The two royal hosts were so disquieted with grief that they had no wisdom, fortitude or sense of shame left. Extolling king Dasharath’s majesty, goodness and amiability, they all wept and were drowned in a sea of sorrow.

Drowned in a sea of sorrow, men and women were sore upset and filled with anxious thought. They all angrily and reproachfully exclaimed, ‘Alas! What has cruel fate done!’ of the gods, adepts, ascetics, anchorites and sages, who witnessed Janaka’s plight on that occasion, none, says Tulasidasa, was strong enough to cross the river of his love (to escape being drowned in it).

Here and there the great sages admonished people in countless ways; and Vasishtha said to Videha, ‘Lose not heart, O king!’

Can the darkness of infatuation and attachment come near to one by the sun of whose wisdom the night of birth and death is driven away and in the bright light of whose speech sages bloom like the lotus? Such is the divine majesty of the love of Sita and Rama!

According to the Vedas, there are three classes of beings in the world – the sensual, the aspirant and the wise adept. In the assembly of saints he alone is highly honoured whose soul is sweetened by love for Rama.

Wisdom without love for Rama is as devoid of beauty as a boat without a helmsman.’ Thus the sage Vasishtha admonished Videha in many ways, and then all the people bathed at Rama’s ghat.

All the men and women were so agitated with grief that the day passed without their even taking a drop of water. Even the beasts and birds and deer remained without food, to say nothing of Rama’s own friends and kindred.