Ayodhya Kaanda
79 - Sri Rama greets the Yamuna; love of the villagers
Chaupais
Description
The hamlets and villages that lay on the road were the envy of the towns of the Nagas and gods. The deities presiding over these towns said to one another: "By what blessed soul and at what auspicious hour were these hamlets and villages founded? They are so lucky, meritorious and of such exquisite beauty!" Even Amaravati (the city of immortals) stood no comparison with the spots which were trodden by Sri Rama's feet. The dwellers on the wayside were all embodiments of virtue; they evoked the praise of the denizens of heaven inasmuch as they feasted their eyes on Sri Rama, who was dark as a cloud, as well as on Sita and Laksmana. The lakes and streams in which Sri Rama bathed were the envy of the lakes and rivers of gods. The tree under which the Lord sat was glorified by the trees of paradise. Nay, kissing the dust of Sri Rama's lotusfeet Earth deemed herself most lucky.