"Ek Brahmrishi ? Poorv mei Samrat the ?" Ganesh asked.

"Ha. Kush-vansh ke Raja, Gaadhi ke putra, Kaushik ke kaushal aur veerta ke charche chaaro dishaao mei faeli huyi thi. Apne samarthya se sampurn Bharatvarsh ko jeeta tha inhone." Amarsri said.

"Brahmarishi Vasisth se shatruta kaise huyi ?" Ganesh asked.

"Ek baar Samrat Kaushik ne yatra nikali, jaha woh 1 Akshohini sena ke saath, prithvi ke samast sthaano par jayenge. Aur aisi hi woh Vasisth ke aashram pahunche...." Amarsri began to narrate the tale.

-- FLASHBACK --

For many days Kaushik along with his sons and his 1 Akshohini amru travelled through forests, mountains, janpadas and aashrams, crossing several rivers along the way.

One day he, his sons and his army reached the Aashram of Vasisth. Seeing the celebrated sage, Kaushik prostrated at Vasisth's feet. The great sage also welcomed the emperor with delight.

Vasisth enquired about Kaushik and his reign, the emperor also responded in the affirmative. Both of them had a pleasant discussion for quite a while.

Later Vasisth offered to host the entire army, his sons and him. Kaushik was reluctant, being aware that feeding his huge army would be a difficult task for a sage. But he gave in to Vasisth's affectionate insistence.

The revered sage called his cow Shabalaa, who was none other than Kamdhenu, the wish fulfilling cow. Vasisth respectfully requested Shabalaa to arrange a feast for the royal entourage with the most delectable of foods.

And in an instant, the divine cow presented every kind of drink and delicacy that the guests could possibly wish for. The army feasted to their heart's content Kaushik was amazed.

When it was time to leave, he approached Vasisth with a preposition. Kaushik offered 1 Lakh cows in return for Shabalaa. Vasisth was little taken aback.

The sage politely refused saying Shabalaa cannot be separated from him, not for 1 Lakh cows, nor for a 100 crore or any form of wealth, because the fulfillment of Vasisth's sacred rituals is dependent on her. Shabalaa was everything to Vasisth.

Kaushik thought that Vasisth was looking for a bargain hence he upped his offer and said that he will along with 1 Lakh cows, give him fully decked elephants, golden chariots, horses of best breads and lavish amount of gems and gold.

But Vasisth was not open to any negotiation, because Shabalaa was his wealth and his life. He firmly said that he will not part with her.

Not used to hearing 'No' for an answer, Kaushik decided to take the cow with force. He began to drag away the unwilling and upset Shabalaa. But she using all his strength freed herself from him and ran towards the Vasisth.

Now the army started pulling Shabalaa, she let out a loud 'moo' from which emerged a group of fierce warriors who annihilated the Akshohini army of Kaushik. They even killed his sons. There was no match of these warriors.

The embarrassed Kaushik returned to his kingdom. He had lost the will to rule, and hence handing over his kingdom to his only surviving son, he went to Himalayas with the intention of pleasing Mahadev.

For years he performed penance on the mountain peaks, and one day after being pleased by Kaushik, Mahadev appeared in front of him and offered a boon.

"Yudh ke sarvashreshth tarike aur iss brahmaand mei jitne bhi astra-shashtra hai, unn sabka gyaan pradaan kare." Kaushik requested.

"Tathastu." Mahadev blessed and disappeared.

Kaushik was now beaming with confidence, he believed himself to be invincible. He again went back to Vasisth's ashram for revenge and started razing it to the ground. The disciples and animals started running here and there to save their lives.

Vasisth was furious now, Kaushik has destroyed the ashram that he had made with so much affection. With the power of his austerities he summoned a dand (Baton) which was no less severe than the Yam-dand. With it Vasisth not only repelled the attacks of Kaushik, he destroyed all his weapons.

Kaushik was humiliated once again, that he a valiant emperor who was feared by everyone, was no match for a mere sage.

"Lanat hai mere kshatriya-bal par ! Vastavik shakti toh Brahm-bal hai jo Vasisth ke paas hai ! Ab mai ghor tapasya karunga iss shakti ko praapt karne hetu jo Brahmarishi banne ke baad milti hai." Kaushik proclaimed.

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A/N

To those who would be wondering what exactly is Brahm-bal.....

It is the out of ordinary physical and mental power of a Brahmarishi due to complete control over his senses, mind and intellect.

Even the strongest of weapons and the best of weapons could do no harm to such a person with Brahm-bal.

Due to this Bal, a Brahmarishi can reduce a person to ashes just with the heat of his own innate strength.

A Brahmarishi is also intuitively discerning when to and when not to use his powers. Even his anger has a higher purpose.

Just like the anger of Vasisth and him defeating Kaushik, will now lead him to embark on the journey to attain Brahm-bal and become Brahmarishi Vishwamitra.

And in the previous chapter, the anger of Vishwamitra on Dashrath lead him to send Shri Ram and Lakshman with him, which ultimately caused the union of Siya Ram.