# Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 88 — Rāma shows Sītā Citrakūṭa

*Mineral-coloured peaks, fruit trees and waterfalls relieve his grief, forest life fulfils his father’s command while Bharata rules*

Portion: Bharata approaches Citrakūṭa · Verses: 27 · Ref format: 2.88.<verse>

## Sequence

- Before describing the encounter, the narrative returns to Rāma's life at Citrakūṭa → he tells Sītā that the mountain's beauty relieves his grief over the Kingdom and their absent friends (88.1–3)
- he points out its brightly colored mineral peaks, birds, animals, flowering and fruit-bearing trees, waterfalls, and fragrant breezes (88.4–14)
- he says he could live there happily for years with her and Lakṣmaṇa → forest life also allows him to fulfill his father's command and leave Bharata the Kingdom → he asks whether she too is finding contentment there (88.15–19)
- he shows her the varied rocks, luminous plants, and places of beauty and recreation → he looks forward to completing his vow in this setting (88.20–27).

## Verses

**2.88.1**  
dīrghakāloṣitas tasmin girau girivanapriyaḥ  
videhyāḥ priyamākāṅkṣan svaṃ ca cittaṃ vilobhayan  
Having dwelt a long while on that mountain, fond of mountains and forests, wishing to please Vaidehī and to gladden his own heart,

**2.88.2**  
atha dāśarathiś citraṃ citrakūṭam adarśayat  
bhāryām amarasaṃkāśaḥ śacīm iva puraṃdaraḥ  
then the son of Daśaratha, resembling a god, showed the wondrous Citrakūṭa to his wife, as Indra, the sacker of cities, once showed it to Śacī.

**2.88.3**  
na rājyād bhraṃśanaṃ bhadre na suhṛdbhir vinābhavaḥ  
mano me bādhate dṛṣṭvā ramaṇīyam imaṃ girim  
“Neither the fall from the kingdom, my dear, nor separation from friends afflicts my mind, when I behold this delightful mountain.

**2.88.4**  
paśyemam acalaṃ bhadre nānādvijagaṇāyutam  
śikharaiḥ kham ivodviddhair dhātumadbhir vibhūṣitam  
Behold this mountain, my dear, teeming with flocks of many kinds of birds, adorned with mineral-rich peaks that tower as if piercing the sky.

**2.88.5**  
ke cid rajatasaṃkāśāḥ ke cit kṣatajasaṃnibhāḥ  
pītamāñjiṣṭhavarṇāś ca ke cin maṇivaraprabhāḥ  
Some tracts resemble silver, some are blood-red, some are of yellow and madder hue, and some shine like the finest gems.

**2.88.6**  
puṣyārkaketukābhāś ca ke cij jyotī rasaprabhāḥ  
virājante 'calendrasya deśā dhātuvibhūṣitāḥ  
And some gleam with the sheen of the Puṣya star, the sun, and crystal, some with the luster of light and quicksilver — the mineral-decked regions of this lord of mountains shine resplendent.

**2.88.7**  
nānāmṛgagaṇadvīpitarakṣvṛkṣagaṇair vṛtaḥ  
aduṣṭair bhāty ayaṃ śailo bahupakṣisamākulaḥ  
Encircled by troops of various deer, leopards, hyenas, and bears — all harmless — this mountain gleams, thronged with many birds.

**2.88.8**  
āmrajambvasanair lodhraiḥ priyālaiḥ panasair dhavaiḥ  
aṅkolair bhavyatiniśair bilvatindukaveṇubhiḥ  
With mango, rose-apple, and asana trees, with lodhra, priyāla, jackfruit, and dhava, with aṅkola, bhavya, and tiniśa, with bilva, tinduka, and bamboo,

**2.88.9**  
kāśmaryariṣṭavaraṇair madhūkais tilakais tathā  
badaryāmalakair nīpair vetradhanvanabījakaiḥ  
with kāśmarī, riṣṭa, and varaṇa, with madhūka and tilaka too, with jujube, myrobalan, and nīpa, with cane, dhanvana, and bījaka —

**2.88.10**  
puṣpavadbhiḥ phalopetaiś chāyāvadbhir manoramaiḥ  
evamādibhir ākīrṇaḥ śriyaṃ puṣyaty ayaṃ giriḥ  
with trees full of blossom, laden with fruit, shady and delightful, and others like them — strewn with all these, this mountain abounds in beauty.

**2.88.11**  
śailaprastheṣu ramyeṣu paśyemān kāmaharṣaṇān  
kinnarān dvaṃdvaśo bhadre ramamāṇān manasvinaḥ  
On the lovely mountain tablelands, my dear, behold these high-spirited kinnaras, exciting to love, sporting in pairs.

**2.88.12**  
śākhāvasaktān khaḍgāṃś ca pravarāṇy ambarāṇi ca  
paśya vidyādharastrīṇāṃ krīḍed deśān manoramān  
See the swords and fine garments of the Vidyādhara women hung upon the branches, and the delightful spots where they play.

**2.88.13**  
jalaprapātair udbhedair niṣyandaiś ca kva cit kva cit  
sravadbhir bhāty ayaṃ śailaḥ sravan mada iva dvipaḥ  
With waterfalls, springs, and streams trickling here and there, this mountain gleams like an elephant streaming with rut.

**2.88.14**  
guhāsamīraṇo gandhān nānāpuṣpabhavān vahan  
ghrāṇatarpaṇam abhyetya kaṃ naraṃ na praharṣayet  
The breeze from the caves, bearing fragrances born of many kinds of flowers, coming to gratify the nose — what man would it not delight?

**2.88.15**  
yadīha śarado 'nekās tvayā sārdham anindite  
lakṣmaṇena ca vatsyāmi na māṃ śokaḥ pradhakṣyati  
If here, O blameless one, I dwell many years together with you and with Lakṣmaṇa, no grief will consume me.

**2.88.16**  
bahupuṣpaphale ramye nānādvijagaṇāyute  
vicitraśikhare hy asmin ratavān asmi bhāmini  
On this mountain, rich in flowers and fruit, lovely, teeming with flocks of various birds, with its wondrous peaks, I have found delight, O lovely lady.

**2.88.17**  
anena vanavāsena mayā prāptaṃ phaladvayam  
pituś cānṛṇatā dharme bharatasya priyaṃ tathā  
By this dwelling in the forest a twofold fruit has been won by me: freedom from debt to my father in dharma, and likewise the pleasing of Bharata.

**2.88.18**  
vaidehi ramase kaccic citrakūṭe mayā saha  
paśyantī vividhān bhāvān manovākkāyasaṃyatān  
Vaidehī, do you take delight here on Citrakūṭa with me, beholding the manifold creatures, restrained in mind, speech, and body?

**2.88.19**  
idam evāmṛtaṃ prāhū rājñāṃ rājarṣayaḥ pare  
vanavāsaṃ bhavārthāya pretya me prapitāmahāḥ  
This very forest-dwelling the supreme royal seers, my forefathers now departed, declared to be the nectar of kings, for the sake of the life hereafter.

**2.88.20**  
śilāḥ śailasya śobhante viśālāḥ śataśo 'bhitaḥ  
bahulā bahulair varṇair nīlapītasitāruṇaiḥ  
The broad rocks of the mountain, in their hundreds on every side, gleam manifold with their many hues — dark, yellow, white, and red.

**2.88.21**  
niśi bhānty acalendrasya hutāśanaśikhā iva  
oṣadhyaḥ svaprabhā lakṣmyā bhrājamānāḥ sahasraśaḥ  
By night the herbs of the mountain-lord shine like tongues of fire, glowing by the thousand with their own radiance and splendor.

**2.88.22**  
ke cit kṣayanibhā deśāḥ ke cid udyānasaṃnibhāḥ  
ke cid ekaśilā bhānti parvatasyāsya bhāmini  
Some regions of this mountain look like dwellings, some like pleasure-gardens, and some appear as a single slab of rock, O lovely one.

**2.88.23**  
bhittveva vasudhāṃ bhāti citrakūṭaḥ samutthitaḥ  
citrakūṭasya kūṭo 'sau dṛśyate sarvataḥ śivaḥ  
Citrakūṭa, risen up as though it had cloven the earth, shines forth; that peak of Citrakūṭa is seen to be auspicious on every side.

**2.88.24**  
kuṣṭhapuṃnāgatagarabhūrjapatrottaracchadān  
kāmināṃ svāstarān paśya kuśeśayadalāyutān  
Behold the comfortable couches of the lovers, spread over with the leaves of kuṣṭha, punnāga, tagara, and birch, and strewn with lotus-petals.

**2.88.25**  
mṛditāś cāpaviddhāś ca dṛśyante kamalasrajaḥ  
kāmibhir vanite paśya phalāni vividhāni ca  
Lotus-garlands are seen, crushed and cast aside by the lovers, O woman; and behold, too, the fruits of many kinds.

**2.88.26**  
vasvaukasārāṃ nalinīm atyetīvottarān kurūn  
parvataś citrakūṭo 'sau bahumūlaphalodakaḥ  
This Mount Citrakūṭa, rich in roots, fruit, and water, surpasses, as it were, Vasvaukasārā, the pool Nalinī, and the northern Kurus.

**2.88.27**  
imaṃ tu kālaṃ vanite vijahrivāṃs tvayā ca sīte saha lakṣmaṇena ca  
ratiṃ prapatsye kuladharmavardhinīṃ satāṃ pathi svair niyamaiḥ paraiḥ sthitaḥ  
Passing this time here, O woman, O Sītā, with you and with Lakṣmaṇa, and abiding by my own highest vows on the path of the good, I shall attain a joy that augments the dharma of my lineage.