Shloka 4.1.99

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

Devanagari script

प्लवैः क्रौञ्चैश्च सम्पूर्णां महामृगनिषेविताम्।अधिकं शोभते पम्पा विकूजद्भिःर्विहङ्गमैः।।।।दीपयन्तीव मे कामं विविधा मुदिता द्विजाः।श्यामां चन्द्रमुखीं स्मृत्वा प्रियां पद्मनिभेक्षणाम्।।।।

Transliteration

plavaiḥ krauñcaiś ca sampūrṇāṃ mahāmṛganiṣevitām | adhikaṃ śobhate pampā vikūjadbhir vihaṅgamaiḥ ||

dīpayantīva me kāmaṃ vividhā muditā dvijāḥ | śyāmāṃ candramukhīṃ smṛtvā priyāṃ padmanibhekṣaṇām ||

Translation

Pampā, filled with waterfowl and krauñca birds and visited by great beasts, shines all the more with the calls of warbling birds. Those many joyful birds seem to inflame my longing as I remember my beloved—dark-hued, moon-faced, with lotus-like eyes.

Context

Pampa, filled with swimming, kraunchas and frequented by big animals looks splendid. The joyous warbling of a variety of birds is highly exciting. They kindle my passion for my young, Moon-faced, lotus eyed beloved.

Characters & Entities

• Pampā
• krauñca birds
• dvija (birds)
• mahāmṛga (great animals)
• Sītā (implied as ‘beloved’)

FAQs

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

Dharma is the discipline of holding truthfully acknowledged emotion within the bounds of duty: Rāma admits longing for Sītā, yet continues forward on the righteous path to find her.

What is the narrative situation?

While near Lake Pampā, the beauty and bird-calls trigger Rāma’s remembrance of Sītā, intensifying his separation-sorrow as he journeys onward.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Truthfulness of feeling (satya to one’s inner state) combined with perseverance—Rāma does not deny grief, but does not surrender to it.