Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 56: Rāma Reaches Citrakūṭa
Text 2.56.8
पश्य द्रोणूप्रमाणानि लम्बमानानि लक्ष्मण।
मधूनि मधुकारीभिः संभृतानि नगे नगे॥
paśya droṇa-pramāṇāni labamānāni lakṣmaṇa
madhūni madhukārībhiḥ sambhṛtāni nage nage
paśya = look at; droṇa-pramāṇāni = measuring a droṇa; labamānāni = each hanging; lakṣmaṇa = Lakṣmaṇa; madhūni = these bee-hives; madhukārībhiḥ = by honey bees; sambhṛtāni = made; nage nage = in every tree.
Lakṣmaṇa, look at these bee-hives measuring a droṇa each hanging in every tree made by honey bees.
1 Patrick Olivelle in his translation of Kauṭilya’s Artha-śāstra states that the Droṇa is a measurement of capacity, especially of grains, and opines that it was probably about 5 liters.
Each bee-hive contained the amount of honey measuring a droṇa.1