by Tulsidas
That he turned again and again to look at Ram.
Again and again he prostrated himself, wishing,
‘If only Ram would ask me to stay!’
Sadly, treasuring up in his mind Ram’s way of looking,
Speaking, walking and of meeting people with a smile,
But understanding the Lord’s wish, he departed,
With many words of homage and the Lord’s lotus-feet in his heart.
After seeing off all the monkeys with great respect,
Bharat and his brothers returned.
Then Hanuman clasped Sugriv’s feet,
And earnestly entreated him,
‘After another ten days in Raghupati’s service,
I will return to serve at your feet, my lord.’
‘You are the aggregation of virtue, O son of the Wind!
Go serve the abode of mercy!’ said Sugriv
So saying, all the monkeys at once departed.
Angad hung back and said, ‘Listen, Hanuman,
With folded hands I beseech you,
Pay homage to the Lord on my behalf,
And from time to time
Remind Raghunayak of me.’
(19A)
Thus saying, Baali’s son departed,
And Hanumant came back to Ram.
When he told him of Angad’s devotion,
The divine Lord was overcome with love.
(19B)
Harder than adamant
And softer than a flower,
Is Ram’s heart, Khagesh.
Tell me, who can understand it?
(19C)
Then the merciful Lord summoned the Nishad,
And bestowed upon him jewels, clothes and gifts.
‘Return home, but remember me,
And, in thought, deed and word, follow the dictates of dharma.
You are my friend and as much my brother as Bharat,
So continue to visit this city often.’
Guha was overcome with joy at these words
And fell at his feet, his eyes full of tears.
Holding Ram’s lotus feet in his heart, he returned home,
And there told all his kinsfolk of the Lord’s generous nature.
Seeing the actions of Raghupati, the residents of Ayodhya
Said again and again, ‘Blessed is he, the storehouse of bliss!’
Upon Ram’s assuming the throne of Ayodhya,
The three spheres rejoiced and all sorrow disappeared.
No one held enmity towards another,
And all differences vanished under Ram’s influence.
Intent on dharma, the people walked in the path of the Vedas,
Each according to his station and stage of life,
In perfect happiness,
And free of fear, sorrow and disease.
(20)
Under Ram’s rule, no one anywhere suffered from any affliction,
Whether of the body, caused by gods or fate, or other beings.
All men loved one another, followed the course of conduct
Appropriate to their own caste, and lived according to the rules prescribed in the Vedas
The four precepts of dharmaxvii became established throughout the world,
And no wickedness remained even in dream.
Men and women were absorbed in devotion to Ram,
And all were deserving of freedom from rebirth.
No one died an early death, nor was anyone in pain,
But everyone was pleasing to look at, with bodies free from sickness.
No one was poor, or sad, or in distress,
No one was ignorant or lacking good fortune.
All, men and women, were without deceit, pious and virtuous,
Clever and accomplished.
All appreciated the virtues of others, and all were learned and wise.
All were grateful for help given, and no one was cunning or sly.
Under Ram’s rule, O Garud,
No being in all the world, whether moving or unmoving,
Suffered any sorrow or distress that arises
From time or past action, disposition or personal attributes.
(21)
The earth, encircled by the seven seas,
Had only one king, Raghupati of Koshal.
Such sovereignty was no great matter for him,
Every hair on whose body holds countless universes.
To those who understand the Lord’s infinite greatness,
This description will seem utterly disparaging.
But, Khagesh, those who understand his divine glory
Are the very ones who become enamoured of his story—
For the reward of understanding his divine majesty is knowledge of these acts of the Lord.
So say the greatest munis and ascetics.
Not even Sharada or Shesh could describe
The joy and prosperity of Ram’s reign.
All were generous, all helpful to others,
And all, men and women alike, revered the Brahmans.
All men had one wife, and were devoted to her,
And she was, in thought, word and deed, devoted to her husband.
A rod was found only in the hands of ascetics,
Discord only in the music of dancers,
And the only conquests were of the self—
Such was Ramchandra’s rule.
(22)
The trees of the forest were always in flower and laden with fruit,
The elephant and the lion lived in peace together,
And the birds and animals forgot their natural enmity
And lived in friendship with each other.
Birds called and herds of deer
Roamed fearlessly in the forest in delight.
Soft, cool and fragrant breezes blew,
And bees laden with honey hummed.
Vines and trees yielded their nectar merely upon being asked,
The cows gave as much milk as was desired,
The earth was ever replete with crops,
And every aspect of the golden Krityugxviii became repeated in the Tretayug.
Knowing the king of the world to be the Supreme Spirit of the Universe,
The mountains revealed mines of jewels of every kind.
The rivers all flowed with abundant water,
Cool, clear and pleasing to the taste.
The seas remained within their bounds,
And deposited jewels upon their shores, which men gathered.
Every lake and pond was full of lotuses,
And all the quarters of the world were happy.
The moon filled the earth with its radiance,
The sun’s heat was only as much as was needed,
And the clouds gave rain whenever asked
In Ramchandra’s reign.
(23)
The Lord performed countless Ashvamedha sacrifices,3
And gave innumerable gifts to the Brahmans.
He was the guardian of the Vedas, the upholder of righteousness,
And transcended the three gunas. In the luxury and splendour of his court, he was another Indra.
Sita, of incomparable beauty, good-natured and gentle,
Remained ever obedient to her husband.
She understood the greatness of the all-merciful Lord,
And served his lotus feet with all her heart.
Though there were many attendants in the palace,
All skilled in their work,
She looked after the housework herself
In accordance with Ramchandra’s wishes.
Shri did whatever gave delight to the ocean of mercy,
For she knew how best to serve him.
Without pride or arrogance, she attended upon Kaushalya
And all her other mothers-in-law in the palace.
O Uma, Ramaa is revered by Brahma and the other gods,
She is the mother of the universe and ever irreproachable.
She, whose gracious look the go
ds crave,
But who never even glances at them,
Remains devoted to Ram’s lotus feet,
Forgetting her own inherent greatness.
(24)
All his brothers served Ram with great devotion,
For their love for him was boundless.
They gazed unceasingly at the Lord’s lotus face,
In the hope that the merciful one might ask something of them.
Ram, too, loved all his brothers,
And instructed them on morality and statesmanship.
The residents of the city were blissful and happy,
And enjoyed comforts difficult even for the gods to attain.
Day and night they prayed to the Creator,
Asking for devotion to Lord Raghubir’s feet.
Sita gave birth to two beautiful sons,
Lav and Kush, of whom the Vedas and Puranas have sung.
Both were outstanding in battle, modest and accomplished,
And so handsome that they seemed the very image of Hari.
Ram’s other brothers, too, each had two sons,
All exceedingly beautiful, gifted and good-natured.
The Supreme Spirit who transcends knowledge, speech and the senses,
Who is unbegotten, unaffected by maya, the mind and the properties of material things,
It was that same all-pervading brahm, imbued with truth, knowledge and bliss,
Who thus exhibited and exalted the actions of an ordinary man.
(25)
After bathing in the Sarju every morning,
Ram sits in assembly with Brahmans and holy men,
Vasishtha recites the Vedas and Puranas,
And Ram listens attentively, though he already knows everything.
He takes his meals with his brothers,
All their mothers looking on with great joy.
Then Bharat and Shatrughna, the two brothers,
Go with the Wind’s son to some garden or grove.
There, they sit down and ask him about Ram’s acts,
And Hanuman recounts them, his mind immersed in his virtues.
The two brothers feel so joyful, hearing of Ram’s unblemished perfections,
That they beg him to repeat his tale again and again.
In every house, the Puranas were recited
And the sacred story of Ram’s deeds narrated.
Men and women sang of Ram’s virtues,
And did not notice the passing of the days and nights.
A thousand Sheshnags cannot describe
The happiness and prosperity
Of the people of Avadh,
Where Ram reigned as king.
(26)
Narad, Sanak and his brothers, and other great munis
Come to Ayodhya every day
For a sight of the king of Koshal—
Gazing upon the city, they forget all their detachment from the world.
There were gilded balconies encrusted with jewels,
Their multi-coloured floors inlaid with precious stones.
Enclosing the city on all sides was a magnificent boundary wall
With battlements painted in different colours,
As though the nine planets had mustered an army
And surrounded Amaravati.
The ground was paved in diverse hues,
Seeing which the minds of even the greatest munis would be distracted.
Glistening white palaces kissed the sky,
Their glittering spires putting to shame the brightness of the sun and the moon.
Latticed windows gleamed with jewels,
And jewelled lamps shone bright in every house.
In the light of jewelled lamps, the mansions gleamed
With their thresholds of glittering coral,
Their pillars of precious stones, and walls of gold, inlaid with emeralds,
As though fashioned by Viranchi himself.
The palaces were enchantingly beautiful,
With charming courtyards made of crystal,
And every doorway hung with golden doors
Inlaid with innumerable diamonds.
In every house there was a beautiful picture gallery,
Decorated with paintings
Of Ram’s deeds so splendid
That they stole the hearts of the sages who looked upon them.
(27)
Everyone planted flower gardens
With great care in diverse designs,
In which graceful creepers of many kinds
Were ever in flower as though in spring.
Honeybees hummed unceasingly with a pleasant sound,
And gentle breezes, cool, soft and fragrant, blew.
Birds of all kinds, looked after by the children,
Called sweetly, and were beautiful in flight.
Peacocks, swans, cranes and pigeons
Were a lovely sight upon the tops of houses,
As, seeing their own reflections everywhere,
They cooed and danced and bobbed in many ways.
Children taught parrots and mynahs
To say ‘Ram’, ‘Raghupati’, ‘protector of the people’.
The palace gates were magnificent,
And the lanes, squares and marketplaces most charming.
The marketplaces were beautiful, and impossible to describe,
And things could be had without price.
How can one describe the wealth of the city
Where Ramaa’s beloved is king?
The cloth-merchants, moneylenders and traders sat at their shops
Like numerous gods of wealth.
Men and women, young and old,
All were happy, good and beautiful.
To the north of the city flowed the Sarju,
Its waters clear and deep.
Handsome ghats lined its shores,
With not even a trace of mud on its banks.
(28)
Apart and at some distance was the pleasant ghat
Where the herds of horses and elephants went to drink.
There were many charming ghats for drinking water,
Where no one was allowed to bathe.
The most beautiful and well-constructed was the royal ghat,
Where men of all the four castes went to bathe.
All along the banks stood temples to the gods
Surrounded by lovely groves.
Here and there upon the river’s banks, munis
And ascetics lived, indifferent to the world and intent on spiritual wisdom.
All along the shores grew sacred tulsi plants
In great profusion, planted by the munis.
The beauty of the city was impossible to describe,
Its outskirts were also most lovely.
Every sin is effaced at the sight of the city
With its woods, groves, wells and lakes.
Its matchless tanks and lakes,
And large and beautiful wells
With their elegant flights of steps and clear, pure water,
Were so lovely that even gods and munis were captivated by the sight.
The lakes were covered with lotuses of many colours,
Birds called and honeybees hummed,
And delightful gardens, through the cries of cuckoos and other birds,
Seemed to be calling to travellers to halt.
Can the city where Ramaa’s lord is king,
Ever be described?
Anima and the other Siddhis
Had spread joy and prosperity throughout Avadh.
(29)
Everywhere men sang the praises of Raghupati,
And said to each other,
‘Worship Ram, the protector of those who seek refuge in him,
In whom reside beauty, goodness, grace and virtue;
The lotus-eyed and dark-complexioned one,
Who protects his followers as the eyelids protect the eyes;
The one steadfast in battle, who holds a shining bow and arrows
and quiver,
And is the sun to the lotuses that are holy men.
Worship Ram, a Garud to devour the terrible serpent of death;
Who destroys covetousness in those who worship him selflessly,
Who is a huntsman to kill the herd of deer that is greed and delusion,
A lion to slay the elephant that is lust, and who bestows bliss upon those who adore him;
Worship Ram, a sun to dispel the deep darkness of sorrow and doubt,
And a fire to consume the dense forest of demons;
O how can you not worship Raghubir, who, ever accompanied by Janak’s daughter,
Destroys the fear of rebirth,
Who is the frost that kills the mosquito swarm of multitudinous desires,
Who is ever unchanging, unborn and indestructible,
Who gives joy to the munis, relieves the earth of its burdens,
And is Tulsidas’s own gracious Lord?’
Thus did the men and women of Ayodhya
Sing of Ram’s perfections,
And Ram, abode of mercy,
Remained ever gracious to them all.
(30)
O king of the birds, ever since
The blazing sun of Ram’s glory rose,
The three spheres have been filled with light.
Many were happy, but many were sad as well.
First, let me list those who were sad—
The night of ignorance came to an end,
So that the owls of sin hid themselves where they could,
And the water-lilies of lust and anger closed up.
Diverse rituals, the three gunas, time, individual dispositions—
These chakors found no joy in the sunshine of the Lord’s majesty.
Envy, pride, delusion and arrogance were thieves
Unable now to use their skill in any quarter.
But upon the lakes of righteousness,
The varied lotuses of wisdom and knowledge bloomed,
And the many koks of bliss, contentment, dispassion and discernment
Became free of sorrow.
When this sun of glory
Lights up any man’s heart,
The latter qualities grow and increase,
While those named first disappear.
(31)
One day, Ram, with his brothers
And his especially beloved Hanuman,
Went to visit a beautiful grove
Where all the trees were bright with flowers and new leaves.