Shloka 4.1.20
पम्पा-तीर-वर्णनम् / Rama’s Lament at Pampa and the Approach to Rishyamuka
पुष्पसञ्छन्नशिखरा मारुतोत्क्षेपचञ्चलाः।अमी मधुकरोत्तंसाः प्रगीता इव पादपाः।।।।
puṣpasañchannaśikharā mārutōtkṣēpacañcalāḥ | amī madhukarōttaṃsāḥ pragītā iva pādapāḥ ||
These trees—with tops hidden by blossoms, trembling under gusty winds, and crowned by swarming bees—appear as though they are accomplished singers.
With the tops of trees covered with flowers, the black bees hovering (humming) over them, the trees, shaken by the restless wind look like singers. (The trees with the top decked with flowers, the bees like black hair on the head swaying in the wind look like dancing and singing)
Dharma here is suggested through ‘right expression’: as trees ‘sing’ in harmony with nature, a person in dharma aligns speech and action with truth and the larger order, not with selfish impulse.
Rama continues his description of spring’s liveliness—flowers, wind, and bees—casting the forest as a musical performance.
Refined perception and steadiness: Rama’s mind can still articulate beauty, even as spring intensifies his longing.