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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.37.16

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 37: Mārīca’s second defeat and terror. His deer-form attack costs two companions, he abandons violence but still sees and fears Rāma everywhere

In the sequence: fear still makes him see Rāma behind every tree and wake in terror from dreams; even words beginning with “ra,” such as ratna and ratha, frighten him

3.37.16

api rāmasahasrāṇi bhītaḥ paśyāmi rāvaṇa
rāmabhūtam idaṃ sarvam araṇyaṃ pratibhāti me

In my fear I see thousands of Rāmas, O Rāvaṇa; this whole forest appears to me to have become Rāma.

Words: api — even; rāmasahasrāṇi — thousands of Rāmas; bhītaḥ — frightened; paśyāmi — I see; rāvaṇa — O Rāvaṇa; rāmabhūtam — become Rāma; idaṃ sarvam — this whole; araṇyaṃ — forest; pratibhāti — appears; me — to me

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.