Bharata, accompanied by his ministers, approached the divine royal seat, the fan, and the umbrella, displaying the dignity and bearing of a king. With reverence, he honored the seat and bowed to Rāma, then took up the yak-tail fan and settled himself in the minister’s seat. The ministers and priests all sat in their assigned places, and soon the commander and overseer took their seats behind them. Suddenly, by the command of the sage Bharadvāja, wondrous rivers appeared before Bharata, their banks made of rice-milk mud. On both sides of these rivers, delightful and divine dwellings arose, their walls coated with pale clay, manifesting through the favor of Brahmā. Within moments, twenty thousand women, adorned with celestial ornaments and sent by Brahmā himself, arrived. Alongside them, twenty-one thousand more women, radiant in gold, jewels, pearls, and coral, sent by Kubera, shone brilliantly. Among them was a man seized as if possessed by madness, and twenty-one thousand apsarases from the Nandana grove joined the gathering. Before Bharata, the celestial musicians Nārada, Tumburu, Gopa, and the illustrious Gandharva kings sang divine melodies. At Bharadvāja’s command, the apsarases Alambusā, Miśrakeśī, Puṇḍarīkā, and Vāmanā danced gracefully. Garlands seen among the gods and in the Citraratha forest appeared at Prayāga, thanks to Bharadvāja’s power. The Bilva, Mārdaṅgika, Śamyāgrāha, and Vibhītaka trees, along with Aśvattha dancers, performed their own dances at the sage’s command. The Sarala, Tāla, Tilaka, and Naktamāla trees gathered joyfully, taking on hunchbacked and dwarfish forms. Śiṃśupā, Āmalakī, Jambu, and other forest trees, as well as Mālatī, Mallikā, Jāti, and other creepers, were present in abundance. Within Bharadvāja’s hermitage, the gods themselves, drinkers of nectar, assumed the forms of beautiful women and invited the guests: “Drink as you wish, and eat the purest meats to your heart’s content.” On those lovely riverbanks, groups of seven or eight women at a time bathed and anointed each man. Women with charming eyes massaged and wiped one another, and noble ladies served drinks to each other. The women also cared for the animals, feeding horses, elephants, donkeys, camels, and even the offspring of Surabhi, giving each vehicle its proper food. They offered sugarcane and honeyed grains to the animals, urging on the mighty warriors of the Ikṣvāku lineage. No one was seen binding horses or restraining elephants; intoxicated with joy and excitement, the soldiers did not bow, and such a scene unfolded there. The soldiers, satisfied in every desire, their bodies smeared with red sandalwood and surrounded by groups of apsarases, raised their voices in delight. They cried, “We will not return to Ayodhyā, nor will we go to the Daṇḍaka forest; let Bharata be well, and may Rāma also be happy.” Foot soldiers, charioteers, elephant and horse riders, and attendants, having found such fortune, echoed this joyful cry. Thousands of men, overwhelmed with happiness, exclaimed, “This is heaven!” as they followed Bharata. The soldiers danced, laughed, and sang, adorned with garlands, running about in all directions by the thousands. After eating food that tasted like nectar and seeing the divine delicacies, their minds turned again to eating. The attendants, the women, and the thousands stationed in the army became exceedingly proud, all dressed in splendid garments. Elephants, camels, oxen, horses, wild animals, and birds—all were well provided for; no one lacked anything. Not a single person was seen wearing soiled white clothes, nor was anyone hungry, dirty, or with hair disheveled by dust. There were dishes made from goat and wild boar, with the best cuts, and soups prepared from fruit extracts, fragrant and flavorful. Thousands of iron vessels, adorned with flowered banners and heaps of pure white rice, amazed the men who saw them. Along the forest edges, wells filled with creamy rice and milk appeared, wish-fulfilling cows grazed, and trees dripped with honey. Ponds filled with mead were surrounded by heaps of well-cooked meat, and hot dishes of peacock and jungle fowl lined the path. Thousands of bowls, tens of thousands of pots, and hundreds of millions of golden vessels were seen everywhere. Pots, jars, and dishes filled with well-prepared curds from young, fragrant cows and kapittha fruits were present in abundance. Pools brimmed with sweet mango juice, others with thick, white milk, and others with heaps of rice pudding and sugar. Men saw, at the riverbanks, various medicinal pastes, powders, decoctions, and different kinds of bathing substances placed in vessels. Heaps of white, shining tooth-cleaning sticks and white sandalwood pastes were set out on the riverbanks. Polished mirrors, heaps of garments, pairs of sandals and shoes by the thousands were available for all. Cosmetic boxes, combs, brushes, weapons and bows, ornate armor, as well as beds and seats, were all present, completing the scene of heavenly abundance and joy.