Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 71, Shloka 73
अतिकायवधः
The Slaying of Atikāya
सललाटेशरोमग्नस्तस्यभीमस्यरक्षसः ।।।।ददृशेशोणितेनाक्तःपन्नगेन्द्रइवाचले ।
sa lalāṭe śaro magnas tasya bhīmasya rakṣasaḥ | dadṛśe śoṇitenāktaḥ pannagendra ivācale ||
ಆ ಭೀಕರ ರಾಕ್ಷಸನ ಲಲಾಟದಲ್ಲಿ ಬಾಣವು ಗಾಢವಾಗಿ ನುಗ್ಗಿತು; ರಕ್ತದಿಂದ ಲೇಪಿತವಾದ ಅದು ಪರ್ವತದ ಮೇಲೆ ಇರುವ ನಾಗೇಂದ್ರನಂತೆ ಕಾಣಿಸಿತು.
That arrow stuck on the forehead of the terrific Rakshasa looked like a serpent on a mountain.
FAQs
The verse underscores consequence: actions in war bear immediate results; dharma demands awareness of the gravity of violence even when it is duty-bound.
Lakṣmaṇa’s arrow remains lodged in Atikāya’s forehead, vividly described through a striking simile.
For Lakṣmaṇa, steadiness in execution; for the narrative, the poetic clarity that makes moral and physical consequences visible.