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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.41.25

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: Rāma too is captivated by its appearance and speaks of fulfilling her wish

3.41.25

pratilomānulomāś ca rucirā romarājayaḥ
śobhante mṛgam āśritya citrāḥ kanakabindubhiḥ

Lovely lines of hair, running against and with the grain, dappled with golden spots, adorn the deer's body.

Words: pratilomānulomāś ca — and (running) against and with the grain; rucirā — lovely; romarājayaḥ — lines of hair; śobhante — adorn, shine; mṛgam āśritya — resting on the deer; citrāḥ — dappled, bright; kanakabindubhiḥ — with golden spots

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. 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.