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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.41.34

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: he discusses hunting for food and recreation and the value of unusual things obtained through effort, imagining the hide as a seat for them both

3.41.34

na kādalī na priyakī na praveṇī na cāvikī
bhaved etasya sadṛśī sparśaneneti me matiḥ

Neither a kādalī-deerskin, nor a priyaka-skin, nor a woven rug, nor a woollen fleece would equal this to the touch—such is my thought.

Words: na kādalī — neither the kādalī (deer-skin); na priyakī — nor the priyaka (antelope-skin); na praveṇī — nor the woven rug; na cāvikī — nor the woollen (sheep) rug; bhaved — would be; etasya — to this; sadṛśī — equal, similar; sparśaneneti — by touch, (so); me matiḥ — my thought

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.