तस्मिंस्तमसि घोरे तु भस्मच्छन्नेव सा चमूः।
ददर्श भीमसङ्काशं जटामण्डलधारिणम्॥
भार्गवं जामदग्न्यं तं राजराजविमर्दिनम्।
कैलासमिव दुर्धर्षं कालाग्निमिव दुःसहम्॥
ज्वलन्तमिव तेजोभिर्दुर्निरीक्षं पृथग्जनैः।
स्कन्धे चासाद्य परशुं धनुर्विद्युद्गणोपमम्।
प्रगृह्य शरमुख्यं च त्रिपुरघ्नं यथा शिवम्॥
tasmiṁs tamasi ghore tu bhasmac-channeva sā camūḥ
dadarśa bhīma-saṅkāśaṁ jaṭā-maṇḍala-dhāriṇam
bhārgavaṁ jāmadagnyaṁ taṁ rāja-rāja-vimardinam
kailāsam iva durdharṣaṁ kālāgnim iva duḥsaham
jvalantam iva tejobhir durnirīkṣaṁ pṛthag-janaiḥ
skandhe cāsādya paraśuṁ dhanur vidyud-gaṇopamam
pragṛhya śara-mukhyaṁ ca tripuraghnaṁ yathā śivam
tasmin = within that; tamasi = darkness; ghore tu = terrible; bhasmat-channā iva = as if covered over by ashes; sā camūḥ = the army [of Daśaratha]; dadarśa = saw; bhīma-saṅkāśam = He appeared frightening; jaṭā-maṇḍala-dhāriṇam = His hair was matted into a bundle above his head; bhārgavam = in the dynasty of Bhṛgu; jāmadagnyam tam = the son of Jamadagni; rāja-rāja-vimardinam = he had crushed the kings of kings; kailāsam iva = like Kailāsa; durdharṣam = He was unconquerable; kāla-agnim iva = like the fire of universal devastation; duḥsaham = and intolerable; jvalantam iva = as if blazing; tejobhiḥ = with his prowess; durnirīkṣam = He could not be seen; pṛthak-janaiḥ = by the wretched; skandhe ca = on his shoulder; asādya = keeping; paraśum = an axe; dhanuḥ = a bow; vidyut-gaṇa-upamam = comparable to lightning bolts; pragṛhya = holding; śara-mukhyam ca = and an excellent arrow; tripura-ghnam yathā śivam = he was like Lord Śiva, the destroyer of Tripura.
Within that terrible darkness, the army [of Daśaratha], as if covered over by ashes, saw the son of Jamadagni in the dynasty of Bhṛgu. He appeared frightening. His hair was matted into a bundle above his head. He had crushed the kings of kings. He was unconquerable like Kailāsa and intolerable like the fire of universal devastation. As if blazing with his prowess, He could not be seen by the wretched. Keeping on his shoulder an axe comparable to lightning bolts, holding a bow and an excellent arrow, he was like Lord Śiva, the destroyer of Tripura.