← 3.9.9 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 9: Rāma’s promise to the ṛṣis · 3.9.11 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.9.10
Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 9: Rāma’s promise to the ṛṣis. He explains their refusal to spend tapasvin power on curses and declares that protecting them binds him more strongly than his own life
In the sequence: they told him that shape-changing rākṣasas attack during offerings and observances → although the tapasvins could use their tapas to kill their enemies, they will not squander their hard-earned austerity in curses
3.9.10
sarvair eva samāgamya vāg iyaṃ samudāhṛtā
rākṣasair daṇḍakāraṇye bahubhiḥ kāmarūpibhiḥ
arditāḥ sma bhṛśaṃ rāma bhavān nas trātum arhati
By all of them, gathering together, this word was uttered: 'By the many rākṣasas in the Daṇḍaka forest who take any form at will, we are grievously afflicted, O Rāma; you ought to save us.'
Words: sarvair — by all; eva — just, indeed; samāgamya — having gathered together; vāg — word, speech; iyaṃ — this; samudāhṛtā — was uttered; rākṣasair — by the rākṣasas; daṇḍakāraṇye — in the Daṇḍaka forest; bahubhiḥ — many; kāmarūpibhiḥ — who take any form at will; arditāḥ — afflicted, tormented; sma — (perfect particle); bhṛśaṃ — greatly, grievously; rāma — O Rāma; bhavān — your honour; nas — us; trātum — to save; arhati — ought, is fit
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.