Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 16: Lakṣmaṇa’s Description of Winter
Text 3.16.21
स्पृशंस्तु विपुलं शीतमुदकं द्विरदः सुखम्।
अत्यन्ततृषितो वन्यः प्रतिसंहरते करम्॥
spṛśaṁs tu vipulaṁ śītam udakaṁ dvi-radaḥ sukham
atyanta-tṛṣito vanyaḥ pratisaṁharate karam
spṛśan tu = touches; vipulam = the vast expanse of; śītam = cold; udakam = water; dvi-radaḥ = elephant; sukham = happily; atyanta-tṛṣitaḥ = the extremely thirsty; vanyaḥ = forest; pratisaṁharate = and withdraws; karam = its trunk.
The extremely thirsty forest elephant happily touches the vast expanse of cold water and withdraws its trunk.
It is implied that the elephant withdraws its trunk because the water is intolerably cold.