Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 31: Rāvaṇa’s Conversation with Akampana and Mārīca
Text 3.31.19
शरा रामेण तूत्सृष्टा रुक्मपुङ्खाः पतत्रिणः।
सर्पाः पञ्चानना भूत्वा भक्षयन्ति स्म राक्षसान्॥
śarā rāmeṇa tūtsṛṣṭā rukma-puṅkhāḥ patatriṇaḥ
sarpāḥ pañcānanā bhūtvā bhakṣayanti sma rākṣasān
śarāḥ = arrows; rāmeṇa tu = by Rāma; utsṛṣṭāḥ = shot; rukma-puṅkhāḥ = the gold-winged; patatriṇaḥ = flying; sarpāḥ = serpents; pañca-ānanāḥ = five-faced; bhūtvā = appeared to become; bhakṣayanti sma = devouring; rākṣasān = the rākṣasas.
The gold-winged arrows shot by Rāma appeared to become five-faced flying serpents devouring the rākṣasas.1
1 Rāmāyaṇa-bhūṣaṇa: pañcānanā vistṛtānanāḥ bhūtvā bhakṣayanti smety utprekṣā.
“[The arrows shot by Rāma] seemed to become five-faced serpents]” indicates that they became as deadly as serpents.