Shloka 3.43.13
मायामृगदर्शनम् (The Vision of the Illusory Deer)
नानावर्णविचित्राङ्गो रत्नबिन्दुसमाचितः।द्योतयन्वनमव्यग्रं शोभते शशिसन्निभः।।।।
nānā-varṇa-vicitrāṅgo ratna-bindu-samācitaḥ |
dyotayan vanam avyagraṃ śobhate śaśi-sannibhaḥ ||
“With limbs dazzling in many colors and dotted with gem-like specks, it shines like the moon, lighting up the tranquil forest.”
Its body glittering with different colours, speckled with gems of different kinds, is like the Moon shining and illuminating the forest.
Dharma requires vigilance against māyā: what appears luminous and beneficent may conceal harm. The verse is a study in how beauty can become a moral distraction.
Sītā poetically describes the deer’s shimmering, moon-like radiance, intensifying the persuasive pull that will send Rāma after it.
Sītā’s refined aesthetic sensitivity is evident, though the scene warns that even refined perception must be balanced by prudence.