Ramavijaya - 1

Dear Readers, 
In Sai Satcharitra, it is stated that parayan of Ramavijaya pleases Yama ( Lord of Death ). Besides, i am told that parayan of this book gives victory in our endeavours besides peace. With great difficulty i could trace this version in English. It has lot of spelling mistakes and i seek your apology for the same. I hope you will be benefitted by this parayan.
Om Sai Ram

Ramavijaya - 1

Powlasti, a son of Bramhadev* was married to Devavarni, and he had a son called Vishrava. A daughter of Bharadwaja,  Rishi,  was given away in marriage to Vishrava; and she had a son called Kuber. Bramhadev had created Lanka and given it to Kuber. While Kuber was ruling there, a demon came from Patal in the form of a Brahman and became very jealous of him. The demon said to himself, " Lanka is my country and this man has no right to rule here. " So saying to himself he gave away his daughter, Kakesi, in marriage to Vishrava with a view to drive out Kuber of his country, Lanka, with the help of the sons who would be born to her by him. Vishrava had got by Kakesi three demons, Ravana, Kumbha- karna, and Vibhishana and two demonesses, Tateka and Surpanakha.

Ravana and his brothers went to Gokarna, where they performed severe penances. Siva was propitiated by Ravana, Bramhadev by Kumbhakarna, and Vishnu^ by Vibhishana. Bramhadev was pleased with them and called upon them to ask him for blessings. Ravana was blessed with a power to imprison all gods and also with wealth and learning. Kumbhakarna wanted such a blessing from Bramhadev as would enable him to devour heaven and earth. All the gods were, therefore, alarmed and prayed to the goddess, Saraswati, who induced the demon to ask the god for sleep. Bramhadev blessed him with sleep, saying that the demon would rise every six months to eat his meals and indulge in all other luxuries. Vibhishana,was blessed with a power to pray always to Vishnu. Ravana and Kumbhakarana then collected all demons including Kharadushana and Trishira and marched against Kuber to conquer Lanka. They fought with Kuber with bravery, but the latter repulsed them with heavy loss. Ravana then went to Vishrava and brought his letter to Kuber asking him to give Lanka to the demon without any resistance. On reading the letter from his father he gave the country to 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, was married to Kumbhakarna, and Sharma, a daughter of a Gandharv to Vibhishana. Ravana conquered all countries and devoured a large number of Brahmans and cows. He robbed Kuber of his treasure and oppressed all other people. He had eight thousand wives, one lac sons and one lac and twenty thousand grand-sons. He had eighteen kshoyanis^ of musicians, who entertained him with music. All kings were his slaves, and eight thousand torches lighted his sabha every night. All mountains for fear of Indra^ prayed to Ravana for protection, who told them to become elephants. They accordingly became elephants whom he engaged as his servants.

He then marched against Indra with his eldest son, Meghanad. A severe battle took place between the gods and the demons, but the former were defeated by the latter. In that battle Meghanad flung down Indra with his hairawati. An elephant,hence he was called Inderajit, the conquerer of Indra. All the gods were seized by Ravana and released on the condition that they should serve him in his household in different capacities. All the gods became his slaves ; Indra served him as his butler, Chandra held a chatra* over him, Kuber and Anil cleaned and washed all the things in his house. Agni served him as his washerman, and Gabhasti as his page. Brahaspati was his pleader, Brahmhadev his priest, and Narada always entertained him with singing. Ravana became a great favourite of Siva ; and by his blessing he had gotten faces and twenty hands.

One day he, proud of his prosperity, went by his viman to Kailasa, the place of Siva, when Nandi^ who was guarding the door of the abode in which the god lived, prevented him from entering it. The demon was greatly insulted at the conduct of Nandi, and said " I do not care a fig of thee and thy master." So saying he began to force his way in, when Siva cursed him and said to him, " A human being and monkeys will kill thee in a battle." Enraged at this curse he tried to pull off the mountain on which the abode of Siva stood with a view to carry it to Lanka, when the god pressed it in such a manner that the domon- king was confined to it for one thousand years. He always cried and prayed to Siva during the time for his release. One day the god pitied him and set him free.

Thence he went to Sahasrarjun and praised his own strength there, when the latter caught hold of him and put him in his arms. He was ashamed and went to the kingdom of Bali, who possessed prodigious strength. He entered the palace of the king and  praised his valour and bravery, when the latter said in order to test his strength, " There lie the kundalas | of the demon, ^eranyakashapu, whom "Vishnu had killked to protect Prahlada. Just go and get the ornaments here." Ravana went to bring them but he could not lift them up, when Bali said to him, "If thou cant bring the kundalas, just get that die which fell down there, while my wife and I were playing together. Ravana accordingly went to bring the die but, to his great surprise, he could not remove it, when both Bali and his wife heartily laughed at him. Ravana, humbled as he was, set out for Lanka; but on the road he was robbed of his clothes and ornaments and let off with soot being applied to his ten faces and with his hands tied up behind like a prisoner. He was much troubled by the people on the road. Some threw dust at him, some slapped him in the face, some pulled him by the beard and others made him sit down on a dung-hill. A maid-servant of Bali caught him so forcibly that he implored her to spare his life. Vishrava then came there and begged of Bali to make a present of the demon to him. His request was granted and Ravana was let off.

The demon-king returned to Lanka with shame and confusion. A few days after his return to Lanka he went to catch Vali, who carried him away in his arms to his house and tied him up to the cradle in which his son, Angada, was fast asleep. Vishrava came and requested Vali to set him free. Vali granted his request and, applying soot to all the faces of Ravana, allowed him to go to Lanka. One day he asked Bramhadev to inform him by whose hands he would die, when the god told him that he would die by the hands of Rama, a son of Dasharatha and grand-son of Ajapal. Ravana got very indignant and said that he would kill Dasharatha and his wife by any means. Soon after, Ajapal made preparations for celebrating the marriage of his son with Kausalya, when Narada told him to watch his son and daughter-in-law, because Ravana would kill them under any circumstances. Where upon Ajapal took Dasharatha and Kausalya on board a ship in the sea far off and was about to tell his priest to perform their marriage, when Ravana attacked the ship at night with a large army of demons and broke her in the sea. All perished except Dasharatha and Kausalya. Ravana put Kausalya into a box and handed it over to a fish, which carried it to a desolate island and deposited it there for safety. Dasharatha struggled much with the waves of the sea but at last he got into a broken vessel, which was carried by the waves to the island, where the

box was deposited by the fish. Dasharatha landed on the sea-shore ; and seeing the box there he seated himself up on it for rest. Having got refreshed, he opened the box out of curiosity but, to his great surprise, he found Kausalya in it. Narada came there in the meantime and, having performed their marriage, blessed them, saying that the god, Rama, would be born to them.

In Lanka Ravana asked the god, Bramhadev, about his prediction. He said to the god, " Where is Dasharatha? You know, he has already perished in the sea." Brahmadev replied, "Long since Dasharatha has been married to Kausalya; and you will see that Rama will be shortly born to them." Ravana said, " Well then, get them here." Bramhadev replied, " If I get them here, what will you give me ?" Ravana said, "I promise to give you whatever you will ask from me." Bramhadev then went and brought the box from the island and, having opened it, he showed the bride and bride- groom to the demon. As soon as he saw them, he got exceedingly enraged and was about to cut off their heads, when Bramhadev stepped forward and said to him, " You promised me that you would give me whatever.! would ask from you. I, therefore, ask you not to kill Dasharatha and Kausalya. Ravana replied, " You may ask me for any other thing but I cannot spare the lives of those wretched beings." Bramhadev said, " I do not want any other things from you but I want you to spare their lives. Ravana could not break his promise and accordingly spared their lives. Bramhadey then brought them to Ayodya, and placed Dasharatha on the throne of the country.

One day while Ravana was going by his viman, he observed on the road a beautiful woman, who was the wife of a god and sought to outrage her modesty. She complained to Bramhadev against the conduct of the demon, when the god cursed him and said that if he would outrage the modesty of any woman, he would be cut into one hundred pieces. For fear of the curse he let her go and began to devour the Brahmans and cows that came in his way. The earth trembled and went in the form of a cow to Brahmhadev with all the gods and Rishis and applied to him for

protection, when a voice said, " I will be born in the family of Dasharatha and called Rama ; and killing Ravana and all other demons, I will make all the gods and good people happy. For the purpose of helping me the Shesha * on which I lie, will be my second brother, who will be named Lakshman, the shankha which is in my hand, will be my third brother, who will be called Bharata and the sudarshan^ my weapon, will be my fourth brother, who will be -named Shatrughana; and ye, all the gods, will be monkeys.- Siva will be Maruti; Bramhadev, Janbuvant; Dhana- vantari, Sushen; Biahasapati, Angada ; the sun, Sugriva; Agni, Nala; and Yama, Rashabha. Listening to the voice of Vishnu all the gods and Rishis were glad and returned to their respective places.

At Ayodya Dasharatha married more wives, Sumitra and Kayakayi. He was an accomplished prince and very dexterous in the use of dhanushabans. One day he dreamt a dream in which he found that he had killed an innocent man and woman. Where upon he asked his guru*Vashista, a Rishi, to interpret the dream, when the latter said to him, " This dream indicates bad omens. I, therefore, advise you to kill a few stags and perform a penance, so that nothing bad may happen to you." Listening to the advice of the guru Dasharatha went to a forest for hunting stags ; and though he worked hard the whole day, he did not come across any stag. At the sun-set he lay in wait at a lake anxiously expecting a stag there. But, in the meantime, a man called Shravan came there with a kavada* across his shoulders in which his helpless old mother and father were seated by him. His parents, being thirsty, asked their son to fetch some water for them. Whereupon Shravan placed the kavada on the ground, and taking a goblet in his hand, went to the lake ; but whilst he was taking the water, the king took him for a stag and discharged an arrow at him, which passed through his heart. Dasharatha came where he was lying and became extremely sorry for the accident, when Shravan said to him, " I shall not now live. Please, therefore, take some water in this goblet and give it to my parents, as they are very thirsty ; and as soon as I hear that they have quenched their thirst, I shall instantly die. They are very old and cannot walk I carry them in a kavada across my shoulder. Oh, my good king, take care of these poor creatures. There is no one to look after them." Dasharatha sighed and wept but the loss was irreparable. The king then took some water in the goblet and stood where the kavada was placed without speaking a word. The old woman and the man, who were blind, taking him for Shravan, said, " Child, why doest thou not speak ? Art thou angry with us, because we sent thee to the lake at this hour ? Child, thou art always obedient to us and what has irritated thee today ? * These words made Dasharatha shed tears, and at last he broke the sad news to the old parents of Shravan, when they cried violently and said, " Shravan, none can get a son like thee in this world. We feel much for thee and die with thee. Oh, we cannot bear this grief. You, the murderer of our child, we curse you and say that you will also die of grief for your son in the same way we do." So saying they instantly expired. Dasharatha grieved much for Shravan and his old parents whom he had killed by his own hands, and performed their funeral ceremonies.

The king then returned to Ayodya and informed Vashista of what had happened. At this time there was a great famine in the country, as there was no rain for twelve years; and consequently the subjects of the king died of thirst and hunger one after another. The rain was stopped, be cause Vrashaparva, a powerful demon, fought with the gods

in heaven with the assistance of his guru, Shukra. Indra, therefore, sent a chariot to Dasharatha and requested him to come up to heaven and kill the demon, informing him at the same time, that the rain was stopped on account of the battle with the gods. Whereupon Dasharatha went by the chariot to Indra with his favourit wife, Kayakayi.

Immediately on his arrival there Dasharatha fought with the demons and killed a large number of them, when Vrashaparva made an attack upon the king but he was also repulsed. His guru, Shukra, then took the field and discharged arrows at the king, when the chariot of the king was about to give way but his wife, Kayakayi, supported it by one of her hands, of which the king knew nothing. Dasharatha bravely continued the fight and cut off the guru s horse and mugut.* Shukra fled in alarm with the other demons. When every thing was over, the king was informed that the victory he had gained in the battle with the demons, was due to his wife, Kayakayi. The king was pleased with her, and asked her what reward she wanted from him. Kayakayi replied, " Kindly give me your promise that you will give me whatever I will ask from you; and I shall ask you for it whenever I like." The king generously gave the promise she required.

The victory, gained by Dasharatha in the battle with the demons, was due to Kayakayi, because when she was young, a Tapaswi* came to her parents and stayed with them for a day. At the time of his bathing her mother told her to go and rub his body with scents. She accordingly went to him with the scents ; but finding that the Tapaswi was absorbed in meditation, she applied soot to his face instead of the scents. Having found that the soot had been applied to his face, he got indignant and cursed the doer of the mischief and said. " Whoever has applied this soot to my face, will always be looked upon by all people with contempt." Her mother was afraid of this curse; and finding that it was her daughter s doing, she threw herself at the feet of the Tapaswi and implored him to make the curse a little milder. Whereupon the Tapaswi said, " The hand with which your daughter has applied the soot to my face, will give success to her husband in a battle which he will fight with demons and for which only she will be praised by all."

After the battle was over, Brahasapti asked the king whether he had any issue. Dasharatha replied, " I am very sorry that I have no issue." The god blessed him and said, " Vishnu, the protecting god of the universe, will be born to you." Indra said, " There is a Rishi called Shringa Rishi, who has not yet seen a human face. He lives with his father in a forest ; and if he is induced and brought to Ayodya, his father, who is a great Tapaswi, will come there in search of his son; and by his blessing you will get children. I shall, therefore, send a devangana to the forest to charm him with her beauty and singing,

so that he may easily follow her." Dasharatha thanked Indra and returned to Ayodya with Kayakayi.

Indra accordingly sent a devangana to the forest. The young Rishi was placed by his father, Vibhandak, on a mala* in order that he might not be devoured by lions and tigers. The young boy, having seen the woman, was at first frightened; but soon after, he was charmed with her beauty and singing. As his father was absent, she brought him to Ayodya. Dasharatha cordially received him; and shortly after, he gave away his foster-daughter in marriage to him. Vibhandak knew by his yoga that his son was taken to Ayodya in his absence, and got so much enraged that he immediately went to that city to curse the woman to death. Dasharatha treated him with respect ; and on finding that his son was married to the foster-daughter of the king, he was pleased with him and blessed him, saying that four mighty sons would be born to him.

The Rishi then made a havan. The god, Agni, came out of it and entrusted to Vashista a thali full of pay as ^ and told him to divide it equally among the three wives of the king, so that they might get sons, as soon as they partook of it. Vashista made three pindas  of the payas and gave the largest of them to Kausalya, the eldest wife of Dasharatha, and the other two to Sumitra and Kayakayi. Kayakayi, the third wife of the king, became jealous and said that ,she was entitled to the largest pinda, because she supported the chariot of the king by her own hands, which was about to give way during the battle with the demons. While she was thus quarreling about it, a kite from above snatched the pinda from her hands and flew in the air with it. She became exceedingly sorry and began to weep, when Dasharatha prevailed upon Kausalya to divide her pinda into two halves and give one to Kayakayi and keep the other for herself. Kausalya accordingly did it; and Sumitra also did the same thing in compliance with the wishes of the king. Thus Kayakayi got one full pinda for herself, which she ate heartily. Kausalya and Sumitra ate their own halves. Soon after, the three ladies became pregnant. The pinda which was snatched by the kite from the hands of Kayakayi, fell by a blast of wind into the hands of Anjani, the wife of a monkey called Kesari. She also swallowed up the pinda and became pregnant.

The story of the child born to Anjani is as follows: Anjani, the wife of Kesari, performed a severe penance for seven years on the hills called Rishiparvat, in order that the god, Siva, might be pleased to bless her with an immortal son. Siva was pleased with her and said, " An immortal son will be born to thee as thou wish. He will be a part of my body. I, therefore, tell thee to sit here in meditation 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 the bill of the kite fell into the hands of Anjani, and she swallowed it up as directed by Siva.

The kite was a devangana who had become a bird by the curse of Indra. This god was displeased with her, because she did not dance properly; and it was appointed by Bramhadev that she would be released from the curse, as soon as the pinda fell into the hands of Anjani.

The devangana was accordingly released from the curse; and after her release she went to Indra. Anjani, after a period of nine months, was delivered of a powerful son called Maruti He was a monkey and had a long tail. When he saw the light, he was hungry; and when he did not get anything to eat, he went to devour the sun, taking him for a fruit. At that time Rahu also came there to devour the sun, when Maruti said to him* " Who art thou ? I have come here first to devour the fruit." So saying he broke the head of Rahu with his tail and, catching him by his feet, flung him down, Ketu then came to help him, but he was also severely beaten by the monkey. In the mean-time, Maruti was brought down by his father, the wind.

After nine months Kausalya, Sumitra and Kayakayi were delivered of sons. Rama was bora to Kausalya Lakshuman to Sumitra ; and the twins, Bharat and Shatrughana to Kayakayi. They grew up, and the ceremonies of investing them with sacred threads were performed. They were taught by Vashista the Vedas* and mantras.^ On his return from a pilgrimage Viswamitra, a Rishi, came to Ayodya. Dasharatha received him cordially and worshipped him with devotion. The Rishi blessed him and said to him, " Dasharatha, I want you to give me a promise that you will give me whatever^ I will ask from you." The king gave him the promise the Rishi required, when the latter said to the former, " We all the Rishis are very much troubled by the demons, Maricha, Subhahu, and others. They have often destroyed our havans; and consequently we are not able to perform our yadnya successfully. No one can kill them except Rama. I therefore, wish you to send 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 not Rama," Vishwamitra became very indignant and said, " You ought to have considered well, before you gave me the promise. At any rate I must now take Rama with me."

In the mean-time Vashista came there and advised the king to send Rama with the Rishi, saying that if he did not listen to him, he would curse him and his sons, as he was obstinate and of a choleric disposition. Dasharatha, then brought Rama and Lakshman before his sabha and gave them in charge of the Rishi. Vishwamitra then accompanied by two young boys, set out for the forest, where the Rishis were performing their yadnya. But on the road they were encountered by Tatika, a hideous and frightful demoness. She had the strength of ten thousand elephants, her chest was as large as a mountain, her hair and dress were saturated with blood, the strings of dead-bodies were put round her neck, and her head was with sindur.*As soon as she saw them, she opened her mouth and went with other demonesses to devour them, when Rama instantly killed her with one arrow. Twenty crores of demons, headed by Banasur, a very powerful demon, then came upon Rama to revenge the killing of the demoness; but they all were repulsed by him with heavy loss. After the defeat of the demons they proceeded on their journey ; and when they came near a shila, it began to tremble as soon as the dust from the feet of Rama fell upon it ; and no sooner did he touch it with his feet, than it became a beautiful woman who, bowing to Rama, returned to her husband.

The story of how the woman became a shila is as follows:- Bramhadev had a very beautiful daughter, named Ahilya. Many gods and kings requested her father to give her away in marriage to them. But Bramhadev had made a condition that whoever would go round the earth and return within six hours, should marry her without loss of time. Whereupon all the kings and gods, including Indra, went round the earth, but none could return within six hours except Gowtam, a Rishi, to whom Ahilya was married agreeably to the condition. Indra became very jealous of the Rishi and sought to outrage her modesty. Sometime after his marriage he and his wife went to a river with Rishis for ablutions on the day of an eclipse. After their ablutions were over, Gowtam sat there with other Rishis for meditation ; and his wife returned home. While she was alone in her abode, Indra went there in the form of her husband and outraged her modesty. In the mean-time, Gowtam returned home; and finding Indra in the abode he cursed him and Ahilya, saying that there would be one thousand ulcers on the body of the god and that his wife would be a shila and remain in that state for sixty thousand years ; but that as there was no fault on her part, she would be released from the curse, when Rama would touch her with his feet. Ahilya accordingly became a shila and Indra a peacock with one thousand ulcers on his body. While the god in the form of a peacock was flying about in forests, the other gods prayed to Gowtam for him, who, having been pleased with them, restored Indra to his former state and turned all the ulcers on his body into eyes.

After the release of Ahilya from the curse, Vishwainitra proceeded on his journey with Rama and Lakshuman. Shatanand, a son of Ahilya and the priest of the king, Janak, also accompanied him. They all arrived at the city of Mithila and put up at a garden there.

At the request of Rama Vishwamitra related the story of the birth of Sita, a daughter of Janak, which is as follows: " There was a king called Padamaksha. One day he said to Lakshmi, wife of Vishnu, I wish you would be born in my family and become my daughter. She replied, If I be born in your family and I become your daughter, you will be miserable. I have however no objection to become your daughter, if my husband tell me to do so Whereupon the king performed a severe penance to gain the favour of Vishnu, who was pleased with him and gave him a fruit, which the king took at home and kept with him. After nine months were over, the fruit bore a female child, the same Lakshmi. The king, having got a daughter, became exceedingly glad and named the child Padmakshi. She grew up and became marriageable. Many kings, demi-gods and Rishis requested her father to give her away in marriage to them, but he refused to comply with their request, saying that he would marry her to a man whose body was dark blue. At this refusal they all got enraged and killed the king on the spot. Whereupon his daughter threw herself into a havan in which the consecrated fire was burning. At that time Ravan happened to look at her, and was captivated with her charms. He immediately extinguished the fire with a view to catch her, but she disappeared. He found in the havan five ratnas* which he gave to his wife, Mandodari. The five ratnas were placed by Ravana aad his wife in a box ; and soon after, they found, to their great surprise, that a female child played in it with pleasure. Ravana lifted the child, but Mandodari said, If you keep 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 gone there to marry her.I, therefore, propose that the box should be thrown somewhere else. Ravana was alarmed, and ordered his minister to bury the box in the kingdom of Janak, who was the bitterest enemy of the demon-king. The minister accordingly ordered his men to carry the box and bury it as directed by Ravana. The men lifted up the box, when the child said,* I shall again come here and extirpate all the demons. Ravana got enraged and was about to kill the child, when Mandodari prevented him from doing so. The box was then carried at night and buried in the field presented by Janak to a Brahman.

One day while the Brahman was ploughing his field, he found the box and carried it to the king. The box was opened and, to the great astonishment of all, a girl of the age of five years was found in it. As soon as the king saw her, he was moved with affection, and brought her up as his daughter. One day Purusharam, having killed all the Kshetriyas* on earth, came to the kingdom of Janak. He went into the palace with the king to take dinner ; and when he came out after dinner, he found that some one had removed the dhanusha^ placed by him at the court of the king. He was greatly enraged and said, Who has taken my dhanusha ! It is so heavy that it cannot be removed even by thousands of elephants. So saying he came out of the court with the king to look for it but, to his great surprise, he saw the girl riding on it. No sooner did she behold her father than she left the dhanusha there and ran away, when Parusharam said to the king, My incarnation is now over. Let the dhanusha be here. I now advise you to hold a swayawar^ and marry your daughter to any man who will lift up the bow and break it off. So saying Purusharam left for his abode.

Soon after, the king held a swayawar and invited to it all the kings and rishis on earth. All attended the swayawar including Ravana, who came there without invitation. The king told the assembly that Sita would be married to any man who would lift up the dhanusha and break it off. Many kings attempted to lift it up but they all failed in their attempt. Ravana then stepped forward and loudly said with pride and vanity, This bow is a trifling thing to me, I shall break it off in a second. I know, ye, weak kings and Rishis, will not be able to lift it up. It is I who would lift up the dhanusha and break it off. Sita will be my wife, and 1 shall be her husband. So saying, he began to lift up the dhanusha with all his strength and force ; and while he was lifting it up, it fell heavily on his breast, and consequently he panted for breath and implored others to help him, when Rama immediately removed it, at the suggestion of Viswamitra, and broke it into two pieces.

Sita, who was seated all the time on the back of an elephant? put the garland in her hands round the neck of Rama, when Ravana returned to Lanka with shame and confusion. Janak informed Dasharatha of the swayawar and requested him to come to Mithila to celebrate the marriage of his son with Sita. Dasharatha, full of joy, went to Mithila with his wives, sons, and courtiers. Soon after, Rama was married to Sita, and Urmila, Maliti and Shrutakirti,

the other daughters of Janak, to Lakshuman, Bharat, and Shatrughna respectively. Rama knew that Purusharam would come and fight with him on account of the dhanusha he had broken ; and, therefore, he did not like to stay any longer at Mithila. But at the request of his father-in-law he stayed there for a few days more. In the meantime, Narada went to Purusharam and told him that a man called Rama had broken his dhanusha. He was greatly enraged at this news ; and having come to Mithila, he kicked up a great row about the dhanusha. To foment the quarrel Narada told him that Rama had broken the bow and that he was so proud that he did not even come down to receive him. Purusharam got indignant and let off arrows at Rama, which melted away, as soon as the latter saw them. Parusharam, knowing that his incarnation was over, laid down his arms and weapons, when Rama came down and embraced him heartily.

Soon after, Dasharatha, accompanied by his wives and sons, returned to Ayodya with exultation and joy. The king had invited to the marriage of Rama his brother-in- aw, Sangramajit, who requested the former to send Bharat and- Shatrughana to spend a few days with" him. Dasaratha bade his sons go with him, though they were unwilling to part with his brothers, Rama and Lakshman for a single moment. Kayakayi pressed her sons to go with her brother ; and they accordingly went with him. Rama and Lakshuman were very obedient to their parents

and served them with all their heart and soul.

One day the king looking to his old age, made up his mind to install Rama in the throne of Ayodya. He made every preparation to perform the ceremony of installation and invited to it all the kings and Rishis on earth. All the gods and Brahmans were afraid that if Rama was installed in the throne of Ayodya, he would not go to 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 against 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 them all. Vikalpa tried his utmost to prejudice them against Rama; but they were all so good and pious that they remained faithful to the prince. There was only one wicked woman, Mantra, a favourite maid-servant of Kayakayi, whom he prejudiced against Rama. She hated the prince ; and with a view to deprive him of the throne of Ayodya, she went into the room of Kayakayi and, throwing herself on the ground, began to beat her breast with tears in her eyes, when Kayakayi asked her what the cause of her grief was. Mantra replied, "You, unfortunate woman! Your husband is going to install Rama in the throne of Ayodya, and as soon as he is placed on the throne, he will kill your both the sons. I shall be very glad, if your Bharat is installed in the throne/ Kayakayi said, " I have, no objection to the installation of Rama whom I love. as my :son, Bharat." Mantra got exceedingly enraged and began to cry violently. Kayakayi went to quiet her when Vikalpa also prejudiced her against Rama. Mantra, seeing a sudden change in her mistress, was mightily pleased with her and kissed her. Kayakayi said, "My dearest, just tell me what I should do to get rid of Rama." " Anyhow," replied Mantra, "we must send him away and have our Bharat placed on the throne of Ayodya. 1, therefore, tell you with pleasure that if the king come to  see you, ask him to fulfil the promise given by him to you during the battle he had fought with the demons in heaven . Do you remember the promise given by him to you. He promised you that he would give you whatever you would ask from him as a reward for helping him in the battle. You should, therefore, ask the king to send Rama to the forest of the demons for fourteen years and place Bharat on the throne of Ayodya. And another thing is that if the prince goes to the forest, the king will soon die of grief for his son ; and it will be then a very good thing for you and your sons to pass your days in happiness." Kayakayi liked the advice of Mantra  and before the king came in to her room at night, she had taken off her ornaments and thrown herself on the ground with her hair in disorder.

In the meantime, the king entered her room and asked her what the matter was, when she replied, " Thou, wicked king. Be gone. I know your heart. You are going to banish my sons to a forest and give the kingdom to Rama." Dasharatha replied, " What you say is untrue, because I love Bharat and Shatrughana as much as I love Rama and Lakshman." Kayakayi replied, " Be gone. I do not want you in my room." The king felt it bad, when Kayakayi spoke those words; and in order to pacify her he asked her what she wanted from him, when Kayakayi replied, "The promise given to me by you during the battle with the demons, must be now fulfilled. What I want from you is that you should banish Rama to the forest of the demons for fourteen years and install my son Bharat in the throne of Ayodya." The king was thunder-struck, when Kayakayi made the cruel demand, and persuaded her much to ask him for something else; but she would not mind him. In the meantime, his faithful minister, came and informed the king, who was lying on the ground in disorder, that everything was ready for performing the ceremony of installation, when the latter told the former what had happened in the room of Kayakayi. The minister, being exceedingly sorry, went and called Rama- in the room of Kayakayi. The prince came and implored his father to tell him the cause of his grief, when Kayakayi replied "The king had given me a promise at the battle with the demons that he would give me whatever I would ask from him. I have asked him to fulfil that promise, and since then he has been very sorry." Rama said, " I think, he is not able enough to comply with your demand." Kayakayi repled, " I should think so." Well" said Rama, " if my father cannot give you what you want from him, I promise to give it to you." Kayakayi replied, "Then go to the forest of the demons for fourteen years with Lakshman and let my son, Bharat, rule in Ayodya. " Rama said, " Most willingly. I have no objection to do so. It is just the same thing to me, because Bharat and I are one."

Rama then, taking his leave of Kayakayi went to his mother, Kausalya, and told her what had happened. Kausalya became very sorry and said, Thou shalt not leave me. Hide thyself in my room for fourteen years, and I shall keep the secrecy. I cannot remain without thee." Rama replied, "Mother, excuse me. I am now bound by my promise to go to the forest." So saying he threw himself at her feet and obtained her permission to go to the forest." He then went to Lakshman and told him all that had taken place, when the latter said, "I shall accompany you. I cannot live here without you, and if you leave me here alone and go to the forest, I shall commit suicide." Rama, having consented to take Lakshman with him, went to his wife, Sita, and said, " I am going to the forest of the demons for fourteen years; and until I return to Ayodya, I ask you to live with Kausalya. I cannot take you with me in the forest, as you are delicate and will not be able to bear hardships with me." " I shall follow you, " replied Sita, "and share any misfortune that may befall you. I, therefore, go down on my knees and implore you not to leave me here alone. " Where upon Rama consulted Vashista and promised Sita that he would also take her with him. Lastly he went to take his leave of Dasharatha, when the king said with tears in his eyes, " I feel much for thee. The wicked and wretched woman has done this all, and I do not think that I shall live until thou return to Ayodya. I shall die of grief for thee. As I cannot tell thee to break the promise given by thee to Kayakayi, I give thee my consent to go to the forest. Child, take with thee all necessary things and pass thy days in happiness. " "Father, replied Rama, "I do not want any thing. I shall dress myself in valkalyas* and pass my days in meditation." As soon as

Rama spoke these words, Kayakayi brought valkalyas and placed them before Rama, Sita and Lakshuman, who dressed themselves in them and set out for the forest with the minister, Sumant.

They arrived at Shramga Yera, where Rama sat down for rest on the grass under the shade of a tree near a beautiful river and, having refreshed himself there, requested a fisherman called Guhaka, who was his devotee, to convey him with Sita and Lakshuman to the other side of the river. Guhaka asked him who he was, when he informed him that he was Rama, the eldest son of Dasharatha. Whereupon the fisherman, having embraced him, conveyed him with Sita and Lakshman to the other side of the river, when Sumant took his leave of the prince and returned to Ayodya. Rama then went to the abode of Bharadwaj Rishi, who worshipped him and requested him to stay with him for about fifteen days, when the prince said, "I cannot stay with you any longer, because the people of Ayodya will often come here and entreat me to return to the kingdom. I shall, therefore, go to the Dandakaranya"* At the request of Rama, Bharadwaj showed him the way that led to the hills called Chitrakuta, where many learned Rishis lived. He went up to the hills and saw Valmika, a Rishi, and worshipped him with respect and reverence. Lakshman built a parnakutika^ there, and they all lived in it.

On the return of Sumant to Ayodya Dasharatha died of grief for Rama. It was a pity that none of his sons were present at the time of his death. His wives, Kausalya and Sumitra, much mourned for the king but Kayakayi did not shed a tear for him. To perform the funeral ceremony of the king his sons, Bharat and Shatrughana, were sent for, and until they returned to Ayodya, his body was pres erved in a Kadayi,^ full of oil. Soon after, Bharat and Shatrughana returned to the city ; and, having seen the lifeless body of their father, they violently cried and much lamented for him. Vashishta said, " The body of the king cannot be burnt,- unless some one is placed on the throne of Ayodya. Rama and Lakshman have gone to the forest^ and I, therefore, ask Bharat to occupy the throne, as Kayakayi has got them banished to the forest to secure the throne for him. " At this information Bharat was startled, and said to Vashishta with tears in his eyes, "0 ! how can I bear this grief ? I do not want the kingdom. I want nothing from this city. I go down on my knees and beseech you not to install me in the throne, as my beloved Rama is a rightful claimant of it. I will go wherever Rama is, and pass my days with him." Having known the heart of Bharat Vashishta placed the padukas* of Rama on the throne and proclaimed him as the king of Ayodya.

Shortly after, the body of  Dasharatha was carried to the funeral ground, and burnt with all his wives, except Kausalya, Sumitra and Kayakayi. Kausalya and Sumitra were ready to burn themselves with their husband, but Vashishta prevented them from doing so, as they had sons. After the funeral ceremony of Dasharatha was over, Bharat went and saw his mother, Kayakayi, when she said, "Son! I have caused Rama and Lakshman to be banished to a forest and secured the kingdom for you with the greatest difficulty. Now without delay take charge of the kingdom, and you will be very happy. We have now no enemies ; and it is a very good sign that the king has also died." Bharat got very much enraged at what he had heard from Kayakayi and replied, "You are a murderess of your husband and an enemy of Rama. It is most sinful, wicked and disgraceful on your part to cause the death of my father and the banishment of my dear brother to the forest. Rama is the rightful claimant of the throne, let him come and take his kingdom. I want nothing except Rama and shall pass my days with him in the forest." So saying he dressed himself in valkalyas and set out for Chitrakuta to join his brothers. He was followed by Vashista, Kausalya, Sumitra, Shatrughana, Sumant, and all the people of Ayodya, who were very anxious to see Rama. Thay all arrived at the river, where, Guhaka had his hut ; and at the request of Bharat the fisherman conveyed all the people to the other side of the river. Lakshman having seen the people, thought that Kayakayi had sent them to kill Rama and began to let off arrows at them. But Rama stopped him, saying that they were not his enemies. Shortly after, they all reached the paranakutika of Rama, when the prince embraced them very affectionately and asked his mother how the king was doing. Kausalya, overwhelmed with grief, could not utter a word, when Vashista broke the sad news to him. He deeply mourned for his father and remained mute for a while. Vashishta condoled with him to perform the last ceremony of his father. Whereupon he went to the river, Gaya, and performed the ceremony. Kausalya, Sumitra, Vashishta, and all the people persuaded Rama to return to Ayoclya and take charge of the kingdom, when he said, " I am always true to my promise, faithful to my wife, and of a firm resolution. I cannot, therefore, break the promise given by me to my mother, Kayakayi, in fulfillment of the promise given by my father to her and return to Ayodya under any circumstances." Bharat said, If you do not come to Ayodya, I will go somewhere else and pass my days there until you return to the city." Rama stroking his head, replied, "Bharat do not be disheartened I shall return to Ayodya in fourteen years and fourteen days. I, therefore, wish you to go back to the city and rule there on my behalf. Bharat said, " I am very glad to obey you, but I shall not feel there well without your company. I therefore, beg that you will kindly let me go to Nandigram and stay there for fourteen years and fourteen days." Rama replied, " If you will not be happy in Ayodya in my absence, I shall let you go to Nandigrain. " But " said Bharat, "if you do not return from the forest

within fourteen years and fourteen days, I shall commit suicide. " Rama, having been pleased with his brotherly feelings, gave him his padukas and sent him to Nandigram where he lived as a Yogi for fourteen years and fourteen days. Rama also gave his padukas to Shatrughana and asked him go to Ayodya and rule there on his behalf. Shatrughana returned to Ayodya with Kausalya, Sumitra, and "all the people who had accompanied him.