Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 43: Kausalyā Laments for Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa and Sītā
Text 2.43.16
कदा परिणतो बुद्ध्या वयसा चामरप्रभः।
अभ्युपैष्यति धर्मज्ञस्त्रिवर्ष इव लालयन्॥
kadā pariṇato buddhyā vayasā cāmara-prabhaḥ
abhyupaiṣyati dharmajñas trivarṣa iva lālayan
kadā = when; pariṇataḥ = matured; buddhyā = by intelligence; vayasā = by age; ca = and; amara-prabhaḥ = like an immortal; abhyupaiṣyati = will arrive; dharmajñaḥ = that knower of dharma; trivarṣaḥ = He is three years old; iva = as if; lālayan = invoking my fond affection.
When will that knower of dharma arrive matured by intelligence, and like an immortal by age, invoking my fond affection as if He is three years old?
“With matured intelligence” means “old by realization.” “Aged just like an immortal” means “twenty-five years old” for the immortals are always twenty-five years old.
GLOSS. In some manuscripts, suvarṣaḥ appears instead of trivaṛsaḥ. In that case Rāmacandra is compared to the excellent season, that is, monsoon.