← 3.58.34 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 58: Rāma searches for Sītā

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.58.35

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: crying her name, he continues through woods, streams, hills, and groves, refusing to stop searching despite finding no sign of her.

3.58.35

tathā sa gatvā vipulaṃ mahad vanaṃ parītya sarvaṃ tv atha maithilīṃ prati
aniṣṭhitāśaḥ sa cakāra mārgaṇe punaḥ priyāyāḥ paramaṃ pariśramam

So, having ranged that vast great forest and roamed it all in search of the Maithilī, his hopes still unfulfilled, he yet again exerted himself to the utmost in seeking his beloved.

Words: tathā — so; sa — he; gatvā — having gone; vipulaṃ — vast; mahad — great; vanaṃ — forest; parītya — having roamed round; sarvaṃ — the whole; tv — indeed; atha — then; maithilīṃ — the Maithilī; prati — toward; aniṣṭhitāśaḥ — with hopes unfulfilled; sa — he; cakāra — made; mārgaṇe — in the search; punaḥ — again; priyāyāḥ — for his beloved; paramaṃ — supreme; pariśramam — toil

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.