Chapter Eight: Literature of the Rasika Tradition in Hindi

Dasharatha’s son Rama and Sita, Janaka’s darling daughter—
Their beauty from toenails to crown is immeasurable, and millions of Love-gods grow ashamed upon seeing it.
Sharada repeatedly attempts to describe their splendour and is defeated.

Nets and garlands of ornaments shine, inlaid with many coloured jewels.
Their eyes are lotus garlands and their tilaks give delight.
Sita-Rama are fair and lovely, while his noble body is dark as a rain cloud.
He wears an excellent yellow garment, and she a beautiful deep-blue sari.

They shine as abodes of happiness and virtue while many female companions serve their feet.
Sita’s lotus hand and Rama’s hands bear bow and arrows.
Gods, humans, and sages meditate upon them, while graceful women perform song.
They are the very life of spiritual knowledge and beyond even Brahman’s farthest shore.

Their path of refuge is supremely generous; to remove the burden of earth,
They perform wondrous and essential deeds proclaimed by all four Vedas.
Abandon worry beneath love’s canopy and become absorbed in the Couple’s lotus feet.
Let the tongue repeat their Name until every heavy fault is subdued.

The Divine Abode

At the centre of Goloka lies that exceedingly vast and beautiful realm
Where Sita-Rama eternally dwell and sport together with their companions.

There are no rites, religious duties, austerities, or intellectual meditation; no false yoga, sacrifice, repetition, or knowledge.
There is no ritual worship, recitation, magic, or sorcery; no pilgrimage, vow, discipline, or silence.
There is no birth or death, illness or separation, and no experience of the fruits of sin and merit.

Ego and the distortions beginning with desire do not exist there, nor enjoyment of material objects.
There is no force, obstinacy, thoughtlessness, anger, deceit, pride, hypocrisy, or fault.
There are no conflicting truths, guileful disguises, attachment, detachment, jealousy, or hatred.

There is no caste, social order, or fourfold stage of life; no dispute over Veda and Purana, moonlight and darkness.
There are no five elements, no six waves of embodied change, and no eightfold Prakriti bringing sorrow and conflict.

That abode is free from every distortion, beautiful and beyond all worlds.
There, the wise affirm, only the play of Sita and Siyavar is authoritative.

Companies of greatly fortunate young women behold it.
Dwelling beside the Couple through all eight watches, they enjoy a happiness that cannot be described.

Its bliss is ineffable, incomparable, and beautiful; the power of the abode cannot be expressed.
Millions of immense and lovely palaces shine there with a brilliance beyond all praise.