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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.60.23

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 60: Traces of Sītā’s abduction. Flowers, footprints, blood and chariot wreckage suggest a struggle, Rāma’s uncertainty turns to threats against the whole world

In the sequence: angered by the silence around him, he threatens to destroy the mountain or dry up the river unless they reveal her whereabouts. Rāma finds the deep footprint of a rākṣasa and Sītā's trampled tracks

3.60.23

sa samīkṣya parikrāntaṃ sītāyā rākṣasasya ca
saṃbhrāntahṛdayo rāmaḥ śaśaṃsa bhrātaraṃ priyam

Observing the trampled tracks of Sītā and of the rākṣasa, Rāma, his heart in turmoil, spoke to his dear brother:

Words: sa — he; samīkṣya — having observed; parikrāntaṃ — the trampled-about (tracks); sītāyā — of Sītā; rākṣasasya — of the rākṣasa; ca — and; saṃbhrāntahṛdayo — his heart in turmoil; rāmaḥ — Rāma; śaśaṃsa — told, said to; bhrātaraṃ — brother; priyam — dear

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.