← 3.41.15 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 41: Rāma pursues the deer · 3.41.17 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.41.16

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 41: Rāma pursues the deer. Lakṣmaṇa suspects Mārīca, Sītā asks for the living animal or its hide and Rāma leaves Lakṣmaṇa to guard her

In the sequence: she hopes to take it back to Ayodhyā as a living marvel for the family → if it cannot be caught alive, she asks for its golden hide to spread over her grass couch

3.41.16

samāptavanavāsānāṃ rājyasthānāṃ ca naḥ punaḥ
antaḥpuravibhūṣārtho mṛga eṣa bhaviṣyati

When our forest-dwelling is over and we are again established in the kingdom, this deer will serve to adorn the inner apartments.

Words: samāptavanavāsānāṃ — of us whose forest-dwelling is over; rājyasthānāṃ — of us settled in the kingdom; ca naḥ — and of us; punaḥ — again; antaḥpuravibhūṣārtho — serving to adorn the inner apartments; mṛga eṣa — this deer; bhaviṣyati — will be

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.