Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 45: The Brāhmaṇas from Ayodhyā Follow Rāma
Text 2.45.30
अनुगन्तुमशक्तास्त्वां मूलैरुद्धतवेगिनः।
उन्नता वायुवेगेन विक्रोशन्तीव पादपाः॥
anugantum aśaktās tvāṁ mūlair uddhata-veginaḥ
unnatā vāyu-vegena vikrośantīva pādapāḥ
anugantum = to follow; aśaktāḥ = are unable; tvām = You; mūlaiḥ = by their roots; uddhata-veginaḥ = because their movement is obstructed; unnatāḥ = the trees are tall; vāyu-vegena = because of the forceful winds; vikrośanti = to be crying; iva = and appear; pādapāḥ = the trees.
The trees are unable to follow You because their movement is obstructed by their roots. Because of the forceful winds, the trees are tall and appear to be crying.
1 The branches of trees are compared herein to their arms.
The roots of the trees are comparable to feet [but since they are fixed in the ground, the trees are unable to move].
That the trees were tall indicates that the trees appeared to have their arms [in the form of branches] up [in the air] and that they appeared to be crying due to the forceful winds, that is, due to the sounds caused by the forceful winds.1
In some manuscripts, uddhata-vegibhiḥ appears instead of uddhata-veginaḥ. [The meaning of the verse does not change.]