This is a song whereby Goswami ji describes the beauty of the forests around Chitrakut - where Sri Rama spent most of his days during exile.
citrakUTa ati vicitra sundara bana mahi pavitra
pAvani paya-sarita sakala mala nikandinI
The forests (bana) are beautiful (sundara), the earth/land (mahi) is extremely pure (pavitra), the soothing rivers (paya sarita) are reedeming (pAvani) in nature and capable of excavating (nikandinI) all (sakala) filths/faults of the material world (mala), and in this way the area of citrakUTa is in all ways (ati) wondrous (vicitra).
sAnuja jahA basata rAma, loka locanAbhirAma
bAma anga bAmAvara bisva vandinI
This is the place where (jahA) Lord rAma resides (basata) with (sa) his younger brother (anuj), and his form delights (abhirAma) the eyes (locana) of all onlookers of the world (loka). On his left side (bAma anga), his consort (bAmA) is seated who is exceptional (vara) and is worshipped (vandinI) by the entire universe (bisva).
citavata munigana cakora baiTHe nija Thaura Thaura
achhaya akalanka sarada canda candinI
The ascetics (munigana) represent the cakora bird and continuously gaze upon (citavata) the unflinching (achhaya), spotless (akalanka) beauty of their form which represents the moonlight (candinI)sprouting from the moon (canda) of the winter season (sarada).
[the cakora bird continuously gazes at the full moon, by nature. here the form of the Lord is described as the spotless moon, unlike the normal moon, which has black shades, or kalanaka]
udita sadA bana akAsa, mudita badata tulasidAsa
jaya jaya raghunandana, jaya janaka nandinI
This moon is forever (sadA) shining/risen (udita) in the skies (akAsa) that represent the forests (vana) of citrakUTa. Looking upon this beauty, the delighted (mudita) tulsidasa sings/says (badata), all glories (jaya) to the grand sucessor of the raghu clan (raghunandana), all glories (jaya) toi the darling daughter (nandinI) of king janaka.
Krishnaa - thank you! Very beautiful indeed. IMO, gOsvAmIjI's description of citrakUTa and the divya dampati is even better than the description of pancvaTI by Sri Mythili Sharan Gupta in his epic, pancvaTI prasang.
Friends
I visited Chitrakuta some time back, inspired over the years by so many lovely descriptions of the place in the epics. The exact place where Rama spent many years is shown to be a spot called Gupt Godavari. It is a deep, large cave in the forest, with round-the-year cool and clear water (supposed to be flowing mythically underground all the way from Godavari). The cave has a a-few-inches-wide entrance but is inside commodious-a few hundred square feet, with a high ceiling. Seemed to me an ideal spot for Rama, Sita and Lakshmana to have spent long years, safe from nature's fury and wild animals. There is a unique Shiva idol outside the cave:
Thanks alot everyone!
Chitrakut is amazing!!! extremely amazing, the spiritual aura, the beauty of nature, the pure atmosphere - its simply vicitra, wondrous!!! I have shared an album of my trip there, dont remember where i posted it though. If anyone remembers, please repost it here, it will be very appropriate..
Maithili sharan Gupta's descriptions are also exceptionally beautiful in their own way. I have not studied pancavaTI prasang,, will do so. Thanks for tingling the bell Ravi!
chitrakUt ati vichitra - chitrakUt is stupendously amazing, is an abolute wonder, is a picturesque place of hills and rocks, is a spiritual delight, is the Abode of the Gods... we can go on... You are welcome everybody, don't mind me, I just had fun pointing light to this heck of a composition here in rasikas..
Krishnaa the translation is as lovely as the beautifully descriptive composition demands. Thanks for the prompt response. Waiting on the other awesome 'ghana ghamanda...
Thanks rsachi for the details on the cave and the lovely Shiva pic. Yes, we saw your pics on ChitrakUt, Krishnaa, let me see if I can find and link them!
