← 3.59.11 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 59: Lakṣmaṇa renews the search · 3.59.13 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.59.12
Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 59: Lakṣmaṇa renews the search. He urges Rāma to inspect caves, rivers and groves before assuming Sītā’s death, their fruitless search returns Rāma to grief
In the sequence: Lakṣmaṇa urges him to keep searching instead of assuming the worst: she may be in a cave, by a river or lotus pond, or exploring the woods
3.59.12
anāsādayamānaṃ taṃ sītāṃ daśarathātmajam
paṅkam āsādya vipulaṃ sīdantam iva kuñjaram
lakṣmaṇo rāmam atyartham uvāca hitakāmyayā
To that son of Daśaratha, who was failing to find Sītā and sinking like an elephant that has floundered into a vast mire, Lakṣmaṇa, desiring his welfare, spoke earnestly:
Words: anāsādayamānaṃ — not finding; taṃ — him; sītāṃ — Sītā; daśarathātmajam — son of Daśaratha; paṅkam — mire; āsādya — having got into; vipulaṃ — vast; sīdantam — sinking; iva — like; kuñjaram — an elephant; lakṣmaṇo — Lakṣmaṇa; rāmam — to Rāma; atyartham — earnestly, exceedingly; uvāca — spoke; hitakāmyayā — out of desire for (his) welfare
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.