Sources

The golden deer

Valmiki · Aranya Kanda
3.42.14–3.44.27 (CrEd 3.40.12–3.42.21)

A deer of gold and jewels grazes near the hut, and Sita asks Rama to bring it to her, alive or for its skin. Lakshmana warns that it is Maricha's illusion; Rama leaves him to guard Sita and follows the deer deep into the forest. Struck by Rama's arrow, Maricha dies crying out in Rama's voice, “Ha Sita! Ha Lakshmana!”

Sanskrit · English·Translation: Raam Leela

Show

Part 1

The golden deer

Valmiki 3.42.14–3.44.3 (CrEd 3.40.12–3.42.3)

॥ 3.42.30–31 ॥

CrEd 3.40.27–29

silent moment

॥ 3.42.22–29 ॥

CrEd 3.40.19–26

silent moment

॥ 3.42.32–34 ॥

CrEd 3.40.29–30

silent moment

॥ 3.43.3 ॥

popular text only · not in the CrEd

Sita

Sanskrit

आगच्छ आगच्छ शीघ्रं वै आर्यपुत्र सहानुज ॥

āgaccha āgaccha śīghraṃ vai āryaputra sahānuja

English

Come, come quickly,
my lord, with your younger brother.

॥ 3.43.4–5 ॥

CrEd 3.41.3–4

silent moment

॥ 3.43.5 ॥

CrEd 3.41.4

Lakshmana

Sanskrit

तम् एवैनम् अहं मन्ये मारीचं राक्षसं मृगम् ॥

tam evainam ahaṃ manye mārīcaṃ rākṣasaṃ mṛgam

English

I think this deer
is that very rakshasa, Maricha.

॥ 3.43.8 ॥

CrEd 3.41.7

Lakshmana

Sanskrit

मृगो ह्य् एवंविधो रत्नविचित्रो नास्ति राघव ।
जगत्यां जगतीनाथ मायैषा हि न संशयः ॥

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

English

There is no such deer, Raghava,
dappled with jewels,
in all the world, lord of the world:
this is an illusion, no doubt of it.

॥ 3.43.9–10 ॥

CrEd 3.41.8–9

Sita

Sanskrit

आर्यपुत्राभिरामोऽसौ मृगो हरति मे मनः ।
आनयैनं महाबाहो क्रीडार्थं नो भविष्यति ॥

āryaputrābhirāmo 'sau mṛgo harati me manaḥ
ānayainaṃ mahābāho krīḍārthaṃ no bhaviṣyati

English

My lord, that lovely deer
is stealing away my heart.
Bring it here, mighty-armed one;
it will be our delight.

॥ 3.43.16–17 ॥

CrEd 3.41.15–16

Sita

Sanskrit

यदि ग्रहणम् अभ्येति जीवन्न् एव मृगस् तव ।
आश्चर्यभूतं भवति विस्मयं जनयिष्यति ।
समाप्तवनवासानां राज्यस्थानां च नः पुनः ।
अन्तःपुरविभूषार्थो मृग एष भविष्यति ॥

yadi grahaṇam abhyeti jīvann eva mṛgas tava
āścaryabhūtaṃ bhavati vismayaṃ janayiṣyati
samāptavanavāsānāṃ rājyasthānāṃ ca naḥ punaḥ
antaḥpuravibhūṣārtho mṛga eṣa bhaviṣyati

English

If the deer comes into your hands
while it still lives,
it will be a marvel;
it will fill all with wonder.
And when our forest years are done,
and we are in the kingdom once more,
this deer will be an ornament
for the inner palace.

॥ 3.43.19–20 ॥

CrEd 3.41.18–19

Sita

Sanskrit

जीवन् न यदि तेऽभ्येति ग्रहणं मृगसत्तमः ।
अजिनं नरशार्दूल रुचिरं मे भविष्यति ।
निहतस्यास्य सत्त्वस्य जाम्बूनदमयत्वचि ।
शष्पबृस्यां विनीतायाम् इच्छाम्य् अहम् उपासितुम् ॥

jīvan na yadi te 'bhyeti grahaṇaṃ mṛgasattamaḥ
ajinaṃ naraśārdūla ruciraṃ me bhaviṣyati
nihatasyāsya sattvasya jāmbūnadamayatvaci
śaṣpabṛsyāṃ vinītāyām icchāmy aham upāsitum

English

If this finest of deer
does not come into your hands alive,
then, tiger among men,
its lovely skin shall be mine.
On the golden skin
of this creature, once it is slain,
spread on a seat of tender grass,
I wish to sit.

॥ 3.43.21 ॥

CrEd 3.41.20

Sita

Sanskrit

कामवृत्तम् इदं रौद्रं स्त्रीणाम् असदृशं मतम् ।
वपुषा त्व् अस्य सत्त्वस्य विस्मयो जनितो मम ॥

kāmavṛttam idaṃ raudraṃ strīṇām asadṛśaṃ matam
vapuṣā tv asya sattvasya vismayo janito mama

English

This self-willed wish is harsh,
held unfitting for women;
but the beauty of this creature
has filled me with wonder.

॥ 3.43.22–24 ॥

CrEd 3.41.21–22

silent moment

॥ 3.43.25–26 ॥

CrEd 3.41.23–24

Rama

Sanskrit

पश्य लक्ष्मण वैदेह्याः स्पृहां मृगगताम् इमाम् ।
रूपश्रेष्ठतया ह्य् एष मृगोऽद्य न भविष्यति ।
न वने नन्दनोद्देशे न चैत्ररथसंश्रये ।
कुतः पृथिव्यां सौमित्रे योऽस्य कश् चित् समो मृगः ॥

paśya lakṣmaṇa vaidehyāḥ spṛhāṃ mṛgagatām imām
rūpaśreṣṭhatayā hy eṣa mṛgo 'dya na bhaviṣyati
na vane nandanoddeśe na caitrarathasaṃśraye
kutaḥ pṛthivyāṃ saumitre yo 'sya kaś cit samo mṛgaḥ

English

See, Lakshmana, this longing
of Vaidehi’s, fixed upon the deer:
for the very excellence of its beauty,
this deer will not live past today.
Not in the forest, in the Nandana grove,
nor in the Chaitraratha garden,
much less on earth, Saumitri,
is there any deer its equal.

॥ 3.43.28 ॥

CrEd 3.41.26

Rama

Sanskrit

पश्यास्य जृम्भमाणस्य दीप्ताम् अग्निशिखोपमाम् ।
जिह्वां मुखान् निःसरन्तीं मेघाद् इव शतह्रदाम् ॥

paśyāsya jṛmbhamāṇasya dīptām agniśikhopamām
jihvāṃ mukhān niḥsarantīṃ meghād iva śatahradām

English

See, as it yawns,
its tongue, blazing,
like a tongue of flame, darts from its mouth,
like lightning from a cloud.

॥ 3.43.38 ॥

CrEd 3.41.36

Rama

Sanskrit

यदि वायं तथा यन् मां भवेद् वदसि लक्ष्मण ।
मायैषा राक्षसस्येति कर्तव्योऽस्य वधो मया ॥

yadi vāyaṃ tathā yan māṃ bhaved vadasi lakṣmaṇa
māyaiṣā rākṣasasyeti kartavyo 'sya vadho mayā

English

Or if it is as you tell me,
Lakshmana, and it should be
a rakshasa’s illusion,
then I must kill it.

॥ 3.43.46b–47a ॥

CrEd 3.41.44cd–45ab

Rama

Sanskrit

इह त्वं भव संनद्धो यन्त्रितो रक्ष मैथिलीम् ।
अस्याम् आयत्तम् अस्माकं यत् कृत्यं रघुनन्दन ॥

iha tvaṃ bhava saṃnaddho yantrito rakṣa maithilīm
asyām āyattam asmākaṃ yat kṛtyaṃ raghunandana

English

Stay here, armed,
on guard, and protect Maithili;
on her depends
all we have to do, joy of the Raghus.

॥ 3.43.51 ॥

CrEd 3.41.49

Rama

Sanskrit

प्रदक्षिणेनातिबलेन पक्षिणा जटायुषा बुद्धिमता च लक्ष्मण ।
भवाप्रमत्तः प्रतिगृह्य मैथिलीं प्रतिक्षणं सर्वत एव शङ्कितः ॥

pradakṣiṇenātibalena pakṣiṇā jaṭāyuṣā buddhimatā ca lakṣmaṇa
bhavāpramattaḥ pratigṛhya maithilīṃ pratikṣaṇaṃ sarvata eva śaṅkitaḥ

English

With the bird Jatayu, kindly, very strong and wise,
Lakshmana, stay watchful;
take charge of Maithili,
wary every moment, on every side.

॥ 3.44.1 ॥

CrEd 3.42.1

silent moment

॥ 3.44.1–3 ॥

CrEd 3.42.1–3

silent moment

॥ 3.44.4 ॥

CrEd 3.42.4

silent moment

Part 2

The chase

Valmiki 3.44.3–27 (CrEd 3.42.3–21)

॥ 3.44.4–8 ॥

CrEd 3.42.4–8

silent moment

॥ 3.44.9 ॥

CrEd 3.42.8

silent moment

॥ 3.44.9 ॥

CrEd 3.42.9

silent moment

॥ 3.44.10 ॥

CrEd 3.42.9

silent moment

॥ 3.44.13 ॥

CrEd 3.42.10

silent moment

॥ 3.44.13–16 ॥

CrEd 3.42.10–13

silent moment

॥ 3.44.17, 20–21 ॥

CrEd 3.42.13ef, 15–16

silent moment

॥ 3.44.19 ॥

CrEd 3.42.14

Maricha

Sanskrit

सदृशं राघवस्यैव हा सीते लक्ष्मणेति च ॥

sadṛśaṃ rāghavasyaiva hā sīte lakṣmaṇeti ca

English

In a voice just like Raghava’s:
“Ha Sita!” and “Ha Lakshmana!”

॥ 3.44.22 ॥

CrEd 3.42.17

silent moment

॥ 3.44.23 ॥

popular text only · not in the CrEd

Rama

Sanskrit

मारीचस्य तु मायैषा पूर्वोक्तं लक्ष्मणेन तु ।
तत् तदा ह्य् अभवच् चाद्य मारीचोऽयं मया हतः ॥

mārīcasya tu māyaiṣā pūrvoktaṃ lakṣmaṇena tu
tat tadā hy abhavac cādya mārīco 'yaṃ mayā hataḥ

English

This was Maricha’s illusion,
as Lakshmana said before;
so it proved then, and today
this Maricha has been slain by me.

॥ 3.44.24–25 ॥

CrEd 3.42.18–19

Rama

Sanskrit

हा सीते लक्ष्मणेत्य् एवम् आक्रुश्य तु महास्वरम् ।
ममार राक्षसः सोऽयं श्रुत्वा सीता कथं भवेत् ।
लक्ष्मणश् च महाबाहुः काम् अवस्थां गमिष्यति ॥

hā sīte lakṣmaṇety evam ākruśya tu mahāsvaram
mamāra rākṣasaḥ so 'yaṃ śrutvā sītā kathaṃ bhavet
lakṣmaṇaś ca mahābāhuḥ kām avasthāṃ gamiṣyati

English

Crying out with a great voice,
“Ha Sita! Ha Lakshmana!”,
this rakshasa has died: hearing it,
how will Sita be?
And mighty-armed Lakshmana,
to what state will he come?

॥ 3.44.25–26 ॥

CrEd 3.42.19–20

silent moment

॥ 3.45.1 ॥

CrEd 3.43.1

silent moment