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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.5.20
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
3.5.20
bhavatām arthasiddhyartham āgato 'haṃ yadṛcchayā
tasya me 'yaṃ vane vāso bhaviṣyati mahāphalaḥ
tapasvināṃ raṇe śatrūn hantum icchāmi rākṣasān
It was for the accomplishing of your purpose that I came, as it happened; this dwelling of mine in the forest shall bear great fruit — I wish to slay in battle the rākṣasa foes of the ascetics.”
Words: bhavatām — of you (honorific); arthasiddhyartham — for the accomplishment of your purpose; āgato — come; 'haṃ — I; yadṛcchayā — by chance, as it happened; tasya — of that, therefore; me — my; 'yaṃ — this; vane — in the forest; vāso — dwelling; bhaviṣyati — shall be; mahāphalaḥ — of great fruit; tapasvināṃ — of the ascetics; raṇe — in battle; śatrūn — the foes; hantum — to slay; icchāmi — I wish; rākṣasān — the rākṣasas
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.