हिन्दी
Tulsidas says that (the child Lord Sri Ram) has large (lotus-like) eyes, curved eyebrows (which resemble a bow), and a broad forehead. This fabulous and fascinating sight of the child enchants and captivates the heart and holds the mind of the beholder enthralled.
(The women folk of the palace praise the enchanting beauty of the child Sri Ram. They exclaim—) ‘Oh friend, just have a look at this wonderful sight! There is a Tilak Mark of saffron on his (Sri Ram's) forehead; and earrings dangling from the child’s ears shimmer continuously as he moves his head. And watch how wonderful and enchanting the child’s cheeks, which are round and rosy, look with the thick lock of curly hairs dangling over them and encircling them from all sides.’
The line of the Tilak Mark on the forehead (of Lord Ram as a child) looks as adorable as an arrow that is mounted on a bow, which here is represented by the curved eyebrows of the child. (The Tilak Mark is made vertically from the midpoint of the eyebrows just above the base of the nose and goes up across the centre of the forehead till the hairline. Since the eyebrows are curved, it resembles an arrow that is mounted on a bow.) Only the beauty of the full Moon can be compared with the bewitching beauty of the child’s (Sri Ram’s) face.
Tulsidas says that Lord Ram pleasantly glances sideways, and he sports a sweet smile on his lips. [Tulsidas wonders—] How can I dare to compare the beauty of his eyes with a lotus flower (because the Lord’s charming eyes are perennially bewitching and beautiful, whereas the lotus flower shrivels up and closes its petals in the night, losing its charm)?
I (Tulsidas) shall never say that Lord Ram’s eyebrows are actually like a ‘bow’ which is deemed to be stern and hard by its nature. This is because when the bow faces an enemy it becomes taut as it is stringed and pulled to shoot the arrow, while it becomes flaccid and limp when it is un-stringed and set aside to rest. Lord Ram is ever so merciful and kind. He is so compassionate that though his eyebrows remain perpetually curved like a stringed bow, yet they are never meant to harm or scold or look down upon anybody. Rather, the curve of the Lord’s eyebrows adds a special charm to his already beautiful face.
Tulsidas wonders which poet is so foolish that he would dare to compare the beautiful, charming and peerless image of Lord Sri Ram with that of Kamdev (cupid), because this would be a show of grave incompetence and impertinence on his part as well as a sinful act which will make him fall in the dark well represented by this mundane, deluding and entrapping world.
Lord Sri Ram is pure-hearted and pious (sādhu); he is most courteous, amiable, gentle good-mannered and extremely civilized (susīla); he is most wise and has noble and positive thoughts (sumati); he is clean, auspicious and holy within and without (suci); and his nature and character are simple, straightforward, unpretentious, noble and virtuous (sarala subhāva). Lord Ram is very diligent in following the path that is in accordance with the laws of auspiciousness, righteousness, probity, propriety and ethics (rāma nīti rata). Say, where can Kamdev-cupid ever imagine being a match for the Lord? Where can he ever find these immaculate and glorious qualities and virtues that Lord Ram possesses? [Refer verse no. 6.]
Once, the child (Lord Sri Ram, being born in the warrior race known as ‘Kshatriya’) picked up a reed or a long blade of grass, with great hesitation, to make a bow out of it and learn archery. (His father king Dasrath was watching.) Seeing this, the king got a small bow made especially for him, and fondly gave it to him with a smile.
(Tulsidas now briefly describes the adorable image of Sita. She was the princess of Janakpur who would later on marry Lord Ram. The women folk of Janakpur say to each other—) ‘Oh Friend (sakhi), look! The pearls (mukutā)—which are used to decorate the thick plait of dense dark hairs on the head of Sita—look like beads of emerald (marakata). But when the same pearls are taken in the hand, they get back their original shade of radiant white.’
(The ladies continued—) ‘Oh Friend (sakhi)! (Comparing Sita's complexion with gold, she says) The gold can be compared to the complexion of Sita in radiance and glow, but it is no match for her in giving solace, succour, peace, happiness and bliss to the living being. Besides this, Sita's body is tender, while the gold is a hard metal.’
How can Sita's face be compared to the lotus flower as it appears during the winter season, because the latter shrivels up and closes (i.e. becomes gloomy) during the night whereas the face of Sita is uniformly and eternally cheerful, charming and radiant (and literally blooming like an evergreen beautiful flower).
A garland of Champa flowers (flowers of a tree called Michelia Champacca, having yellow, fragrant flowers) that adorns the body of Sita looks very magnificent. It merges so perfectly with the radiant beauty and the glow of her body that one hardly realizes its presence. It is only when the flowers dry up and wither away that its presence on her body becomes discernible.
(One of Sita's friends tells her—) ‘Sita! The garland of Champa flowers that you wear gets enhanced in its beauty and charm when it adorns your body. It appears that the flowers have acquired their radiant colour and beauty only when they come close to your body. (That is, the same garland would not seem so beautiful and enchanting if it was seen separately from your body. When you wear it, its beauty is increased manifold.) The wonder is that even when I put a garland of (white) Jasmine flowers on your body, it acquires the hue of the Champa flowers (by the virtue of their proximity with your body, which has a golden hue).
(In this and the following verses, Tulsidas briefly describes the sights of the day the bow-breaking ceremony was to be held at Janakpur. It was so ordained by Sita’s father, king Janak, that anyone who would break a certain Bow belonging to Lord Shiva that was lying in the king’s custody since ages would be able to wed Sita. This particular verse tells us how beautiful Lord Ram and his younger brother Laxman looked that day.) When the sun rose on the horizon in the morning, Lord Sri Ram and Laxman did their daily morning routine (such as washing and bathing themselves to get ready to attend the bow-breaking ceremony). Seeing Lord Ram at the venue, the faces of all other assembled kings and princes who were invited to attend the ceremony to try their luck paled like the face of the moon does after sunrise.
(At the arena, the women folk of Janakpur talk with each other when they saw Lord Sri Ram and Laxman. One said to another—) ‘Oh my gracious and dear friend (sajanī)! Only one doubt arises in my heart (as to whether or not Sri Ram would be able to marry Sita by breaking the bow), because the bow is as hard as the shell of a tortoise.’
All the invited kings (who had assembled at the venue of the bow-breaking ceremony to try their luck at breaking the bow so they could marry Sita) failed even to move the bow an inch, what to talk of lifting and breaking it. Hence, all of them lost all hopes, and became dejected and shameful.
(After the marriage, the friends of Sita began to tease her in a friendly and playful manner when they found that she was feeling shy to look up directly at Lord Ram, the bridegroom, and out of modesty had her eyes looking down. They joked—) ‘Oh young lady of beauty and charm (navalā nāri)! Why do you have your gaze transfixed and appear to be dazed as if in awe and wonder! Why are you hesitantly hiding your face with your veil? A moon similar to him (Sri Ram's charming face) adorns the sky, and don’t you ever look at it?
(Then Sita's friends turn to Lord Sri Ram to poke fun at him—) ‘Oh Raghunandan (literally a prince of king Raghu’s dynasty of Ayodhya)! Do not be proud in your heart about your beauty. Look, your image (complexion) is dark as if it was only a shadow of Sita (who was of a fair complexion). See it for yourself.’
After some time, Sita's friends got up to leave, saying that the eyes of Sita and Raghubir (Sri Ram) were drowsy with sleep (and therefore they should be left alone).
