Shloka 10
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 ||
那夜行罗刹化作鹿形，故意撩动罗摩的注意；周围簇拥着林中群兽，他又在近处显现。
That demon transformed himself into a deer and, surrounded by the animals of the forest at close range, attracted his attention.
FAQs
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.