Svavalamba ki ek jhalak par...

Many a schoolkid in India has read the passage Panchavati mein Lakshaman by Maithili Sharan Gupt in a Hindi text-book. I was one of them.

It is a passage of great lyrical beauty (the phrase Charu-chandra ki chanchal kirane is one of the classic oft-quoted examples of anupraas or alliteration) describing Lakshaman's thoughts while keeping midnight vigil in Panchavati. While there are many lines in this passage that made quite an impression due to the sheer elegance of expression, there is one in particular that I have recalled time and again:

Lakshaman thinks of Sita doing gardening and tending to her plants herself:

तब पाती हैं कितना सुख, कितना आनंद, कितना संतोष,
स्वावलम्ब की एक झलक पर न्यौछावर कुबेर का कोष

Tab paati hain kitna sukh, kitna anand, kitna santosh,
Svavalamba ki ek jhalak par nyochavar Kuber ka kosh

Despite the simplicity of expression here, it captures completely the thrill and sense of satisfaction that comes of doing something oneself, even though it might have been more convenient otherwise.

I guess therein lies the mark of great poetry: in the ability to express in a succinct line or phrase a universal sentiment...