Doha 297
जहँ तहँ जूथ जूथ मिलि भामिनि। सजि नवसप्त सकल दुति दामिनि॥ बिधुबदनीं मृग सावक लोचनि। निज सरूप रति मानु बिमोचनि॥१॥
गावहिं मंगल मंजुल बानीं। सुनि कलरव कलकंठि लजानीं॥ भूप भवन किमि जाइ बखाना। बिस्व बिमोहन रचेउ बिताना॥२॥
मंगल द्रब्य मनोहर नाना। राजत बाजत बिपुल निसाना॥ कतहुँ बिरिद बंदी उच्चरहीं। कतहुँ बेद धुनि भूसुर करहीं॥३॥
गावहिं सुंदरि मंगल गीता। लै लै नामु रामु अरु सीता॥ बहुत उछाहु भवनु अति थोरा। मानहुँ उमगि चला चहु ओरा॥४॥
Meaning
Collected here and there troops of ‘Suhāgina’ ladies (married women whose husbands are living), all brilliant as the lightning, with moon-like face and eyes resembling those of a fawn and beauty enough to rob Love’s consort (Rati) of her pride, and who had all the sixteen kinds of female adornments,* (1) * According to the standard works on poetics the sixteen forms of female adornment are as follows: (1) rubbing and cleansing the body with fragrant unguents, (2) ablution, (3) putting on a new attire, (4) dyeing the sides of one’s feet with red lag, (5) dressing the hair, (6) adorning the parting line of the hair with red lead, (7) painting the forehead with streaks of sandal-paste, (8) dotting the chin with a small black spot, (9) colouring the palms of one’s hands and the soles of one’s feet with the reddish dye extracted from the leaves of the Mehadī plant. (10) anointing one’s body with perfumed unguents, (11) adorning the body with bejewelled ornaments, (12) beautifying the hair etc., with wreaths of flowers, (13) perfuming and dyeing one’s mouth by chewing betel-leaves etc., (14) colouring the teeth, (15) painting the lips and (16) applying collyrium to one’s eyes. sang auspicious strains with voice so melodious that the cuckoo was put to shame on hearing the sweet sound! How is the king’s palace to be described; the pavilion set up there would dazzle the whole universe. (2) Various articles of good omen and charming in appearance were displayed and a number of kettledrums were sounded. Here were panegyrists singing the family glory and here were Brāhmaṇas chanting the Vedas, (3) while pretty women carolled festive songs, many times repeating the names of Śrī Rāma and Sītā. There was exuberance of joy all round, while the palace was too small to contain it; it seemed, therefore, as if the merriment overflowed on all sides. (4)
सोभा दसरथ भवन कइ को कबि बरनै पार। जहाँ सकल सुर सीस मनि राम लीन्ह अवतार॥२९७॥
Meaning
What poet can describe the splendour of Daśaratha’s palace, in which Śrī Rāma, the crest-jewel of all divinities, had taken birth? (297)
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