अरण्यकाण्डम्Araṇya Kāṇḍa

kṛtvā evam udakam tasmai prasthitau rāghavau tadā ।
avekṣantau vane sītām jagmatuḥ paścimām diśam ॥

tām diśam dakṣiṇām gatvā śara cāpa asi dhāriṇau ।
aviprahatam aikṣvākau panthānam pratipedatuḥ ॥

gulmaiḥ vṛkṣaiḥ ca bahubhiḥ latābhiḥ ca praveṣṭitam ।
āvṛtam sarvato durgam gahanam ghora darśanam ॥

vyatikramya tu vegena gṛhītvā dakṣiṇām diśam ।
su bhīmam tan mahāaraṇyam vyatiyātau mahābalau ॥

tataḥ param janasthānāt tri krośam gamya rāghavau ।
krauṁca araṇyam viviśatuḥ gahanam tau mahaujasau ॥

nānā megha ghana prakhyam prahṛṣṭam iva sarvataḥ ।
nānā varṇaiḥ śubhaiḥ puṣpaiḥ mṛga pakṣi gaṇaiḥ yutam ॥

didṛkṣamāṇau vaidehīm tat vanam tau vicikyatuḥ ।
tatra tatra avatiṣṭhantau sītā haraṇa duḥkhitau ॥

tataḥ pūrveṇa tau gatvā tri krosam bhrātaru tadā ।
krauṁcāraṇyam atikramya mātaṁga āśrama aṁtarā ॥

dṛṣṭā tu tad vanam ghoram bahu bhīma mṛga dvijam ।
nānā vṛkṣa samākīrṇam sarvam gahana pādapam ॥

dadṛśāḥ te girau tatra darīm ḍaśaratha ātmajau ।
pātāla sama gambhīrām tamasā nitya saṁvṛtām ॥

āsādya ca naravyāghrau daryāḥ tasyā avidūrataḥ ।
dadarśa tu mahārūpām rakṣasīm vikṛta ānanām ॥

bhayadām alpa sattvānām bhībhatsām raudra darśanām ।
laṁbodarīm tīkṣṇa daṁṣṭrām karālīm paruṣa tvacam ॥

bhakṣayantīm mṛgān bhīmān vikaṭām mukta mūrdhajām ।
avaikṣatām tu tau tatra bhrātarau rāma lakṣmaṇau ॥

sā samāsādya tau vīrau vrajantam bhrātuḥ agrataḥ ।
ehi raṁsyāvahe iti uktvā samālaṁbata lakṣmaṇam ॥

uvāca ca enam vacanam saumitrim upaguhya sā ।
aham tu ayomukhī nāma lābhaḥ te tvam asi priyaḥ ॥

nātha parvata durgeṣu nadīnām pulineṣu ca ।
āyuḥ ciram idam vīra tvam mayā saha raṁsyase ॥

evam uktaḥ tu kupitaḥ khaḍagam uddhṛtya lakṣmaṇaḥ ।
karṇa nāsa stanam tasyā nicakartā arisūdanaḥ ॥

karṇa nāse nikṛtte tu visvaram vinanāda sā ।
yathā āgatam pradudrāva rākṣasī ghora darśanā ॥

tasyām gatāyām gahanam vrajantau vanam ojasā ।
āsedatuḥ ari mitra ghnau bhrātarau rāma lakṣmaṇau ॥

lakṣmaṇaḥ tu mahātejāḥ sattvavān śīlavān śuciḥ ।
abravīt prāṁjaliḥ vākyam bhrātaram dīpta tejasam ॥

spaṁdante me dṛḍham bāhuḥ udvignam iva me manaḥ ।
prāyaśaḥ ca api aniṣṭāni nimittāni upalakṣaye ॥

tasmāt sajjī bhava ārya tvam kuruṣva vacanam hitam ।
mama eva hi nimittāni sadyaḥ śaṁsanti saṁbhramam ॥

eṣa vaṁjulako nāma pakṣī parama dāruṇaḥ ।
āvayoḥ vijayam yuddhe śaṁsan iva vinardati ॥

tayoḥ anveṣatoḥ evam sarvam tat vanam ojasā ।
saṁjajñe vipulaḥ śabdaḥ prabhaṁjan iva tat vanam ॥

saṁveṣṭitam iva atyartham gahanam mātariśvanā ।
vanasya tasya śabdo abhūt divam āpūrayan iva ॥

tam śabdam kāṁkṣamāṇaḥ tu rāmaḥ khaḍgī saha anujaḥ ।
dadarśa su mahā kāyam rākṣasam vipula urasam ॥

āsedatuḥ ca tat rakṣaḥ tau ubhau pramukhe sthitam ।
vivṛddham a-śiro grīvam kabaṁdham udare mukham ॥

romabhirniścitaistīkṣṇairmahāgirimivocchritam - yadvā -romabhiḥ nicitaiḥ tīkṣṇaiḥ mahāgirim iva ucchritam ।
nīla megha nibham raudram megha stanita niḥsvanam ॥

agni jvāla nikāśena lalāṭasthena dīpyatā ।
mahāpakṣeṇa piṁgena vipulena āyatena ca ॥

ekena urasi ghoreṇa nayanena āśu darśinā ।
mahā daṁṣṭra upapannam tam lelihānam mahā mukham ॥

bhakṣayaṁtam mahā ghorān ṛkṣa simha mṛga dvipān ।
ghorau bhujau vikurvāṇam ubhau yojanam āyatau ॥

karābhyām vividhān gṛhya ṛkṣān pakṣi gaṇān mṛgān ।
ākarṣantam vikarṣantam anekān mṛga yūthapān ॥

sthitam āvṛtya panthānam tayoḥ bhrātroḥ prapannayoḥ ।
atha tam samatikramya krośa mātram dadarśatuḥ ॥

mahāntam dāruṇam bhīmam kabaṁdham bhuja saṁvṛtam ।
kabaṁdham iva saṁsthānat ati ghora pradaśanam ॥

sa mahā bāhuḥ atyartham prasārya vipulau bhujau ।
jagrāha sahitau eva rāghavau pīḍayan balāt ॥

khaḍginau dṛḍha dhanvānau tigma tejau mahā bhujau ।
bhrātarau vivaśam prāptau kṛṣyamāṇau mahā balau ॥

tatra dhairyāt ca śūrāḥ tu rāghavo na eva vivyadhe ।
bālyāt anāśrayatvāt ca eva lakṣmaṇaḥ tu ativivyadhe ॥

uvāca ca viṣaṇṇam san rāghavam rāghava anujaḥ ।
paśya mām vivaśam vīra rākṣasasya vaśam gatam ॥

mayā ekana tu niryuktaḥ parimucyasva rāghava ।
mām hi bhūta balim dattvā palāsva yathā sukham ॥

adhigaṁtā asi vaidehīm acireṇa iti me matiḥ ।
prati labhya ca kākutstha pitṝ paitāmaham mahīm ॥

tatra mām rāma rājyasthaḥ smartum arhasi sarvadā ।
lakṣmaṇena evam uktaḥ tu rāmaḥ saumitrim abravīt ॥

mā sma trāsam vṛthā vīra na hi tvā dṛk viṣīdati ।
etasmin antare krūro bhrātarau rāma lakṣmaṇau ॥

tau uvāca mahābāhuḥ kabandho dānava uttamaḥ ।
kau yuvām vṛṣabha skandhau mahā khaḍga dhanur dharau ॥

ghoram deśam imam prāptau daivena mama cākṣuṣau ।
vadatam kāryam iha vām kim artham ca āgatau yuvām ॥

imam deśam anuprāptau kṣudhā ārtasya iha tiṣṭhataḥ ।
sa bāṇa cāpa khaḍgau ca tīkṣṇa śṛṁgau iva ṛṣabhau ॥

mama tūrṇam upasaṁprāptau durlabham jīvitam vām ।
tasya tat vacanam śrutvā kabaṁdhasya durātmanaḥ ॥

uvāca lakṣmaṇam rāmo mukhena pariśuṣyatā ।
kṛcchrāt kṛcchrataram prāpya dāruṇam satya vikrama ॥

vyasanam jīvita antāya prāptam aprāpya tām priyām ।
kālasya sumahat vīryam sarva bhūteṣu lakṣmaṇa ॥

tvām ca mām ca naravyāghra vyasanaiḥ paśya mohitau ।
na hi bhāro asti daivasya sarva bhuteṣu lakṣmaṇa ॥

śūrāḥ ca balavaṁtaḥ ca kṛta astrāḥ ca raṇa ājire ।
kāla abhipannāḥ sīdanti yathā vāluka setavaḥ ॥

iti bruvāṇo dṛḍha satya vikramomahāyaśā dāśarathiḥ pratāpavān ।
avekṣya saumitrim udagra vikramamsthirām tadā svām matim ātmanā akarot ॥