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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.71.16
Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 71: Rāma enters Pampā’s waters. The sacred rites renew his hope, the lake revives his longing for Sītā and he resolves to seek Sugrīva
In the sequence: he sees clear water, smooth sand, fish and turtles, flowering banks, creepers, lotuses of many colors, and mango groves alive with birds
3.71.16
sphaṭikopamatoyāḍhyāṃ ślakṣṇavālukasaṃtatām
matsyakacchapasaṃbādhāṃ tīrasthadrumaśobhitām
rich with water like crystal, spread over with smooth sand, teeming with fish and turtles, adorned with trees standing on its banks;
Words: sphaṭikopamatoyāḍhyāṃ — rich with water like crystal; ślakṣṇavālukasaṃtatām — spread over with smooth sand; matsyakacchapasaṃbādhāṃ — teeming with fish and turtles; tīrasthadrumaśobhitām — adorned with trees standing on its banks
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.