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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.56.17

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 56: Return to the empty hut. Rāma imagines Sītā’s loss and its consequences, hurries back with Lakṣmaṇa and finds their dwelling deserted

In the sequence: distressed and uncertain what to do, he hurries with Lakṣmaṇa to Janasthāna

3.56.17

aho 'smi vyasane magnaḥ sarvathā ripunāśana
kiṃ tv idānīṃ kariṣyāmi śaṅke prāptavyam īdṛśam

Ah, I am utterly sunk in calamity, O destroyer of foes! But what shall I do now? I fear such was the fate destined to befall me.

Words: aho — ah, alas; 'smi — I am; vyasane — in calamity; magnaḥ — sunk; sarvathā — utterly; ripunāśana — O destroyer of foes; kiṃ — what; tv — but; idānīṃ — now; kariṣyāmi — shall I do; śaṅke — I fear; prāptavyam — what was destined to befall; īdṛśam — such

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.