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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.36.6

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: Daśaratha objected that Rāma was not yet sixteen and inexperienced, offering to come with his army instead

3.36.6

ūna ṣoḍaśa varṣo 'yam akṛtāstraś ca rāghavaḥ
kāmaṃ tu mama yat sainyaṃ mayā saha gamiṣyati
badhiṣyāmi muniśreṣṭha śatruṃ tava yathepsitam

'This Rāghava is not yet sixteen years old and untrained in arms; but if you wish, the army that is mine shall go with me, and I will slay your enemy as you desire, O best of sages.'

Words: ūna — short of, less than; ṣoḍaśa — sixteen; varṣo 'yam — this ... years (old); akṛtāstraś ca — and untrained in weapons; rāghavaḥ — Rāghava; kāmaṃ tu — but if you wish, verily; mama — my; yat sainyaṃ — the army which; mayā saha — with me; gamiṣyati — will go; badhiṣyāmi — I will slay; muniśreṣṭha — O best of sages; śatruṃ — the enemy; tava — your; yathepsitam — as desired

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.