Shloka 2.63.2
दशरथस्य शोकानुचिन्तनं शब्धवेधि-दोषस्मरणं च (Daśaratha’s grief, karmic reflection, and the remembered ‘śabdavedhī’ misdeed)
रामलक्ष्मणयोश्चैव विवासा द्वासवोपमम्।आविवेशोपसर्गस्तं तम स्सूर्यमिवासुरम्।।2.63.2।।
pāṇḍurāruṇa-varṇāni srotāṃsi vimalāny api | susruvur giri-dhātubhyaḥ sa-bhasmāni bhujaṅgavat || 2.63.19 ||
Even streams that were otherwise clear ran on, taking on pale-white and reddish hues from mountain minerals—flowing like serpents, as though mixed with ash.
Indra-like Dasaratha due to banishment of Rama and Lakshmana, was besieged by a great calamity like the Sun enveloped by demonic dark at the time of eclipse.
Dharma requires discernment: what seems pure can be altered by unseen mixtures—an ethical reminder to verify before acting, not to rely on surface impressions.
Rains swell mountain runoffs; minerals tint the waters, creating striking colors and serpentine flows.
Prudence—careful judgment in uncertain conditions, a virtue Daśaratha will later recognize he failed to uphold.