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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.23.8

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 23: Rāma prepares to fight alone. He reads the omens as signs of victory, sends Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa into a mountain cave and faces the fourteen thousand

In the sequence: his weapons seem eager for battle, birds signal danger, and his throbbing arm foretells combat → Lakṣmaṇa's bright, composed face gives him confidence in victory

3.23.8

saṃnikarṣe tu naḥ śūra jayaṃ śatroḥ parājayam
suprabhaṃ ca prasannaṃ ca tava vaktraṃ hi lakṣyate

It is close at hand, O brave one — our victory and the enemy's defeat; for your face is seen bright and serene.

Words: saṃnikarṣe — close at hand, near; tu — indeed; naḥ — our; śūra — O brave one; jayaṃ — victory; śatroḥ — of the enemy; parājayam — defeat; suprabhaṃ — bright, radiant; ca — and; prasannaṃ — serene, clear; ca — and; tava — your; vaktraṃ — face; hi — for; lakṣyate — is seen, appears

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.