Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 2: Lord Brahmā Instructs Vālmīki
Text 1.2.17
चिन्तयन्स महाप्राज्ञश्चकार मतिमान्मतिम्।
शिष्यं चैवाब्रवीद्वाक्यमिदं स मुनिपुङ्गवः॥
cintayan sa mahā-prājñaś cakāra matimān matim
śiṣyaṁ caivābravīd vākyam idaṁ sa muni-puṅgavaḥ
cintayan = thinking to himself; saḥ = the; mahā-prājñaḥ = greatly intelligent; cakāra = came; matimān = knower of scriptures; matim = to a conclusion; śiṣyam = his disciple; ca eva = and; abravīt = spoke to; vākyam = words; idam = these; saḥ = the; muni-puṅgavaḥ = best of the sages, Vālmīki.
The greatly intelligent knower of the scriptures, the best of the sages, Vālmīki, thinking to himself, came to a conclusion, and spoke to his disciple the following words.
He was a mahā-prājñaḥ, a person who had great intelligence or one who knew clearly about things, that is, one capable of argumentation and counter-argumentation.