assemble to take the side of the former, and all the demons and evil spirits back their own champion (lxxxvii. 8). Rávana is mounted on a magic car, drawn by horses having human faces (manushya-vadanair hayaih, lxxxvi. 3); and, in order that the two champions may fight on an equality, Indra sends his own car, driven by his charioteer Mátali, for the use of Ráma (lxxxvi. 8). Both armies cease fighting, that they may look on (xci. 2); but the gods and demons in the sky, taking the part of either warrior, renew their ancient strife * (lxxxvii. 6, 7). The heroes now overwhelm each other with arrows. Ráma cuts off a hundred heads from Rávana successively; but no sooner is one cut off than another appears in its place † (xcii. 24), and the battle, which had already lasted seven days and seven nights without interruption, might have been endlessly protracted, had not Mátali informed Ráma that Rávaṇa was not vulnerable in the head (xcii. 41). Thereupon Ráma shot off the terrible arrow of Brahîmá ‡, given to him by the sage Agastya, and the demon-king fell dead (xcii. 58). As usual, the old hackneyed prodigies precede his fall (see note, p. 28); and when the victory is consummated a perfect deluge of flowers covers the conqueror. The lamentations of the women over Rávaṇa, and especially of his favourite wife Mandodarí, are well described (xciv. xcv). The generous Ráma causes magnificent obsequies to be performed over the body of his enemy, which is duly consumed by fire || (xcvi), and then places Vibhíshana on the throne of Lanká (xcvii. 15). Ráma then sends Hanumat with a message to Sítá, and afterwards Vibhíshana brings her into his presence in a litter (śiviká); but Ráma allows her to come before him on foot, that she may be seen by all the army. The monkeys and bears crowd round her, admiring her incomparable beauty, the cause of so much toil, danger, and suffering to themselves § (xcix. 15, 16). On seeing her, Ráma is deeply moved; three feelings distract him, joy, grief, and anger (xcix. 19), and he does not ad * This is just what takes place in the Iliad before the great battle between Achilles and Hector, the gods taking their respective places on either side (Il. XX). This reminds one of Hercules and the Hydra. Here called paitámaham astram, and described as having the wind for its feathers, the fire and the sun for its point, the air for its body, and the mountains Meru and Mandara for its weight (xcii. 45). It had the very convenient property of returning to its owner's quiver after doing its work. (See xcii. 59, and note *, p. 27.) There appear to have been various forms of this unerring weapon, as it was also used by Indrajit against Hanumat in Sundarakáṇḍa xliv. We may suppose it to have been another arrow consecrated by the same formula, addressed to Brahmá. Contrast this with Achilles' treatment of the fallen Hector. § The whole scene is very similar to that in Iliad III. 121, &c., where Helen shows herself on the rampart, and calls forth much the same kind of admiration. dress his wife. Sítá, conscious of her purity, is hurt by his cold reception of her and bursts into tears, uttering only the words, 'há áryaputra' (xcix. 52). Ráma then haughtily informs her, that having satisfied his honour by the destruction of the ravisher, he can do no more. In short, he declines to take back his wife, whom he suspects of contamination, after so long a residence in Rávana's capital (c). Sítá asserts her innocence in the most dignified and touching language, and begs Lakshmaņa to prepare a pyre (ci. 20), that she may prove her purity. She enters the flames, invoking Agni (ci. 30); upon which all the gods with the old king Dasaratha appear (cii. 2), and reveal to Ráma his divine nature*, telling him that he is Nárayana (cii. 12), and that Sítá is Lakshmí (30). Agni, the god of Fire, then presents himself, holding Sítá, whom he places in Ráma's arms unhurt † (ciii. 1—5). Ráma is now overjoyed, and declares that he only consented to the ordeal that he might establish his wife's innocence in the eyes of the world (ciii. 17). The old king Dasaratha then blesses his son, gives him good advice, and returns to heaven (civ); while Indra, at the request of Ráma, restores to life all the monkeys and bears killed during the war (cv). Ráma and Lakshmaṇa, along with Vibhíshaṇa, Sugríva, and all the allies, now mount the self-moving car Pushpaka, which contained a whole palace or rather city within itself, and set out on their return to Ayodhyá; Ráma, to beguile the way as they travelled through the sky, describing to Sítá all the scenes of their late adventures lying beneath their feet ‡ (cviii). On their reaching the hermitage of Bharadwaja at Prayága, Ráma stops the car; and the fourteen years of his banishment having now expired (cix), sends forward Hanumat to announce his return to Bharata, who was still living at Nandigráma, undergoing austere penance. Bharata hastens to meet his brother, and, in token of delivering over the power which he still holds on trust for him, places on Ráma's feet the two shoes (cxi. 46; and compare note, p. 70). * He never appears to be conscious of it, until the gods enlighten him. (See cii. 10.) This is not the case with Krishna in the Mahá-bhárata. + The whole description of Sítá's repudiation by Ráma is certainly one of the finest scenes in the Rámáyana. These touches of nature surprise us constantly in the midst of a wilderness of exaggeration. ‡ Kálidása, who must have lived at least five hundred years after Válmíki, devotes nearly the whole of the 13th chapter of the Raghu-vansa to this subject, which he makes a convenient pretext for displaying his geographical and topographical knowledge, as in the Meghadúta. Bhava-bhúti does the same in the 7th act of his drama, Mahá-víra-charitra; and Murári the same in his play on the same subject. It may be suspected that a good deal of matter at the end of the Yuddha-káṇḍa is modern, as the descriptions do not always agree with what precedes. Ráma here calls Indrajit by his original name of Megha-náda (cviii. 9; and compare note *, p. 83). Ráma and the three brothers are now once more reunited* (cxi); and Ráma, accompanied by them and by Sítá and the monkeys, who assume human forms (cxii. 28), makes a magnificent entry into Ayodhya. He is then solemnly crowned, associates Lakshmaņa in the empire, and, before dismissing his allies, bestows splendid presents on them (cxii). Hanumat, at his own request, receives as a reward the gift of perpetual life and youth (cxii. 101). Every one returns happy and loaded with gifts to his own home, and Ráma commences a glorious reign at Ayodhya (cxiii). SEVENTH BOOK or UTTARA-KANDA.—Although this book (as we have already stated) is probably a comparatively modern addition, a short account of its contents is here given †. It commences with a history of Rávana and the Rákshasas ; for an epitome of which, see Dr. Muir's Sanskrit Texts, vol. IV. p. 413. Ráma being duly crowned at Ayodhya, seemed likely to enter upon a life of quiet enjoyment with his wife. But this would not have satisfied the Hindú conception of the impossibility of finding rest in this world (see p. 28 of this volume), nor harmonised with the idea of the man born to suffering and self-denial. Inquiring one day what his subjects thought of his deeds, he was told that they approved every thing but his taking back his wife after her long residence with Rávaņa. The scrupulously correct and over-sensitive Ráma, though convinced of his wife's fidelity, and though she was soon to become a mother, felt quite unable to allow cause of offence in such a matter. Torn by contending feelings, he at last determined on sending her for the rest of her life to the hermitage of Válmíki (Calc. ed. chap. lv); whither indeed she had herself before expressed a wish to go for rest and refreshment. Lakshmana conducted her there, and then broke to her the sad news of her husband's determination to live apart from her. In the hermitage of the poet were born her twin sons, Kusa and Lava; who, though deserted by their father, bore upon their persons the marks of their high birth, and being taught to recite the Rámáyaṇa, unconsciously celebrated his actions. (See p. 6o.) At length one day the twins wandered accidentally to Ayodhya, where reciting their poem before their father, they were recognised by him. Once more he sent for Sítá to his presence, that in a public assembly she might assert her innocence before the people. She was brought by Válmíki himself, and having adjured the goddess Earth to attest her purity, the ground opened and received her (Calc. ed. chap. cx). Ráma had but this one devoted wife; and now * This reunion forms the most striking scene in the dramatic representation at the annual festival of the Dasserah in the north-west provinces, and is called ‘Bharat-miláp.’ It forms the subject of Bhava-bhúti's celebrated drama, the Uttara-Ráma-charitra. great deal of the former narrative appears to be repeated in parts of this book. A that she was gone he could not remain behind. But he did not die a natural death. The story of his translation to heaven is thus told * : “One day Time, in the form of an ascetic, comes to his palace-gate (cxvi. 1), and asks, as the messenger of the great Rishi (Brahmá), to see Ráma (3). He is admitted and received with honour (9), but says, when asked what he has to communicate, that his message must be delivered in private, and that any one who witnesses the interview is to lose his life (13). Ráma informs Lakshmana of all this, and desires him to stand outside. Time then tells Ráma (cxvii. 1) that he has been sent by Brahmá to say that when he (Ráma, i. e. Vishnu), after destroying the worlds, was sleeping on the ocean, he had formed him (Brahmá) from the lotus springing from his navel, and committed to him the work of creation (4-7); that he (Brahmá) had then entreated Ráma to assume the function of Preserver, and that the latter had in consequence become Vishņu, being born as the son of Aditi (10), and had determined to deliver mankind by destroying Rávana, and to live on earth ten thousand and ten hundred years: that period, adds Time, was now on the eve of expiration (13), and Ráma could either, at his pleasure, prolong his stay on earth, or ascend to heaven and rule over the gods (15). Ráma replies (18), that he had been born for the good of the three worlds, and would now return to the place whence he had come, as it was his function to fulfil the purposes of the gods. While they are speaking, the irritable Rishi Durvásas comes, and insists on seeing Ráma immediately, under a threat, if refused, of cursing Ráma and all his family (exviii. 1). Lakshmana, preferring to save his kinsman, though knowing that his own death must be the consequence of interrupting the interview of Ráma with Time, enters the palace, and reports the Rishi's message to Ráma (8). Ráma comes out; and when Durvásas has got the food he wished, and departed, Ráma reflects with great distress on the words of Time, which require that Lakshmana should die (16). Lakshmaṇa, however (cxix. 2), exhorts Ráma not to grieve, but to abandon him, and not break his own promise. The counsellors concurring in this advice (9), Ráma abandons Lakshmana, who goes to the river Sarayú, suppresses all his senses, and is conveyed bodily by Indra to heaven. The gods are delighted by the arrival of the fourth part of Vishņu (19). Ráma then resolves to instal Bharata as his successor, and retire to the forest and follow Lakshmaņa (cxx. 1). Bharata, however, refuses the succession, and determines to accompany his brother (8). Ráma's subjects are filled with grief, and say they also will follow him wherever he goes (12). Messengers are sent to Satrughna, the other brother, and he also resolves to accompany Ráma (cxxi. 1—14); who at length sets out in procession from his capital with all the ceremonial appropriate to the 'great departure' (mahá-prasthána, cxxii. 1), * I have extracted this from Dr. Muir's Sanskrit Texts, vol. IV. p. 407. N silent, indifferent to external objects, joyless, with Srí on his right, the goddess Earth on his left, Energy in front, attended by all his weapons in human shapes, by the Vedas in the forms of Bráhmans, by the Gáyatrí, the Omkára, the Vashaṭkára, by Rishis, by his women, female slaves, eunuchs, and servants. Bharata with his family, and Satrughna, follow, together with Brahmans bearing the sacred fire, and the whole of the people of the country, and even with animals, &c. &c. Ráma, with all these attendants, comes to the banks of the Sarayú (cxxiii). Brahmá, with all the gods, in innumerable celestial cars, now appears, and all the sky is refulgent with the divine splendour. Pure and fragrant breezes blow, a shower of flowers falls. Ráma enters the waters of the Sarayú; and Brahmá utters a voice from the sky, saying, ‘Approach, Vishņu; Rághava, thou hast happily arrived, with thy god-like brothers. Enter thine own body as Vishņu, or the eternal æther. For thou art the abode of the worlds (loka-gatih): no one comprehends thee, the inconceivable and imperishable, except the large-eyed Máyá, thy primeval spouse.' Hearing these words, Ráma enters the glory of Vishņu (Vaishṇavam tejas) with his body and his followers. He then asks Brahmá to find an abode for the people who had accompanied him from devotion to his person; and Brahmá appoints them a celestial residence accordingly.” 1 |