponent Vashishtha, a brahmarshi by whose instance I myself became one, knows Rama's worth' -- offered as evidence Vishvamitra isn't merely flattering his own cause. The source adds that Vishvamitra strengthens this further by invoking the other sages present (ye cha ime tapaH sthitaa, 'those rooted in austerity here'), arguing that unlike Vashishtha, who as raaja guru might be presumed biased toward the king, the other sages have no institutional stake in the matter and can speak plainly.
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.19.15 · Bāla Kāṇḍa