Shloka 2.49.12
एकोनपञ्चाशः सर्गः (Sarga 49): Rāma’s Night Journey Beyond Kosala and the Charioteer Address
गोमतीं चाप्यतिक्रम्य राघवः शीघ्रगैर्हयैः।मयूरहंसाभिरुतां ततार स्यन्दिकां नदीम्।।।।
grāmān vikṛṣṭa-sīmāntān puṣpitāni vanāni ca | paśyann atiyayau śīghraṁ śanair iva hayottamaiḥ || śṛṇvan vaco manuṣyāṇāṁ grāma-saṁvāsa-vāsinām |
He beheld villages whose outskirts had been freshly furrowed, and forests in bloom. Listening to the talk of people dwelling in the village settlements, he travelled swiftly on excellent horses—yet to him it felt as though he were moving slowly.
Gomati gone, Rama with the swift-moving horses crossed the river Syandika echoing with the cries of peacocks and swans.
Dharma here is attentiveness and restraint: Rama moves forward without disorder, observing society and nature carefully, suggesting a ruler’s ethic of mindful engagement with the land and its people.
During the journey, Rama passes cultivated village outskirts and flowering forests, hearing villagers’ conversations while travelling fast on excellent horses.
Composure and reflective awareness—Rama remains observant and inwardly steady even while moving swiftly.