Chapter XXXII - Praises on rama’s speech

Valmiki said:—

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When the prince Rama (having his eyes resembling the petals of a lotus), had concluded his speech calculated to remove all ignorance from the mind.

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All the men in the assembly had their eyes beaming forth with wonder, and the hairs on their bodies stood erect and pierced through their garments, as if wishing to hear the speech.

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The assembly seemed for a moment to have lost their worldly desires in their eagerness after a stoic indifference, and to be rolling in the sea of nectar.

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The audience remained (motionless) as the figures in a painting, being enraptured with internal delight at hearing the sweet words of the fortunate Rama.

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There were Vasishtha and Viswamitra with other sages, and the prime minister Jayanta and other counsellors (of the king) then seated in that assembly.

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There were also king Dasaratha and his subordinate rajas, with the citizens and foreign delegates, the chieftains and princes, together with Brahmans and men learned in the Vedas and divine knowledge.

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These accompanied by their friends and allies, with the birds in the cages and the royal antelopes and steeds of sport (about the palace), listened to Rama with fixed and mute attention.

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There were likewise the queen Kausalya and other ladies adorned with their best jewels, and seated at the windows, all mute and motionless.

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Besides these the birds on the trees and creepers of the princely pleasure garden, were listening to Rama without fluttering their wings or making any motion or sound.

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There were the Siddhas and aerial beings, and the tribes of Gandharvas and Kinnaras, together with Narada, Vyasa and Pulapa the chiefs of sages (present at that place).

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There were also some of the gods and chiefs of gods, Vidyadharas and the Nagas, who heard the speech of Rama which was full of meaning and clearness.

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As Rama whose eyes were beautiful as the lotus, whose face was as lovely as the moon, and who likened the nocturnal luminary in the atmosphere of Raghu's family, held his silence.

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Flowers were cast upon him from heaven in showers by the hands of the divine personages with their loud cheers and blessings.

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The people in the assembly were highly regaled with the sweet scent and beauty of these flowers of paradise fraught with humming bees in their cells.

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These flowers when blown in the air by the breeze of heaven, appeared as they were clusters of stars, which after their fall brightened the ground with their beauty as with the beaming smiles of heavenly maids.

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They appeared in the form of rain drops falling from the clouds, and blazing by the light of mute lightenings, and scattering about like balls of fresh butter.

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They resembled also as particles of snow-balls, or as the grains of a necklace of pearls or as beams of moon-light, or as the little billows of the sea of milk, or like drops of ice-cream.

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There were also borne by the loose and sweet winds of heaven, some lotuses with long filaments, and attended by clusters of bees humming and flying about them.

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There were also to be seen heaps of ketaki and Kairava, Kunda and blue lotus flowers, falling and shining brightly among them.

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These flowers covered the court hall and the roofs of houses and their courtyards. The men and women in the city raised their heads to behold them falling.

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The sky was quite unclouded when the flowers fell incessantly from above. A sight like this that was never seen before struck the people with wonder.

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The shower of flowers fell for quarter of an hour, but the Siddhas from whose hands they fell were unseen all the while.

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The falling of the flowers having ceased after the assembly was covered with them, they heard the following words, coming to them from the divine personages in the sky.

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"We have been travelling every where in whole bodies of the Siddhas from the beginning of creation; but never have we heard any where so sweet a speech as this.

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"Such a magnanimous speech of indifference as has been just now spoken by Rama—the moon of Raghu's race, was never heard even by gods like ourselves.

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"We account ourselves truly blessed to hear this highly charming and wondrous speech from the mouth of Rama himself to-day.

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"Indeed we are awakened and edified by attending diligently to this truly excellent speech, delivered by Rama on the ambrosial bliss of asceticism, and leading to the highest felicity of men".