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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.36.15

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 36: Mārīca’s story of his first defeat. He recalls attacking Viśvāmitra’s sacrifice and being hurled a hundred yojanas into the sea by the young Rāma’s arrow

In the sequence: Mārīca approached armed and dismissed him as a mere boy, rushing toward the altar

3.36.15

avajānann ahaṃ mohād bālo 'yam iti rāghavam
viśvāmitrasya tāṃ vedim adhyadhāvaṃ kṛtatvaraḥ

Despising Rāghava out of folly, thinking 'This is a mere boy,' I rushed in haste towards that altar of Viśvāmitra.

Words: avajānann — despising; ahaṃ — I; mohād — out of delusion, folly; bālo 'yam iti — 'this is a boy'; rāghavam — Rāghava; viśvāmitrasya — of Viśvāmitra; tāṃ vedim — that altar; adhyadhāvaṃ — I rushed towards; kṛtatvaraḥ — in haste, having hurried

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.