Ramavijaya Book

IAIAVIJAYA.

(

THE MYTHOLOGICAL HISTORY

OF

RAMA,

)

With

Illustrations.

SI^CTE fK

A

N

C

A

IS 301&M!3v&

r<lSaint-Michel

Registeredunder Act

XXV

of 1867.

DUBHASHI

&

Co.,

GIRGAUM

SACK

ROAD.

1891

JUN

2

-!

1966

0V

IN-PROFOUND AND RESPECTFUL ADMIRATION

OF

A

NOBLE CAREER

AND

A STAINLESS CHARACTER

THIS

WORK

IS BY PERMISSION

DEDICATED

TO

The

Hon. Mr.

Justice

K.

T.

TELANG

M. A., L L. B,, C, I.E., AC. AC.

BY

PREFACE.

Lord Macaulay begins his _Essayon Clive thus:

We

have always thoughtit_strangethat, whilethe history

of theSpanish empireinAmerica is_familiarly knowntoall the nations ofEurope,the great actions of ourcountrymen inthe

East_should,evenamongourselves, excitelittle interest. _Every

schoolboyknowswhoimprisonedMontezuma, andwhostrangled

Atahualpa. But we doubt whether onein ten, even among

English gentlemen of _highly cultivated minds, can tellwho

won

the battle of Buxar, who perpetrated the massacre of Patna, whether Sujah Dowlahruled in Oude or in_Travancore,

orwhether HolkarwasaHindooor aMussulman."

"What _Macaulay remarksin these _introductorylines

about the educated _Englishmen of his time _may, with

justice, be appliedtothe Hindus ofthe present day, who,

though wellversed inthedetails of thehistories of _foreign

nations, areignorant ofeven themost importantevents in

the lives oftheirancient heroes and saints. The reason

of this_anomalyis _{plain enough.} All their time is taken

Upin _{reading English} authors and _consequently works

writtenin Vernacularare naturally neglected. It_is, there

fore,withthe objectofimparting some knowledge of the

Purans tosuchofthe _{English reading public}as areeither

unacquainted withanyoftheVernaculars of this_countryor

as are unaccustomedto read Vernacular _books, that we

have undertakento_publishthisseries.

Our thanks are due to those _gentlemen

who

have

kindly subscribedfor the publicationas well asto those

who

have rendered us assistanceinother_ways.

RAMAVUAYA.

THE

MYTHOLOGICAL HISTORY OF

RAMA.

Powlasti, a son of

Bramhadev*

was marriedto

Deva-varni, andhe had ason called Vishrava.

A

daughter

of _Bharadwaja, a Eishi, f was givenawayin _marriageto

Vishrava; and she hada soncalled Kuber. Bramhadev

hadcreated

Lanka

and givenittoKuber. While

Kuber

was rulingthere, a

demon

camefrom FatalJ inthe form

of a

Brahman

and becamevery jealous ofhim. The de

mon

saidtohimself,

"

Lanka

is

_my

_country andthis

man

has no rightto rule here.

"

So _saying tohimself _{he gave}

awayhis_daughter, Kakesi, in_marriageto Vishrava with

a viewtodrive out

Kuber

ofhis_{country, Lanka, with}the

helpofthesons

who

wouldbeborntoherby him. Vish

ravahad_{got by Kakesi} three _demons,Havana,

Kumbha-karna, and Vibhishana andtwo demonesses, Tatekaand

Surpanakha.

Ha

van andhis brothers went to Gokarna,

where they performed severe _penances. Siva was_pro

pitiated by Havana, Bramhadev by Kumbhakarna, and

Vishnu^ by Vibhishana. Bramhadev was pleased with

them andcalled _{upon them}toask him _{for blessings.}

Ha

vana was blessed with a _power to _imprison all _gods

andalso with wealthandlearning.

Kumbhakarna

wanted

such_{a blessing} from Bramhadevas would enablehim to

devourheaven andearth. All the_gods were, therefore,

alarmedand_prayedto_{the goddess, Saraswati,}

who

induc

edthe

demon

toask the_{godfor sleep.} Bramhadevblessed

*_The

creatinggod ofthe universe, _f

A

sage. J There~

gionsunderthe earth. The_{destroying god}of the universe,

^

The_{protectinggod}ofthe universe.

2

_Ramavijaya.

himwith _{sleep, saying}that the

demon

wouldrise_every six months toeathis mealsand _indulge inall other luxu

ries. _{Vibhishana,was}blessed _{with a power}to_{pray always}

toVishnu. Havana and

Kumbhakarana

thencollectedall

demons_including Kharadushana andTrishira and march

ed_against

Kuber

to _conquerLanka. _{They fought with}

Kuber

with _bravery, but the latter _repulsed them with

heavy loss. Havana thenwent toVishrava and_brought

his letter to

Kuber

_askinghimto give

Lanka

to the de

mon

without _anyresistance.

On

_readingthe letter from

hisfather_{he gave} the countryto Ravana and _proceeded

to heaven _by a

Viman*

Mayasur, a demon, gave

away his _{daughter, Mandodari,} in_marriage to Ravana.

Pirghajwala, a grand-daughter of_Bali, wasmarried to

Kmnbhakarna, and Sharma, a daughterofa

_GandharvJ

to

Vibhishana. Ravana_conquered allcountriesanddevour

eda _large numberof Brahmans andcows.

He

robbed

Ivuber ofhis treasure and _oppressed all other people.

He

had_eight thousandwives, onelac ofsons andone lac

and twenty thousand _grand-sons.

He

had _eighteen

kshoyanis^ ofmusicians,

who

entertained himwith music.

All kings werehis slaves, and eight thousand torches

lightedhis sabha _{every night.} All mountains forfear

of

Indra^

prayedto

Ravana

for_protection,

who

toldthem

tobecome elephants. Theyaccordingly becameelephants

whom

he _engaged as his servants.

He

then marched

against Indra withhis eldest_{son, Meghanand.}

A

severe

battletook _place betweenthe godsandthe _{demons, but}

theformer were defeated _bythe latter. Inthat battle

Meghanand

flung

down

Indra withhis _hairawati$ and

*

_A

conveynanceora chariot servingasa throne through

theskies, self-directedandself-moving. |

A

demi-god. J One

kshoyaniconsistsof _{21,870chariots, 21,870 elephants,}

1^09,350

foot,and65,610horses.

A

court.

_^

Thekingof the gods. $

An

elephant,

Ramavijaya.

3

hence he was called India_jit, the_conquerer ofIndra. All

thegods were seized_byRavana andreleasedon thecondi

tion that they shouldservehim in his household in dif

ferent _capacities. All the_gods becamehis slaves; Indra

served himas his butler, Chandra held a chatra* over

him,

Kuber

and Anilcleanedand washedall _{the things}

in his house. _Agni servedhim as his _washerman,

and

Gabhasti as his_{page. Brahaspati} washis_pleader,

Bra-mhadev

_{his priest,}and Naradaalwaysentertainedhim with

singing. Ravana became a great favouriteof Siva; and

byhis blessinghe hadgottenfacesandtwenty hands.

One

day he, proud of his prosperity, went by his viman to

Kailasa, the place of Siva,

when Nandi^ who

was guard

ingthe dooroftheabodeinwhich the godlived, prevent

ed

him

from_entering it. The

demon

was greatlyinsult

edatthe conductof ISTandi, andsaid "

Ido notcare a_fig

ofthee and_thymaster." So _{saying he began}to forcehis

way

in,

when

Sivacursedhim and saidtohim, "

A

human

beingand monkeys will kill thee ina battle." _Enraged

at this curse he tried to pull offthe mountain on which

theabodeof Sivastood with a view _{to carry}it toLanka,

whenthe _godpresseditinsuch a manner that the

domon-king wasconfinedtoit forone thousandyears.

He

always

criedand prayedto Siva _duringthe timefor his release.

One

_day the _{god pitied} him and set himfree. Thence

he wentto _Sahasrarjun and praised his

own

strength

there,

when

the lattercaught holdofhim andputhim in

hisarms.

He

was ashamed and went to the _kingdom of

Bali,

who

possessed prodigious strength.

He

entered the

palace of the_king and1

praisedhisvalourandbravery,

when

the lattersaidin orderto test his _strength, "

There lie

thekundalas

| ofthedemon, ^eranyakashapu,

whom

"Vi

shnu hadkillkedto _{protect Pralada. Just go}and_{get the} *

_A

largeandlofty parasol, f ThebullonwhichSivaridei.

4

_Ramavijaya.

ornaments here." Havana wentto _bringthembuthe could

notliftthemup,whenBali saidtohim,"Ifthoucanst

bring

the kundalas, just get thatdie which fell

down

_there,while

my

wife andIwere_{playing together.} Havana accord

inglywentto _{bring the diebut, to his}

greatsurprise, he

couldnot removeit,

when

both Baliand his wife_heartily

laughedathim. _{Havana, humbled}as _{he was,} set outfor

Lanka; buton theroadhe was robbed of hisclothes and

ornaments andlet off with soot _being

applied to his ten

faces andwithhis handstied_up behind likea _prisoner.

He

was

much

troubled _{by the people} onthe road.

Some

threw dustat_him, some_slappedhim inthe _face, some

pulledhimby the beard andothers

made

him sit

down

ona_dung-hill.

_A

maid-servantof Bali_caughthimso for

cibly thathe imploredher to_spare his life. Vishrava

thencame there_{apd begged} of Balito

make

a_{present of}

the

demon

tohim. His_requestwas _grantedand

Ravana

was let off._{The demon-king}returnedto

Lanka

withshame

andconfusion.

A

_{few days} after his returnto

Lanka

he

wentto _{catch Vali,}

who

carried_{him away} in his arms to

hishouse andtied_{him up}tothe cradleinwhichhisson,

Angada, was fast_asleep. Vishrava came and _requested

Valito set him free. _{Vali granted} his_{request and, ap}

plying soottoallthefaces of _Ravana, allowed himto_go

to Lanka.

One

_{day he asked} Bramhadev toinform him by whosehands he woulddie,

when

the god toldhim that hewoulddie _bythehands of

_Rama,

a sonof Dasharatha

andgrand-sonof _Ajapal.

Ravana

_{got veryindignant}and

said that he wouldkill Dasharatha andhis wife _{by any}

means. Soon after, Ajapal

made

preparations forcelebrat

ingthe_marriage of his_{son with Kausalya,}

when

Narada

toldhimto watch his sonand _{daughter-in-law,} because

Ravana

wouldkill themunder_anycircumstances.

Where

upon Ajapal took Dasharatha and Kausalya on board a

Ramavijaya.

5

performtheir marriage,

when

Ravana attacked the ship

at night with alargearmy of demons and brokeher in

the sea. All _{perishedexcept} Dasharathaand Kausalya.

Rarana _{pat Kausalya} intoabox and handeditovertoa

fish,whichcarried ittoadesolate islandand depositedit

there for _safety. Dasharatha struggled

much

withthe

wares of the sea butat last _{he got}into abrokenvessel,

which was carried _bythe waves tothe island, wherethe

box was_{deposited by}the fish. Dasharatha landed onthe

sea-shore ; andseeing the boxthere heseated himselfup

onit forrest. _{Having got} refreshed, he opened thebox outof curiositybut, to his great surprise, hefound

Kau

salya in it. Narada came there in the meantimeand,

havingperfonied theirmarriage, blessedthem, saying that

the god,

Rama,

wouldbe born tothem.In

Lanka Ravana

asked_{the god, Bramhadev,}about his_prediction.

He

said

to the god, "

Where

is Dasharatha?

You

know, he hasal

readyperishedinthesea." Bramliadev_{replied,"Long}since

Dasharatha has been marriedto_Kausalya;and_youwillsee

that

Rama

will be shortly born tothem."

Ravana

said,

"

Wellthen, getthem here."

Bramhadev

_replied,

" IfI

getthem here, what will_{you give}

me

?" Ravana_said, "I

promise to _{give you whatever you} will ask from me."

Bramhadevthenwent and _broughtthebox fromthe island

and, having opened it, he showedthe brideand

bride-gro@m tothe demon.

As

soon ashesaw them, he got

exceedingly enragedand wasabout tocut offtheir heads,

when

Bramhadev_{stepped forward}andsaidtohim,"

You

promised

me

thatyouwould give

me

whatever.! wouldask

from _you. I, therefore, ask you not to kill Dasharatha and_Kausalya.

Ravana

_replied, "

You may

ask

me

for

anyother thing butIcannot spare thelivesofthose

wret-tchedbeings." Bramhadevsaid,

"

Ido notwant any other

hings from you but I_{want you}to_sparetheir lives.

6

Ramavijaya.

their lives. Bramhadey then brought them to _Ayodya,

and _placed Dasharatha on the throne of the _country.

One

_daywhile Ravana was going byhis _{viman, he}observ

edontheroada beautiful_woman,

who

wasthe wifeofa_god

and soughtto_outrage hermodesty. She complainedto

Bramhadev _{against the} conduct of the_demon,

when

the

godcursedhim and said thatifhe would _outrage the

mo

desty of_{any woman,} he wouldbe cut intoone hundred

pieces. Forfear ofthe curse he lether_{go and began}to

devourthe

Brahmans

and cows that came in his way.

The earthtrembledand went in the formofacow toBra

mhadev

withallthe_godsandRishigand_appliedtohimfor

protection,

when

a voicesaid,

"

I willbe bornin_{the family}

ofDasharatha and called

Rama

; and killingRavana and

allotherdemons, I will

make

allthe _{godsand goodpeople}

happy. Forthe purposeof _helping

me

theShesha * on

which I _lie,will be

_my

second brother,

who

willbe

named

Lakshuman, the shankhaj which is in

_my

_hand, willbo

my

third _brother,

who

will be called Bharata and the

sudarshan^

my

weapon,willbe

_my

fourth brother,

who

will

be -named Shatrughana; and_ye, all_{the gods,} will be

mon

keys.-Sivawillbe Maruti; Bramhadev,Janbuvant;

Dhana-vantari, Sushen; Biahasapati,

Angada

; the sun, Sugriva;

Agni, Nala; and

Yama,

Rashabha. Listeningtothe voice

o Vishnuall the_gods andRishiswere _gladand returned

to their_{respective places.}

_{At Ayodya}

Dasharatha marri

edmore_wives, Sumitra and_Kayakayi.

He

was anac

complished princeand very dexterous inthe useof

dha-nushabans.

One

_{day he dreamt a}dreaminwhich he found

thathehad killedan innocent

man

and woman.

Where

upon he askedhis_{guru*[ Vashista,} aRishi, to interprete

.

*

The_{kingof the serpent-race, as}a_large,thousand head ed_{snakes, at} oncethecouchand canopyofVishnuandthe _up holder of the world which restsononeof its heads. fThe

Ramavijaya.

7

thedream,

when

thelattersaid to_him, "

This dreamin dicates bad omens. I, therefore, advise youto kill afew

stags and performa penance, so that nothing bad

may

happen toyou." Listening tothe advice ofthe guru

Da-sharathawent toa forest for hunting stags; and though

he worked hardthe whole _day, he did not come across

anystag.

At

the sun-set he layin wait ata lakeanxious

lyexpectinga stag there. But, inthe meantime, a

man

called Shravan came there with a kavada* acrosshis

shouldersinwhichhis _{helpless old}motherand fatherwere

seated_{by him.} His parents, being thirsty, asked their

sontofetch some water forthem.

_Whereupon

Shravan

placed the kavada on theground, and takinga goblet in

his_{hand, went} to the lake ; but whilsthewas takingthe

water, the king tookhim fora_stag and _discharged an

arrowat_him, which_{passed through}his heart.

Dashara-thacamewhere hewas _lyingand became extremely sorry

forthe accident,

when

Shravan said to_him,"

Ishall not

now

live. Please,therefore,take somewaterin thisgoblet

and_giveit to

_my

parents, asthey are verythirsty; andas

soon as Ihear that _they have _quenched their thirst, I

shall instantlydie. Theyare very old and cannot walk

I _carry themina kavada across

_my

shoulder. _Oh,

_my

goodking, take care ofthesepoor creatures. There is no

onetolook after them." Dasharatha _sighed and wept

but the loss was irreparable. The king then took some

waterin_{the goblet}and stoodwhere thekavadawasplaced

without speaking a word. The old

woman

andthe man,

who

wereblind, taking himfor Shravan, said, "

Child,

why

doestthou not speak? Artthou _{angry with} us, be

cause wesent theetothe lake at this hour? Child, thou

art_always obedienttous and whathas irritated thee to

day? * These words

made

Dasharatha shed_tears,and at

*

_A

_{bamboo lath}

provided with slings ateachendfor the

8

_Ramavijaya.

lasthe brokethe sad news tothe old _parents of Shravan,

when

_they cried violently andsaid, "

Shravan, none can

get a sonlikethee in this world.

We

feel

much

for thee

anddiewiththee. Oh,we cannot bear this grief. You,

the murdererof ourchild, we curse you and say thatyou

will_{also die of grief foryour son}inthe _{same way we}do."

Sosaying they instantly expired. Dasharathagrieved

much

for Shravan and his _{old parents}

whom

he had killed_by his

own

hands,and performedtheirfuneral ceremonies. The

king then returned to

_Ayodya

and informed Vashistaof

what had _happened.

At

this time there was a _great

faminein _{the country, as there} was norainfortwelve years;

and _consequentlythe _subjectsof theking died of thirst

and hungeroneafter another. The rainwas _stopped, be

causeVrashaparva, apowerfuldemon,fought withthegods

in heaven withthe assistanceof his_guru, Shukra. Indra,

therefore,sent a chariot to Dasharathaand requested him to _{come up}to heaven and kill the demon, informinghim

atthesame time, that the rain was stopped on accountof

the battle with the _gods.

_Whereupon

Dasharatha went

bythe chariotto Indra with hisfavouritwife, Kayakayi.

Immediately on his arrivalthere _{Dasharatha fought with}

the demons andkilleda largenumberof them,

when Vra

shaparva

made

an attack upontheking but he was also

repulsed. Hisguru, Shukra, then tookthe field anddis

charged arrowsatthe king,

when

the chariot ofthe king

was aboutto _giveway but his wife, Kayakayi, supported

it_{by one}of her_hands,ofwhich the _king

knew

nothing.

Dasharatha bravely continuedthe fight and cut offthe

gurus horse and_mugut.* Shukra fled inalarm with the

otherdemons.

When

every thingwas over, the king was

informedthat the victoryhehad _gained inthe battle with

the demons, was dueto his wife, Kayakayi. The king

was _pleased withher, and asked her what reward she

Ramavijaya.

9

wantedfrom him. Kayakayireplied, "

Kindly give

me

your promise that youwill_give

me

whateverI will ask

from_you; andIshall _{ask you}forit wheneverI like." The

king generously gavethe promise she required.

Thevictory,gained by Dasharatha in the battle with

the demons,was dueto_Kayakayi, beca use

when

shewas

young, a Tapaswi* cameto_{her parents} and _stayedwith

them for_{a day.}

At

the time of his _bathinghermother

toldherto_{go and}rub his_body withscents. She accord

ingly wentto himwiththe scents; but finding that the

Tapaswi was absorbedinmeditation, she applied sootto his

faceinstead ofthe scents. _Having foundthat the soot

hadbeen_appliedto his face, he got indignantand cursed

the doerofthe mischeifandsaid. " Whoever

has _applied

this sootto

_my

face, will _always belooked upon byall

peoplewith contempt."

Her

mother was afraid of this

curse; and finding thatit washer _daughters _doing, she

threwherselfatthefeet of the _Tapaswiand implored him

to

make

the curse alittle milder.

_Whereupon

the _Tapa

swisaid, "

The handwith which your daughter hasappli

ed the sootto

_my

face, willgive successtoherhusbandin

abattle which he will fightwith demons andfor which

only she willbe praisedby all."

Afterthebattlewasover, Brahasapti askedthe king

whether he had _anyissue. Dasharatha replied,

" I

am

very sorry that I have no issue." The godblessed him

andsaid, "

Vishnu,the protectinggodof the universe,will

beborn toyou." Indra said,

"

There is a Rishi called

Shringa Rishi,

who

has not yet seen a

human

face.

He

liveswith his fatherinaforest; andifheis inducedand

broughttoAyodya,his father,

who

isa_{greatTapaswi,}will

come therein searchof his_son; and by hisblessingyou

will_get children. _{I shall, therefore,}send a devanganaf

*

_An

10

_Ramavijaya.

tothe forest tocharm him withher_beauty and singing,

so that he

_may

_easily followher." Dasharatha thanked

Indra and returnedto_{Ayodya with Kayakayi.} Indra ac

cordingly sent a devangana tothe forest. The _young

Rishiwas _placedbyhis father, _{Vibhandak, on} amala* in

order thathe _mightnot be _{devoured by} lions and_tigers.

The _{youngboy, having} seen thewoman, was atfirst fri

ghtened; but soonafter, he wascharmed withher beauty

andsinging.

As

hisfatherwas absent, she broughthim

to_Ayodya. Dasharatha_cordiallyreceived_him; andshort

ly after, he gave away his _{foster-daughter} in _marriageto

him. Vibhandak knew _by his _yoga] that his son was

taken to_Ayodya in his_absence,and _gotso

much

enraged

that_{he immediately}went tothat_{city to}curse the

woman

todeath. Dasharatha treatedhim with _respect; and on

finding thathis sonwas married to the _{foster-daughter}of

the king, hewas _pleasedwith him andblessed_{him, saying}

that four_mighty sons wouldbe bornto him. The Rishi

then

made

a_havan.\ The_{god, Agni,} cameoutofit and

entrusted toVashista a thali fullof _payas

_^

and told

himtodivide it_equally

_among

the threewives ofthe king,

so that theymight get sons, assoonasthey partook ofit.

Vashista

made

three _pindas$ ofthepayas and gave the

largestofthem toKausalya, theeldest wifeofDasharatha,

andthe othertwo to Sumitra and _Kayakayi. Kayakayi,

the third wife of_{the king,} became jealous and said that

,she wasentitled to_{the largest pinda, because she support}

edthe chariot ofthe _{king by}her

own

hands, whichwas

about to _{give way during} the battlewith the demons.

Whileshe was thus _quarreling about it, a ghar|| from

above snatchedthe pinda from herhands and flew inthe

*

_An

_erected

seat, _f

A

unionwithBramhathroughabstract meditation. J

A

large hole madeintheground for receiving

and _{preserving consecrated} fire.

A

cooking pot. *|"

A

dish

Ramavijaya.

11

air withit. She became _{exceedingly sorry}and _beganto

weep, when Dasharathaprevailed upon Kausalyato divi

de her pindainto twohalves and_giveone to _Kayakayi

and _keep the otherfor herself. _{Kausalya accordingly} did

it;and Sumitra also did the same thing incompliance

withthe wishesof_{the king. Thus Kayakayi}got one full

pindafor herself,which she ate_{heartily. Kausalya} and

Sumitraatetheir

own

halves. Soon after, the threeladies

became pregnant. The_{pinda which} was snatched bythe

ghar fromthehands of _Kayakayi,fell_bya blast ofwind

into thehandsof_Anjani,the wifeofa_monkeycalledKesari.

She also swallowed _upthe _pinda and became pregnant.

The_storyofthe child born to _Anjani isas follows:

Anjani, the wife of _Kesari, performed a severe

penance forseven years on the hills called_Rishiparvat,

inorderthat the _god, Siva, might be pleased to bless

herwithan immortal son. Siva was _pleased with her

and said, "

An

immortal son will be born to thee as

thouwishest.

He

willbe a partof

my

body. I, there

fore,tell thee tosit here inmeditation and swallow_up

any thing that falls into _{thy hands,} so that _{thy wish}

may

be fulfilled." So _saying Siva _{dis-appeared.}

The

pinda from thebill of the ghar fell into thehands of

Anjani, andshe swallowedit_up asdirected _by Siva.

The_{ghar was} a_devangana

who

had become a bird

by the curse ofIndra. This _god was displeasedwith

her, because she did not dance properly; and it was

appointedbyBramhadevthat she wouldbe releasedfrom

the_curse, assoonas thepindafellintothehandsof_Anjani. The _devangana was _accordingly released from the

curse; and afterher release she wentto Indra. _Anjani,

after a_periodofninemonths, was deliveredof_{a powerful}

oncalled Maruti

He

was a

_monkey

and had _{a long} tail.

When

he sawthe_light, hewas hungry; and when

he did_{not get any}

12

Ramavijaya.

sun,taking him fora fruit.

At

that time

Rahu

also

camethere to devour _{the sun,}

when

Maruti said tohim*

"

Who

art thou? I have comehere firstto devour the

fruit." So _{saying he} brokethe headof

Rahu

withhis

tail _{and, catching} him _by his feet, flung him down,

Ketu

then cameto _{help him,} but he was also _severely

beaten bythe _monkey. In the mean-time, Maruti was

brought

down

byhis father, the wind.

After nine months _Kausalya, Sumitra and

Kaya-kayiweredelivered ofsons.

Rama

was bora toKausalya

Lakshuman

to Sumitra; and the twins, Bharat and

Shatrughana to _{Kayakayi. They grew up,} and the

ceremonies of _investing them withsacred threads were

performed. Theywere taught by Vashista the Vedas*

andmantras.^

On

his return from a _pilgrimage

Vis-wamitra, a Rishi,c*me to _Ayodya. Dasharatha received

him

cordially and worshipped him with devotion. The

Rishi blessedhim andsaidto _him, "

Dasharatha, I want

youto give

me

a promise thatyouwill _give

me

whatever^

I willask fromyou." The king gave him the promise

the Rishi required,

when

the latter said tothe former,

"

We

all the Rishis are _very

much

troubled by the

demons, Maricha, Subhahu, andothers. _Theyhave often

destroyed ourhavans; and consequently we are not able

to perform our yadnya\ successfully.

No

onecankill

them except

Rama.

Itherefore, wish youtosend

Rama

with

me

to kill the demons." Dasharatha was startled

and replied, "

Rishi,

how

can I send

my

tender child

with_you?

How

can he kill the mountain-like demons?

You may

ask

me

for _any other thing but notRama,"

Vishwamitra became very indignant and said, "

You

ought to have considered well, before you gave

me

the

promise.

At

any rate Imust

now

take

Rama

with me."

* _Sacred

writings of the Hindus, f Incantations, J

A

sacrifice.

Ramavijaya.

13

Inthe mean-time Vashista came there and advised the

king to send

Rama

with the Rishi, saying thatifhe

did not listen to_{him, he would} curse him andhis sons, as

he was obstinate and ofa _{choleric disposition.} Dasharatha,

then _brought

Rama

and Lakshuinan before his sabha

and_gave themin _charge ofthe Rishi. Vishwamitra then

accompanied by two youngboys, set out forthe _forest,

where the Rishis were _performing their _yadnya. But

onthe road _they were encountered by Tatika, a hide

ous andfrightfuldemoness. She had the strength often

thousandelephants, her chestwas as large as a mountain,

her hair and dress weresaturatedwith _{blood, the strings}

of dead-bodieswere _putroundher neck, andher headwas

besmeared with sliindur.*

As

soonas she sawthem, she

opened hermouth and went withother demonesses to de

vour them, when

Rama

_instantly killedher with onear

row. _Twenty croresf of demons, headed by Banasur, a

verypowerful demon, then_{came upon}

Rama

to_revengethe

killing of thedemoness; but theyallwere repulsed byhim

with _heavyloss. After the defeat of thedemons _they

proceeded on theirjourney ; andwhen they came near a

shila,\ it _began to tremble assoon as the dust fromthe

feet of

Rama

fellupon it; andno soonerdidhe touchit

with hisfeet, than itbecame a beautiful

woman

_who, bow

ingto

_Rama,

returnedtoherhusband. Thestory of

how

the

woman

becamea shilais as

follows:-Bramhadev had a _very beautiful _daughter,

named

Ahilya.

Many

gods andkings requested her father to

give her awayin _marriage tothem. But Bramhadev had

made

a condition that whoever would _go roundthe earth

and return withinsix _hours, should _marry her without

loss oftime.

_Whereupon

all the _kings and _{gods, includ}

ing Indra, wentround the earth, but none could return

within sixhours _{except Gowtam, a Rishi,} to

whom

_Ahilya

*

Keil_{powders. f} Tenmillions. j

A

flatstone,

14

_Ramavijaya.

wasmarried _agreeably to the condition. Indra became

very jealous of the Rishiand soughtto _outrage her

mo

desty.

Some

timeafterhis _{marriage he}and his wife went

to ariver withRishis forablutionson the_dayofan _eclipse.

After their ablutions were over,

Gowtam

sat there

with other Rishis for meditation; and his wife returned

home. While she was alone inher _abode, Indra went

there intheform of herhusband and_outraged her

mode

sty. In the mean-time,

Gowtam

returned _home; and

findingIndraintheabodehe cursed him and_{Ahilya, say}

ing that there wouldbe one thousand ulcers onthe _body

ofthe _god andthathis wife would beashilaandremain

in that state for_sixty thousandyears; but that as there

was no faultonher _part, she would be released from the

curse,

when

Rama

would touch her with hisfeet. _Ahilya

accordinglybecame ashilaand Indra a_{peacock with} one

thousand ulcers on his_body. While the _godin the form

of a_peacock was _flying about in _forests,the other_gods

prayed to

Gowtam

for _{him, who, having been}

pleasedwith

them, restored Indra to his former stateand turned all

the ulcers on his _body int _eyes. After the releaseof

Ahilya from the curse, Vishwainitra proceeded on his _jour

ney with

Rama

and Lakshuman. Shatanand,a son of

Ahilyaandthe priest ofthe king, Janak, also_accompani

ed him. _Theyall arrived atthe city ofMathila and put

upat agarden there.

At

the

requestof

Rama

Vfshwa-witrarelated _{the story}ofthe birth _{of Sita,}a_daughterof

Janak, whichis as follows:

"

There wasa _king called Padamaksha.

One

_day

he saidto _Lakshuini, wife of_Vishnu, I wish _you would

be bornin

_my

_family and become

_my

_daughter. She re

plied, If I beborn in yourfamilyandI become yourdau

ghter, youwillbe miserable. I have however noobjection

to become _{yourdaughter,} if

_my

husband tell

me

to do so/

Bamavijaya.

15

the favourof Vishnu,

who

was pleasedwith him and gave

hima fruit, whichthe king took at

home

and kt-.ptwith

him. After nine months were orer, the fruit borea fe

malechild, the same Lakshumi. The king, having got a

daughter, became exceedingly glad and

named

the child

Padmakshi. She _grew up aad became marriageable.

Many

kiags, derai-gods and Rishis requested her father to

give herawayia_marriage tothem, but he refusedto

com

ply with their request, saying thathe would marry herto

a

man

whose body wasdark blue.

At

this refusal theyall

got enraged and killedthe king on the spot.

Whereupon

hisdaughter threwherself intoahavan in whichthe con

secratedfire was burning.

At

thattime

Ravan

happened

to look_{at her,} and was_captivated with hercharms.

He

immediately extinguished the fire withaviewto catchher,

but_{she disappeared.}

He

foundin thehavan five ratnas*

which he gave to _{his wife,} Mandodari. The five ratnas

were _placed by Ravana aadhis wife iaabox; and soon

after, they found, totheir _{great surprise,} that a

female-child _playedinit withpleasure.

Ravana

liftedthe child,

but Mandodari said, <

If _youkeep this child _here, the

whole of

Lanka

will be set on fire. The _kingdom of

Padmaksha

was annihilated on account of this child,

and the _{poor king was} killed_by the _kings and demi

gods

who

had gonethere to_marry her. I, therefore, pro

pose that thebox shouldbethrown somewhereelse.

Ra

vana was alarmed, and ordered his minister to bury the

boxinthe _kingdomof Janak,

who

wasthebitterest

_enemy

of thedemon-king. The minister accordingly orderedhis

men

to_{carry the} boxand_bury itas directed _byRavana.

The

men

lifted_{upthe box,}

when

the child _said,*I shall

againcome hereand extirpate all the demons. Ravana

got enraged and wasabout to kill the _child,

when

Mando

dari _preventedhimfrom doingso. The box was then

car-*

16

_Ramavijaya.

riedat _nightandburied inthefield _presentedbyJanak to

a Brahman.

One

_daywhile the

Brahman

was _ploughing his field, he foundthe boxandcarriedit _{to the king.}

_The

boxwas_{opened and,}to the _great astonishment of all, a

girl oftheage of five _years was foundin it.

As

soonas the _kingsaw her, he was

moved

with_affection, and _broug

ht her _up as his_daughter.

One

_{day Purusharam,}

haying-killedall the _Kshetriyas*on _earth, came to the

_kingdom

ofJanak.

He

went intothe _palacewith the _kingtotake

dinner ; and

when

he came out after _dinner, he found

that some onehad removedthe _dhanusha^

placed byhim

at the court of_{the king.}

He

was greatly enraged and

said,

Who

has taken

my

dhanusha! Itis so _heavythat

tcan not ba removed_{even by thousands} of_elephants. So

saying lie came outof the court with the _king tolook for

t _{but, to his}

grrat surprise,he saw the girl ridingon it.

]STo soonerdid shebehold her fatherthan she left the dha

nusha there and _{ran away,}

when

Puiusharam said tothe

king,

My

incarnationis

now

over. Letthedhanusha be

here. I

now

advise_youtohold a

sccyawar^ and marry

your daughterto_any

man

who

will lift _up thebow and

breakit off. So_saying Purusharam leftfor his abode.

Soonafter, theking held a sayawar andinvitedto itall

the _kingsandEishis onearth. Allattended the _sayawar

including Havana,

who

camethere withoutinvitation. The

king toldthe _assemblythat Sitawould bemarried to _any

man who

wouldlift _up the dhanusha and break it off.

Many

king* attemptedtolift it_upbut_theyallfailed intheir

attempt. Ravana then stepped forward and loudly said

with_pride and_vanity, This bow is a_{trifling thing} to me,

I shallbreakit offin a second. I _know,ye, weak _kings

andRishis, willnot be abletolift it_up. It isI

who

would

lift _up the dhanusha and breakit off. Sita will be

_my

*_Warriors.

fA bow J The choosing from amongst a publicassembly,of a _spousebya female.

Ramavijaya.

17

wife, and 1shall beher husband. Sosaying, he began tolift_up the dhannsha with all his strengthand force ;

andwhilehewas lifting it_up,it fell heavilyon his breast,

andconsequentlyhe pantedforbreath andimploredothers

to _helphim,

when

Rama

immediatelyremoved it, atthe

suggestionof Viswamitra, andbroke it into two _pieces.

Sita,

who

wasseatedallthetime onthebackofanelephant?

put the garlandinherhands round the neck of

Rama,

when

Ravana returnedto

Lanka

withshame and confu

sion. Janakinformed Dasharathaofthe_sayawarand_reques

tedhim tocome to Mithilato celebrate the marriage of

his son with Sita. Dasharatha, full_{of joy,} wenttoMithila

with hiswives, sons, and courtiers. Soon after,

Rama

wasmarriedto Sita, and Varmila, Malitiand Shrutakirti,

the otherdaughtersof Janak, toLakshuman, Bharat, and

Shatrughnarespectively.

Rama

knew

that Purusharam

wouldcome andfightwith him on accountofthedhanusha

hehad broken; and, therefore,hedid not like to stayany

longeratMithila. Butat the requestof his father-in-law

he _{stayed there}for_{a few days more.} In the _meantime,

Narada wentto Purusharam andtoldhimthat a

man

call

ed

Rama

had brokenhisdhanusha.

He

was greatly en

ragedat this news; andhaving cometoMithiJa,he kicked

upa great rowaboutthe dhanusha.

To

fomentthe quarrel

Narada toldhimthat

Rama

hadbrokenthebow andthathe

wasso_proudthathe didnotevencome

down

to receivehim.

Purusharamgot indignant and let offarrows at

_Rama,

which melted away,as soonas the latter sawthem. Puru

sharam, knowing thathis incarnation was over, laid

down

his arms andweapons,

when

Rama

came

down

and

em

bracedhim_heartily.

Soon_{after, Dasharatha, accompanied by} hiswivesand

sons, returnedto

Ayodya

with exultationandjoy. The

king had invitedtothe _marriage of

Rama

his

Bha-Ramavijaya.

ratand- _Shatrughana to _spenda _{few days} with"_him.

Da-snaratha badehis sons _go with _him,

though they were

unwilling to part with his_brothers,

_Rama

_and

Lakshu-manfora

_{single moment.}

-Kayakayipressed her sons to

go with her brother; and _they

accordingly wentwith him.

Hama

and

Lakshuman

_{were very obedientto their}

parents

and served them with all theirheart and soul.

One

.daythe king lookingto his old _age,

_made

up his

mind

to

install

Rama

inthe throneof_Ayodya.

_He

_made

every

preparation to_perform the _{ceremonyof installationandin}

vitedtoitallthe_kingsandRishisonearth.Allthegodsand

Brahmans

wereafraid that if

Rama

_{wasinstalled in the}

throne of_Ayodya, he would not _goto

Lanka

and relieve

them from _{the oppression}of the demons. _Viranchi, one

of_{the gods,therefore,} sent _{one Tikalpa}to_go to _Ayodya

and _{prejudice Kayakayi and}all the _subjects of the _king

a_gainst

Rama

and _{put an}obstacle in the _performance of

the _ceremony, so that _{the prince might}

go to the forest

of the demons and kill themall.

Vikalpa tried his ut

mostto _prejudicethem _against

_Rama;

kit_{they were}all

so _{good and}

pious that theyremainedfaithful to_{the prince.}

There was _onlyone wicked _woman,

Mantra, a favourite

maid-servant of_Kayakayi,

whom

he_{prejudiced against}

Ra

ma. She hated_{the prince};and with a viewto_deprivehim

ofthe throne of _{Ayodya, she} wentinto the roomof

Ka

yakayi and,throwingherself onthe _ground,began tobeat

her breast withtears inher_eyes,

when

_Kayakayi asked her

what the cause ofher_griefwas.Mantra_{replied, "You,}un

fortunate

woman! Your

husband is _going to install

Rama

inthethrone of_Ayodya,and assoonasheis

placedon the

throne,he willkill _{your both} the sons. I shall be _very

glad, if_{your Bharat} is installed inthe throne/ _Kayakayi

said, "

I have, no _objection tothe installation of

Rama

whom

Ilove.as

_my

_:son, Bharat." Mantra_{got exceedingly}

enragedand beganto cryviolently.Kayakayi wentto

Ramavijaya.

19

her when _Vikalpa also_{prejudiced ber against}Rarna.

Man

tra, seeing a sudden change inher mistress,was might

ilypleased with herand kissed her. _{Kayakayi said,}

"My

dearest, just tell

me

what I shoulddoto _getridof Rama."

"

Any

how," replied Mantra, "

we must send _{him away}

and have our Bharat _placed onthe throne of_Ayodya. 1,

therefore, tell _{you with pleasure that} ifthe _king cometo1 see_you,ask himtofulfil the_{promise given by} himto_you

duringthebattlehehad_{fought with}thedemonsinheaven.

Do

you rememberthe _{promise given by} himto_you1

He

promisedyou that hewould_{give you}whatever_{you would}

ask from him as a reward for_helping him in the battle.

You

should, therefore,ask the_king tosend

Rama

tothe

forest ofthe demonsforfourteen _yearsandplace Bharat

onthe throneof _Ayodya.

And

another _thingis that if

the princegoes tothe_forest, the _kingwillsoon_{die of grief}

for his son; anditwill bethena very good _thing for you

andyoursons to_{passyour days}in_{happiness." Kayakayi}

liked the advice of Mantra j and before the king came in

toherroomatnight, she hadtaken off herornamentsand

thrown herselfon the _ground withher hair in disorder.

In the meantime, the _kingentered herroom and as keel

herwhatthematter_was,when she _replied, "

Thou, wick

ed _king.

Be

_gone. I

know

yourheart.

You

are _going

tobanish

_my

sonsto aforest and _{give the kingdom} to

Rama." Dasharatha _replied, "

What

_yousay is _untrue,

because Ilove Bharat_{and Shatrughana} as

much

as I love

Rama

and Lakshuman." _{Kayakayireplied,}"

Be

gone. I

do not want _youin

_my

room." The_king felt it _bad,

when _{Kayakayispoke}those words;andinorderto _pacify

herhe askedherwhatshewanted_{from him,when Kayakayi}

replied, "

The_{promise given} to

me

_{byyou during}the bat

tle withthedemons,must be

now

fulfilled.

What

I want

from_youis that_you should banish

Rama

tothe forestof

20

Ramavijaya.

inthe throne ofAyodya." The king was thunder-struck,

when

Kayakayi

made

thecrueldemand, andpersuaded her

much

toask him for_something else; bat she would not

mind

him. In the meantime, his faithful minister,

Simianfc, came andinformed the king,

who

was lying on

the _ground in disorder, that_everything was_ready for _per

formingthe ceremonyof installation,

when

thelatter told

the formerwhat had happened inthe

room

of _Kayakayi.

Theminister,beingexceedinglysorry,went andcalled

Rama-in the room of Kayakayi. The prince came and implored

hisfathertotellhim the causeof_{his grief,}

when

_Kayakayi

replied "The _kinghad _given

me

a _promise at the battle

with thedemons thatlie wouldgive

me

whatever I would

ask from him. I have asked himto fulfil that _promise,

andsince then he has been very sorry."

Rama

said,

"

I

think, he is notable _enonghto _{complywith your}demand."

Kayakayi repled, "

I should think so." Well"said

_Rama,

"

if

_my

father cannot giveyou what you want from him,

I _promise to_giveitto

you."Kayakayireplied, "Thengoto

the forest ofthedemons forfourteen years with

Lakshu-man

andlet

_my

_{son, Bharat,} rule in _Ayodya."

Rama

said, "

Most_willingly. I have no objectionto doso. It is

just the samethingtome, because Bharat andIare one."

Rama

then, takinghis leave of _Kayakayiwent to his

mo

ther, Kausalya, andtoldher what hadhappened. Kausalya became _{very sorry} andsaid, Thoushaltnot leave me.

Hide _thyself in

_my

room for fourteen _years, and I shall

keepthe_secrecy. Icannot remain withoutthee."

Rama

_repli

ed, "Mother,excuse rne. I

am

now

boundby

my

promise

to _gotothe forest." So_{saying he threw}himself at herfeet

andobtainedher _permissionto _go tothe forest."

He

then

wentto

Lakshuman

andtoldhim allthathad taken _place,

when

thelatter said, "Ishallaccompany_you. I cannotlive

herewithout_you, andif_youleave

me

here alone and_go to

consent-Ramavijaya.

21

ed totake

Lakshnman

with him, wenjf,

f_{o his}

wife, Sita, and said,

"

I

am

goingto the forest btthe demons for

fourteen years; and until T returnto _Ayodya, 1 _{ask you}to

livewith _Kausalya. I cannot take _you with

me

in the

forest,asyouare delicateand willnotbe able tobearhard

ship with me."

"

T shall follow you,"

replied Sita, "and

share_anymisfortune that

_may

befall _you. I, therefore,

go

down

on

my

knees andimplore you notto leave

me

here alone."

Whereupon

Rama

consulted Vashista and

promised Sitathathewould alsotakeher with_{him. Lastly}

hewentto takehis leave of _Dasharatha, when the

king-saidwith _{tears in his eyes,} "

I feel

much

for thee. The

wicked and wretched

woman

has done this all,and I do

not thinkthat I shalllive until tliou returnest to _Ayodya.

Ishall die of grief for thee.

As

I cannot tell theeto break

the_{promise given by}theeto_Kayakayi,I_{give thee}

_my

cons

entto _go to the forest. _Child,takewith theeall necessarv

thingsand pass thy daysin happiness.

"

"Father, replied

Rama,

"Ido not want any_thing. I shalldress

myself in

valkalyas* andpass

my

daysinmeditation."

As

soon as

Rama

spokethese words, Kayakayibroughtvalkalyas and

placedthem before

Kama,

Sitaand Lakshuman,

whodress-ed themselves inthem and setou for theforest with tho

minister, Sumant. Theyarrived at

_Shramga

Yera, where

Rama

sat

down

for rest on_{the grass} underthe shade ofa

treenear a beautifulriver _{and, having} refreshed himself

there,requested a fisherman called Guhaka,

who

was his

devotee, to_convey himwith Sita and

Lakshuman

totho

otherside ofthe river.

Guhaka

asked him

who

_{he was,}

when

he informedhim that he was

_Rama,

the eldest son

ofDasharatha.

_Whereupon

_{the fisherman,having embraced}

him, conveyed him with Sita and

Lakshuman

to the

otherside of the river, when

Sumant

tookhisleave of tho

princeand returnedto _Ayodya.

Rama

then went to the

*

22

Ramavijaya.

abode of

_Bharadw\

a Rishi,

who

worshipped him and re

quested him tosfay withhim iorabout fifteen _days,

when

the princesaid, "Icannot_stay withyou any_longer,because

the people of _Ayodya will often come here and entreat

me

toreturnto the _kingdom. I shall, therefore, go to the

Dandakaranya"*

At

the request of

Kama

_Bharadwaj

showedhimthe _waythat led totbe hillscalledChitrakuta,

where

_many

learnedRishislived.

He

went _uptothe hills

and saw Valmika,aRishi, andworshippedhim withrespect

andreverence.

Lakshuman

built a _{parnakutika^ there,}

and_they all lived in it.

On

thereturn of Surnant to_Ayodya Dasharathadied

of_{grief for}

Rama.

It was _{a pity} thatnone of his sons

was _presentat thetime of his death. His wives, Kausalya

and _Sumitra,

much

mournedforthe_{king but Kayakayi} did

not sheda tear for him. To _performthe funeral_ceremony

ofthe _kinghis _sons, Bharatand _Shatrughana, weresent

for, and until they returnedtoAyodya, his_body was _pres

ervedina _Kadayi,^ full of oil. Soon after, Bharat and

.Shatrughana returned to the city; and, having seen the

lifeless _body of their father, they violently criedand

much

lamented for tmn. Vashishta _said, "

The body of the

king cannot be burnt,- unless some one is_placed onthe

throneof _Ayodya.

Rama

and

Lakshuman

have_goneto the

forest^ and I, therefore, ask Bharat tooccupy the throne,

as _Kayakayihas _got

them

banished to the forest to se

cure the throne for him. "

At

this information Bharatwas

startled, and saidto Vashishta with _{tears in his eyes,} "0 !

how

can I bearthis _grief? I do not wantthe _kingdom. I

want_{nothing from}this_city. I _go

down

on

_my

knees and

beseech you notto install

me

inthe throne, as

_my

beloved

Rainais _{a rightful}claimant ofit. I will _{go wherever}

Ra

ma

is, and pass

my

days with him." _Having

known

the

*

_A

forestcalled _{Dandakaranya. f}

A

small hut. _J

A

large vesselmadeofiron.

Ramavijaya.

23

heartof Bh-iratVashishta _{placed the padukas*} of

Kama

onthe throne and_proclaimedhimas the _king of _Ayodya,

Shortlyafter, thebodyof1 Dasharatha was _carried to tlie

funeral_ground, andburntwithallhiswives,except

Kausal-ya, Sumitra and Kayakayi. Kausalya and Sumitra were

ready toburn themselveswith theirhusband, but Vashishta

prevented them from doing so, as they had sons. After

the funeral_ceremonyof Dasharatha was over,Bharat wenfe

and sawhis_{mother,Kayakayi,}when shesaid, "Son! Ihave

caused

Rama

and

Lakshuman

tobebanishedto a forestand

secured the kingdom for_{you with} the greatest difficulty.

Now

without _delay take _charge of the _kingdom, and

youwill_{be very happy.}

We

have

now

noenemies; and

it is _{a verygoodsign that the king has}alsodied." Bharat

got very

much

enraged atwhathehadheardfrom_Kayakayi

andreplied, "Youare amurderessof_{your husband} and an enemyof Rama. It ismost_sinful,wickedanddisgraceful

on yourparttocause thedeathof

_my

fatherandthe banish

ment of

_my

dear brothertothe forest.

Rama

is _{the right}

ful claimant of _{the throne,} let him come and take his

kingdom. Iwant_{nothing except}

Rama

andshall _pass

my

days with him inthe forest." So _saying he dressed

himselfin _valkalyasand setoutfor Chitrakuta _{to join his}

brothers.

He

wasfollowed_{byVashista,Kausalya, Sumitra,}

Shatrughana, Sumant, andall_{the people} of_Ayodya,

who

were_veryanxious to see

Rama.

Thay all arrived at the

river,where,

Guhaka

had his hut;and atthe _{request of}

Bharat the _{fisherman conveyed}all_{the people} to the other

side ofthe river.

Lakshuman

_having seen the people,,

thoughtthatKayakayi hadsentthemtokill

Rama

_{and began}

toletoffarrowsat them. But

Rama

_{stopped him, saying}

that theywere not his _{enemies. Shortly after, they} all

reached the _paranakutikaof

_Rama,

when_{the prince}embra

cedthem_{very affectionately}andasked his mother

how

the

* _Wooden shoes,

23:

Eamavijaya.

king wasdoing. Kausalya,overwhelmed with_grief,could

notutter a _word, when Vashista broke the sad newsto

him.

He

_deeply mourned for his father and remained

mutefora while. Vashishta condoled withhimto_perform

the last_ceremonyof his father.

_Whereupon

he went to

theriver, Gaya, and performedthe _ceremony.

Kausalya,

Sumitra, Vashishta,and all_{the people persuaded}

_Rama

to

return to _Ayoclya and take_charge of the _kingdom, when

lie

said, "

I

am

_alwaystrue to

_my

_promise, faithful to

_my

wife, and of a firm resolution. I

cannot, therofore, break

the _{promise given by}

me

to

_my

_{mother, Kayakayi,}in fulfil

mentof the _{promise given by}

_my

fatherto herand return

to

_Ayodya

under _any circumstances." Bharat_said, If

you do not corne to _Ayodya, I will_{go somewhere}else and

pass

my

days there until_youreturn to the

city." llama

stroking his head, replied, "Bharatdo notbedisheartened

1 shall returnto

_Ayodya

in fourteen years and fourteen

days. I,therefore, wish you to _go back to the _city and

rulethere on

_my

behalf. Bharat_said, "

I

am

_{very glad} to_obeyyou, but I shall not feel therewell without _your

company. I therefore, begthatyouwill _kindly let

me

_go

to

_Nandigram

andstay therefor_{fourteen years} andfourt een days."

Rama

replied,

"

If_you will not be _happyin.

Ayodya

in

_my

_absence, I shalllet_yougo to _Nandigrain.7

"

But"

said _Bharat,"if _youdo notreturn from theforest

within _{fourteen years}and fourteen _days, I shall commit

.suicide. "

Rauia, having been pleasedwith his _brotherly

feelings,gavehimhis _{padukas and}senthim to_{]SJ"andigram}

where he livedas a_Joyi* for_{fourteen years} and fourteen

day?.

Rama

also _gave his_padukas to _Shatrughana and

uade him_go to_{Ayodya and} rulethereon his behalf.

Sha-trughana returnedto

_Ayodya

with_Kaut-alya, Sumitra,and

"all the peoplewho

had. accompanied him.

A

few days af

terhe had left for _Ayodya,the _Brahmans,

who

lived a

*

_An

ascetic.

Ramavijaya.

25

Chitrakuta, said,

"

Rama,

yourwifeis _veryhandsome and

attractive. If _{youstay here} with us _any longer, the de

mons

will comehere anddevourusall.

We

areinformed

that the demons, Trishira,Khur, and Dushan, will_shortly

comehere tocarryoff_your Sita.

We,

therefore, request

youto leavethis _{place at} once."

Rama

_replied,

"

You

need not beafraid. Letall the demons on earth come here,I shall kill themalland defendyou. The

Brah-mans, having no faithin what

Rama

had _said, left the

hillswith theirwives and children. Soon after,

Rama

removedtothe _Dandakaranya ; and on his way to the

forest, he killeda

demon

calledViradha.

Viradha was a_gandharv called Tumbar.

One

_day

Kuber, havingcalledhimin his _presenceto _singfor_him,

the _demi-god got tipsy and went before him.

Kuber

got enragedathisconductand cursed him, saying that

he wouldbe a

demon

andwould wander in the forest for

ten thousandyears but thathe would be released from

thecurse,

when

hewould bekilled bythe hands of

Rama.

As

_appointed, the _gandharv was killed _by

Rama

and

releasedfromthecurse.

Rama

spent thirteen years with Sita and

Lakshu-man

in visiting holyplaces.

And

during his _pilgrimage

hevisitedthe abodeof _{Atri, a Brahman,where he worship}

ped the threeheaded _{god, Datatraya.} Thence he went

and visited _Agasti,a _{very powerful} Rishi. The _story ofthe _powerofthe Rishi is asfollows:

"

There livedthreedemons called _{Atapi, Vatapi,} and

Alva. Theywereblessed _{bythe god, Siva,} with the art

ofenchantment, by means of which _they devoured the

innocent Brahmans. _Vatapi became food and Alva

water. _Atapi became a benefactor and invited

every

Brahman

to _partakeofthe food and water. The Brah

man

came;andas soonas heate the foodarid drank the