# Araṇya Kāṇḍa 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* Portion: The battle’s traces and Rāma’s anger · Verses: 52 · Ref format: 3.60. ## Sequence - Rāma sends Lakṣmaṇa to check whether Sītā is gathering lotuses at the Godāvarī (60.1–2) - Lakṣmaṇa searches the bathing places and calls out, but returns without finding her (60.3–4) - 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 (60.5–9) - Rāma wonders how he can face Sītā's parents and resolves to search the river, Janasthāna, and Prasravaṇa (60.10–14) - the brothers find fallen flowers, which he recognizes as ones he gave Sītā for her hair (60.15–17) - angered by the silence around him, he threatens to destroy the mountain or dry up the river unless they reveal her whereabouts (60.18–21). Rāma finds the deep footprint of a rākṣasa and Sītā's trampled tracks (60.22–23) - he notices fragments of gold, ornament-garlands, and blood (60.24–25) - he fears she has been torn apart and mistakenly supposes that two rākṣasas fought over her (60.26–27) - he examines a broken jeweled bow, shattered armor, a broken parasol, dead goblin-faced draft animals, the wrecked chariot, and scattered arrows, asking who owned them (60.28–33) - unable to determine whether she was abducted or killed, he feels that his compassion has been mistaken for weakness and that dharma has failed to protect her (60.34–38) - his anger expands beyond the unknown offender: he threatens to block the heavens with arrows, destroy mountains and waters, and overturn the worlds unless Sītā is restored unharmed (60.39–52). ## Verses **3.60.1** sa dīno dīnayā vācā lakṣmaṇaṃ vākyam abravīt śīghraṃ lakṣmaṇa jānīhi gatvā godāvarīṃ nadīm api godāvarīṃ sītā padmāny ānayituṃ gatā Wretched, in a wretched voice he spoke this word to Lakṣmaṇa: “Quickly, Lakṣmaṇa, go to the Godāvarī river and find out whether perhaps Sītā has gone to the Godāvarī to fetch lotuses.” **3.60.2** evam uktas tu rāmeṇa lakṣmaṇaḥ punar eva hi nadīṃ godāvarīṃ ramyāṃ jagāma laghuvikramaḥ Thus addressed by Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, swift of stride, once more went to the lovely Godāvarī river. **3.60.3** tāṃ lakṣmaṇas tīrthavatīṃ vicitvā rāmam abravīt naināṃ paśyāmi tīrtheṣu krośato na śṛṇoti me Having searched that river with its bathing-fords, Lakṣmaṇa said to Rāma: “I do not see her at the fords, and she does not hear me though I cry out.” **3.60.4** kaṃ nu sā deśam āpannā vaidehī kleśanāśinī na hi taṃ vedmi vai rāma yatra sā tanumadhyamā “To what region has that Vaidehī, dispeller of distress, come? For I do not know, Rāma, where she of the slender waist may be.” **3.60.5** lakṣmaṇasya vacaḥ śrutvā dīnaḥ saṃtāpa mohitaḥ rāmaḥ samabhicakrāma svayaṃ godāvarīṃ nadīm Hearing Lakṣmaṇa's words, Rāma, wretched and bewildered by anguish, himself went up to the Godāvarī river. **3.60.6** sa tām upasthito rāmaḥ kva sītety evam abravīt Rāma, having reached it, said thus: “Where is Sītā?” **3.60.7** bhūtāni rākṣasendreṇa vadhārheṇa hṛtām api na tāṃ śaśaṃsū rāmāya tathā godāvarī nadī Though she had been carried off by the lord of the rākṣasas who deserved to be slain, the spirits did not reveal her to Rāma, nor did the Godāvarī river. **3.60.8** tataḥ pracoditā bhūtaiḥ śaṃsāsmai tāṃ priyām iti na ca sābhyavadat sītāṃ pṛṣṭā rāmeṇa śocitā Then, urged by the spirits, “Tell him of that beloved one!” — yet, though questioned by Rāma, the grieving river did not speak of Sītā. **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. **3.60.10** nirāśas tu tayā nadyā sītāyā darśane kṛtaḥ uvāca rāmaḥ saumitriṃ sītādarśanakarśitaḥ Made hopeless by that river of seeing Sītā, Rāma, wasted with longing to behold Sītā, spoke to Saumitri: **3.60.11** kiṃ nu lakṣmaṇa vakṣyāmi sametya janakaṃ vacaḥ mātaraṃ caiva vaidehyā vinā tām aham apriyam “What word shall I say, Lakṣmaṇa, when I meet Janaka and the mother of Vaidehī — an unwelcome word, since I am without her?” **3.60.12** yā me rājyavihīnasya vane vanyena jīvataḥ sarvaṃ vyapanayac chokaṃ vaidehī kva nu sā gatā She who took away all my grief while I, bereft of kingdom, lived in the forest on forest fare — where indeed has that Vaidehī gone? **3.60.13** jñātipakṣavihīnasya rājaputrīm apaśyataḥ manye dīrghā bhaviṣyanti rātrayo mama jāgrataḥ For me, deprived of the company of kinsmen and not seeing the princess, I think the nights will be long as I lie awake. **3.60.14** godāvarīṃ janasthānam imaṃ prasravaṇaṃ girim sarvāṇy anucariṣyāmi yadi sītā hi dṛśyate The Godāvarī, Janasthāna, this Prasravaṇa mountain — all of these I shall roam through, if only Sītā may be seen. **3.60.15** evaṃ saṃbhāṣamāṇau tāv anyonyaṃ bhrātarāv ubhau vasuṃdharāyāṃ patitaṃ puṣpamārgam apaśyatām As the two brothers were thus conversing with one another, they saw a trail of flowers fallen upon the earth. **3.60.16** tāṃ puṣpavṛṣṭiṃ patitāṃ dṛṣṭvā rāmo mahītale uvāca lakṣmaṇaṃ vīro duḥkhito duḥkhitaṃ vacaḥ Seeing that shower of flowers fallen upon the ground, the hero Rāma, himself sorrowing, spoke sorrowful words to Lakṣmaṇa: **3.60.17** abhijānāmi puṣpāṇi tānīmāmīha lakṣmaṇa apinaddhāni vaidehyā mayā dattāni kānane “I recognize these flowers here, Lakṣmaṇa — those which I gave Vaidehī in the forest, and which she bound up in her hair.” **3.60.18** evam uktvā mahābāhur lakṣmaṇaṃ puruṣarṣabham kruddho 'bravīd giriṃ tatra siṃhaḥ kṣudramṛgaṃ yathā Having spoken thus to Lakṣmaṇa, the bull among men, the mighty-armed one, enraged, addressed the mountain there, as a lion might a small beast: **3.60.19** tāṃ hemavarṇāṃ hemābhāṃ sītāṃ darśaya parvata yāvat sānūni sarvāṇi na te vidhvaṃsayāmy aham “Show me Sītā, gold-hued and golden-gleaming, O mountain — before I shatter all your peaks!” **3.60.20** mama bāṇāgninirdagdho bhasmībhūto bhaviṣyasi asevyaḥ satataṃ caiva nistṛṇadrumapallavaḥ “Scorched by the fire of my arrows, you shall be reduced to ashes, forever unfit to dwell upon, stripped of grass, trees, and shoots.” **3.60.21** imāṃ vā saritaṃ cādya śoṣayiṣyāmi lakṣmaṇa yadi nākhyāti me sītām adya candranibhānanām “Or else this river I shall dry up today, Lakṣmaṇa, if it does not tell me now of Sītā, whose face is like the moon.” **3.60.22** evaṃ sa ruṣito rāmo didhakṣann iva cakṣuṣā dadarśa bhūmau niṣkrāntaṃ rākṣasasya padaṃ mahat Thus enraged, Rāma, as if about to burn it up with his gaze, saw upon the ground the great footprint of a rākṣasa, deeply impressed. **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: **3.60.24** paśya lakṣmaṇa vaidehyāḥ śīrṇāḥ kanakabindavaḥ bhūṣaṇānāṃ hi saumitre mālyāni vividhāni ca “Look, Lakṣmaṇa — Vaidehī's scattered flakes of gold, and, Saumitri, the various garlands from her ornaments.” **3.60.25** taptabindunikāśaiś ca citraiḥ kṣatajabindubhiḥ āvṛtaṃ paśya saumitre sarvato dharaṇītalam “See, Saumitri, the surface of the earth covered all over with bright drops of blood, gleaming like molten gold.” **3.60.26** manye lakṣmaṇa vaidehī rākṣasaiḥ kāmarūpibhiḥ bhittvā bhittvā vibhaktā vā bhakṣitā vā bhaviṣyati “I fear, Lakṣmaṇa, that Vaidehī has been torn apart again and again by rākṣasas who take shapes at will, and either divided among them or devoured.” **3.60.27** tasya nimittaṃ vaidehyā dvayor vivadamānayoḥ babhūva yuddhaṃ saumitre ghoraṃ rākṣasayor iha “On her account, Saumitri, a fearsome battle took place here between two rākṣasas as they contended over Vaidehī.” **3.60.28** muktāmaṇicitaṃ cedaṃ tapanīyavibhūṣitam dharaṇyāṃ patitaṃ saumya kasya bhagnaṃ mahad dhanuḥ “And this great bow, inlaid with pearls and gems and adorned with gold, fallen broken upon the ground — whose is it, gentle one?” **3.60.29** taruṇādityasaṃkāśaṃ vaidūryagulikācitam viśīrṇaṃ patitaṃ bhūmau kavacaṃ kasya kāñcanam “Bright as the rising sun, studded with beads of beryl, shattered and fallen on the ground — whose is this golden armour?” **3.60.30** chatraṃ śataśalākaṃ ca divyamālyopaśobhitam bhagnadaṇḍam idaṃ kasya bhūmau saumya nipātitam “This parasol with a hundred ribs, graced with a heavenly garland, its staff broken and cast down upon the ground — whose is it, gentle one?” **3.60.31** kāñcanoraśchadāś ceme piśācavadanāḥ kharāḥ bhīmarūpā mahākāyāḥ kasya vā nihatā raṇe “And these mules with golden breast-armour, goblin-faced, of dreadful form and huge body — whose are they, slain in battle?” **3.60.32** dīptapāvakasaṃkāśo dyutimān samaradhvajaḥ apaviddhaś ca bhagnaś ca kasya sāṃgrāmiko rathaḥ “Resembling blazing fire, radiant, with its battle-standard — flung down and broken — whose war-chariot is this?” **3.60.33** rathākṣamātrā viśikhās tapanīyavibhūṣaṇāḥ kasyeme 'bhihatā bāṇāḥ prakīrṇā ghorakarmaṇaḥ “These arrows the size of a chariot-axle, adorned with gold — cast about and spent — whose are they, belonging to some doer of dreadful deeds?” **3.60.34** vairaṃ śataguṇaṃ paśya mamedaṃ jīvitāntakam sughorahṛdayaiḥ saumya rākṣasaiḥ kāmarūpibhiḥ “See this hundredfold enmity of mine, that ends my very life, wrought by fell-hearted rākṣasas who take shapes at will, gentle one!” **3.60.35** hṛtā mṛtā vā sītā hi bhakṣitā vā tapasvinī na dharmas trāyate sītāṃ hriyamāṇāṃ mahāvane “Poor Sītā has surely been carried off, or slain, or devoured; dharma did not protect Sītā as she was being borne away in the great forest.” **3.60.36** bhakṣitāyāṃ hi vaidehyāṃ hṛtāyām api lakṣmaṇa ke hi loke priyaṃ kartuṃ śaktāḥ saumya mameśvarāḥ “For if Vaidehī has been devoured or carried off, Lakṣmaṇa, what lords in the world, gentle one, are able to do me a kindness?” **3.60.37** kartāram api lokānāṃ śūraṃ karuṇavedinam ajñānād avamanyeran sarvabhūtāni lakṣmaṇa “Even the maker of the worlds, though valiant and full of compassion, all beings would slight out of ignorance, Lakṣmaṇa. **3.60.38** mṛduṃ lokahite yuktaṃ dāntaṃ karuṇavedinam nirvīrya iti manyante nūnaṃ māṃ tridaśeśvarāḥ “Because I am gentle, devoted to the good of the world, self-controlled and compassionate, the lords of the gods surely think me devoid of valour. **3.60.39** māṃ prāpya hi guṇo doṣaḥ saṃvṛttaḥ paśya lakṣmaṇa adyaiva sarvabhūtānāṃ rakṣasām abhavāya ca saṃhṛtyaiva śaśijyotsnāṃ mahān sūrya ivoditaḥ “See, Lakṣmaṇa, how in me virtue has turned into a fault; this very day, for the destruction of all beings and of the rākṣasas, I rise like the mighty sun that first draws in the moonlight. **3.60.40** naiva yakṣā na gandharvā na piśācā na rākṣasāḥ kiṃnarā vā manuṣyā vā sukhaṃ prāpsyanti lakṣmaṇa “Neither yakṣas nor gandharvas, neither piśācas nor rākṣasas, neither kiṃnaras nor men shall find any ease, Lakṣmaṇa. **3.60.41** mamāstrabāṇasaṃpūrṇam ākāśaṃ paśya lakṣmaṇa niḥsaṃpātaṃ kariṣyāmi hy adya trailokyacāriṇām “See the sky filled with my missiles and arrows, Lakṣmaṇa; this very day I shall leave no passage for those who roam the three worlds. **3.60.42** saṃniruddhagrahagaṇam āvāritaniśākaram vipranaṣṭānalamarudbhāskaradyutisaṃvṛtam “(A sky) with the host of planets checked, the moon shut off, and the light of fire, wind, and sun made to vanish and be obscured — **3.60.43** vinirmathitaśailāgraṃ śuṣyamāṇajalāśayam dhvastadrumalatāgulmaṃ vipraṇāśitasāgaram “with the mountain-peaks crushed, the reservoirs dried up, the trees, creepers, and thickets destroyed, and the ocean made to vanish — **3.60.44** na tāṃ kuśalinīṃ sītāṃ pradāsyanti mameśvarāḥ asmin muhūrte saumitre mama drakṣyanti vikramam “If the lords will not restore that Sītā to me safe and well, at this very moment, Saumitri, they shall behold my prowess. **3.60.45** nākāśam utpatiṣyanti sarvabhūtāni lakṣmaṇa mama cāpaguṇān muktair bāṇajālair nirantaram “No creatures shall fly up into the sky, Lakṣmaṇa, for the nets of arrows loosed from my bowstring will leave no gap. **3.60.46** arditaṃ mama nārācair dhvastabhrāntamṛgadvijam samākulam amaryādaṃ jagat paśyādya lakṣmaṇa “Behold today, Lakṣmaṇa, the world tormented by my iron shafts, its beasts and birds struck down and driven in panic, thrown into confusion and bereft of all bounds. **3.60.47** ākarṇapūrṇair iṣubhir jīvalokaṃ durāvaraiḥ kariṣye maithilīhetor apiśācam arākṣasaṃ “With arrows drawn back to the ear, irresistible, for Maithilī's sake I shall make the world of the living free of piśācas and of rākṣasas. **3.60.48** mama roṣaprayuktānāṃ sāyakānāṃ balaṃ surāḥ drakṣyanty adya vimuktānām amarṣād dūragāminām “This very day the gods shall see the force of my arrows, sped by fury, loosed in wrath and flying far. **3.60.49** naiva devā na daiteyā na piśācā na rākṣasāḥ bhaviṣyanti mama krodhāt trailokye vipraṇāśite “When the three worlds are utterly destroyed by my wrath, neither gods nor daityas, neither piśācas nor rākṣasas shall remain. **3.60.50** devadānavayakṣāṇāṃ lokā ye rakṣasām api bahudhā nipatiṣyanti bāṇaughaiḥ śakulīkṛtāḥ nirmaryādān imāṃl lokān kariṣyāmy adya sāyakaiḥ “The worlds of gods, dānavas, and yakṣas, and of the rākṣasas too, torn to shreds by floods of my arrows, shall fall asunder in many pieces; this very day with my shafts I shall strip these worlds of all their bounds. **3.60.51** yathā jarā yathā mṛtyur yathākālo yathāvidhiḥ nityaṃ na pratihanyante sarvabhūteṣu lakṣmaṇa tathāhaṃ krodhasaṃyukto na nivāryo 'smy asaṃśayam “As old age, as death, as time, and as ordinance are never turned back among all beings, Lakṣmaṇa, so I, joined with wrath, am not to be checked — of that there is no doubt. **3.60.52** pureva me cārudatīm aninditāṃ diśanti sītāṃ yadi nādya maithilīm sadevagandharvamanuṣya pannagaṃ jagat saśailaṃ parivartayāmy aham “If they do not restore to me today, as before, Sītā of lovely teeth and blameless — Maithilī — then I shall overturn the whole world with its gods, gandharvas, men, serpents, and mountains.”