Love and Spring Wear the Garb of Sages
Ayodhya Kanda, Doha 133
Doha 133 · Movement 2 of 2
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Within the new leaf dwelling, Ram shines with Janaki and Lakshmana beside him. Grass, bark, and forest shade frame the three forms more beautifully than the chambers left in Ayodhya.
The tableau resembles the god of love clothed as a sage, accompanied by Rati and the king of seasons. Ascetic dress and springtime splendor meet without contradiction.
Renunciation has not made the scene barren. Presence turns the simple hut into a season of flowering from within. Love sits calmly under a roof of leaves, no longer needing palace ornament to reveal its royalty. Chitrakoot receives its first vision of the household that will make the mountain celebrated.
Beneath a roof of leaves, Ram, Sita, and Lakshmana make forest austerity bloom like love attended by spring.
Read the passage from the Manas
लखन जानकी सहित प्रभु राजत रुचिर निकेत। सोह मदनु मुनि बेष जनु रति रितुराज समेत।।133।।
The Lord shines in that lovely dwelling with Jaanakee and Lakhan at His side, like Madana in the guise of a muni, accompanied by Rati and Rituraj (the king of seasons).