दीर्घकालोषितस्तस्मिन्गिरौ गिरिवनप्रियः।
वैदेह्या प्रियमाकाङ्क्षन्स्वं च चित्तं विलोभयन्॥
अथ दाशरथिश्चित्रं चित्रकूटमदर्शयत्।
भार्याममरसङ्काशः शचीमिव पुरन्दरः।।
dīrgha-kāloṣitas tasmin girau giri-vana-priyaḥ
vaidehyā priyam ākāṅkṣan svaṁ ca cittaṁ vilobhayan
atha dāśarathiś citraṁ citrakūṭam adarśayat
bhāryām amara-saṅkāśaḥ śacīm iva purandaraḥ
dīrgha-kāla-uṣitaḥ = though Rāma had lived for a long time; tasmin girau = in that forest; giri-vana-priyaḥ = He liked the mountain and forest; vaidehyāḥ priyam = to please His beloved Vaidehī; ākāṅkṣan = desiring; svam ca cittam vilobhayan = and thus please His mind; atha = after completing His early morning duties; dāśarathiḥ = the son of Daśaratha; citram = the wonderful; citrakūṭam = Citrakūṭa; adarśayat = showed [her]; bhāryām = wife; amara-saṅkāśaḥ = like a shining deva; śacīm = to Śacī; iva = just as; purandaraḥ = Purandara [showed it].
Though Rāma had lived in that forest like a shining deva for a long time, He liked the mountain and forest. Desiring to please His beloved wife Vaidehī and thus please His mind, the son of Daśaratha showed [her] the wonderful Citrakūṭa after completing His early morning duties just as Purandara [showed it] to Śacī.1
1 The poet Śrī Vālmīki now describes in three chapters the activities of Śrī Rāma while living in Citrakūṭa. The first two of these three chapters reveals how happy Lord Rāmacandra was in Citrakūṭa. The third describes an important pastime.
1 Citrakūṭa literally means “that which has wonderful peaks.”
2 Bhāryām is derived from the word bhāryā, a word that commonly refers to a wife and literally means “a woman who is to be maintained.” This word explains why Lord Rāma described the mountain and the forest to Sītā-devī. She was His bhāryā and He wanted to take care of her; this included sharing His happiness with her.
The author has described Bharata’s activities until the previous chapter. Since there was not much of a difference between the various pastimes of Rāma after He had entered Citrakūṭa, the author describes certain special pastimes on the day Bharata met [Rāma] in this and the next chapter.
Though Rāmacandra had lived in the mountain for a month and was well acquainted with it, because of its superexcellences it appeared to Him to be [ever-fresh], as if He had never seen it before. He liked the mountain and forest [so much that] it appeared to Him to be ever new. The object of one’s happiness appears newer and newer to him: navaṁ navaṁ prītir aho karoti. Vaidehī was curious to see the forest with her beloved [Rāma]. Rāma had lived in that forest like a shining deva, that is, with no fear. Citrakūṭa has been appropriately described here as citram (“wonderful”).1 Bhāryām (“wife”) indicates that Sītā-devī was meant to be taken care of in all respects.2