अरण्यकाण्डम्Araṇya Kāṇḍa

sā tam saṁprekṣya suśroṇī kusumāni vicinvatī ।
hema rājata varṇābhyām pārśvābhyām upaśobhitam ॥

prahṛṣṭā ca anavadyāngī mṛṣṭa hāṭaka varṇinī ।
bhartāram api ca ākranda lakṣmaṇam caiva sāyudham ॥

āhūya āhūya ca punaḥ tam mṛgam sādhu vīkṣate ।
āgaccha āgaccha śīghram vai āryaputra saha anuja ॥

tayā āhūtau naravyāghrau vaidehyā rāma lakṣmaṇau ।
vīkṣamāṇau tu tam deśam tadā dadṛśatuḥ mṛgam ॥

śaṁkamānaḥ tu tam dṛṣṭvā lakṣmaṇo rāmam abravīt ।
tam eva enam aham manye mārīcam rākṣasam mṛgam ॥

caranto mṛgayām hṛṣṭāḥ pāpena upādhinā vane ।
anena nihatā rāma rājānaḥ kāma rūpiṇā ॥

asya māyāvido māyā mṛga rūpam idam kṛtam ।
bhānumat puruṣavyāghra gandharva pura saṁnibham ॥

mṛgo hi evam vidho ratna vicitro na asti rāghava ।
jagatyām jagatīnātha māyā eṣā hi na saṁśayaḥ ॥

evam bruvāṇam kākutstham prativārya śuci smitā ।
uvāca sītā saṁhṛṣṭā cadmanā hṛta cetanā ॥

āryaputra abhirāmo asau mṛgo harati me manaḥ ।
ānaya enam mahābāho krīḍārtham naḥ bhaviṣyati ॥

iha āśrama pade asmākam bahavaḥ puṇya darśanāḥ ।
mṛgāḥ caranti sahitāḥ camarāḥ sṛmarāḥ tathā ॥

ṛkṣāḥ pṛṣata saṁghāḥ ca vānarāḥ kinarāḥ tathā ।
vicaranti mahābāho rūpa śreṣṭhā mahābalāḥ ॥

na ca asya sadṛśo rājan dṛṣṭa pūrvo mṛgaḥ mayā ।
tejasā kṣamayā dīptyā yathā ayam mṛga sattamaḥ ॥

nānā varṇa vicitra aṁgo ratna bhūto mama agrataḥ ।
dyotayan vanam avyagram śobhate śaśi saṁnibhaḥ ॥

aho rūpam aho lakṣmīḥ svara saṁpat ca śobhanā ।
mṛgo adbhuto vicitrāṁgo hṛdayam harati iva me ॥

yadi grahaṇam abhyeti jīvan eva mṛgaḥ tava ।
āścarya bhūtam bhavati vismayam janayiṣyati ॥

samāpta vana vāsānām rājya sthānām ca naḥ punaḥ ।
aṁtaḥpure vibhūṣārtho mṛga eṣa bhaviṣyati ॥

bharatasya āryaputrasya śvaśrūṇām mama ca prabho ।
mṛga rūpam idam divyam vismayam janayiṣyati ॥

jīvan na yadi te abhyeti grahaṇam mṛga sattamaḥ ।
ajinam naraśārdūla ruciram tu bhaviṣyati ॥

nihatasya asya sattvasya jāṁbūnadamaya tvaci ।
śaṣpa bṛsyām vinītāyām icchāmi aham upāsitum ॥

kāmavṛttam idam raudram strīṇām asadṛśam matam ।
vapuṣā tu asya sattvasya vismayo janito mama ॥

tena kāṁcana romṇā tu maṇi pravara śṛṁgiṇā ।
taruṇa āditya varṇena nakṣatra patha varcasā ॥

babhūva rāghavasya api mano vismayam āgatam ।
evam sītā vacaḥ śrutvā dṛṣṭvā ca mṛgam adbhutam ॥

lobitaḥ tena rūpeṇa sītāyā ca pracoditaḥ ।
uvāca rāghavo hṛṣṭo bhrātaram lakṣmaṇam vacaḥ ॥

paśya lakṣmaṇa vaidehyāḥ spṛhām ullasitām imām ।
rūpa śreṣṭhatayā hi eṣa mṛgo adya na bhaviṣyati ॥

na vane naṁdanoddeśe na caitraratha saṁśraye ।
kutaḥ pṛthivyām saumitre yo asya kaścit samo mṛgaḥ ॥

pratiloma anulomāḥ ca rucirā roma rājayaḥ ।
śobhante mṛgam āśritya citrāḥ kanaka bindubhiḥ ॥

paśya asya jṛṁbhamāṇasya dīptām agni śikhopamām ।
jihvām mukhāt niḥsaraṁtīm meghāt iva śata hradām ॥

masāra galvarka mukhaḥ śaṁkha muktā nibha udaraḥ ।
kasya nāma anirūpyaḥ asau na mano lobhayet mṛgaḥ ॥

kasya rūpam idam dṛṣṭvā jāṁbūnadamaya prabham ।
nānā ratnamayam divyam na mano vismayam vrajet ॥

māṁsa hetoḥ api mṛgān vihārārtham ca dhanvinaḥ ।
ghnanti lakṣmaṇa rājāno mṛgayāyām mahāvane ॥

dhanāni vyavasāyena vicīyante mahāvane ।
dhātavo vividhāḥ ca api maṇi ratna suvarṇinaḥ ॥

tat sāram akhilam nṝṇām dhanam nicaya vardhanam ।
manasā cintitam sarvam yathā śukrasya lakṣmaṇa ॥

arthī yena artha kṛtyena saṁvrajati avicārayan ।
tam artham artha śāstrajñaḥ prāhuḥ arthyāḥ ca lakṣmaṇa ॥

etasya mṛga ratnasya parārdhye kāṁcana tvaci ।
upavekṣyati vaidehī mayā saha sumadhyamā ॥

na kādalī na priyakī na praveṇī na ca avikī ।
bhavet etasya sadṛśī sparśanena iti me matiḥ ॥

eṣa caiva mṛgaḥ śrīmān yaḥ ca divyo nabhaḥ caraḥ ।
ubhau etau mṛgau divyau tārāmṛga mahīmṛgau ॥

yadi vā ayam tathā yat mām bhavet vadasi lakṣmaṇa ।
māyā eṣā rākṣasasya iti kartavyo asya vadho mayā ॥

etena hi nṛśaṁsena mārīcena akṛta ātmanā ।
vane vicaratā pūrvam hiṁsitā muni puṁgavāḥ ॥

utthāya bahavo anena mṛgayāyām janādhipāḥ ।
nihatāḥ parama iṣvāsāḥ tasmāt vadhyaḥ tu ayam mṛgaḥ ॥

purastāt iha vātāpiḥ paribhūya tapasvinaḥ ।
udarastho dvijān hanti sva garbho aśvatarīm iva ॥

sa kadācit cirāt lobhāt āsasāda mahāmunim ।
agastyam tejasā yuktam bhakṣyaḥ tasya babhūva ha ॥

samutthāne ca tat rūpam kartu kāmam samīkṣya tam ।
utsmayitvā tu bhagavān vātāpim idam abravīt ॥

tvayā avigaṇya vātāpe paribhūtāḥ ca tejasā ।
jīva loke dvija śreṣṭhāḥ tasmāt asi jarām gataḥ ॥

tat etat na bhavet rakṣo vātāpiḥ iva lakṣmaṇa ।
mat vidham yo atimanyeta dharma nityam jitendriyam ॥

bhavet hato ayam vātāpiḥ agastyena iva mā gataḥ ।
iha tvam bhava saṁnaddho yaṁtrito rakṣa maithilīm ॥

asyām āyattam asmākam yat kṛtyam raghunaṁdana ।
aham enam vadhiṣyāmi grahīṣyāmi athavā mṛgam ॥

yāvat gacchāmi saumitre mṛgam ānayitum drutam ।
paśya lakṣmaṇa vaidehīm mṛga tvaci gatām spṛhām ॥

tvacā pradhānayā hi eṣa mṛgo adya na bhaviṣyati ।
apramattena te bhāvyam āśramasthena sītayā ॥

yāvat pṛṣatam ekena sāyakena nihanmi aham ।
hatvā etat carma ca ādāya śīghram eṣyāmi lakṣmaṇa ॥

pradakṣiṇena atibalena pakṣiṇājaṭāyuṣā buddhimatā ca lakṣmaṇa ।
bhava apramattaḥ pratigṛhya maithilīmprati kṣaṇam sarvata eva śankitaḥ ॥