Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 16: Lakṣmaṇa’s Description of Winter
Text 3.16.1
वसतस्तस्य तु सुखं राघवस्य महात्मनः।
शरद्व्यपाये हेमन्त ऋतुरिष्टः प्रवर्तते॥
vasatas tasya tu sukhaṁ rāghavasya mahātmanaḥ
śarad-vyapāye hemanta ṛtur iṣṭaḥ pravartate
vasataḥ tasya tu = resided [there]; sukham = in happiness; rāghavasya = Rāghava; mahā-ātmanaḥ = while the great soul; śarat-vyapāye = after the departure of autumn; hemantaḥ = of winter; ṛtuḥ = season; iṣṭaḥ = the beloved; pravartate = appeared.
While the great soul Rāghava resided [there] in happiness, the beloved season of winter appeared after the departure of autumn.
The author begins to describe winter as an indication of the disasters that would occur in the future such as meeting Śūrpaṇakhā.
[Winter] was dear to Rāma because it would cause Śūrpaṇakhā to come there and her arrival would lead to the victorious destruction of the rākṣasas headed by Khara.