Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 57: Śrī Rāma Meets Lakṣmaṇa
Text 3.57.24
इदं हि रक्षो मृगसन्निकाशं प्रलोभ्य मां दूरमनुप्रयान्तम्।
हतं कथञ्चिन्महता श्रमेण स राक्षसोऽभून्म्रियमाण एव।।
idaṁ hi rakṣo mṛga-sannikāśaṁ
pralobhya māṁ dūram anuprayāntam
hataṁ kathañcin mahatā śrameṇa
sa rākṣaso ’bhūn mriyamāṇa eva
idam hi = this; rakṣaḥ = rākṣasa; mṛga-sannikāśam = appearing as a deer; pralobhya = allured; mām = Me; dūram = to a distant place; anuprayāntam = I followed him; hatam = killed him; kathañcit = and somehow; mahatā = with great; śrameṇa = difficulty; saḥ = he; rākṣasaḥ = a rākṣasa; abhūt = became; mriyamāṇaḥ eva = while dying.
This rākṣasa appearing as a deer allured Me with great difficulty. I followed him to a distant place and somehow killed him. He became a rākṣasa while dying.
Lord Rāma killed this rākṣasa somehow which indicates that He was not able to kill His target for a long time. When did this rākṣasa give up his appearance of a deer? “He turned into a rākṣasa while dying.”
On the basis of other omens, Śrī Rāmacandra infers that Sītā was in danger. He notes that in the next verse.
GLOSS. Kathañcin mahatā śrameṇa [indicates that when the rākṣasa appearing as a deer allured Śrī Rāma, He followed it to a distant place and somehow killed it with great difficulty]. This is how He imitates the people of this world.