← 3.41.4 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 41: Rāma pursues the deer · 3.41.6 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.41.5

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: Lakṣmaṇa immediately suspects Mārīca, recalling that he has used disguises to kill royal hunters → he argues that no natural deer could be covered with jewels in this way

3.41.5

caranto mṛgayāṃ hṛṣṭāḥ pāpenopādhinā vane
anena nihatā rāma rājānaḥ kāmarūpiṇā

By this one, who takes forms at will, through his wicked wiles, kings roaming the chase in delight in the forest have been slain, Rāma.

Words: caranto — roaming; mṛgayāṃ — the hunt, chase; hṛṣṭāḥ — delighted; pāpenopādhinā — by (his) wicked wile; vane — in the forest; anena — by this (one); nihatā — slain; rāma — O Rāma; rājānaḥ — kings; kāmarūpiṇā — by (him) who takes forms at will

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.