The Difficult Road to the Sacred Lake
Bala Kanda, Chaupai 38
Doha 38 · Movement 1 of 2
Keep this contemplation
Preserve, print, or share
Those who sing Ram's story with care stand as skilled guardians beside the Manas. Men and women who listen with reverence receive the right to enter its celestial water. But sensual craving circles at a distance like herons and crows, searching for the familiar refuse of worldly tales. Finding no such food here, it turns away disappointed.
The journey to this lake is hard without Ram's grace. Bad company and crooked paths close around the traveller. Their words spring from the thickets as tigers, lions, and serpents. The entanglements of household affairs rise into massive mountains, while delusion, intoxication, and pride spread as a trackless forest. Rivers of false reasoning cut across the route with violent currents.
Yet beyond every obstruction, song can already be heard from the guardians at the water. The difficulty of arrival reveals the worth of the destination. One does not reach the Manas through cleverness alone. Grace leads, saints keep the way, and reverent listening gives the traveller strength to continue.
Past the last dark river of argument, the guardians' song comes clear across the water.
Read the passage from the Manas
AI-created devotional illustration · Chaupai 38
An unnamed reciter and attentive listeners beside an imagined lake evoke the story’s singers and listeners.
Source reference and artistic choices
Gita Press code81 undated · PDF pages 63 · printed pages 61. Reader passage: bala-kanda-chaupai-038. Printed numbering may differ.
Source facts
- Careful singers of the story are wise keepers of its lake; respectful men and women listeners are entitled to Manas
- Access depends on Rama grace; bad company, entanglements, pride and false reasoning described as obstacles
Artistic choices
- Select reverent singing/listening community, not literal lake security or obstacle narrative
- Three unnamed adults, ages, faces, clothes, poses, mats, grove, flowers, lake layout, distant pavilions, frame and colours imagined; no authentic portrait or actual site
An imaginative interpretation, not a historical portrait or documentary evidence.
जे गावहिं यह चरित सँभारे। तेइ एहि ताल चतुर रखवारे।। सदा सुनहिं सादर नर नारी। तेइ सुरबर मानस अधिकारी।। अति खल जे बिषई बग कागा। एहिं सर निकट न जाहिं अभागा।। संबुक भेक सेवार समाना। इहाँ न बिषय कथा रस नाना।। तेहि कारन आवत हियँ हारे। कामी काक बलाक बिचारे।। आवत एहिं सर अति कठिनाई। राम कृपा बिनु आइ न जाई।। कठिन कुसंग कुपंथ कराला। तिन्ह के बचन बाघ हरि ब्याला।। गृह कारज नाना जंजाला। ते अति दुर्गम सैल बिसाला।। बन बहु बिषम मोह मद माना। नदीं कुतर्क भयंकर नाना।।
Those who sing this story with loving care are the skilled guardians of this lake. Men and women who always listen with reverence are its beautiful, heart-enchanting lotuses.