Ram's Autumn-Lotus Eyes Fill at Bharata's Name
Ayodhya Kanda, Doha 226
Doha 226 · Movement 3 of 3
Keep this contemplation
Preserve, print, or share
The forest messengers speak, and the words Ram had feared become auspicious the moment they reveal Bharata rather than nameless calamity.
Joy enters his mind and sacred trembling moves through his body. The brother separated by duty has come near enough for news to cross the final distance.
Ram's eyes, clear and beautiful as lotuses opening in autumn, fill with the water of love. The dust and alarm around the hermitage do not vanish, but for one suspended moment the heart recognizes the beloved within the disturbance. Tears become the first welcome Bharata receives at Chitrakoot, shed before either brother has seen the other.
Before Bharata enters the clearing, Ram's autumn-lotus eyes receive him in tears.
Read the passage from the Manas
सुनत सुमंगल बैन मन प्रमोद तन पुलक भर। सरद सरोरुह नैन तुलसी भरे सनेह जल।।226।।
Hearing those auspicious words, his mind filled with joy and his body thrilled with delight. Tulasidasa says: His lotus eyes, like autumn blossoms, brimmed with tears of love.