Shloka 4.30.54
शरत्प्रवेशे रामविलापः तथा सुग्रीवप्रमादे लक्ष्मणप्रेषणम् (Autumn’s Onset: Rama’s Lament and Lakshmana Sent to Sugriva)
मीनोपसन्दर्शितमेखलानांनदीवधूनां गतयोऽद्य मन्दाः।कान्तोपभुक्तालसगामिनीनांप्रभातकालेष्विव कामिनीनाम्।।
mīnopasandarśita-mekhalānāṃ nadī-vadhūnāṃ gatayo ’dya mandāḥ | kāntopabhuktālasagāminīnāṃ prabhāta-kāleṣv iva kāminīnām ||
Today the river-brides, showing fish as though they were girdles at their waists, flow gently—like lovers in the early morning, moving languidly after being enjoyed by their beloved.
'Now the river-brides, displaying their girdles of fish, have slowed down like the gait of sensuous ladies in the early morning, exhausted by sexual pleasures.
Dharma is expressed indirectly: truthful perception (satya) of changing conditions—here, rivers calming after rains—supports right timing and steadiness in conduct.
Rama continues describing autumnal changes; the rivers’ reduced current signals the monsoon’s retreat.
Rama’s sensitivity and reflective awareness—he translates natural change into meaningful guidance for the journey and the search.