Bhārgava, the illustrious son of Bhṛgu, sat with a radiant face, his brilliance surpassing even the spotless moon in its glory. Revered by all the hosts of gods, he took his place beside Indra, the lord of Śacī, and for a long time experienced incomparable satisfaction. Having abandoned all human thoughts, Bhārgava became utterly serene. After resting for a while at Indra’s side, and prompted by the celestial residents, Bhārgava rose and began to wander through the heavenly realms. As he beheld the splendor of heaven, adorned with women whose eyes danced restlessly, he moved toward the assembly of these celestial ladies, much like a swan gliding toward a lotus pond. There, at the edge of a grove, he saw her—his doe-eyed beloved—standing gracefully, reminiscent of a bee near a tender mango shoot. Her form was adorned with playful, graceful movements, and upon seeing her, Bhārgava felt his body melt away in delight, just as a moonstone dissolves in moonlight. With all his limbs dissolving in her presence, he gazed at this desiring woman, like a moonstone basking in the cool, playful moonlight. She, too, upon being seen by Bhārgava in such a way, became wholly devoted to him, like a female chakravaka bird cooing for her beloved at the end of night. As both blossomed with delight and mutual affection, their radiance together resembled the morning sun shining upon a lotus pond. In that place, stirred by passion, their imagined desires found fulfillment. She, overcome in every limb, was wholly offered to Shukra. Countless arrows of love fell softly upon her tender limbs, like fresh rain streaming upon the leaves of a lotus plant. Agitated by love, her bangles and hair swayed, much like a cluster of blossoms gently shaken by a soft breeze. Madana, the god of love, stirred her—she of blue-black eyes and swan-like gait—just as a flood agitates a lotus pond. Seeing her thus, Shukra, having attained his heart’s desire, conceived of darkness, much like the creator of beings envisions dissolution. The region of heaven became filled with darkness, just as the boundaries of the world are enveloped in deep gloom. In that circle of darkness, where shame and intense shadow prevailed, the two stood together, overwhelmed by love. When all the beings there had departed in their chosen directions, Bhārgava and his beloved descended to the earthly realm, like birds returning at the end of day. With long, bright glances and passion grown strong, she approached the son of Bhṛgu, as a peahen approaches a raincloud. In a white chamber, upon a prepared couch, Bhārgava entered, like Mādhava entering the ocean of milk. She, with a lovely face, clung helplessly to his feet, shining like a lotus attached to the foot of the lord of the gods. Then, with a playful and affectionate voice, sweet and joyful, her words adorned with charm, she spoke: “See, O moon-faced one, with his bow drawn, this Love-god pursues me, a helpless woman—what is this, O Ananga? Protect me, O Lord, helpless and destitute, who has taken refuge in you here; O noble one, know me to be devoted to true conduct, a poor soul seeking comfort. O wise one, those who do not understand the gaze of affection—fools alone—disregard intimacy; never do those who know its true essence. When affection arises without suspicion between two who are mutually enamored, it brings forth a sweet flow, like the taste of the moon savored, my beloved. Not even the sovereignty of the three worlds brings such happiness to the heart as the mutual joy of love in those first enamored. By the touch of your feet, O giver of honor, I am comforted, just as the lotus at night is revived when touched by the rays of the moon. By drinking the nectar of your touch, O beautiful one, I live—just as the restless chakorī bird lives by drinking the essence of the moon’s rays. Take me, who clings at your feet like a bee, and with your lotus-like hands, embrace me—your heart full of nectar and true purity.” Having spoken thus, she of tender, flower-like limbs fell upon his chest, her eyes rolling like a cluster of bees, just as a blossom sways. The radiant couple, glowing with delight, wandered together in the forest clearings, like two intoxicated bees amidst lotuses swaying in the pale breeze. Amidst groves thick with coral trees, intoxicated by the nectar of the gods, Bhārgava enjoyed the company of his beloved, who shone like a second spotless moon. They roamed among golden-lotused ponds filled with drunken swans, and along the banks of the celestial river, accompanied by the melodious kinnara and charana musicians. In bowers woven from parijata branches, they drank the nectar flowing from the moon, together with the gods and playful companions. In the enchanting swing-groves of Chaitraratha, they sported for a long time with the eager hosts of vidyadharas. The vast pleasure-gardens of Nandana, with Mandara mountain rising like an ocean, surged with excitement, stirred by the hosts of Shiva’s attendants. In caves tangled with young golden creepers, they wandered, mad with passion, like bees among the blooming lotuses of Meru. In the groves of Kailasa, Bhārgava spent the moon-white night with his beloved, filled with the songs of celestial hosts. She, adorned from head to toe with golden lotuses, rested with him upon the summits of Mount Gandhamadana. Together, Rama and his beloved played and laughed in the wondrous, astonishing, and captivating regions at the edge of the Lokāloka mountain, their joy and love illuminating all the realms they traversed.