तं वैश्रवणसङ्काशमुपविष्टं स्वलङ्कृतम्।
ददर्श सूतः पर्यङ्के सौवर्णे सोत्तरच्छदे॥
वराहरुधिराभेण शुचिना च सुगन्धिना।
अनुलिप्तं परार्ध्येन चन्दनेन परन्तपम्॥
स्थितया पार्श्वतश्चापि वालव्यजनहस्तया।
उपेतं सीतया भूयश्चित्रया शशिनं यथा॥
taṁ vaiśravaṇa-saṅkāśam upaviṣṭaṁ svalaṅkṛtam
dadarśa sūtaḥ paryaṅke sauvarṇe sottara-cchade
varāha-rudhirābheṇa śucinā ca sugandhinā
anuliptaṁ parārdhyena candanena parantapam
sthitayā pārśvataś cāpi vāla-vyajana-hastayā
upetaṁ sītayā bhūyaś citrayā śaśinaṁ yathā
tam = Rāma; vaiśravaṇa-saṅkāśam = who resembled Kuvera; upaviṣṭam = and sitting; su-alaṅkṛtam = He was well decorated; dadarśa = saw; sūtaḥ = the charioteer; paryaṅke = on a couch; sauvarṇe = and which was as bright as gold; sa-uttara-chade = which had a soft coverlet over it; varāha-rudhira-ābheṇa = that had the color of the blood of a boar; śucinā = with pure; ca = especially cool; sugandhinā = very fragrant; anuliptam = had been smeared; para-ardhyena = and valuable; candanena = sandalwood pulp; parantapam = that scorcher of His opponents; sthitayā = who stood; pārśvataḥ ca api = beside Him; vāla-vyajana-hastayā = with a cāmara fan in her hand; upetam = shone along; sītayā = with Sītā-devī; bhūyaḥ = He again; citrayā = [accompanied] by the nakṣatra Citrā on the full moon night of the month of Caitra; śaśinam = the moon; yathā = resembling.
The charioteer saw Rāma who resembled Kuvera. He was well decorated and sitting on a couch which had a soft coverlet over it and which was as bright as gold. That scorcher of His opponents had been smeared with pure, especially cool, very fragrant and valuable sandalwood pulp that had the color of the blood of a boar. He again shone along with Sītā-devī who stood beside Him with a cāmara fan in her hand, resembling the moon accompanied by the nakṣatra Citrā on the full moon night of the month of Caitra.
Lord Rāma resembled Kuvera, that is, He was endowed with boundless opulence. Rāmacandra fully distributed the blissful experience of His beauty to everyone around Him and His generosity is compared to Kuvera’s generosity which is stated in the Śruti mantra: kāmeśvaro vaiśravaṇo dadātu (Taittirīya Āraṇyaka 1.31.6).
Śrī Rāmacandra was seated on a couch appropriate to His opulence, as it will be described when He gifts it to Suyajña:
paryaṅkam agryāstaraṇaṁ nānā-ratna-vibhūṣitam
tam apīcchati vaidehī pratiṣṭhāpayituṁ tvayi
“Vaidehī wishes to give you this excellent couch with a coverlet and decorated with precious stones.” (Rāmāyaṇa 2.32.9)
That couch illuminated Him like a golden mountain that illuminates a dark cloud [around it] and the soft coverlet over the couch was appropriate to Śrī Rāma’s very tender body.
By the abundant kindness of Lord Śrī Rāma, Sumantra was greatly fortunate to see the supreme being thus seated, for the Lord’s divine appearance is [normally] seen only by liberated souls.
It is stated [by authorities] that the objects of enjoyment are srak-candana-vanitāḥ—a garland, sandalwood pulp and a beloved wife.
The sage Vālmīki had described that Lord Rāma was well decorated. This means He wore a divine garland.
The sage then states that Lord Rāma was smeared with divine sandalwood pulp. This pulp is described as having the color of the blood of a boar which is famous as being extremely red. It is thus implied that the sandalwood pulp was mixed with kuṅkuma (saffron) by Sītā-devī and therefore it was extremely red. The pulp was pure because it was purified by the touch of Sītā-devī’s lotus hand. It was especially cool because of being touched by her lotus hand. It was very fragrant because of the following reason. The Supreme Lord possesses all kinds of transcendental fragrant items (sarva-gandhaḥ). Śrī, the goddess of fortune, also possesses such features [being nondifferent from Him] and so by the touch of her hand, the sandalwood pulp was very fragrant. It was valuable because it was smeared on Lord Rāma by His beloved consort. Anuliptam indicates that it was smeared on Rāma afterwards because first it had been used to decorate Sītā-devī. Rāma was the scorcher of His opponents, that is, obstruction to relishing His beauty.
Then the sage describes that Lord Rāma possessed a transcendental wife. She stood beside Him out of humility and fanned Him with a cāmara in her hand after smearing sandalwood pulp on Lord Rāma.
The example given here clarifies the abundance [of Lord Rāma’s attractiveness perceived by Sumantra]. Sumantra’s sense of sight became successful by thus seeing Lord Śrī Rāma.