Source page 202

Hearing Rama’s words, the darling smiled softly and replied, “Dear prince, the customs of your house cannot be imposed here.”

Before Mother Sunaina she could not frame a suitable answer. Taking Raghunandana by the hand, she led him to her own palace.

There the delighted darling provided four thrones and seated the princes. Again and again she gazed upon their faces and performed many rites of ārati.

She placed lovely jasmine garlands around them and scented their garments with perfume. Wiping Rama’s face with the edge of her veil, she fed him betel with her own hand.

The expansive golden palace shone on every side with moonlight-like radiance; jeweled pictures gleamed upon its walls and splendid paintings flashed.

Beautiful women like Rati and Rambha sat there, adorned in every ornament. Some arranged buds and flowers, some a crest, and some a garland.

One companion fed fragrant betel prepared with lovely cloves and camphor. One stood holding a spittoon, while another waved a fly-whisk.

One held a ewer filled with cool water, and another showed him a mirror. Each darling, arrayed in her own ornamentation, came before Raghubara.

One tuned the jaltarang, sitar, and tambura; another kept rhythm with hand-cymbals. One took a sitar and demonstrated many patterns and movements upon its strings.

One joined the upanga and murchang to the beat sounded upon the face of a mridanga. Another drew such fresh notes from a vina that it seemed to utter a spell of enchantment.

A doe-eyed, cuckoo-voiced woman sang in the fifth mode; her sweet melody entered the ear and made the heart of the separated lover tremble.