← 3.26.1 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 26: Triśiras loses his three heads · 3.26.3 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.26.2

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 26: Triśiras loses his three heads. He takes Khara’s place in battle, Rāma wrecks his chariot and severs his heads, Khara advances himself

In the sequence: Triśiras intercepts Khara and asks to fight first, swearing on his weapon that either he or Rāma will die → Khara can return victorious if Rāma falls, or fight afterward if Triśiras fails

3.26.2

māṃ niyojaya vikrānta saṃnivartasva sāhasāt
paśya rāmaṃ mahābāhuṃ saṃyuge vinipātitam

“Appoint me to the task, O valiant one; desist from this rash venture; behold the mighty-armed Rāma struck down in battle.

Words: māṃ — me; niyojaya — appoint, commission; vikrānta — O valiant one; saṃnivartasva — turn back, desist; sāhasāt — from (this) rash act; paśya — behold; rāmaṃ — Rāma; mahābāhuṃ — mighty-armed; saṃyuge — in battle; vinipātitam — struck down, felled

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.