Having honoured all the guests with due respect, gifts, supplication and compliments. Janaka joyfulls paid homage to the company of great sages after showing them his affectionate devotion. With bowed head and folded hands he then invoked the gods and said to all, ‘Gods and holy men crave but love; can the ocean’s wants be satisfied by offering a handful of water?’

Again with folded hands Janaka and his younger brother (Kushaketu) spoke to the king of Kosala winning words overflowing with affection, courtesy and sincerity: ‘By our alliance with you, O king, we have now been exalted in every way; along with our dominions and all that we possess pray look upon us both as your servants got gratis.

Take these girls as your hand-maidens and ever foster them with your gracious kindliness. Pardon me my offence; it was too presumptuous on my part to have invited you here. Then the jewel of the Solar race in turn paid the bride’s father all the highest honours; their mutual courtesies were past all telling, and their hearts overflowed with love.

The gods rained flowers and the king retired to the guest-chamber amid the crash of kettledrums and shouts of victory and the chanting of Vedic texts. There was much rejoicing both in heaven and in the city. Then, singing auspicious strains as they went and by the high sage’s command, the fair companions of the brides conducted them along with the bridegrooms to the nuptial chamber (where the guardian deities of the family had been set for worship during the wedding days).

Again and again did Sita gaze on Rama with modest mien, but full of confidence at heart. Her charming eyes, athirst for love, shone brighter than the beauteous fish.

Dark in hue and full of native charm, Rama’s beauty put to shame a myriad Kamadevas. Dyed with red lac, his lotus feet, the haunt of bee-like saintly souls, looked lovely. (Just as lotuses are haunted by bees, so were Rama’s lovely lotus feet haunted by the souls of sages.)

His pure and lustrous yellow loin-cloth outshone the newly risen sun and the lightning flash. The girdle round his waist together with the sweet-sounding small bells was soul-enchanting; his long arms were adorned with lovely ornaments.