← 3.66.14 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 66: Kabandha’s arms severed

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.66.15

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 66: Kabandha’s arms severed. Lakṣmaṇa proposes cutting their captor’s arms, the brothers strike together and Kabandha recognizes the foretold means of his release

In the sequence: remembering Indra's words, Kabandha welcomes them with relief and begins to explain the misconduct that caused his condition.

3.66.15

virūpaṃ yac ca me rūpaṃ prāptaṃ hy avinayād yathā
tan me śṛṇu naravyāghra tattvataḥ śaṃsatas tava

“And how this misshapen form of mine was acquired through misconduct — hear that from me, O tiger among men, as I truly relate it to you.”

Words: virūpaṃ — misshapen, deformed; yac — which; ca — and; me — my; rūpaṃ — form; prāptaṃ — obtained, acquired; hy — indeed; avinayād — through misconduct; yathā — how, in what way; tan — that; me — from me; śṛṇu — hear!; naravyāghra — O tiger among men; tattvataḥ — truly, in truth; śaṃsatas — as I relate (gen.); tava — to you

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.