Doha - 341
"That root of all joy has appeared before my eyes! Everything is easy of accesss in this world to a living being when God is propitious.
Chaupala -
"You have exalted me in everyway and accepted me as Your own servant. If there were ten thousand Saradas and Sesas, and if they were to count for millions of Kalpas, the tale of my good fortune. If tell You, and the record of Your virtues could not be exhausted. O Lord of Raghus. I make bold to say something on the strength of my conviction that You are pleased with the slightest devotion. I repeatedly beseech You with joined palms that my mind may never be deluded into deserting Your feet." Oh hearing these polite words saturated with love Sri Rama, who had all His desires fulfilled, felt gratified. With the greatest courtecsy the latter honoured His father-in-law treating him on a par with His own father, Kausika or Vasistha. The king then humbly approached Bharata and embracing him with affection gave him his blessings.
Doha - 342
Next the king embraced and blessed Laksmana and Ripusudana; overpowered by emotion they bowed their heads to one another again and again.
Chaupala -
Paying his respectful compliments to Janaka again and again the Lord of Raghus set out on His journey with three brothers. Janaka approached Kausika, clasped his feet and put the dust of the same on his head eyes. He said, "Listen, O lord of sages: to him who has been blessed with your sight nothing is unattainable; such is may heart's conviction. The joy and the bright renown which the regional lords of the universe long to have. but feel too diffident to expect--such a joy and glory has been brought within my reach; and all achievements follow on seeing you" In these words King Janaka made humble submission to Visvamitra, bowing his head again and again, and returned after receiving his blessings. The bridegrooms' party started on its return journey to the sound of kettledrums; all the sections, both big and small, were transported with joy. Men and women of the village, as they gazed on Sri Rama, felt gratified on realizing the object of their eyes.
Doha - 343
Halting at convenient stages in course of the journey and gladdening the people on the roadside the marriage procession approached Ayodhya on a sacred day.
Chaupala -
Kittledrums were beaten and good tabors sounded accompanied by the blast of sackbuts and conches, and the neighting of horse and trumpeting of elephants. Similarly there was a clash of cymbals and drums, while clarionets played sweet tunes. The citizens were all delighted to hear the procession coming; the hair on their body stood erect. They all decorated their own beautiful houses as well as the markets, streets, squares and gates of the city. All the lanes were watered with perfumes; here and there festal squares were filled in with elegant devices. The bazar was beautified beyond all desciption with festal arches, flags, banners and canopies. Trees of the areca-nut, the plantain, the mango, the Bakula, the Kadamba and the Tamala were transplanted along with their fruit. The beautiful trees thus planted touched the ground (on account of their being laden with fruits); they had basins of precious stones constructed around them with exquisite skill..
Doha - 344
Festal vases of various kinds were ranged in order in every house; Brahma and the other gods were filled with envy to see the birthplace of Sri Rama (the chief of Raghus).
Chaupala -
The king's palace looked very charming on that occasion; its decoration captivated the heart of Cupid himself. It looked as if auspicious omens and loveliness; affluence and mystic powers; joys and smiling prosperity and all kinds of rejoicing had assumed a naturally beautiful form and taken their abode in the palace of King Dasaratha. Tell me who would not feel tempted to have a look at Sri Rama and videha's Daughter? Married women whose husbands were alive, sallied forth in troops, each eclipsing Love's consort (Rati) by he beauty. They all carried articles of good omen and were equipped with lights for waving round the bridegrooms. As they moved along singing all the way, it appeared as if Goddess Bharaati (the goddess of speech) had appeared in so many forms. The king's palace was full of hilarious tumult; the joy of the occasion was ineffable Kausalya and other mothers of Sri Rama were so overwhelmed with emotion that they forgot their own body.
Doha - 345
After worshipping Lord Ganesh and the Slayer of the demon Tripura, they bestowed enormous gifts upon the Brahmanas and were supremely delighted as an utterly indigent man who attained the four great prizes of life.
All the mothers were so overcome with joy and rapture that their feet refused to walk and all their limbs began to droop as it were. Full of intense longing for a sight of Sri Rama they began to get everything ready for the reception of their sons. Music of every kind started playing, while Sumitra gladly got together articles of good omen such as turmeric, blades of Durva grass curds, ordinary leaves, flowers, betel-leaves, areca-nuts, auspicious roots, unbroken rice, sprouts of barley, Gorocana, parched paddy and lovely blossoms of the Basil plant Exceedingtly charming gold vases, painted with various colours, looked like nests built by Cupid's own birds. Auspicious perfumes defied all description. In this way all the queents prepared all sorts of auspicious articles. They got ready rows of lights arranged in various devices for waving round their sons and with a cheerful heart sang melodious festal strains.
Doha - 346
Carrying in their lotus hands salvers of gold laden with articles of good omen, the queen-mothers proceeded joyfully to greet their sons, every limb of their body throbbing with emotion.
Chaupala -
The sky became dark with the fumes of burning incense, as though overhung with the fast gathering clouds of the month of Sravana (August). The gods rained down wreaths of flowers from the trees of paradise, which looked like rows of herons in their graceful flight Lovely festoons made of Jewels looked like rainbows appearing in a row. Charming ladies, appearing on house-tops as quickly as they went out of sight, looked like the futful flashes of lightning. The beat of drums resembled the crash of thunder; while beggars were as clamorous as the Cataka birds, frogs and peacocks. The gods poured down showers in the form of sacred perfumes, which gladdened the crop in the form of all the citizens. Perceiving that a propitious hour had arrived the preceptor (Vasistha) gave the word, and the jewel of Raghu's race, King Dasaratha gladly entered the city with all his followers, fixing his mind on Bhagavan Sambhu, Goddess Parvati and Their son, Lord Ganesa.
Doha - 347
Good omens manifested themselves and the gods rained down flowers to the beat of drums; while celestial dames danced for joy, singing melodious triumphal songs.
Chaupala -
Bards, minstrels, rhapsodists and skilled dancers chanted the glory of Him (Sri Rama) who illumines all the three worlds Auspicious shouts of victory and the sacred and melodious chanting of the Vedas were heard in all the ten directions. Musical instruments of all kinds began to play; gods in heaven and men in the city were enraptured alike. Members of the bridegroom's party looked smart beyond description. They were highly delighted and could not contain themselves for joy. The people of Ayodhya then greeted the king, and were gladdened at the very sight of Sri Rama. They scattered about Him jewels and vestments; their eyes were full of tears and their body thrilled over. The women of the city gladly waved lights gratified when they lifted the curtains of the beautiful palanquins and beheld the brides.
Doha - 348
Thus gladdening the heart of all they arrived at the entrance of the royal palace; the delighted mothers waved lights over the princes and their brides.
Chaupala -
They waved lights again and again; the love and rapture which they felt in their heart was beyond all words. They scattered about their sons and daughters-in-law ornaments; jewels and costumes of various kinds and numberless other articles. The queen-mothers were enraptured to behold their four sons along with their brides. As they gazed again and again on the beauty of sita and Rama they felt delighted and regarded the object of their life in this world as realized. The queen-mothers' companions, as they gazed on Sita's countenance over and over again, sang and extolled their good fortune. Moment after moment the gods rained down flowers, danced and sang and offered their homage. Seeing the four charming couples Goddess Sarada ransacked all her stock of similes, but her choice fell on none; they appeared too trivial. She therefore stood gazing with unwinking eyes, enchanted with their beauty.
Doha - 349
After performing the rites prescribed by the Vedas or family usage the queen-mothers waved lights over all the princes and their brides and conducted them to the palace, offering water to them as mark of respect and sprading carpets along the way.
Chaupala -
There were four exquisitely beautiful thrones, which had been fashioned by Cupid with his own hands as it were; the queen-mothers seated the brides and the bridegrooms on them and reverntly laved their holy feet. They then worshipped the blessed couples in accordance with the Vedic ritual by offering them incense, light and oblations of food. They passed lights around them again and again and waved beautiful fans and chowries over their heads. They scattered offerings of various kinds about them; the mothers were as full of exultation as a Yogi who has realized the highest truth, or as a lifelong patient who has been able to lay his hands on nectar or as a born pauper who has stumbled on a philosopher's stone, or as a blind man who has regained a good vision, or as a dumb fellow, whose tongue has been transfused with the eloquence of Sarada the goddess of speech or even as a hero who has triumphed in battle.