Observe the painting, read the passage given below and answer the question:
Rama learns of his exile and prepares to leave Ayodhya along with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana. Rama indulges in his last acts of giving away his possessions. At the request of Rama, his brother piles up his belongings and the crowd begins to gather to receive the largesse of their beloved Rama – jewellery, sacrificial vessels, thousand cows and other treasures.
How is Rama’s expression shown in this painting?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Serene but gently smiling
Option (1) Forlorn and devastated — Incorrect. In this chapter it is the gopis of the Bhagvata Purana who appear forlorn and devastated when Krishna disappears. Rama is not shown so.
Option (2) Apprehensive — Incorrect. It is Sita who is shown apprehensive.
Option (3) Willing to give but with no pleasure — Incorrect. It is the Brahmins who are shown willing to receive but with no pleasure. This is not said of Rama.
Option (4) Serene but gently smiling — Correct. Rama gives away his possessions before his exile, yet he is shown serene but gently smiling.
NCERT (2026-27): “Rama gives away his possessions …Set apart on the left are the two princes with Sita standing on a carpet with a crowd of recipients moving towards them. The painter carefully introduces different types — recluses, Brahmins, courtiers, commoners and servants of the royal household. The gravity of the situation is sensitively portrayed through varying expressions — the serene but gently smiling Rama, curious Lakshmana, an apprehensive Sita, Brahmins willing to receive but with no pleasure, and others with expressions of disbelief and gratitude.”
“Rama gives away his possessions, Ayodhya Kanda, Shangri Ramayana, 1690–1700, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, USA” |
