Shloka 1.63.15
विश्वामित्रस्य तपोविघ्नः, मेनकाप्रसङ्गः, महर्षिपदप्रदानम् (Visvamitra’s Austerity Obstructed; Menaka Episode; Conferment of Maharshi Status)
तस्य वर्षसहस्रं तु घोरं तप उपासत:।उत्तरे पर्वते राम देवतानामभूद्भयम्।।।।
tasya varṣa-sahasraṃ tu ghoraṃ tapa upāsataḥ | uttare parvate rāma devatānām abhūd bhayam ||
O Rāma, as he pursued dreadful austerities for a thousand years upon the northern mountain, fear arose among the gods.
O Rama! while he was performing rigorous penance for a thousand years on the northern mountains, the gods were gripped with fear. (lest he should exceed them).
It points to the dharmic tension between spiritual power gained by tapas and the maintenance of cosmic balance; great power can unsettle established orders, demanding heightened responsibility and restraint.
Viśvāmitra’s renewed and prolonged austerities become so intense that the gods fear the consequences of his accumulating spiritual potency.
Unyielding perseverance in tapas—sustained effort over vast time—paired implicitly with the need for inner governance as power grows.