Shloka 3.11.5
पञ्चाप्सरो-सरः कथनम् तथा अगस्त्याश्रममार्गनिर्देशः (Panchapsara Lake Account and Directions to Agastya)
ते गत्वा दूरमध्वानं लम्बमाने दिवाकरे।ददृशुस्सहिता रम्यं तटाकं योजनायतम्।।।।पद्मपुष्करसम्बाधं गजयूथैरलङ्कृतम्।सारसैर्हंसकादम्बैस्सङ्कुलं जलचारिभिः।।।।
te gatvā dūram adhvānaṃ lambamāne divākare |
dadṛśuḥ sahitā ramyaṃ taṭākaṃ yojanāyatam ||
padma-puṣkara-sambādhaṃ gaja-yūthair alaṅkṛtam |
sārasair haṃsa-kādambaiḥ saṅkulaṃ jala-cāribhiḥ ||
After traveling a long distance, as the sun was sinking, they together beheld a delightful tank stretching for a yojana—thick with lotuses—adorned by herds of elephants and crowded with cranes, swans, and other water-dwelling creatures.
As the Sun was setting, they had covered a long distance, watching a yojana-long tank adorned with lotuses, and crowded with herds of elephants and flocks of cranes, swans and aquatic animals.
Dharma is non-possessive appreciation: the travelers witness abundance without claiming it, reflecting restraint and reverence for the forest’s living order.
Toward evening, after a long journey, Rāma’s group comes upon a vast, lotus-filled tank alive with animals and birds.
Endurance with gentleness—continuing the hard path of exile while remaining sensitive to beauty and life around them.