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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.40.30

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 40: The golden deer appears. Mārīca yields to Rāvaṇa, travels to the hermitage and assumes a jewelled deer’s form that attracts Sītā while frightening the real deer

In the sequence: Sītā comes out gathering flowers and sees him → his extraordinary appearance holds her attention while he continues moving within view.

3.40.30

taṃ vai ruciradaṇtauṣṭhaṃ rūpyadhātutanūruham
vismayotphullanayanā sasnehaṃ samudaikṣata

With eyes wide open in wonder, she gazed with fondness upon him—with lovely teeth and lips, his body-hair like silver ore.

Words: taṃ vai — him indeed; ruciradaṇtauṣṭhaṃ — with lovely teeth and lips [source spells 'daṇta']; rūpyadhātutanūruham — with body-hair like silver ore; vismayotphullanayanā — with eyes wide open in wonder; sasnehaṃ — with affection, fondly; samudaikṣata — gazed at

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.