Shloka 4.1.68

पम्पा-तीर-वर्णनम् / Rama’s Lament at Pampa and the Approach to Rishyamuka

Devanagari script

शक्यो धारयितुं कामो भवेदभ्यागतो मया।यदि भूयो वसन्तो मां न हन्यात्पुष्पितद्रुमः।।।।

Transliteration

śakyo dhārayituṃ kāmo bhaved abhyāgato mayā | yadi bhūyo vasanto māṃ na hanyāt puṣpitadrumaḥ ||

Translation

I could endure the love that has come upon me—if only spring, with its blossoming trees, would not strike me again and again.

Context

'If the spring that has set in, with the trees in bloom does not kill me, I have once again to endure the agony of love.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Lakṣmaṇa
• Vasanta (spring)
• Kāma (love/desire)

FAQs

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

The verse points to mastery over inner impulses: dharma includes self-restraint and endurance, acknowledging emotion truthfully (satya) while not abandoning one’s righteous mission.

What is the narrative situation?

Rāma, affected by the spring landscape near Pampā, confides how the season intensifies his longing for Sītā.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Fortitude (dhairya): Rāma seeks to endure pain rather than act unworthily or lose direction.