समुद्र इव गाम्भीर्ये धैर्येण हिमवानिव।
विष्णुना सदृशो वीर्ये सोमवत्प्रियदर्शनः॥
samudra iva gāmbhīrye dhairyeṇa himavān iva
viṣṇunā sadṛśo vīrye somavat priya-darśanaḥ
samudraḥ = He is the ocean; iva = like; gāmbhīrye = in gravity; dhairyeṇa = in tolerance; himavān = He is the Himalayas; iva = like; viṣṇunā = to Lord Viṣṇu; sadṛśaḥ = He is similar; vīrye =in prowess; somavat = like the moon; priya-darśanaḥ = and pleasing to behold.
In gravity, He is like the ocean. In tolerance, He is like the Himalayas. In prowess, He is similar to Lord Viṣṇu and pleasing to behold like the moon.
[34] sa u śreyān bhavati jāyamānaḥ (Ṛg Veda 3.8)
1 One should not invoke the foolish Māyāvādī misconception here that Lord Rāma is ultimately a human being who has realized that He is the Godhead, for there is abundant evidence to the contrary. He thinks and behaves like a human being as His eternal pastime. In fact, human beings are like him, to be more accurate.
2 We learn from the Fifth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam about the factual movement of the sun. Its movement cannot be compared to the movement of an arrow shot by a human being. But the comparison is to make it clear that the sun moves with the certainty of the movement of an arrow shot by a human being.
Gravity means to not explicitly reveal something within. Just as the ocean exists without explicitly revealing the gems, jewels and other valuables within it, Lord Rāma always exists without explicitly revealing His supreme position [at all times]. He [Himself] will state—ātmānaṁ mānuṣaṁ manye: “I think of Myself as a human.” (Rāmāyaṇa 6.120.11)1
Tolerance means to not be overcome by lamentation even in the presence of causes of lamentation. Indeed, it has been stated:
girayo varṣa-dhārābhir hanyamānā na vivyathuḥ
abhibhūyamānā vyasanair yathādhokṣaja-cetasaḥ
“Just as devotees whose minds are absorbed in the Personality of Godhead remain peaceful even when attacked by all sorts of dangers, the mountains in the rainy season were not at all disturbed by the repeated striking of the rain-bearing clouds.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.20.15)
It should be noted that because the Supreme Lord cannot be factually [fully] compared to these items of the world, the above comparison should be understood to be like the statement, iṣuvad gacchati savitā: “The sun moves like an arrow.”2
In prowess, Lord Rāma is similar to Lord Viṣṇu. This is a nice statement, considering the fact that Rāma was born from half of [the pāyasa sweet rice of] Lord Viṣṇu. He is good, having taken birth [in this world] [34].
He dissipates lamentation and gives delight like the moon.