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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.59.22

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

3.59.22

yathā viṣṇur mahābāhur baliṃ baddhvā mahīm imām
evam uktas tu vīreṇa lakṣmaṇena sa rāghavaḥ

just as the mighty-armed Viṣṇu (won back) this earth by binding Bali. Thus addressed by the heroic Lakṣmaṇa, that Rāghava

Words: yathā — just as; viṣṇur — Viṣṇu; mahābāhur — mighty-armed; baliṃ — Bali; baddhvā — having bound; mahīm — the earth; imām — this; evam — thus; uktas — addressed; tu — and; vīreṇa — by the heroic; lakṣmaṇena — by Lakṣmaṇa; sa — that; rāghavaḥ — Rāghava

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.