The streams of Sarju fall, And wandering through the plains below Embrace Ayodhy&'s wall. Still, still preserved in Sarju's name Sarovar's* fame we trace. The flood of Brahma whence she came To run her holy race. To meet great Ganga here she hies With tributary wave: Hence the loud roar ye hear arise, Of floods that swell and rave. Here, pride of Ragbu's line, do thou In humble adoration bow.'
He spoke. The princes both obeyed, And reverence to each river paid.3 They reached the southern shore at last, And gaily on their journey passed. A little space beyond there stood A gloomy awe-inspiring wood. The monarch's noble son began To question thus the holy man: * Whose gloomy forest meets mine eye Like some vast cloud that fills the sky? Pathless and dark it seems to be, Where birds in thousands wander free; Where shrill cicalas' cries resound, 1 *A celebrated lake regarded in India as sacred. It lies in the lofty region be- tween the northern highlands of the Him- alayas and mount Kailaaa, the region of the sacred lakes. The poem, following the popular Indian belief, makes the river Sarayu(nowSarju)flow from the Manasa lake; the sources of the river are a little to the south about a day's journey from the lake. See Lassen, Indische Alterthums- kunde, page 34.' GORRESIO. Ma nas means mind; mdnasa, mental, mind-born, 2 tiarovar means best of lakes. This is another of the poet's fanciful etymologies.
3 The confluence of two or more rivers is often a venerated and holy place. The most famous is Prayag or Allahabad, where the Sarasvati bv an underground course is believed to join fche Jumna and the Ganges, Canto XXVII.
THE RAM AY AN.
And fowl of dismal note abound, Lioo, rhinoceros, and bear, Boar, tiger, elephant, are there, There shrubs and thorns run wild: Dhao, Sal, Bignonia, Bel,1 are found, And every tree that grows on ground: How is the forest styled? ' The glorious saint this answer made: ' Dear child of Kaghu, hear Who dwells within the horrid shade That looks so dark and drear. Where now is wood, long ere this day Two broad and fertile lands, Malaja and Karusha lay.
Adorned by heavenly hands. Here, mourning friendship's broken ties, Lord Indra of the thousand eyes Hungered and sorrowed many a day, His brightness soiled with mud and elay, When in a storm of passion he Had slain his dear friend Namuchi. Then came the Gods and saints who bore Their golden pitchers brimming o'er With holy streams that banish stain, Arid bathed Lord Indra pure again. When in this land the God was freed From spot and stain of impious deed For that his own dear friend he slew, High transport thrilled his bosom through. Then in his joy the lands he blessed, And gave a boon they long possessed: * Because these fertile lands retain The washings of the blot and stain,' 'Twas thus Lord Indra sware, * Malaja and Karusha's name Shall celebrate with deathless fame My malady and care.'2 ' So be it', all the Immortals cried, When Indra's speech they heard, And with acclatm they ratified The names his lips conferred. Long time, O victor of thy foes, These happy lands had sweet repose, And higher still in fortune rose. At length a spirit, loving ill, Tadaka, wearing shapes at will, 1 The botanical names of the trees mentioned in the text are Grislea Tor- mentosa, Shorea Robusta, Echites Antidy- senterica, Bignonia Suaveolens, (Egle Mar- melos, and Diospyrus Glutinosa. 1 have omitted the Kutaja (Echites) and the Tinduka (Diospyrus).
* Here we meet with a fresh myth to account for the name of these regions Malaja is probably a non-Aryan word signifying a hilly country: taken as a Sanskrit compound it means sprung from defilement. The word Karusha appears to have a somewhat similar meaning.
Whose mighty strength, exceeding vast, A thousand elephants, surpassed, Was to fierce Sunda, lord arid head Of all the demon armies, wed. From her, Lord Indra's peer in might Giant Maricha sprang to light: And she, a constant plague and pest, These two fair realms has long distressed, Now dwelling in her dark abode A league away she bars the road: And we, O Rama, hence must go Where lies the forest of the foe. Now on thine own right arm rely, And my command obey: Smite the foul monster that she die, And take the plague away. To reach this country none 'may dare, Fallen from its old estate, Which she, whose fury naught can bear, Has left so desolate. And now my truthful tale is told How with accursed sway The spirit plagued thia wood of old, And ceases not to-day.'
CANTO XXVII. THE BIRTH OF TADAKA'.
When thus the sage without a peer Had closed that story strange to hear, Rama again the saint addressed To set one lingering doubt at rest: * O holy man/ 'tis said by all That spirits' strength is weak and small; How can she match, of power so sligut, A thousand elephants in might 1 ' And Visvamitra thus replied To Raghu's son the glorified: * Listen, and I will tell thee how She gained the strength that arms her now.
A mighty spirit lived of yore; Suketu was the name he bore.
Childless was he, and free from crime In rites austere he passed his time.
The mighty Sire was pleased to show His favour, and a child bestow, Tadaka named, most fair to see.
A pearl among the maids was ahe, And matched,f or such was Brahma's dower, A thousand elephants in power.
Nor would the Eternal Sire, although The spirit longed, a son bestow That maid in beauty's youthful pride Was given to Sunda for a bride.
Her son, Maricha was his name.
A giant, through a curse, became.
She widowed, dared with him molest THE RAM AY AN.
Boole I.
Agasfya,1 of all saints the best. Inflamed with hunger's wildest rage, Roaring she rushed upon the sage. When the great hermit saw her near, On speeding in her fierce career, He thus pronounced Maricha's doom: 'A giant's form and shape assume.' And then, by mighty anger swayed, On T^dakkthis curse he laid: ' Thy present form and semblance quit, And wear a shape thy mood to fit; Changed form and feature by my ban, A fearful thing that feeds on man.'
She. by his awful curse possessed, And mad with rage that fills her breast, Has on this land her fury dealt Where once the saint Agastya dwelt. Go, R£ma, smite this monster dead, The wicked plague, of power so dread, And further by this deed of thine The good of Brahmans and of kine, Thy hand alone can overthrow, In all the worlds, this impious foe. Nor let oompassion lead thy mind To shrink from blood of womankind; A monarch's son must ever count The people's welfare paramount. And whether pain or joy he deal Dare all things for his subjects' weal • Yea, if the deed bring praise or guilt, If life be saved or blood be spilt: Such, through all time, should be the care Of those a kingdom's weight who bear. Slay, Rama, slay this impious fiend. For by no law her life is screened. So Manthara, as bards have told, Virochan's child, was slain of old By Indra, when in furious hate She longed the earth to devastate. So Kavya's mother, Bhrigu's wife, Who loved her husband as her life, When Indra's throne she sought to gain, By Vishnu's hand of yore was slain. By these a»d hsgh-souled kings beside, Struck down, have lawless women died/ > 'This is one of those indefinable mythic personages who are found in the ancient traditions of many nations, and in whom cosmogonical or astronomical notions are generally figured. Thus it is related of Agastya 'that the Vindhyan mountains prostrated themselves before him; and yet the snme Agastya is believed to be regent of the star Canopus.' GORRESIO.
He will appear as the friend and helper of R&ma farther ®n in the poem.
CANTO XXVIII.
THE DEATH OF TA'DAKA'.
Thus spoke the saint Each vigorous word The noble monarc-h's offspring heard, And, reverent hands together laid, His answer to the hermit made: ' My sire and mother bade me aye Thy word, O mighty Saint,, obey. So will I, O most glorious, kill This Tadaka who joys in ill, For such my sire's* and such thy will* To aid with mine avenging hand The Brahmans, kine, and all the land- Obedient, heart and soul, I stand.'
Thus spoke the tamer of the foe, An-d by the middle grasped his bo\v. Strongly he drew the sounding string That made the distant welkin ring. Scared by the mighty clang the deer That roamed the forest shook with fear; And Tadaka, the echo heard, And rose in haste from slumber stirred. In wild amaze, her soul aflame With fury toward the spat she came. When that foul shape of evil mien And stature vast as e'er was seen The wrathful son of Raghu eyed, He thus unto his brother cried: ' Her dreadful shape, O Lakshman, see., A form to shudder at and flee. The hideous monster's very vie-w Would cleave a timid heart in two. Behold the demon hard to smite, Defended by her magic might. My hand shall stay her course to-day, And shear her nose and ears away. No heart have I her life to take: [ spare it for her sex's sake. My will is but, with minished force, To check her in her evil course.' While thus he spoke, by rage impelled Roaring as she came nigh, The fiend her course at Rama held With huge arms tossed on high, Her, rushing on, the seer assailed With a loud cry of hate; And thus the sons of Raghu hailed: ' Fight, and be fortunate/ Then from the earth a horrid cloud' Of dust the demon raised, And for awhile in darkling shroud Wrapt Raghu's sons amazed. Then calling on her magic power The fearful fight to wage, She smote him with a stony shower,.
Till Rama burned with rage. Then pouring forth kis arrowy raio That stony flood to sfcay, Canto XXIX.
THE RAMAYAN.
41 With winged darts, as she charged amain, He shore her hands away. As Tadaka still thundered near Thus maimed by Rama's[blows, Lakshman in fury severed sheer The monster's ears and nose. Assuming by her magic skill A fresh and fresh disguise, She tried a thousand shapes at will, Then vanished from their eyes. When Gadhi'sson of high renown Still saw the stony rain pour down Upon each princely warrior's head, With words of wisdom thus he said: ' Enough of mercy, llama, lest This sinful evil-working pest, Disturber of each holy rite, Repair by magic arts her might. Without delay the riend should die, For, see, the twilight hour is nigh. And at the joints of night and day Such giant foes are hard to slay.' Then llama, skilful to direct His arrow to the sound, With shafts the mighty demon checked Who rained her stones around. She sore impeded and beset By Rama and his arrowy net, Though skilled in guile and magic lore, Hushed on the brothers with a roar. Deformed, terrific, murderous, dread, Swift as the levin on she sped, Like cloudy pile in autumn's sky, Lifting her two vast arms on high, When Rama smote her with a dart, Shaped like a crescent, to the heart. Sore wounded by the shaft that came With lightning speed and surest aim, Blood spouting from her mouth and side, She fell upon the earth and died. Soon as the Lord who rules the sky Saw the dread monster lifeless lie, He called aloud, Well done! well done! And the Gods honoured Raghu's son. Standing in heaven the Thousand-eyed, With all the Immortals, joying cried: « Lift up thine eyes, O Saint, and see The Gods and Indra nigh to thee. This deed of Rama's boundless might Has tilled our bosoms with delight. Now, for our will would have it so, To Raghu's son some favour show. Invest him with the power which naught But penance gains and holy thought, Those heavenly arms on him bestow To thee entrusted long ago By great Krisasva best of kings, Son of the Lord of living things. More tit recipient none can be Than he who joys in following thee; And for our sakes the monarch's seed Has yet to do a mighty deed.' He spoke; and all the heavenly train lejoicing sought their homes again, While honour to the saint they paid.
Then came the evening's twilight shade, Che best of hermits overjoyed Do know the monstrous fiend destroyed, lislips on Rama's forehead pressed, And thus the conquering chief addressed: O Rama gracious to the sight, ETere will we pass the present night, And with the morrow's earliest ray 3end to my hermitage our way,' The son of Dasaratha heard, Delighted, Visvamitra's word, And as he bade, that night he spent In Tadaka's wild wood, content. And the grove shone that happy day, Freed from the curse that on it lay, Like Chaitraratha1 fair and gay.
CANTO XXIX.
THE CELESTIAL ARMS.
That night they slept and took their rest; And then the mighty saint addressed, With pleasant smile and accents mild These words to Raghu's princely child: ' Well pleased am I. High fate be thine, Thou scion of a royal line. Now will I, for I love thee so, All heavenly arms on thee bestow, Victor with these, whoe'er oppose, Thy hand shall conquer all thy foes, Though Gods and spirits of the air, Serpents and fiends, the conflict dare. I'll give thee as a pledge of love The mystic arms they use above, For worthy thou to have revealed The weapons I have learnt to wield. * 1 The famous pleasure -garden of Ku- vera the God of Wealth.
2 ' The whole of this Canto together with the following one, regards the belief, formerly prevalent in India, that by virtue of certain spells, to be learnt and mutter- ed, secret knowledge and superhuman powers might be acquired. To this the poet has already alluded in Canto xxiii These incorporeal weapons are partly re- presented according to the fashion o1 those ascribed to the Gods and the differ ent orders of demi-gods, partly are th< mere creations of fancy; and it would no be easy to say what idea the poet had o them in his own mind, or what powers h meant to assign to each.' SCHLEGEL.
42 THE RAM AY AN.
Boole I.
First, son of Raghu, shall be thine The arm of Vengeance, strong, divine: The arm of Fate, the arm of Right, And Vishnu's arm of awful might: That, before which no foe can stand, The thunderbolt of Indra's hand; And Diva's trident, sharp and dread, And that dire weapon Brahma's Head. And two fair clubs, O royal child, One Charmer and one Pointed styled With flame of lambent fire aglow, On thee, O Chieftain, I bestow. And Fate's dread net and Justice1 noose That none may conquer, for thy use: And the great cord, renowned of old, Which Varun ever loves to hold. Take these two thunderbolts, which I Have got for thee, the Moist and Dry. Here Siva's dart to thee I yield, And that which Vishnu wont to wield. I give to thee the arm of Fire, Desired by all and named the Spire. To thee 1 grant the Wind-God's dart, Earned Crusher, O thou pure of heart. This arm, the Horse's Head, accept, And this, the Curlew's Bill yclept, And these two spears, the best e'er flew, Named the Invincible and True. And arms of fiends 1 make thine own, Skull-wreath and mace that smashes bone. And Joyous, which the spirits bear, Great weapon of the sons of air. Brave offspring of the best of lords, 1 give thee now the Gem of swords, And offer next, thine hand to arm, The heavenly bards' beloved charm. Now with two arms 1 thee invest Of never-ending Sleep and Rest, With weapons of the Sun and Rain, And those that dry and burn amain; And strong Desire with conquering touch, The dart that Kama prizes much. I give the arm of shadowy powers. T lat bleeding flesh of men devours. I give the arms the God of Gold And giant fiends exult to hold. This smites the foe in battle-strife, And takes his fortune, strength, and life. I give the arms called False and True, 'And great Illusion give I too; The hero's arm called Strong and Bright That spoils the foeman's strength in fight. I give thee as a priceless boon The Dew, the weapon of the Moon, And add the weapon, deftly planned, That strengthens Visvakarma's hand. The Mortal dart whose point is chill, And Slaughter, ever sure to kill; All these and other arms, for thou Art very dear, I give thee now. Keceive these weapons from my hand, Son of the noblest in the land.'
Facing the east, the glorious saint Pure from all spot of earthly taint, To Rama, with delighted mind, That noble host of spells consigned. He taught the arms, whose lore is won Hardly by Gods, to Raghu's son. He muttered low the spell whose call Summons those arms and rules them all, And, each in visible form and frame, Before the monarch's son they came. They stood and spoke in reverent guise To Kama with exulting cries: * O noblest child of Raghu, see, Thy ministers and thralls are we,' With joyful heart and eager hand Rama received the wondrous band, And thus with words of welcome cried: 'Aye present to my will abide.' Then hasted to the saint to pay Due reverence, and pursued his way.
CxlNTO XXX.
THE MYSTERIOUS POWERS.* Pure, with glad cheer and joyful breast, Of those mysterious arms possessed, Rama, now passing on his way, Thus to the saint began to say: * Lord of these mighty weapons, I Can scarce be harmed by Gods on high; Now, best of saints, I long to gain The powers that can these arms restrain.'
Thus spoke the prince. The sage austere, True to his vows, from evil clear, Called forth the names of those great charms Whose powers restrain the deadly arms.
* Receive thou True and Truly-famed, And Bold and Fleet: the weapons named i 'In Sanskrit Sanhdra, a word which has various significations but the primary meaning of which is the act of seizing. A magical power seems to be implied of em- ploying the weapons when and where required. The remarks I have made on the preceding Canto apply with still greater force to this. The M^S. greatly vary in the enumeration of these Sanhdras, and it is not surprising that copyists have incorrectly written the names which they did not well understand. The commen- tators throw no light upon the subject.' SCHLEGEL. I have taken the liberty o£ omitting four of these which Schlegel translates 'Scleromphalum, Euomphalum, Centiventrem, and Chrysomphalum,' Canto XXXT.
THE RlMAYAN.
43 Warder and Progress, swift of pace, Averted-head and Drooping-face; The 8een, and that which Secret flies; The weapon of the thousand eyes; Ten-headed, and the Hundred-faced, Star-gazer and the Layer- waste: The Omen-bird, the Pure-from-sp>t, The pair that wake and slumber not:' The Fiendish, that which shakes amain, The Strong-of-Hand, the Rich-in-Gain: The Guardian, and the Close-allied, The Gaper, Love, and Golden-side: O Raghu's son receive all these, Bright ones that wear what forms they ^please; Krisasva's mystic sons are they, And worthy thou their might to sway.' With joy the pride of Raghu's race Keceived the hermit's proffered grace, Mysterious arms, to check and stay, Or smite the foeman in the fray. Then, all with heavenly forms endued, Nigh came the wondrous multitude. Celestial in their bright attire Some shone like coals of burning fire; Some were like clouds of dusky smoke; And suppliant thus they sweetly spoke: ' Thy thralls, O Rama, here we stand: Command, we pray, thy faithful band.' 'Depart,' he cried/' where each may list, But when I call you to assist, Be present to my mind with speed, And aid me in the hour of need.' To Rama then they lowly bent, And round him in due reverence went, To his command, they answered, Yea, And as they came so went away. When thus the arms had homeward flown, With pleasant words and modest tone, E'en as he walked, the prince began To question thus the holy man: « What cloudlike wood is that which near The mountain's side I see appear? O tell me, for I long to know; Its pleasant aspect charms me so. Its glades are full of deer at play, And sweet birds sing on every spray. Past is the hideous wild; I feel So sweet a tremor o'er me steal, And hail with transport fresh and new A land that is so fair to view.
Then tell me all, thou holy Sage, And whose this pleasant hermitage In which those wicked ones delight To mar and kill each holy rite. Aud with foul heart and evil deed Thy sacrifice, great Saint, impede. To whom, O Sage, belongs this land In which thine altars ready stand? 'Tis mine to guard them, and to slay The giants who the rites would stay.
All this, 0 best of saints, I burn From thine own lips, my lord, to learn.'
CANTO XXXI.
THE PERFECT HERMITAGE, Thus spoke the pri nee of boundless might, And thus replied the anchorite: ' Chief of the mighty arm, of yore Lord Vishni whom the Gods adore, For holy thought and rites austere Of penance made his dwelling here. This ancient wood was called of old Grove of the Dwarf, the mighty-souled, And when perfection he attained The grove the name of Perfect gained. Bali of yore, Virochan's son, Dominion over Indra won, And when with power his proud heart swelled, O'er the three worlds his empire held. When Bali then began a rite, The Gods and Indra in affrght Sought Vishnu in this place of rest, And thus with prayers the God addressed: 'Bali. Virochan's mighty son, His sacrifice has now begun: Of boundless wealth, that demon king Is bounteous to each living thing. Though suppliants flock from every side The suit of none is e'er denied. Whatever, where'er howe'er the call, He hears the suit and gives to all, Now with thine own illusive art Perform, O Lord, the helper's part: Assume a dwarfish form, and thus From fear and danger rescue us.'i Thus in their dread the Immortals sued: The God a dwarflike shape indued:2 Before Virochan's son he came, Three steps of land his only claim. The boon obtained, in wondrous wise Lord Vishnu's form increased in size; Through all the worlds, tremendous, vast, God of the Triple Step, he passed.3 The whole broad earth from side to side He measured with one mighty stride. Spanned with the next the firmament, And with thethird through heaven he went.
i I omit, after this line, eight slakes which, as Schlegel allows, are quite out of place.
* This is the fifth of the avatars, des- cents or incarnations of Vishnu.
3 This is a solar allegory.' Vishnu is the sun, the three steps being his rising, culmination, and setting.
THE RAMAYAN.
tioolc I.
Thus was the king of demons hurled By Vishnu to the nether world, And thus the universe restored To Indra's rule, its ancient lord. And now because the immortal God This spot in dwarflike semblance trod, The grove has aye been loved by me For reverence of the devotee. But demons haunt it, prompt to stay Each holy offering I would pay. Be thine, O lion-lord, to kill These giants that delight in ill. This da}-, beloved child, our feet Shall rest within the calm retreat: And know, thou chief of Raghu's line, My hermitage is also thine.'
He spoke; and soon the anchorite, With joyous looks that beamed delight, With Rama and his brother stood Within the consecrated wood. Soon as they saw the holy man, With one accord together ran The dwellers in the sacred shade, And to the saint their reverence paid, And offered water for his feet, The gift of honour and a seat; And next with hospitable care They entertained the princely pair, The royal tamers of their foes Rested awhile in sweet repose: Then to the chief of hermits sued Standing in suppliant attitude: * Begin, O best of saints, we pray, Initiatory rites to-day. This Perfect Grove shall be anew Made perfect, and thy words be true.'
Then, thus addressed, the holy man, The very glorious sage, began The high preliminary rite. Restraining sense and appetite. Calmly the youths that night reposed, And rose when morn her light disclosed, Their morning worship paid, and took Of lustral water from the brook. Thus purified they breathed the prayer, Then greeted Visvamitra where As celebrant he sate beside The flame with sacred oil supplied.
CANTO XXXII.
SACRIFICE.
That conquering pair, of royal race, Skilled to observe due time and place, To Kusik's hermit son addressed, In timely words, their meet request: ' When must we, lord, we pray thee tell, Those Rovers of the Night repel jf Speak, lest we let the moment fly, And pass the due occasion by.' Thus longing for the strife, they prayed, And thus the hermits answer made: Till the fifth day be come and past, O Raghu's sons, your watch must last. The saint his Diksha1 has begun, And all that time will speak to none.' Soon as the steadfast devotees Had made reply in words like these, The youths began, disdaining sleep, Six days and nights their watch to keep. The warrior pair who tamed the foe, Unrivalled benders of the bow, Kept watch and ward unwearied still To guard the saint from scathe and ill. * Twas now the sixth returning day, The hour foretold had past away. Then Rama cried: ' O Lakshman, now Firm, watchful, resolute be thou. The fiends as yet have kept afar From the pure grove in which we are; Yet waits us, ere the day shall close, Dire battle with the demon foes.'
While thus spoke Rama borne away By longing for the deadly fray, See! bursting from the altar came The sudden glory of the flame. Round priest and deacon, and upon Grass, ladles, flowers, the splendour shone, And the high rite, in order due, With sacred texts began anew. But then a loud and fearful roar Re-echoed through the sky; And like vast clouds that shadow o'er The heavens in dark July, Involved in gloom of magic might Two fiends rushed on amain, Marie ha, Rover of the Night, Suvahu, and their train. As on they came in wild career Thick blood in rain they shed; And Rama saw those things of fear Impending overhead. Then soon as those accursed two Who showered down blood he spied, Thus to his brother brave and true Spoke Rama lotus-eyed: *Now,Lakshman,thou these fiends shalt see, Man-eaters, foul of mind, Before my mortal weapon flee Like clouds before the wind.' He spoke. An arrow, swift as thought, Upon his bow he pressed, And smote, to utmost fury wrought, Marie ha on the breast. Deep in his flesh the weapon lay Winged by the mystic spell, 1 Certain ceremonies preliminary to a sa crifice.
Canto* XXXIII.
THE RAMADAN.
45 And, hurled a hundred leagues "a way, In ocean's flood he fell. Then Rama, when he saw the foe Convulsed and mad witli pain Neath the chill-pointed weapon's blow, To Lakshman spoke again: 'See, Lakshman, see! this mortal dart That strikes a numbing chill, Hath struck him senseless with the smart, But left him breathing still. But these who love the evil way, And drink the blood they spill, Kejoicing holy rites to stay, Fierce plagues, my hand shall kill.' He seized another shaft, the best, Aglow with living flame; It struck Suvahu on the chest, And dead to earth he came. Again a dart, the Wind-God's own, Upon his string he laid, And all the demons were o'erthrown, The saints no more afraid. When thus the fiends were slain in light, Disturbers of each holy rite, Due honour by the saints was paid To Rama for 'his wondrous aid: So Indra is adored when he Has won some glorious victory. Sucaess^at last the rite had crowned, And Visvaniitra gazed around, And seeing every side at rest, The son of Raghu thus addressed: * My joy. O Prince, is now complete: Thou hast obeyed my will: Perfect before, this calm retreat In now more perfect still.'
CANTO XXXIII.
THE SONE.
Their task achieved, the princes spent That night with joy and full content. Ere yet the dawn was well displayed Their morning rites they duly paid, And sought, while yet the light was faint, The hermits and the mighty saint. They greeted first that holy sire Resplendent like the burning tire, And then with noble word* began Their sweet speech to the sainted man: ' Here stand, O Lord, thy servants true: Command what thou wouldst have us do,' The saints, by Visvaniitra led, To Rama thus in answer said; * Janak the king who rules the land Of fertile Mithila has planned A noble sacrifice, and we Will thither go the rite to see.
Thou, Prince of men, with us shalt go, And there behold tiie wondrous^bow, Terrific, vast, of matchless might, Which, splendid at the famous rite, Tae Gods assembled gave the king. No giant, fiend, or God can string That gem of bows, no heavenly bard; Then, sure, for m in the task were hard* When lords of earth have longed to know The virtue of that wondrous bow, The strongest sons of kings in vain Have tried the mighty cord to strain. This famous bow thou there shalt view, And wondrous rites shalt witness too. Tiie high-souled king who lords it o'er Tue realm of iMithila of yore Gained from the God* this bow, the prica Of his imperial sacrifice. Won by the rite the glorious prize Still in the royal palace lies, Laid up in oil of precious scent With aloe-wood and i no 3 rise blent.'
Then Rama answering, Be it so, Made ready with the rest to go. The saint himself was now prepared, Bat ere beyond tiie grove he fared, He turned him and in words like these Addressed the sylvan deities: * Farewell! each holy rite complete, I leave the hermits' perfect seat: To Ganga's northern shore I go Beneatli Himalaya's peaks of snow.' With reverent steps he paced around The limits of the holy ground, And then the mighty saint set fo'-th. And took his journey to the north. His pupils, deep in Scripture's page, Followed behind the holy sage, And servants from the sacred grove A hundred wains for convoy drove. The very birds that winged that air, The very deer that harboured there, Forsook the glade and leaf v brake And followed for the hermit's sake. They travelled far, till in the west The sun was speeding to his rest, And made, their portioned journey o'er, Their halt on Nona's1 distant shore. The hermits bathed when sank the sun, And every rite was duly done, Oblations paid to Fire, and then Sate round their chief the holy men. Rama and Lakshman lowly bowed ]n reverence to the hermit crowd, And Rama, having sate him down Before the saint of pure renown,