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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.58.25

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: in his distress he imagines that he sees her yellow clothing behind a tree and calls on her to stop hiding

3.58.25

pītakauśeyakenāsi sūcitā varavarṇini
dhāvanty api mayā dṛṣṭā tiṣṭha yady asti sauhṛdam

You are betrayed by your yellow silk, O lovely-hued one; even as you flee you are seen by me. Stop, if you have any affection.

Words: pītakauśeyakenāsi — you are (betrayed) by your yellow silk; sūcitā — revealed; varavarṇini — O one of fair complexion; dhāvanty — running; api — even; mayā — by me; dṛṣṭā — seen; tiṣṭha — stop; yady — if; asti — there is; sauhṛdam — affection

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.