तं स्म पश्यति रूपेण द्योतमानमिवाग्रतः।
अवेक्ष्यावेक्ष्य धावन्तं धनुष्पाणिं महावने॥
अतिवृत्तमिषोः पाताल्लोभयानं कदाचन।
शङ्कितं तु समुद्भ्रान्तमुत्पतन्तमिवाम्बरे॥
दृश्यमानमदृश्यं च वनोद्देशेषु केषुचित्।
छिन्नाभ्रैरिव संवीतं शारदं चन्द्रमण्डलम्॥
taṁ sma paśyati rūpeṇa dyotamānam ivāgrataḥ
avekṣyāvekṣya dhāvantaṁ dhanuṣ-pāṇiṁ mahā-vane
ativṛttam iṣoḥ pātāl lobhayānaṁ kadācana
śaṅkitaṁ tu samudbhrāntam utpatantam ivāmbare
dṛśyamānam adṛśyaṁ ca vanoddeśeṣu keṣucit
chinnābhrair iva saṁvītaṁ śāradaṁ candra-maṇḍalam
tam = the deer; sma paśyati = He saw; rūpeṇa = in its beauty; dyotamānam iva = that seemed to shine; agrataḥ = in front of Him; avekṣya avekṣya = while repeatedly looking at; dhāvantam = it ran; dhanuḥ-pāṇim = Him who held a bow in His hand; mahā-vane = in the great forest; ativṛttam = [constantly] keeping itself beyond; iṣoḥ = of His arrow; pātāt = the fall; lobhayānam = it allured [Rāma]; kadācana = sometimes; śaṅkitam = the deer appeared to be frightened; tu = but; samudbhrāntam = it became wild; utpatantam = jumping up; iva = and; ambare = towards the sky; dṛśyamānam = it was visible; adṛśyam = invisible [in other regions]; ca = and; vana-uddeśeṣu = regions of the forest; keṣucit = in some; chinna-abhraiḥ = by riven clouds; iva = like; saṁvītam = overlaid; śāradam = in autumn; candra-maṇḍalam = moon.
In front of Him He saw the deer that seemed to shine in its beauty. It ran, [constantly] keeping itself beyond the fall of His arrow. But it allured [Rāma] while repeatedly looking at Him who held a bow in His hand in the great forest. Sometimes, the deer appeared to be frightened. It became wild, jumping up towards the sky. It was visible in some regions of the forest and invisible [in other regions] like moon overlaid by riven clouds in autumn.
1 Rāmāyaṇa-bhūṣaṇa: lobhayānaṁ hasta-prāptam iva dṛśyamānam ity arthaḥ.
Sometimes Mārīca appeared to be frightened. This indicates that he was not distressed like other deer by seeing a man with a bow in hand [chasing them].
[Utpatantam ivāmbare] implies that Mārīca appeared to be flying [in the sky] while he was frightened of Lord Rāma. He allured [Śrī Rāmacandra] by becoming visible to Him at a very close range.1
“In autumn” has been used because it is possible for clouds to be scattered [at that time of the year].