Shloka 3.60.16

सीतान्वेषणविलापः (Rama’s Lament and Search for Sita)

Devanagari script

भ्रमरैरुपगीतश्च यथा द्रुमवरो ह्ययम्।एष व्यक्तं विजानाति तिलकस्तिलकप्रियाम्।।3.60.16।।

Transliteration

kakubhaḥ kakubhorūṃ tāṃ vyaktaṃ jānāti maithilīm | yathā pallava-puṣpāḍhyo bhāti hy eṣa vanaspatiḥ || 3.60.15 ||

Translation

This Kakubha tree—radiant with tender shoots and blossoms—surely knows Maithilī, she whose thighs are like the kakubha’s own.

Context

This great Tilaka tree round which bees bumble surely knows the lady who loves to put tilaka marks on the forehead.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Sītā (Maithilī)
• Kakubha tree

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Dharma is faith in an ordered moral world: Rāma assumes the forest itself ‘knows’ and can bear truthful witness, reflecting the epic idea that nature aligns with righteousness.

What is the narrative situation?

Rāma continues his search by addressing another tree, reasoning from its flourishing appearance that it might ‘know’ Sītā’s whereabouts.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Hopeful persistence—he keeps seeking signs and testimonies rather than surrendering to despair.