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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.60.9
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: Rāma himself questions the river → the narrative says that the Godāvarī knows of the abduction but remains silent from fear of Rāvaṇa, despite other spirits urging it to speak
3.60.9
rāvaṇasya ca tad rūpaṃ karmāṇi ca durātmanaḥ
dhyātvā bhayāt tu vaidehīṃ sā nadī na śaśaṃsa tām
For, calling to mind the form of Rāvaṇa and the deeds of that evil-souled one, the river, out of fear, did not disclose Vaidehī.
Words: rāvaṇasya — of Rāvaṇa; ca — and; tad — that; rūpaṃ — form; karmāṇi — the deeds; ca — and; durātmanaḥ — of the evil-souled one; dhyātvā — having called to mind; bhayāt — out of fear; tu — but; vaidehīṃ — Vaidehī; sā — that; nadī — river; na — not; śaśaṃsa — disclosed, told; tām — her
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.