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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.58.9
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 moves between frightening and hopeful possibilities: Sītā may have been taken or killed, but perhaps she is hiding, gathering food or flowers, or fetching water
3.58.9
gatā vicetuṃ puṣpāṇi phalāny api ca vā punaḥ
atha vā padminīṃ yātā jalārthaṃ vā nadīṃ gatā
Or perhaps she has gone again to gather flowers or fruits, or has gone to the lotus-pond, or to the river for water.
Words: gatā — gone; vicetuṃ — to gather; puṣpāṇi — flowers; phalāny — fruits; api — also; ca — and; vā — or; punaḥ — again; atha — or; vā — else; padminīṃ — to the lotus-pond; yātā — gone; jalārthaṃ — for the sake of water; vā — or; nadīṃ — to the river; gatā — gone
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.