Five Watches Pass during the Wedding Feast
Bala Kanda, Doha 354
Doha 354 · Movement 2 of 2
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Dasharatha and his sons bathe after the long homecoming rites. The guru, Brahmins, and assembled kinsmen are summoned, extending welcome into a feast shared by sacred guides and family.
Countless varieties of food are served. Plates are replenished, conversation moves through the hall, and the night deepens almost unnoticed around the satisfied gathering.
Five watches pass before the feast reaches completion. Time is measured not by impatience but by hospitality allowed to unfold fully. The royal house that has just received four brides nourishes the wider circle that sustains it, letting celebration become communion around food, kinship, and blessing.
Through five watches of night, the feast keeps Ayodhya gathered around the joy of the returning couples.
Read the passage from the Manas
सुतन्ह समेत नहाइ नृप बोलि बिप्र गुर ग्याति। भोजन कीन्ह अनेक बिधि घरी पंच गइ राति।।354।।
The king, together with his sons, bathed and then summoned the brahmins, the guru, and all kinsmen. A feast of countless varieties was served, and five watches of the night passed away.