← 3.69.5 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 69: Kabandha’s directions to Pampā · 3.69.7 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.69.6
Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 69: Kabandha’s directions to Pampā. He describes food and cool water, Śabarī’s hermitage and unfading flowers, then Sugrīva’s refuge on Ṛṣyamūka
In the sequence: he describes its smooth banks, clear water, lotuses, and fearless waterbirds
3.69.6
aśarkarām avibhraṃśāṃ samatīrtham aśaivalām
rāma saṃjātavālūkāṃ kamalotpalaśobhitām
Free of gravel, without crumbling banks, with even fords, free of moss, O Rāma, with fine sand formed, adorned with lotuses and lilies —
Words: aśarkarām — free of gravel; avibhraṃśāṃ — without crumbling banks; samatīrtham — with even fords; aśaivalām — free of moss; rāma — Rāma; saṃjātavālūkāṃ — with fine sand well-formed; kamalotpalaśobhitām — adorned with lotuses and blue lilies
Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.