A Leaf Hut Beside the Godavari
Aranya Kanda, Doha 13
Doha 13 · Movement 2 of 2
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The forest road opens beneath a wide sky, and the vulture king Jatayu comes to meet the travelers. The weather of many years lies upon his wings. Rama does not pass him as one more creature of the wilderness. Affection deepens between them in many ways, crossing every boundary of form, species, and station.
Near the Godavari, the journey pauses. Water moves between dark banks, carrying forest light upon its surface. Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana choose a place beneath the trees. Branches are gathered, leaves layered, and a dwelling rises from the materials of exile. No palace stone enters its walls. The earth is its floor, the river its music, and the living forest its enclosure.
The meeting and the dwelling stand together in the brief verse. Affection has deepened, and a home has been made. Jatayu remains near. Beside the holy river, the Lord accepts the shelter of leaves, and Panchavati waits for the divine play that will pass through it.
Evening settles on the Godavari, and smoke rises from the new leaf roof.
Read the passage from the Manas
गीधराज सैं भैंट भइ बहु बिधि प्रीति बढ़ाइ।। गोदावरी निकट प्रभु रहे परन गृह छाइ।।13।।
On the way, the Lord met Jatayu, the king of vultures, and their friendship grew deep and many-sided. Near the holy Godavari river, the Lord thatched a hut of leaves and made it his dwelling.