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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.58.30

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: when she does not answer, he fears again that rākṣasas have killed and eaten her

3.58.30

bhakṣitau vepamānāgrau sahastābharaṇāṅgadau
mayā virahitā bālā rakṣasāṃ bhakṣaṇāya vai

those two arms, their tips still quivering, with their bracelets and armlets, have been devoured—the young girl, parted from me, given over to be the rākṣasas' meal.

Words: bhakṣitau — the two devoured; vepamānāgrau — with trembling tips; sahastābharaṇāṅgadau — with hand-ornaments and armlets; mayā — from me; virahitā — parted; bālā — the girl; rakṣasāṃ — of the rākṣasas; bhakṣaṇāya — for the devouring; vai — indeed

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. 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.