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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.41.7

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

3.41.7

mṛgo hy evaṃvidho ratnavicitro nāsti rāghava
jagatyāṃ jagatīnātha māyaiṣā hi na saṃśayaḥ

For such a deer, dappled with jewels, does not exist on earth, Rāghava; O lord of the earth, this is surely magic, no doubt.

Words: mṛgo hy — for a deer; evaṃvidho — of such a kind; ratnavicitro — dappled with jewels; nāsti — does not exist; rāghava — O Rāghava; jagatyāṃ — on the earth; jagatīnātha — O lord of the earth; māyaiṣā hi — for this is magic; na saṃśayaḥ — no doubt

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.