Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 58: King Triśaṅku Cursed
Text 1.58.15
विश्वामित्रस्तु तं दृष्ट्वा राजानं विफलीकृतम्।
चण्डालरूपिणं राम मुनिः कारुण्यमागतः॥
viśvāmitras tu taṁ dṛṣṭvā rājānaṁ viphalī-kṛtam
caṇḍāla-rūpiṇaṁ rāma muniḥ kāruṇyam āgataḥ
viśvāmitraḥ tu = Viśvāmitra; tam = the; dṛṣṭvā = seeing; rājānam = the king; viphalī-kṛtam = rendered useless; caṇḍāla-rūpiṇam = in the form of a caṇḍāla; rāma = O Rāma; muniḥ = the sage; kāruṇyam āgataḥ = became compassionate.
O Rāma, seeing the king in the form of a caṇḍāla rendered useless, the sage Viśvāmitra became compassionate.
Viśvāmitra saw that the king had been rendered useless. In other words, the king’s means to attain [material] happiness in this life and the next had been destroyed by Vasiṣṭha’s sons.