← 3.40.4 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 40: The golden deer appears · 3.40.6 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.40.5

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 40: The golden deer appears. Mārīca yields to Rāvaṇa, travels to the hermitage and assumes a jewelled deer’s form that attracts Sītā while frightening the real deer

In the sequence: Rāvaṇa embraces him in delight, praises his compliance, and invites him into the flying chariot

3.40.5

etac chauṇḍīryayuktaṃ te macchabdād iva bhāṣitam
idānīm asi mārīcaḥ pūrvam anyo niśācaraḥ

This valorous speech of yours is spoken as though at my very word; now you are (the true) Mārīca—before, you were some other night-ranger.

Words: etac — this; chauṇḍīryayuktaṃ — full of valour, prowess; te — your; macchabdād — at my word, command; iva — as if; bhāṣitam — spoken; idānīm — now; asi — you are; mārīcaḥ — Mārīca; pūrvam — before; anyo — another; niśācaraḥ — night-ranger

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.