Shloka 4.30.55
शरत्प्रवेशे रामविलापः तथा सुग्रीवप्रमादे लक्ष्मणप्रेषणम् (Autumn’s Onset: Rama’s Lament and Lakshmana Sent to Sugriva)
सचक्रवाकानि सशैवलानिकाशैर्दुकूलैरिव संवृतानि।सपत्रलेखानि सरोचनानिवधूमुखानीव नदीमुखानि।।
sa-cakravākāni sa-śaivalāni kāśair dukūlair iva saṃvṛtāni | sa-patra-lekhāni sa-rocanāni vadhū-mukhānīva nadī-mukhāni ||
The river-mouths, filled with cakravāka birds and green moss, and veiled with kāśa reeds as if with silken cloth, appear like a bride’s face—adorned with leaf-designs and bright rocanā marks.
'Crowded with chakravaka birds and green moss, and covered with kasa reeds like silken veils, the river banks appear like the face of the bride decorated with designs of green leaves and gorochana tilaka.
Dharma is the discipline of seeing rightly: the verse trains the mind to notice reality with clarity (satya) while maintaining refined, non-harmful speech.
Rama poetically describes riverbanks and river-mouths in autumn, when vegetation and birds become distinct as waters clear and recede.
Rama’s composure and cultured expression even amid sorrow—using beauty to communicate truth without losing restraint.