← 2.90.22 · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 90: Lakṣmaṇa suspects Bharata’s army · 2.90.24 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.90.23

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 90: Lakṣmaṇa suspects Bharata’s army. He recognizes the banner, assumes an attack and urges Rāma to extinguish the fire, hide Sītā and prepare to fight

In the sequence: his anger grows into threats against Bharata, Kaikeyī, and the army.

2.90.23

adyaitac citrakūṭasya kānanaṃ niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ
bhindañ śatruśarīrāṇi kariṣye śoṇitokṣitam

Today, piercing the enemies' bodies with sharp arrows, I shall make this forest of Citrakūṭa drenched with blood.

Words: adyaitac — today this; citrakūṭasya — of Citrakūṭa; kānanaṃ — the forest; niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ — with sharp arrows; bhindañ — piercing, splitting; śatruśarīrāṇi — the bodies of the enemies; kariṣye — I shall make; śoṇitokṣitam — drenched with blood

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. 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.