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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.81.22

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 81: Rāma and Sītā’s grass bed. Guha shows Bharata where they slept after taking only water, while Lakṣmaṇa and the Niṣādas kept watch

In the sequence: he describes how Lakṣmaṇa and the Niṣādas guarded them through the night.

2.81.22

niyamya pṛṣṭhe tu talāṅgulitravāñ śaraiḥ supūrṇāv iṣudhī paraṃtapaḥ
mahad dhanuḥ sajyam upohya lakṣmaṇo niśām atiṣṭhat parito 'sya kevalam

Wearing his hand- and finger-guards, having fastened upon his back the two quivers well-filled with arrows, and taking up the great strung bow, Lakṣmaṇa, that scorcher of foes, stood watch through the whole night entirely around him.

Words: niyamya — having fastened, secured; pṛṣṭhe — on his back; tu — and; talāṅgulitravāñ — wearing hand- and finger-guards; śaraiḥ — with arrows; supūrṇāv — the two well-filled; iṣudhī — the two quivers; paraṃtapaḥ — scorcher of foes; mahad dhanuḥ — the great bow; sajyam — strung; upohya — having taken up, drawn near; lakṣmaṇo — Lakṣmaṇa; niśām — the night; atiṣṭhat — stood through, kept watch; parito 'sya — around him; kevalam — entirely, alone

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.