Ramayana_VOLUME V with index

325
Janaka
Everyone was impatiently awaiting the dawn of the happy day,
when each could witness the wedding ceremony of his dear
princes. Each one was overwhelmed with joy as if his own son
was the bridegroom or his own child the bride. Their ananda can
be compared only to Brahmananda (Transcendental bliss); that
was the measure of their love towards Rama and his brothers.
(RKRV Part I p.185)
Preparations for the wedding:
Early in the morning Janaka proceeded to the special dais on
which the rituals of the wedding were to be gone through. He
was accompanied by a highly spiritual splendour-showering
group of sages. He then completed the preliminary rites and was
awaiting the arrival of the bridegrooms and their parents and
kinsmen. Rama, Lakshmana, Bharatha and Satrughna had their
ceremonial baths. They wore yellow silken dresses. They had
silk cloth wound round their heads. They were bedecked with
many ornaments studded with diamonds and sapphires. They
gave the impression that they were alluring, heart-captivating
Gods who had come down from Heaven.
The auspicious hour named Vijaya was drawing near and they
approached the dais preceded by musicians whose instruments
struck up a melody that reached the dome of Heaven. The
Councillors of the Court, the feudatory rulers, and their
attendants followed them carrying huge plates of jewels, silk
clothes, gold coins, and other auspicious articles essential for the
ceremony. The populace gazed upon their beauty and prowess,
without even winking the eye. They confided to each other that
the dignity of their bearing marked them out as Divine, and not