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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.59.16
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
3.59.16
tasyā hy anveṣaṇe śrīman kṣipram eva yatāvahe
vanaṃ sarvaṃ vicinuvo yatra sā janakātmajā
manyase yadi kākutstha mā sma śoke manaḥ kṛthāḥ
Illustrious one, let us two swiftly exert ourselves in searching for her; let us scour the whole forest, wherever Janaka's daughter may be. If you agree, Kākutstha, do not set your mind on grief.
Words: tasyā — for her; hy — indeed; anveṣaṇe — in searching; śrīman — O illustrious one; kṣipram — swiftly; eva — indeed; yatāvahe — let us two strive; vanaṃ — forest; sarvaṃ — whole; vicinuvo — let us two search; yatra — wherever; sā — she; janakātmajā — Janaka's daughter; manyase — you think, agree; yadi — if; kākutstha — O Kākutstha; mā — do not; sma — (emphatic particle); śoke — on grief; manaḥ — mind; kṛthāḥ — set, make
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.