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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.59.20

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: they still find nothing → Lakṣmaṇa insists that Rāma will recover her, comparing the recovery to Viṣṇu regaining the earth

3.59.20

neha paśyāmi saumitre vaidehīṃ parvate śubhe
tato duḥkhābhisaṃtapto lakṣmaṇo vākyam abravīt

'I do not see Vaidehī here on this fair mountain, Saumitri.' Then Lakṣmaṇa, scorched with grief, spoke these words:

Words: neha — not here; paśyāmi — I see; saumitre — O Saumitri; vaidehīṃ — Vaidehī; parvate — on the mountain; śubhe — fair; tato — then; duḥkhābhisaṃtapto — scorched with grief; lakṣmaṇo — Lakṣmaṇa; vākyam — words; abravīt — spoke

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.