← 3.5.18 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 5: The ṛṣis appeal for protection · 3.5.20 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.5.19
Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 5: The ṛṣis appeal for protection. Tapasvins display the victims of rākṣasa attacks, Rāma promises to defend them and gives his exile a purpose
In the sequence: Rāma answers that they may command his service: protecting them will give purpose to his exile, and he wishes to fight their rākṣasa enemies
3.5.19
etac chrutvā tu kākutsthas tāpasānāṃ tapasvinām
idaṃ provāca dharmātmā sarvān eva tapasvinaḥ
naivam arhatha māṃ vaktum ājñāpyo 'haṃ tapasvinam
Hearing this from the ascetic hermits, the righteous Kākutstha said this to all the ascetics: “You ought not to speak to me thus; I am one to be commanded at the ascetics' bidding.
Words: etac — this; chrutvā — having heard; tu — and; kākutsthas — Kākutstha; tāpasānāṃ — from the hermits; tapasvinām — of the ascetics; idaṃ — this; provāca — said; dharmātmā — the righteous one; sarvān — to all; eva — indeed; tapasvinaḥ — the ascetics; naivam — not thus; arhatha — you ought; māṃ — to me; vaktum — to speak; ājñāpyo — to be commanded; 'haṃ — I; tapasvinam — at the ascetics' bidding
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.