Sita Closes Ram Inside Her Heart
Bala Kanda, Chaupai 229
Doha 232 · Movement 1 of 2
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Sita searches all four directions, anxious that the prince has moved away. Wherever her doe like eyes turn, rows of white lotuses seem to bloom beneath the purity of her gaze.
Her companions point behind the creepers. There stand the dark and fair youths. Sita sees Ram and her eyes become greedy with the joy of recognizing their own treasure. They grow weary from gazing, yet her eyelids refuse to blink.
Love makes the maiden still as a chakori before the autumn moon. Through her eyes, wise Sita brings Ram into the chamber of her heart. Then her eyelids finally close like doors, guarding the form within while her shy companions stand unable to speak.
Sita draws Ram through her eyes and closes her eyelids over the treasure.
Read the passage from the Manas
चितवहि चकित चहूँ दिसि सीता। कहँ गए नृपकिसोर मनु चिंता।। जहँ बिलोक मृग सावक नैनी। जनु तहँ बरिस कमल सित श्रेनी।। लता ओट तब सखिन्ह लखाए। स्यामल गौर किसोर सुहाए।। देखि रूप लोचन ललचाने। हरषे जनु निज निधि पहिचाने।। थके नयन रघुपति छबि देखें। पलकन्हिहूँ परिहरीं निमेषें।। अधिक सनेहँ देह भै भोरी। सरद ससिहि जनु चितव चकोरी।। लोचन मग रामहि उर आनी। दीन्हे पलक कपाट सयानी।। जब सिय सखिन्ह प्रेमबस जानी। कहि न सकहिं कछु मन सकुचानी।।
Sita gazed about in all four directions, her heart anxious: where had the young prince gone? Wherever her fawn-like eyes fell, it seemed as though rows of white lotuses bloomed there. Then, from behind the flowering creepers, her companions pointed out two lovely youths, one dark and one fair. Beholding their beauty, her eyes grew eager with delight, as though she had found her own long-lost treasure. Her eyes grew weary from drinking in Rama's splendor, yet even her eyelids refused the relief of a single blink. Overwhelmed by love, her body became perfectly still, like a chakori bird gazing upon the autumn moon. The wise maiden drew Rama into her heart through the pathway of her eyes, then closed her eyelids like doors behind Him. When her companions saw that Sita was lost in love, they could say nothing, their own hearts overcome with tender shyness.