← 3.41.44 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 41: Rāma pursues the deer · 3.41.46 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.41.45
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 orders Lakṣmaṇa to remain alert beside Sītā, with Jaṭāyu nearby, while he captures or kills the deer and returns.
3.41.45
asyām āyattam asmākaṃ yat kṛtyaṃ raghunandana
aham enaṃ vadhiṣyāmi grahīṣyāmy atha vā mṛgam
On her rests all that is our concern, O joy of the Raghus; I shall either slay this deer or capture it.
Words: asyām — on her; āyattam — resting, dependent; asmākaṃ — our; yat kṛtyaṃ — what is to be done; raghunandana — O joy of the Raghus; aham enaṃ — I this (one); vadhiṣyāmi — shall slay; grahīṣyāmy atha vā — or else shall capture; mṛgam — the deer
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.