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राम
Leela Scene

The Wise Kings Choose Nectar over the Mirage

Bala Kanda, Chaupai 243

Doha 246 · Movement 1 of 2

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The righteous kings warn the boasters not to die upon empty words. Imagined sweets cannot quiet hunger. Their counsel points beyond the contest: know Sita as the Mother of the world and Raghupati as its Father, then fill the eyes with their beauty.

Ram and Lakshmana are beautiful, bliss-giving, filled with every virtue, and cherished within Shiva's heart. To abandon this ocean of nectar for the mirage of personal victory would be to run toward thirst while immortality lies near.

Having spoken, the good rulers cease debating and surrender themselves to darshan. Above them, celestial vehicles gather. Gods shower flowers, and melodious song descends through the open heights of the pavilion. The kings who sought nothing now receive the fruit of their birth simply by looking.

The boastful reach for a crown, while the wise drink the sight of Sita and Ram.

Read the passage from the Manas
A good king gazes reverently at the princes after counseling others to recognize Sita as World-Mother and Rama as World-Father.

AI-created devotional illustration · Chaupai 243

All eight retained; selected good king enraptured gazing source7 after counsel, other people/gods outsidecrop.

Source reference and artistic choices

Gita Press code81 undated · PDF pages 241, 242 · printed pages 239, 240. Reader passage: bala-kanda-chaupai-243. Printed numbering may differ.

Source facts

  • 1 Do notvainly perish boasting; REALHUNGER not satisfied by IMAGINARYSWEETS notmentalhunger/realsweets.
  • 2 Hearpurecounsel KNOWSITA as WORLD-MOTHER; no inventedBibeki/bineeta sourcequote.
  • 3 Contemplate RAGHUPATI WORLD-FATHER gaze FULL EYES.
  • 4 BOTH brothers beautifuljoyful allvirtues dwell in SHIVA HEART.
  • 5 Abandon nearby NECTAROCEAN why perish runningMIRAGE: metaphor.
  • 6 Do asyou wish; WE today gained BIRTHFRUIT.
  • 7 GOOD KINGS sayingthis ENRAPTURED gaze MATCHLESSFORM.
  • 8 GODS themselves WATCH from AIRBORNE VEHICLES SHOWER FLOWERS SINGsweetly; notobjectsseenascending.

Artistic choices

  • PASS one head two connected ownarms two natural joinedNAMASTEpalms distinctwrists at ownchest, OPENeyesUPRIGHT sereneclosedlips slightjoy. Lowerlegsfeetoutsidecrop.
  • PASS same C242 anonymousfavorableking longoval mediumdeepbrown blackwavyhair thinmoustache cleanshavenchin BLUElowcrown UNMARKEDforehead ivoryPLUMgold pearls; notnamedking.
  • Exact poses gaze venue architecture decorative counts materials modelages artist unverified. Other fullsource participants retained outsidecrop; no actualaudio/fullsequence/wedding/bowbreak/crowd or footcensus certificate. No independentedition/rights/provenance/Poddar certification; source gaps preserved.

An imaginative interpretation, not a historical portrait or documentary evidence.

ब्यर्थ मरहु जनि गाल बजाई। मन मोदकन्हि कि भूख बुताई।। सिख हमारि सुनि परम पुनीता। जगदंबा जानहु जियँ सीता।। जगत पिता रघुपतिहि बिचारी। भरि लोचन छबि लेहु निहारी।। सुंदर सुखद सकल गुन रासी। ए दोउ बंधु संभु उर बासी।। सुधा समुद्र समीप बिहाई। मृगजलु निरखि मरहु कत धाई।। करहु जाइ जा कहुँ जोई भावा। हम तौ आजु जनम फलु पावा।। अस कहि भले भूप अनुरागे। रूप अनूप बिलोकन लागे।। देखहिं सुर नभ चढ़े बिमाना। बरषहिं सुमन करहिं कल गाना।।

Do not boast and perish for nothing. Can imaginary sweets ever satisfy hunger? Hear our counsel, supremely sacred. Let those kings who are wise listen with humility.