{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/rama/ry174.htm","path":"hin/rama/ry174.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/rama/ry174.htm","text":"Thus Rama showed to Janak's child\n The varied beauties of the wild,\n The hill, the brook and each fair spot,\n Then turned to seek their leafy cot.\n North of the mountain Rama found\n A cavern in the sloping ground,\n Charming to view, its floor was strown\n With many a mass of ore and stone,\n In secret shadow far retired\n Where gay birds sang with joy inspired,\n And trees their graceful branches swayed\n With loads of blossom downward weighed.\n Soon as he saw the cave which took\n Each living heart and chained the look,\n Thus Rama spoke to Sita, who\n Gazed wondering on the silvan view:\n 'Does this fair cave beneath the height,\n Videhan lady, charm thy sight?\n Then let us resting here a while\n The languor of the way beguile.\n That block of stone so smooth and square\n Was set for thee to rest on there,\n And like a thriving Kes'ar tree\n This flowery shrub o'ershadows thee.'\n Thus Rama spoke, and Janak's child,\n By nature ever soft and mild,\n In tender words which love betrayed\n Her answer to the hero made:\n 'O pride of Raghu's children, still\n My pleasure is to do thy will.\n Enough for me thy wish to know:\n Far hast thou wandered to and fro.'\n \u00a0\u00a0 Thus Sita spake in gentle tone,\n And went obedient to the stone,\n Of perfect face and faultless limb\n Prepared to rest a while with him.\n And Rama, as she thus replied,\n Turned to his spouse again and cried:\n 'Thou seest, love, this flowery shade\n For silvan creatures' pleasure made,\n How the gum streams from trees and plants\n Torn by the tusks of elephants!\n \n \n \n Through all the forest clear and high\n Resounds the shrill cicala's cry.\n Hark how the kite above us moans,\n And calls her young in piteous tones;\n So may my hapless mother be\n Still mourning in her home for me.\n There mounted on that lofty S\u00e1l\n The loud Bhringr\u00e1j \u00a01 repeats his call:\n How sweetly now he tunes his throat\n Responsive to the Ko\u00efl's note.\n Or else the bird that now has sung\n May be himself the Ko\u00efl's young,\n Linked with such winning sweetness are\n The notes he pours irregular.\n See, round the blooming Mango clings\n That creeper with her tender rings,\n So in thy love, when none is near,\n Thine arms are thrown round me, my dear.'\n \u00a0 Thus in his joy he cried; and she,\n Sweet speaker, on her lover's knee,\n Of faultless limb and perfect face,\n Grew closer to her lord's embrace.\n Reclining in her husband's arms,\n A goddess in her wealth of charms,\n She filled his loving breast anew\n With mighty joy that thrilled him through.\n His finger on the rock he laid,\n Which veins of sanguine ore displayed,\n And painted o'er his darling's eyes\n The holy sign in mineral dyes.\n Bright on her brow the metal lay\n Like the young sun's first gleaming ray,\n And showed her in her beauty fair\n As the soft light of morning's air.\n Then from the Kes'ar's laden tree\n He picked fair blossoms in his glee,\n And as he decked each lovely tress,\n His heart o'erflowed with happiness.\n So resting on that rocky seat\n A while they spent in pastime sweet,\n Then onward neath the shady boughs\n Went R\u00e1ma with his Maithil spouse.\n She roaming in the forest shade\n Where every kind of creature strayed\n Observed a monkey wandering near,\n And clung to R\u00e1ma's arm in fear.\n The hero R\u00e1ma fondly laced\n His mighty arms around her waist,\n Consoled his beauty in her dread,\n And scared the Monkey till he fled.\n That holy mark of sanguine ore\n That gleamed on S\u00edt\u00e1's brow before,\n Shone by that close embrace impressed\n Upon the hero's ample chest.\n Then S\u00edt\u00e1, when the beast who led\n The monkey troop, afar had fled,\n Laughed loudly in light-hearted glee\n That mark on R\u00e1ma's chest to see.\n \n \n A clump of bright As'okas fired\n The forest in their bloom attired:\n The restless blossoms as they gleamed\n A host of threatening monkeys seemed.\n Then S\u00edt\u00e1 thus to R\u00e1ma cried,\n As longingly the flowers she eyed:\n 'Pride of thy race, now let us go\n Where those As'oka blossoms grow.'\n He on his darling's pleasure bent\n With his fair goddess thither went\n And roamed delighted through the wood\n Where blossoming As'okas stood,\n As S'iva with Queen Um\u00e1 roves\n Through Himav\u00e1n's majestic groves.\n Bright with purpureal glow the pair\n Of happy lovers sported there,\n And each upon the other set\n A flower-inwoven coronet.\n There many a crown and chain they wove\n Of blooms from that As'oka grove,\n And in their graceful sport the two\n Fresh beauty o'er the mountain threw.\n The lover let his love survey\n Each pleasant spot that round them lay,\n Then turned they to their green retreat\n Where all was garnished, gay, and neat.\n By brotherly affection led,\n Sumitr\u00e1's son to meet them sped,\n And showed the labours of the day\n Done while his brother was away.\n There lay ten black-deer duly slain\n With arrows pure of poison stain,\n Piled in a mighty heap to dry,\n With many another carcass nigh.\n And Lakshman's brother saw, o'erjoyed,\n The work that had his hands employed,\n Then to his consort thus he cried:\n 'Now be the general gifts supplied.'\n Then S\u00edt\u00e1, fairest beauty, placed\n The food for living things to taste,\n And set before the brothers meat\n And honey that the pair might eat.\n They ate the meal her hands supplied,\n Their lips with water purified:\n Then Janak's daughter sat at last\n And duly made her own repast.\n The other venison, to be dried,\n Piled up in heaps was set aside,\n And R\u00e1ma told his wife to stay\n And drive the flocking crows away.\n Her husband saw her much distressed\n By one more bold than all the rest,\n Whose wings where'er he chose could fly,\n Now pierce the earth, now roam the sky.\n Then R\u00e1ma laughed to see her stirred\n To anger by the plaguing bird:\n Proud of his love the beauteous dame\n With burning rage was all aflame.\n Now here, now there, again, again\n She chased the crow, but all in vain,\n Enraging her, so quick to strike\n \n \n With beak and wing find claw alike:\n Then how the proud lip quivered, how\n The dark frown marked her angry brow!\n When R\u00e1ma saw her cheek aglow\n With passion, he rebuked the crow.\n But bold in impudence the bird,\n With no respect for R\u00e1ma's word,\n Fearless again at S\u00edt\u00e1 flew:\n Then R\u00e1ma's wrath to fury grew.\n The hero of the mighty arm\n Spoke o'er a shaft the mystic charm,\n Laid the dire weapon on his bow\n And launched it at the shameless crow.\n The bird, empowered by Gods to spring\n Through earth itself on rapid wing,\n Through the three worlds in terror fled\n Still followed by that arrow dread.\n Where'er he flew, now here now there,\n A cloud of weapons filled the air.\n Back to the high-souled prince he fled\n And bent at R\u00e1ma's feet his head,\n And then, as S\u00edt\u00e1 looked, began\n His speech in accents of a man:\n 'O pardon, and for pity's sake\n Spare, R\u00e1ma, spare my life to take!\n Where'er I turn, where'er I flee,\n No shelter from this shaft I see.'\n \n \n The chieftain heard the crow entreat\n Helpless and prostrate at his feet,\n And while soft pity moved his breast,\n With wisest speech the bird addressed:\n 'I took the troubled S\u00edt\u00e1's part,\n And furious anger filled my heart.\n Then on the string my arrow lay\n Charmed with a spell thy life to slay.\n Thou seekest now my feet, to crave\n Forgiveness and thy life to save.\n So shall thy prayer have due respect:\n The suppliant I must still protect.\n But ne'er in vain this dart may flee;\n Yield for thy life a part of thee,\n What portion of thy body, say,\n Shall this mine arrow rend away?\n Thus far, O bird, thus far alone\n On thee my pity may be shown.\n Forfeit a part thy life to buy:\n 'Tis better so to live than die.'\n Thus R\u00e1ma spoke: the bird of air\n Pondered his speech with anxious care,\n And wisely deemed it good to give\n One of his eyes that he might live.\n To Raghu's son he made reply:\n 'O R\u00e1ma, I will yield an eye.\n So let me in thy grace confide\n And live hereafter single-eyed.'\n Then R\u00e1ma charged the shaft, and lo,\n Full in the eye it smote the crow.\n And the Videhan lady gazed\n Upon the ruined eye amazed.\n The crow to R\u00e1ma humbly bent,\n Then where his fancy led he went.\n R\u00e1ma with Lakshman by his side\n With needful work was occupied.\n \n \n \n \n204:1b This canto is allowed, by Indian commentators, to be an interpolation. It cannot be the work of Valmiki.\n205:1 A fine bird with a strong, sweet note, and great imitative powers.","title":"Book II: Canto XCVI. : The Magic Shaft.","type":"page"}