Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 2: Lord Brahmā Instructs Vālmīki
Text 1.2.23
आजगाम ततो ब्रह्मा लोककर्ता स्वयं प्रभुः।
चतुर्मुखो महातेजा द्रष्टुं तं मुनिपुङ्गवम्॥
ājagāma tato brahmā loka-kartā svayaṁ prabhuḥ
catur-mukho mahā-tejā draṣṭuṁ taṁ muni-puṅgavam
ājagāma = came; tataḥ = then; brahmā = Brahmā; loka-kartā = the creator of the worlds; svayam = personally; prabhuḥ = Lord; catur-mukhaḥ = the four-faced; mahā-tejāḥ = of great prowess; draṣṭum = to see; tam = Vālmīki; muni-puṅgavam = the best of sages.
Then, the four-faced Lord Brahmā of great prowess, the creator of the worlds, personally came to see Vālmīki, the best of sages.
Lord Brahmā was prabhuḥ, the master. He possessed four heads useful for uttering the four Vedas. Vālmīki is described here as muni-puṅgavam for his glory had been recounted by Nārada to Brahmā, who out of curiosity personally came to see Vālmīki. Even though he could have ordered the compilation of Rāmāyaṇa from his own abode, out of extreme respect for the sage, he came to see him personally.