Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 98: Bharata Locates Rāma’s Āśrama
Text 2.98.12
सुभगश्चित्रकूटोऽसौ गिरिराजोपमो गिरिः।
यस्मिन्वसति काकुत्स्थः कुवेर इव नन्दने॥
subhagaś citrakūṭo ’sau giri-rājopamo giriḥ
yasmin vasati kākutsthaḥ kuvera iva nandane
subhagaḥ = is very fortunate; citrakūṭaḥ asau = Citrakūṭa; giri-rāja-upamah = who is comparable to the king of mountains Himālaya; giriḥ = the mountain; yasmin = here; vasati = stays; kākutsthaḥ = [for] the descendant of Kakutstha; kuveraḥ = Kuvera [stays]; iva = just as; nandane = in the delightful Caitraratha.
The mountain Citrakūṭa who is comparable to the king of mountains Himālaya is very fortunate [for] the descendant of Kakutstha stays here just as Kuvera [stays] in the delightful Caitraratha.
Citrakūṭa is very fortunate for it is more pleasing than all other places. It is most pleasing because Rāma stays there. Citrakūṭaḥ itself indicates that it is also naturally pleasant [so much so that] Rāma can honor it even upon giving up Ayodhyā.
Giri-rājopamaḥ (literally “the king of mountains”) also indicates that Citrakūṭa is comparable to Veṅkaṭācala, the place of Śrīnivāsa.1
Citrakūṭa is superior to Himālaya and Veṅkaṭācala because the descendant of Kakutstha, that is, the ruler of Ayodhyā lives there, an unknown place, after giving up His own place.
In this regard, Bharata gives an appropriate example—“just as Kuvera [stays] in the delightful Caitraratha” meaning “just as Kuvera gives up his home to sport in the garden [attached] to his home.” Citrakūṭa is also a part of Rāma’s territory—ikṣvākūṇām iyaṁ bhūmiḥ saśaila-vana-kānanā: “The earth including the mountains, forests and gardens belong to the Ikṣvākus.” (Rāmāyaṇa 4.18.6) The comparison of Citrakūṭa with the delightful Caitraratha indicates that Rāma extremely enjoyed Citrakūṭa.
Kākutsthaḥ (“the descendant of Kakutstha”) implies that just as Rāma made His dynasty successful, He also made His place of residence successful.
Kuvera iva nandane also indicates that [Rāma enjoyed in Citrakūṭa] just as the Supreme Soul, the Supersoul of the universe, enjoys at the Nandana forest in Vaikuṇṭha.2