Shloka 5.56.16

षट्पञ्चाशः सर्गः — वैदेही-आश्वासनम् तथा अरिष्टारोहणम् (Consoling Sita and Ascending Mount Arishta)

Devanagari script

मेघपादनिभैः पादैः प्रक्रान्तमिव सर्वतः।जृंम्भमाणमिवाऽकाशे शिखरैरभ्रमालिभिः।।।।

Transliteration

megha-pāda-nibhaiḥ pādaiḥ prakrāntam iva sarvataḥ |

jṛmbhamāṇam ivākāśe śikharair abhra-mālibhiḥ ||

Translation

With foothills like the feet of clouds, it seemed to stride on every side; and with peaks wreathed in garlands of cloud, it seemed to yawn up into the sky.

Context

With the ranges of foot-hills appearing like the feet of clouds traversing, with its peaks like garlands of clouds traversing over the mountain, it made one feel it was yawning.

Characters & Entities

• megha (cloud)
• ākāśa (sky)
• śikhara (peak)
• parvata (mountain)

FAQs

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

Dharma involves right orientation—lifting one’s vision upward (ākāśa) toward higher aims. The mountain’s ‘striding’ and ‘yawning to the sky’ can be read as a metaphor for expansive, goal-directed effort.

What is the narrative situation?

The landscape is described in animated metaphors, continuing the atmospheric setting within Sundarakāṇḍa 56.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Utsāha (energetic resolve): the imagery of striding suggests forward movement aligned with purposeful mission.