Shloka 3.75.11
पम्पादर्शनम् — Vision of Lake Pampā and the Turn toward Sugrīva
स ददर्श ततः पुण्यामुदारजनसेविताम्।।3.75.11।।नानाद्रुमलताकीर्णां पम्पां पानीयवाहिनीम्।पद्मैस्सौगन्धिकैस्ताम्रां शुक्लां कुमुदमण्डलैः।।3.75.12।।नीलां कुवलयोद्घाटैर्बहुवर्णां कुथामिव।
sa dadarśa tataḥ puṇyām udāra-janasevitām | nānā-drumalatākīrṇāṃ pampāṃ pānīyavāhinīm || 3.75.11 ||
padmaiḥ saugandhikaiḥ tāmrāṃ śuklāṃ kumudamaṇḍalaiḥ || 3.75.12 ||
nīlāṃ kuvalayodghāṭair bahuvarṇāṃ kuthām iva |
Thereafter he beheld the sacred Lake Pampā, frequented by noble folk, rich with many kinds of trees and creepers and filled with flowing waters. In places it gleamed red with fragrant lotuses, elsewhere white with clusters of kumuda-lilies, and elsewhere blue with blossoming water-lilies—like a many-colored woven carpet spread out.
He saw the sacred lake Pampa whose sweet flow of water was used by great seers. It abounded in trees and creepers. Its surface was red with lotuses at one place, white with clusters of lilies at another and with blue lotuses at other places. As such, it looked like a carpet with variegated colours.
The verse frames nature as a dharmic setting—sacred places nurtured by seers cultivate purity, calm, and right reflection, supporting righteous action.
Rāma arrives at Pampā and the poem pauses to describe the lake’s sanctity and beauty, preparing the transition to the next phase of the search.
Receptivity and mindful perception—Rāma’s attentive seeing aligns with the epic’s ideal of a dharmic hero who remains inwardly steady amid outward beauty.