Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 16: Lakṣmaṇa’s Description of Winter
Text 3.16.13.

रविसङ्क्रान्तसौभाग्यस्तुषारारुणमण्डलः।
निःश्वासान्ध इवादर्शश्चन्द्रमा न प्रकाशते॥

ravi-saṅkrānta-saubhāgyas tuṣārāruṇa-maṇḍalaḥ
niḥśvāsāndha ivādarśaś candramā na prakāśate

ravi-saṅkrānta-saubhāgyaḥ = the sun has overtaken it in fortune; tuṣāra-aruṇa-maṇḍalaḥ = and the sun’s disc [appears] red because of droplets of snow; niḥśvāsa-andhaḥ = obscured by one’s breathing; iva = resembling; ādarśaḥ = a mirror; candramāḥ = the moon; na = not; prakāśate = and does shine.

The moon does not shine, resembling a mirror obscured by one’s breathing. The sun has overtaken it in fortune and the sun’s disc [appears] red because of droplets of snow.

The sun’s rays are mild [in winter and so] the moon has given its good fortune to the sun.

The comparison is a literary ornamentation here.

GLOSS. It is implied that [the breathing obscures the mirror] because the reflection is obscured.1

1 When one breathes close to a mirror, one’s breathing causes condensation to appear on the surface of the mirror and hence the mirror is unable to reflect.