Chapter Eight: Literature of the Rasika Tradition in Hindi

Endowed with divine virtues, concentrated with ever-new affection,
And steeped in majestic bliss, Lady Sita is supremely noble.

She rescues those who bow before her and repairs what has gone wrong;
She is the source of divine virtues and the remover of distress.
She forgets faults, brings devotees’ affairs to fulfilment,
Spreads happiness, and loves the Supreme Lord.

She sports within the palace and bears all sixteen adornments;
She captivates Rama’s mind and is the chosen bride of the Lord of rasa.
She carries Rasrang across and casts upon him the corner of her gracious glance;
She eternally spreads the glory of Sita Ji.

The beloved dwells in her lover’s eyes, and the lover in his beloved’s eyes;
Each pair of eyes is a thief intent upon stealing the other pair.
The beautiful moon of Mithilesh’s daughter’s face entrances him,
And Awadh’s lovely prince is its clever cakora bird.

Rama is the dark rain cloud; hearing his delightful, joy-giving speech,
The Lady’s mind dances like an intoxicated peacock.
Rasrangmani’s bee loses itself in the nectar of their beauty;
For the Couple, the sun of love has risen into dawn.

A Vision of the Beloved and Her Lover in Kanak Bhavan

Anointed with white fragrant paste, beloved Rama and his fair lady sit together,
Sri Kishori and her lover joined within a single radiance.
Crowns, crescents, and other ornaments shine upon their heads; seeing the splendour of their limbs, Kama, Rati, and Lakshmi grow ashamed.
A thousand moons without number may be sacrificed before their faces, while the arrows of Love’s destroyer fly from their gazing eyes.

Intoxicated by their beauty and adornment, Rasrangmani beholds
This vision of the beloved and her lover within Kanak Bhavan.

Rāma Jhāṅkī-vilāsa

This short work by Sri Ram Rasrangmani Ji presents contemplative visions of every form of Bhagavan Sri Rama, from infancy until his enthronement. They are well worth seeing. Its poetic refinement and—