Joy Overflows the Walls of Dasharatha's Palace
Bala Kanda, Chaupai 294
Doha 297 · Movement 1 of 2
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Groups of women gather in fresh garments, radiant as lightning, with moon-like faces and eyes of young deer. Their auspicious songs are so sweet that cuckoos would fall silent from shame.
Within Dasharatha's palace, beautiful ritual objects gleam and countless instruments sound. Bards recite praise in one place, Brahmins chant the Veda in another, and women weave the names of Sita and Ram through wedding song.
The celebration is greater than the building meant to contain it. Joy presses through chambers, doors, terraces, and courtyards as though the palace has become too small and delight must flow in all four directions. Architecture yields before feeling, and Ayodhya itself becomes the larger royal house.
The palace cannot contain the names of Sita and Ram, so celebration spills into every direction.
Read the passage from the Manas
जहँ तहँ जूथ जूथ मिलि भामिनि। सजि नव सप्त सकल दुति दामिनि।। बिधुबदनीं मृग सावक लोचनि। निज सरुप रति मानु बिमोचनि।। गावहिं मंगल मंजुल बानीं। सुनिकल रव कलकंठि लजानीं।। भूप भवन किमि जाइ बखाना। बिस्व बिमोहन रचेउ बिताना।। मंगल द्रब्य मनोहर नाना। राजत बाजत बिपुल निसाना।। कतहुँ बिरिद बंदी उच्चरहीं। कतहुँ बेद धुनि भूसुर करहीं।। गावहिं सुंदरि मंगल गीता। लै लै नामु रामु अरु सीता।। बहुत उछाहु भवनु अति थोरा। मानहुँ उमगि चला चहु ओरा।।
Here and there, groups of beautiful women gathered together, adorned in fresh garments, all radiant as lightning. With moon-like faces and eyes like young fawns, they seemed as though Rati herself had forsaken her own form to become them. They sang auspicious songs in voices so melodious that even the sweet-throated cuckoos felt ashamed. How can one describe the king's palace? The Enchanter of the universe Himself had fashioned this canopy of splendor. Various beautiful auspicious articles were displayed, and countless musical instruments resounded gloriously. Somewhere bards and panegyrists (bandijana) were reciting praises; elsewhere, learned priests (bhusura) were chanting Vedic hymns. Beautiful women sang auspicious songs, repeatedly invoking the names of Rama and Sita. The celebration was immense, but the palace seemed far too small, as though the joy itself was overflowing in all four directions.