Shloka 3.43.28
मायामृगदर्शनम् (The Vision of the Illusory Deer)
मसारगल्लर्कमुखश्शङ्खमुक्तानिभोदरः।कस्य नामाभिरूप्योऽसौ न मनो लोभयेन्मृगः।।।।
paśyāsya jṛmbhamāṇasya dīptām agniśikhopamām |
jihvāṃ mukhān nissarantīṃ meghād iva śatahradām || 3.43.27 ||
Behold: as it yawns, its tongue stretches forth from its mouth—glowing like the crest of flame, like lightning flashing from a cloud.
His face is a drinking pot of emerald, the belly is a conch or a pearl. Whose mind will not be attracted by this indescribable beauty ?
Dharma encourages careful perception: striking signs and dazzling appearances should be examined, not merely admired, so that truth (satya) is not lost to spectacle.
Rāma points out further uncanny features of the deer—its flame-like, lightning-like tongue—heightening the sense of an otherworldly lure.
Alertness: noticing details and weighing them is a virtue that supports right decision-making.