Where Beauty Wounds
Grief at the Lake of Lotuses
At Lake Pampa, Rama encounters nature at its most beautiful - crystal waters, countless lotuses, singing birds, flowering trees. But every beautiful thing reminds him of Sita. The lotuses are her eyes, the birdsong her voice, the gentle breeze her touch. As spring intensifies nature's beauty, it also intensifies his grief. Lakshmana must remind his brother of purpose while honoring his pain.
The Lake of Lotuses
Morning light transforms Lake Pampa into something from the realm of gods.
The waters stretch before Rama and Lakshmana like a vast mirror, so clear that the sky seems to continue beneath its surface. Lotus flowers cover the lake in drifts of color - white lotuses pure as moonlight, pink lotuses soft as dawn, blue lotuses rare as Sita's eyes.
The lake teems with life. Swans glide across the water with perfect grace. Cranes stand motionless in the shallows, then strike with sudden precision. Karandava ducks call to each other across the expanse. Fish leap, catching morning insects, their scales flashing silver and gold.
Along the shores, ashoka trees bloom in cascades of orange and red. Tilaka trees release fragrance that perfumes the entire valley. Mango groves stand heavy with fruit. Madhuka trees - whose flowers intoxicate even elephants - scatter golden blossoms on the water.
It is spring - Vasanta - the season of love and longing. Everything blooms. Everything calls to its mate. The whole world seems designed to remind those who are separated of what they have lost.
The Grief Beneath Beauty
Rama walks the lakeshore slowly, Lakshmana following at a respectful distance. Every step reveals new beauty, and every beauty cuts deeper.
He stops before a cluster of blue lotuses.
"Her eyes, Lakshmana. Do you remember? When she was pleased, they were exactly this color - deep blue with a hint of violet at the edges. I would know those eyes in any form, in any life."
He walks on. A kokila (cuckoo) calls from the mango grove - that sweet, rising call that Indians have associated with love since time began.
"Her voice. When she laughed, it rose like that - musical, effortless, completely natural. I have not heard that laugh since..."