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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.58.19

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 58: Rāma searches for Sītā. He finds the hut disordered, questions trees and animals and imagines her yellow clothing among the woods

In the sequence: he asks the trees she loved and the deer, elephant, and tiger whether they have seen her

3.58.19

yadi dṛṣṭā tvayā sītā jambujāmbūnadaprabhā
priyāṃ yadi vijānīṣe niḥśaṅkaṃ kathayasva me

O jambu, if Sītā, radiant as gold, has been seen by you—if you know my beloved—tell me without hesitation.

Words: yadi — if; dṛṣṭā — seen; tvayā — by you; sītā — Sītā; jambujāmbūnadaprabhā — O jambu, (Sītā) radiant as gold; priyāṃ — the beloved; yadi — if; vijānīṣe — you know; niḥśaṅkaṃ — without hesitation; kathayasva — tell; me — me

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.