Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 54: Śabalā Attacks King Viśvāmitra’s Army
Text 1.54.1
कामधेनुं वसिष्ठोऽपि यदा न त्यजते मुनिः।
तदास्य शबलां राम विश्वामित्रोऽन्वकर्षत॥
kāma-dhenuṁ vasiṣṭho ’pi yadā na tyajate muniḥ
tadāsya śabalāṁ rāma viśvāmitro ’nvakarṣata
kāma-dhenum = his wish-fulfilling cow; vasiṣṭhaḥ api = Vasiṣṭha; yadā = when; na = not; tyajate = would part with; muniḥ = the sage; tadā asya = his; śabalām = Śabalā; rāma = O Rāma; viśvāmitraḥ = Viśvāmitra; anvakarṣata = dragged away.
O Rāma, when the sage Vasiṣṭha would not part with his wish-fulfilling cow, Viśvāmitra dragged his Śabalā away.
When the desire-fulfilling cow was forcibly dragged away, Vasiṣṭha became angry and requested Śabalā to create an army [to neutralize Viśvāmitra’s army] and she did so. This is described in this chapter.