Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 64: Rāma Discovers Some Clues About Sītā’s Whereabouts
Text 3.64.16
एते मृगा महावीर्या मामीक्षन्ते मुहुर्मुहुः।
वक्तुकामा इव हि मे इङ्गितान्युपलक्षये॥
ete mṛgā mahā-vīryā mām īkṣante muhur muhuḥ
vaktu-kāmā iva hi me iṅgitāny upalakṣaye
ete = these; mṛgāḥ = deer; mahā-vīryāḥ = greatly powerful; mām = at Me; īkṣante = glance; muhur muhur = repeatedly; vaktu-kāmāḥ = they want to tell [about Maithilī]; iva = as if; hi = because; me = Me; iṅgitāni = [their] gestures; upalakṣaye = I can recognize.
These greatly powerful deer repeatedly glance at Me as if they want to tell Me [about Maithilī] because I can recognize [their] gestures.1
1 Technical note: me mama vaktu-kāmā iva maithilī-vṛttāntam iti śeṣaḥ. mām īkṣante. kutaḥ. yathā iṅgitāni hṛdaya-gatābhiprāyān upalakṣaye. mṛgāṇām iti śeṣaḥ.