Doha 234
Worship of Goddess Pārvatī by Sītā, Her receiving blessings from the Goddess and a dialogue between Śrī Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa
धरि धीरजु एक आलि सयानी। सीता सन बोली गहि पानी॥ बहुरि गौरि कर ध्यान करेहू। भूपकिसोर देखि किन लेहू॥१॥
सकुचि सीयँ तब नयन उघारे। सनमुख दोउ रघुसिंघ निहारे॥ नख सिख देखि राम कै सोभा। सुमिरि पिता पनु मनु अति छोभा॥२॥
परबस सखिन्ह लखी जब सीता। भयउ गहरु सब कहहिं सभीता॥ पुनि आउब एहि बेरिआँ काली। अस कहि मन बिहसी एक आली॥३॥
गूढ़ गिरा सुनि सिय सकुचानी। भयउ बिलंबु मातु भय मानी॥ धरि बड़ि धीर रामु उर आने। फिरी अपनपउ पितुबस जाने॥४॥
Meaning
Recovering herself, one of Her clever companions grasped Sītā by the hand and said to Her, “Meditate on Gaurī afterwards, why not behold the prince just now?” (1) Sītā then bashfully opened Her eyes and saw the two lions of Raghu’s race in front of Herself. Surveying Śrī Rāma’s beauty from head to foot in the reverse order,* and remembering Her father’s vow she felt much perturbed. (2) * Girls in India are coy by their very nature and would not have the audacity to look straight into the eyes of a suitor. Sītā, who is the very embodiment of feminine virtues and the ideal of Indian womanhood, is, therefore, depicted here as beginning Her survey of Śrī Rāma’s 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 ‘foot to head’; 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 ‘in the reverse order’ have been added to keep the sense of the original intact while taking care not to allow the English idiom to suffer. When Sītā’s companions saw Her thus overcome with love, they all exclaimed in alarm: “We are already late.” “We will come again at this very hour tomorrow!”, so saying one of them smiled within herself. (3) Sītā blushed at this pregnant remark. She got afraid of Her mother, for She felt it was already late. Recovering Herself with considerable effort, She took Śrī Rāma into Her heart and being conscious of Her dependence on Her father, she turned to go. (4)
देखन मिस मृग बिहग तरु फिरइ बहोरि बहोरि। निरखि निरखि रघुबीर छबि बाढ़इ प्रीति न थोरि॥२३४॥
Meaning
Under the pretence of looking at a deer, bird or tree, Sītā turned again and again, and each time She gazed on the beauteous Śrī Rāma, Her love waxed not a little. (234)
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