एकोनचत्वारिंशः सर्गः (Aranyakanda 39): राक्षसस्य रामत्रासवर्णनम् / The Demon’s Account of Rama
Fear
राक्षसाभ्यामहं द्वाभ्यामनिर्विण्णस्तथा कृतः।सहितो मृगरूपाभ्यां प्रविष्टो दण्डकावनम्।।।।
rākṣasābhyām ahaṃ dvābhyām anirviṇṇas tathā kṛtaḥ |
sahito mṛgarūpābhyāṃ praviṣṭo daṇḍakāvanam ||
یوں میں نے یہ کر کے دل کو پھر ثابت قدم کیا، اور دو راکشسوں کے ساتھ—جو ہرن کی صورت بنے ہوئے تھے—دندک کے جنگل میں داخل ہوا۔
Having done so, I picked up courage and entered Dandaka forest, accompanied by the two other demons in the form of deer .
The verse implicitly contrasts Dharma and adharma: entering the forest in disguise highlights deception as a chosen method, foreshadowing harmful consequences when truth is abandoned.
Marīca recounts how he proceeded into Daṇḍaka with two demon companions, all adopting deer-forms—background for the later conflict with Rāma.
Not a virtue but a narrative trait: calculated resolve used for an unethical purpose, illustrating how determination without Dharma can become dangerous.