Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 65: Lakṣmaṇa Consoles Rāmacandra
Text 3.65.8
एकस्य तु विमर्दोऽयं न द्वयोर्वदतां वर।
न हि वृत्तं हि पश्यामि बलस्य महतः पदम्॥
ekasya tu vimardo ’yaṁ na dvayor vadatāṁ vara
na hi vṛttaṁ hi paśyāmi balasya mahataḥ padam
ekasya tu = of one person; vimardaḥ = was the attack; ayam = this; na = not; dvayoḥ = two [or more] persons; vadatām = of speakers; vara = O best; na = not; hi = because; vṛttam1 hi paśyāmi = I do see; balasya = army; mahataḥ = of a great; padam = the footprints.
O best of speakers, this was the attack of one person, not two [or more] persons because I do not see the footprints of a great army.
1 Technical note: Padam literally means “feet.” Vṛttam in this context means saṅkrāntam (“imprinted”) according to Śrī Govindarāja. Together, vṛttam padam means “footprints.”
Having stated what He wanted to tell [Rāma], Lakṣmaṇa returns to His point in the next verse.
GLOSS. Vṛttam and balasya indicate that [Lakṣmaṇa didn’t see] the signs of [a large] army on the ground.