|| śrīmadvālmīkirāmāyaṇam araṇyakāḍaḥ ||
navamāsadhṛtaṃ garbhaṃ bhāskārasya gabhastibhiḥ |
pītvā rasaṃ samudrāṇāṃ dyauḥ prasūte rasāyanam||3-28-3||
mandamārutaniḥśvāsaṃ sandhyācandanarañjitam |
āpāṇḍujaladaṃ bhāti kāmāturam ivāṁbaram || 3-28-6 ||
eṣā gharmaparikliṣṭā navavāripariplutā |
sītā iva śokasantaptā mahī bāṣpaṃ vimuṁcati || 3-28-7 ||
Re-ordered word-by-word meaning
dyauḥ garbhaṃ bhāskārasya gabhastibhiḥ - The sky, impregnated by the sun's rays,
navamāsadhṛtaṃ - having carried it full-term 9 months,
pītvā rasaṃ samudrāṇāṃ - having nourished it by drinking juices from the oceans,
prasūte rasāyanam- is now delivering its child, a shower of nectar!
mandamārutaniḥśvāsaṃ -breathing heavily with mountain breeze,
sandhyācandanarañjitam - bedecked with the sandal paste of the sunset's golden rays,
āpāṇḍujaladaṃ aṁbaram - the sky, made pale with white rainclouds,
kāmāturam iva bhāti - shines as if in erotic passion.
eṣā mahī bāṣpaṃ vimuṁcati - this earth is shedding copious tears,
gharmaparikliṣṭā navavāripariplutā - first having been scorched by the summer, and now drenched in fresh monsoon rain,
sītā iva śokasantaptā - akin to Sita, affected by deep sorrow.
Valmiki is called the Adikavi, the first poet. He is an expert story teller, sculpting rhymes and blossoming imagery with a lasting impression on us. Here is a description of the monsoon rain by Rama to Lakshmana, as they are wandering in search of Sita and are stranded in the rain-forest.
