Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 19: Khara Sends Fourteen Rākṣasas to Destroy Rāma
Text 3.19.16

गन्धर्वराजप्रतिमौ पार्थिवव्यञ्जनान्वितौ।
देवौ वा मानुषौ वा तौ न तर्कयितुमुत्सहे॥

gandharva-rāja-pratimau pārthiva-vyañjanānvitau
devau vā mānuṣau vā tau na tarkayitum utsahe

gandharva-rāja-pratimau = They resemble the king of the gandharvas; pārthiva-vyañjana-anvitau = and exhibit the symptoms of kings; devau = are devas; = or; mānuṣau = humans; tau = They; na tarkayitum utsahe = I cannot understand whether.

They resemble the king of the gandharvas and exhibit the symptoms of kings. I cannot understand whether They are devas or humans.

Śūrpaṇakhā speaks this verse while once again thinking about Their beauty. It is implied here that though she was told that They were the sons of Daśaratha, by observing Their prowess she thought that it could not be true.1


1 Rāmāyaṇa-bhūṣaṇa: yadyapi daśaratha-sutāv iti śrutaṁ tathāpi tat-prabhāva-darśanena tad asatyam evoktam iti manya iti bhāvaḥ.