Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 77: The Newly-wed Couples Reach Ayodhyā
Text 1.77.32
रामस्तु सीतया सार्धं विजहार बहूनृतून्।
मनस्वी तद्गतस्तस्या नित्यं हृदि समर्पितः॥
rāmas tu sītayā sārdhaṁ vijahāra bahūn ṛtūn
manasvī tad-gatas tasyā nityaṁ hṛdi samarpitaḥ
rāmaḥ tu = Rāma; sītayā sārdham = with Sītā; vijahāra = enjoyed; bahūn = many; ṛtūn = seasons; manasvī = He was thoughtful of her; tad-gataḥ = and attached to her; tasyāḥ = she also; nityam = always; hṛdi samarpitaḥ = kept Him in her heart.
Rāma enjoyed many seasons with Sītā. He was thoughtful of her and always attached to her. She also kept Him in her heart.
Tu indicates that this is a different subject. The very name of Sītā indicates that she was not born from the womb of any woman. As such, though she had descended with her natural beauty and opulence, she naturally attracted Rāma. Vijahāra indicates that though they enjoyed their company together for a long time, He never went beyond playing with her (keli) [to engage in sexual union]. “Many seasons” indicates that they were enjoying each other’s company continuously.1 It also indicates that corresponding to each season, they had appropriate paraphernalia to enjoy each other’s company. Manasvī indicates that Lord Rāma’s mind was fixed on Sītā. When they were together, He arranged for them to enjoy their association more than to the extent she had expected. Tad-gataḥ indicates that she became inseparable from His
thoughts just as a quality is inseparable from the object possessing it; His mind became constantly attached to her. Tasyā nityaṁ
hṛdi samarpitaḥ indicates that her mind also became constantly attached to Him, to such an extent that despite enjoying His company for a long time, He appeared to have been newly [introduced to her]. In other words, she became overwhelmed with unbounded, pure love for Rāma.
NOTE. Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī notes in his commentary to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.1.13) that conjugal activities are of eight types:
smaraṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ keliḥ prekṣaṇaṁ guhya-bhāṣaṇam
saṅkalpo ’dhyavasāyaś ca kriya-nirvṛttir eva ca
etan maithunam aṣṭāṅgaṁ pravadanti manīṣiṇaḥ
viparītaṁ brahmacaryam etad evāṣṭa-lakṣaṇam
“The wise sages declare that (1) thinking of each other, (2) talking to each other, (3) playing with each other, (4) seeing each other, (5) talking in privacy, (6) planning to engage in sexual union, (7) taking a firm decision to engage in sexual union and (8) engaging in sexual union are the eight aspects of sex.”
It is clear from the commentary that Lord Rāma and Sītā-devī only engaged in the first five of the above activities in their transcendental conjugal pastimes.2