Shloka 5.15.20
अशोकवनिकायां सीतादर्शनम् (Sita Seen in the Ashoka Grove)
मन्दप्रख्यायमानेन रूपेण रुचिरप्रभाम्।पिनद्धां धूमजालेन शिखामिव विभावसोः।।।।
mandaprakhyāyamānēna rūpēṇa ruciraprabhām | pinaddhāṃ dhūmajālēna śikhāmiva vibhāvasōḥ ||
Her form was only faintly discernible, yet it bore a lovely radiance—like a flame of fire wrapped in a veil of smoke.
Her form was faintly recognisable. She had a lovely radiance on account of her beautiful form. She looked like the tip of burning fire engulfed in a cloud of smoke.
The metaphor illustrates that while her external glory is dimmed by grief, dirt, and captivity (smoke), her internal purity and spiritual power (fire) remain intact and inherently radiant.
Hanuman is perched on a Shimshupa tree in the Ashoka Vatika, observing Sita for the first time and describing her condition of distress while maintaining her spiritual luster.