मारीचवधः — The Slaying of Maricha
Golden Deer Deception
स तमुन्मादयामास मृगरूपो निशाचरः।मृगैः परिवृतो वन्यैरदूरात्प्रत्यदृश्यत।।।।
sa tam unmādayāmāsa mṛgarūpo niśācaraḥ | mṛgaiḥ parivṛto vanyair adūrāt pratyadṛśyata ||
وہ رات میں پھرنے والا راکشس ہرن کی صورت دھار کر رام کی توجہ کو جان بوجھ کر بھڑکانے لگا؛ جنگلی جانوروں سے گھرا ہوا وہ نزدیک ہی پھر دکھائی دیا۔
That demon transformed himself into a deer and, surrounded by the animals of the forest at close range, attracted his attention.
Dharma includes vigilance against adharma’s strategies: deception often imitates the natural and attractive to mislead the righteous.
Mārīca, disguised as a deer, reappears near Rāma, using the forest setting and animals to make the illusion seem believable.
By contrast, the verse spotlights the demon’s deceit; it implicitly calls for the virtue of alert discernment in the face of manipulation.