Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 73: Kabandha Requests Śrī Rāma to Visit Śabarī
Text 3.73.21
न तानि कश्चिन्माल्यानि तत्रारोपयिता नरः।
न च वै म्लानतां यान्ति न च शीर्यन्ति राघव॥
na tāni kaścin mālyāni tatrāropayitā naraḥ
na ca vai mlānatāṁ yānti na ca śīryanti rāghava
na = no; tāni = [all] the; kaścit1 mālyāni = flowers; tatra = there; āropayitā = can pluck and string; naraḥ = man; na ca vai = neither; mlānatām yānti = [those flowers] fade; na ca = nor; śīryanti = wither away; rāghava = Rāghava.
Rāghava, no man can pluck and string [all] the flowers there. [Those flowers] neither fade nor wither away.
1 Technical note: na kaścit naraḥ.
No one can pluck and string [all] the flowers there for the following reasons: the forest is too extensive, there are [too] many flowers [there] and Mataṅga Ṛṣi’s disciples [lived there]. The influence of those disciples is described in the next two and a half verses.