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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.30.16

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 30: Śūrpaṇakhā reaches Rāvaṇa’s court. The narrative recalls his conquests, tapas and protection from nonhuman enemies, leaving him vulnerable to a human

In the sequence: he could hold back the rising sun and moon with his arms

3.30.16

candrasūryau mahābhāgāv uttiṣṭhantau paraṃtapau
nivārayati bāhubhyāṃ yaḥ śailaśikharopamaḥ

who, resembling a mountain-peak, with his arms holds back the illustrious, foe-scorching Moon and Sun as they rise;

Words: candrasūryau — the Moon and the Sun; mahābhāgāv — the illustrious; uttiṣṭhantau — rising; paraṃtapau — foe-scorching; nivārayati — holds back, checks; bāhubhyāṃ — with (his) arms; yaḥ — who; śailaśikharopamaḥ — like a mountain-peak

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.