Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 64: Rāma Discovers Some Clues About Sītā’s Whereabouts
Text 3.64.18
एवमुक्ता नरेन्द्रेण ते मृगाः सहसोत्थिताः।
दक्षिणाभिमुखाः सर्वे दर्शयन्तो नभःस्थलम्॥
evam uktā narendreṇa te mṛgāḥ sahasotthitāḥ
dakṣiṇābhimukhāḥ sarve darśayanto nabhaḥ-sthalam
evam = this; uktā = asked; nara-indreṇa = when the prince; te = the; mṛgāḥ = deer; sahasā = immediately; utthitāḥ = got up and moved [in that direction]; dakṣiṇa-abhimukhāḥ = faced the south; sarve = all; darśayantaḥ = while pointing; nabhaḥ-sthalam = to the sky.
When the prince asked this, all the deer immediately got up, faced the south while pointing out to the sky and moved [in that direction].
The deer pointed out the path through which Sītā-devī had gone by the gesture of looking at the sky.
This verse implies that Sītā-devī had gone to the south through the sky. The author clarifies this in the next verse.