Sri Rama Charita Manasa - Shri Sita Ram Foundation, USA

228 *
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
›R∫ RÅMACARITAMÅNASA *
of perspiration glistened on their brow; while graceful pendants shed their lustre on their
ears. With arched eyebrows and curly locks, eyes red as a lotus-bud and a lovely chin,
nose and cheeks their gracious smile was soul-enthralling. The beauty of their countenance
was more than I can describe; it would put to shame a myriad Cupids. They had a string of
jewels on their breast; their lovely neck resembled a conch-shell in its spiral shape; while
their mighty arms vied with the trunk of a young elephant, who was the very incarnation of
Cupid. With a cup of leaves full of flowers in His left hand the dark-hued prince, my dear, is
most charming. (1ó4)
ŒÙ0ó∑apple§„UÁ⁄U ∑§Á≈U ¬≈U ¬Ëà œ⁄U ‚È·◊Ê ‚Ë‹ ÁŸœÊŸ–
ŒappleÁπ ÷ÊŸÈ∑ȧ‹÷Í·ŸÁ„U Á’‚⁄UÊ ‚Áπã„U •¬ÊŸH 233H
Do.: kehari ka¢i pa¢a p∂ta dhara suamå s∂la nidhåna,
dekhi bhånukulabhµuanahi bisarå sakhinha apåna.233.
Beholding the Ornament of the solar race, who had a slender waist like that of a
lion and was clad in yellow, and who was the very embodiment of beauty and amiability,
S∂tåís companions forgot their very existence. (233)
øı0óœÁ⁄U œË⁄U¡È ∞∑§ •ÊÁ‹ ‚ÿÊŸË – ‚ËÃÊ ‚Ÿ ’Ù‹Ë ªÁ„U ¬ÊŸËH
’„ÈUÁ⁄U ªıÁ⁄U ∑§⁄U äÿÊŸ ∑§⁄appleU„ÍU – ÷ͬÁ∑§‚Ù⁄U ŒappleÁπ Á∑§Ÿ ‹apple„ÍUH 1H
‚∑ȧÁø ‚Ëÿ° Ã’ ŸÿŸ ©UÉÊÊ⁄appleU – ‚Ÿ◊Èπ ŒÙ©U ⁄UÉÊÈ®‚ÉÊ ÁŸ„UÊ⁄appleUH
Ÿπ Á‚π ŒappleÁπ ⁄UÊ◊ ∑Ò§ ‚Ù÷Ê– ‚ÈÁ◊Á⁄U Á¬ÃÊ ¬ŸÈ ◊ŸÈ •Áà ¿UÙ÷ÊH 2H
¬⁄U’‚ ‚Áπã„U ‹πË ¡’ ‚ËÃÊ – ÷ÿ©U ª„UL§ ‚’ ∑§„U®„U ‚÷ËÃÊH
¬ÈÁŸ •Ê©U’ ∞Á„U ’appleÁ⁄U•Ê° ∑§Ê‹Ë – •‚ ∑§Á„U ◊Ÿ Á’„U‚Ë ∞∑§ •Ê‹ËH 3H
ªÍ…∏U Áª⁄UÊ ‚ÈÁŸ Á‚ÿ ‚∑ȧøÊŸË – ÷ÿ©U Á’‹¢’È ◊ÊÃÈ ÷ÿ ◊ÊŸËH
œÁ⁄U ’Á«∏U œË⁄U ⁄UÊ◊È ©U⁄U •ÊŸapple – Á»§⁄UË •¬Ÿ¬©U Á¬ÃÈ’‚ ¡ÊŸappleH 4H
Cau.: dhari dh∂raju eka åli sayån∂, s∂tå sana bol∂ gahi pån∂.
bahuri gauri kara dhyåna karehµu, bhµupakisora dekhi kina lehµu.1.
sakuci s∂ya° taba nayana ughåre, sanamukha dou raghusi≈gha nihåre.
nakha sikha dekhi råma kai sobhå, sumiri pitå panu manu ati chobhå.2.
parabasa sakhinha lakh∂ jaba s∂tå, bhayau gaharu saba kahahiÚ sabh∂tå.
puni åuba ehi beriå° kål∂, asa kahi mana bihas∂ eka ål∂.3.
gµuRha girå suni siya sakucån∂, bhayau bila≈bu måtu bhaya mån∂.
dhari baRi dh∂ra råmu ura åne, phir∂ apanapau pitubasa jåne.4.
Recovering herself, one of Her clever companions grasped S∂tå by the hand and
said to Her, ìMeditate on Gaur∂ afterwards; why not behold the princes just now ?î S∂tå
then bashfully opened Her eyes and saw the two lions of Raghuís race opposite Herself.
Surveying ›r∂ Råmaís beauty from head to foot in the reverse order,* and remembering
Her fatherís vow she felt much perturbed. When S∂tåís companions saw Her thus
* Girls in India are coy by their very nature and would not have the audacity to look straight into the
eyes of a suitor. S∂tå, who is the very embodiment of feminine virtues and the ideal of Indian womanhood, is,
therefore, depicted here as beginning Her survey of ›r∂ Råmaís beauty from His feet and gradually passing
Her eyes to His head. It is unidiomatic in English to speak of one scanning a person from ëfoot to headí; hence
the order had to be reversed in the rendering. It was, however, necessary to point out this radical difference
between the Western and Indian cultures; and hence the words ëin the reverse orderí have been added to
keep the sense of the original intact while taking care not to allow the English idiom to suffer.