¹ Though mṛga can also simply refer to “a beast,” we have rendered it as “deer” because Mārīca was used to putting on such appearances. As noted in texts 3.43.5-8, when Sītā, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa notice Mārīca in the guise of a deer near their āśrama, Lakṣmaṇa immediately suspects that this is Mārīca. “Meat-eating deer” is not an oxymoron. According to Wikipedia, “there are some reports of deer engaging in carnivorous activity...” (Accessed on 8 October 2021) National Geographic has even reported at www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/deer-eating-human-forensics-decomposition that there is evidence for deer eating human flesh.