Shloka 63
अतिकायवधः
The Slaying of Atikāya
बालोऽयमितिविज्ञाय न मावज्ञातुमर्हसि ।बालोवायदिवावृद्धोमृत्युंजानीहिसंयुगे ।।।।बालेनविष्णुनालोकास्त्रयःक्रान्तास्त्रिविक्रमैः ।
bālo ’yam iti vijñāya na mām avajñātum arhasi | bālo vā yadi vā vṛddho mṛtyuṃ jānīhi saṃyuge || bālena viṣṇunā lokās trayaḥ krāntās tri-vikramaiḥ |
Ne me méprise pas en pensant : « Ce n'est qu'un jeune homme ». Que l'on soit jeune ou vieux, sache ceci : au combat, je suis la mort. Car même le jeune Vishnu, sous sa forme de Trivikrama, a traversé les trois mondes en trois pas.
"You should not underestimate me thinking I am young or old to win. You do not know that I am spirit of death in battle. Did not Vishnu as young Trivikrama win the three worlds going by three strides?"
FAQs
Pride and contempt are adharma; one should judge by inner worth and righteous capability, not by age or appearance.
Lakṣmaṇa warns Atikāya not to underestimate him and supports his warning by citing Viṣṇu’s Trivikrama deed as precedent.
Courage grounded in dharmic confidence: Lakṣmaṇa asserts strength without vanity and uses sacred history to reinforce truth.