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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.2.21
Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 2: Virādha’s attack. The weapon-bearing man-eater seizes Sītā and claims her as his wife, Lakṣmaṇa steadies Rāma and vows to kill him
In the sequence: Lakṣmaṇa urges him not to despair while he is there to help → he vows to kill Virādha and says he will release against him the anger he formerly felt toward Bharata.
3.2.21
anātha iva bhūtānāṃ nāthas tvaṃ vāsavopamaḥ
mayā preṣyeṇa kākutstha kimarthaṃ paritapsyase
You, the lord of beings, the equal of Vāsava (Indra), grieve as though helpless! With me as your servant, Kākutstha, why do you torment yourself?
Words: anātha — helpless, without protector; iva — as though; bhūtānāṃ — of beings; nāthas — the lord, protector; tvaṃ — you; vāsavopamaḥ — the equal of Vāsava (Indra); mayā — by/with me; preṣyeṇa — as servant; kākutstha — O Kākutstha; kimarthaṃ — why, for what reason; paritapsyase — will you torment yourself, grieve
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.