Valmiki Ramayana 6.71.73 — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 71, Shloka 73

अतिकायवधः

The Slaying of Atikāya

Devanagari script

सललाटेशरोमग्नस्तस्यभीमस्यरक्षसः ।।।।ददृशेशोणितेनाक्तःपन्नगेन्द्रइवाचले ।

Transliteration

sa lalāṭe śaro magnas tasya bhīmasya rakṣasaḥ | dadṛśe śoṇitenāktaḥ pannagendra ivācale ||

Translation

La flecha se hundió en la frente de aquel terrible rākṣasa; manchada de sangre, parecía una serpiente soberana sobre una montaña.

Word by Word

• saḥ: it/he
• saḥ: Kartā (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; pronoun

• lalāṭe: on the forehead
• lalāṭe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lalāṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th), Singular

• śaraḥ: the arrow
• śaraḥ: Kartā (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular

• magnaḥ: embedded
• magnaḥ: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: magna (कृदन्त, √maj/√mag धातु)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; past passive participle (क्त) meaning 'sunk/embedded'

• tasya: of that
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• bhīmasya: of the terrible
• bhīmasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhīma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th), Singular; qualifying rakṣasaḥ

• rakṣasaḥ: rākṣasa’s
• rakṣasaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rakṣas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th), Singular

• dadṛśe: appeared
• dadṛśe: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd Person, Singular, Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद); intransitive sense 'appeared/seemed'

• śoṇitena: with blood
• śoṇitena: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śoṇita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd), Singular

• āktaḥ: smeared
• āktaḥ: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ākta (कृदन्त, √añj धातु)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; past passive participle (क्त) of √añj 'smeared'

• pannaga-indraḥ: a serpent-king
• pannaga-indraḥ: Upamāna (उपमान/Standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pannaga (प्रातिपदिक) + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; tatpuruṣa: 'king of serpents'

• iva: like
• iva: Upamā-dyotaka (उपमा-द्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (उपमा-अव्यय) expressing simile

• acale: on a mountain
• acale: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: acala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th), Singular

Context

That arrow stuck on the forehead of the terrific Rakshasa looked like a serpent on a mountain.

Characters & Entities

• Atikāya
• Lakṣmaṇa

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

The verse underscores consequence: actions in war bear immediate results; dharma demands awareness of the gravity of violence even when it is duty-bound.

What is the narrative situation?

Lakṣmaṇa’s arrow remains lodged in Atikāya’s forehead, vividly described through a striking simile.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

For Lakṣmaṇa, steadiness in execution; for the narrative, the poetic clarity that makes moral and physical consequences visible.