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W uen the morning broke, that illustrious one having a spacious chest, Rama, addressed Sumitr&'s son, Lakshmana, graced with auspicious marks,—'This is the time of sunrise: the reverend Night hath departed. O child, this gracefully sable-hued bird, the coel, has begun to warble, and I hear the cries of peacocks uttering notes in the woods. O amiable one, we will cross the Jabnavi, fast rushing to the ocean.” Hearing K&ma’s words, that enhancer of the delight of friends, Sumitra’s son, conveyed them unto Guha and the charioteer; and then stood before his brother. Hearing of R4ma’s speach and accepting it, that lord of the Nishadas speedily summoning his counsellors spike unto them saying, —'Do ye without delay bring to this bathing-place a strong and elegent boat furnished with a rudder and steered by a helmsman, such as is capable of ferrying (people) comfortably.” Hearing this mandate of Guha, his potent counsellors procuring a goodly boat, informed him of it. Then with joined hands, Guha spake unto Raghava, saying,—'The boat is ready, worshipful one. What more shall I do in thy behalf? O thou that resemblest the son of a celestial, here is the boat for thee, O foremost of men, to cross over the river that goeth after the ocean. O thou of excellent vows, do thou ascend it.” Thereupon the highly energetic Rama said unto Guha the following words,—“I have attained my end through thee. Do thou at once get on board the baggage.” Then donning on their mail and equipped with their bows, quivers and swords, the Raghavas along with Sité descended unto the Gang&. Then coming forward in. humble guise before Rama cognizant of virtue, the charioteer said with joined hands,—‘What. shall I do (now) ?” Thereupon Dagaratha’s son touching Sumantra by his goodly right hand, said,—"‘O Sumantra, do thou aga‘n repair unto

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the monarch, but let thy senses be unclouded.” “Do thou” said he unto the chirioteer, “turn back. So far] have come (in obedience to the order of the monarch;. Now, renouncing the car, will | repair unto the mighty forest on foot.” Finding himself thus commanded, the charioteer, Sumantra grieved at heart spoke unto that best of men, the descendant of Ikshwaku. ‘That Destiny owing to which you will have to pass your days in the forest like a low person, along with your brother and wife, has in this world been withstood by none. I deem the Brahmacharyya mode of life, or study, or meekness or sincerity as attended with no fruit, since you have come by calamity. O Raghava, living in the forest with Vaidehi and your brother, you, O Lord, attain a state (of supreme excellence), having, as it were, conquered the three worlds. O Rama, it is we, wretched that we are, that are undone, as we, deprived of your company, shall come under the sinful Kaikeyi expressing great misery.” Having said this, the charioteer, Sumantra, seeing Rima intent upon going to a distant land, wept for a long while in heaviness of heart. Then when he had dried up his tears, and sanctified himself by touching the water of the Ganga, Rama again addressed the charioteer in sweet words, saying,—‘I do not find any one that is a friend of the sons of Ikshwaku like unto thee. Do thou so act that king Dagaratha may not grieve (forme). The lord of earth hath been deprived of his senses by grief, hath grown old, and is oppressed by the weight of desires (thwarted). Therefore it is that I tell thee this. Whatever that nobleminded lord of earth commands for the pleasure of Kaikeyi, should by us be done with alacrity. It is for this that those lords of men, kings, govern,—viz., that others may not thwart their purposes. O Sumantra, do thou act so, that the mighty monarch may not come across any thing unpleasant, or be attacked with chagrin through grief. Do thou saluting him for me say these words unto the aged monarch,

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who has his senses under complete control, and who bath never seen misfortune before. ‘Neither I nor Lakshmana grieve for being ejected out of Ayodhy4, or that we shall have to abide in the forest. After these fourteen years have gone by, you will see Lakshmana, Sita and myself come to you speedily. Having thus, O Sumantra, in my name agaia and again spoken to the king, to my mother and to Kaikeyi along with the other revered ladies do thou communicate unto KXaugaly4 our welfare conveying unto her at the same time Sita’s and Lakshmana’s salutations to her feet as well those of myself who am her eldest son. Do thou also tell the king,— ‘Do you spedily bring Bharata; and when Bharata has come, let him be invested with royalty, And when you have embraced Bharata and installed him in the kingdom, you no longer be overpowered with grief on our account,’ And tell Bharata,—‘As thou bearest thyself unto the king,so it behoves thee to bear thyself to all thy mothers, without making any distinction at all. As Kaikeyi is unto thee, so without distinction is Sumitra, and so also without distinction my mother Kaugaly&. Governing the kingdom as the heirapparent with the view of compassing the pleasure of our father, he will be able to secure happiness both in this world and the next.” Told by Rama to go back and instructed in this wise, Sumantra having heard everything, addressed Kakutstha from affection, saying,—‘‘It behoves you to forgive what I say plainly from affection, without letting myself be overwhelmed with emotion, and with due reverence for you. How can I, O child, without you return to that city, which seems as if afflicted with the grief incident to the loss of a son ? Having then seen my car with Rama on it, the hearts of the people and the palace now will in all likelihood burst when they shall see it without Rama. Surely the city wil be distressed on beholding this empty car, like a host seeing a car with its hero slain and the charioteer alone left in the field. Thinking in their minds that

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you although actually at a great distance from them. are before them, the subjects (not finding you) will renounce food (and thus destroy themselves.) You yourself witnessed how the subjects overwhelmed with grief on your account, conducted themselves when you were being banished unto the woods. They will on seeing me with the car, burst out into lamentations exceeding a hundred times in bitterness those in which they indulged when you set out for the forest. Shall I say unto the worshipful one,—‘I have conveyed your son to the home of his maternal uncle. Do you not grieve’. I will never tell such a lie. Yet how can 1 speak this truth which is so very unpleasant ? And ever abiding by my command and used to carry your friends, how can these excellent horses bear this car without you? Therefore, O sinless one, [| shall not be able to go to Ayodhya without you ; and it behoves you to permit me to follow you to the forest. But if you forsake me who beseech you, I will as soon as lef by you, enter into fire along with the car. I shall, O Raghava, by means of this car, withstand all those impediments that shall present themselves against your ascetic austerities in the forest. I have through. your favour experienced the pleasure of driving the car. I expect at your hands the pleasure of living in the woods. Be you propitious. It is my wish to remain in the forest with you, and do you say, affectionately—‘Do you remain by my side’. And these horses, O hero, will attain to a supreme state if they serve you during your abode in the forest. Living in the forest, I will serve you with the crown of my head ; and! will entirely renounce Ayodhy& or the celestial regions themselves. Even as a doer of evil deeds cannot euter the metropolis of the mighty Indra, I am incapable of entering Ayodhy& without you. And this is my desire that the term of exile over, | may carry you back to the palace on this very car. Remaining with you in the forest the fourtees

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the V&naprastha mode of life, Rima 2loug with assuming the vow of that life, observed unto that adherest of his, Guha,—“Do thea, my friend, wandantly protect army, the exchequer, the fort and the provinces ; fora kiegJom demands all the exertions (of the kame thereaf);* The taking the permission of Guha, the descendant of Ikshwake, hwlding his seul in calmness, set out with bus wife and Laks mana, Seeiag.a beat at the riverside, that som of Msiwdhe desious of crossing the swift-coursing Ganga, spoke thet words,--“De. thou ascend, gently, O forexnase of men, the best that stayeth here, after the making the wirtunns Sité ascend by taking hee by the hand.” Hearing his brother's command, ‘hat strong-willed one, furthenmg everythens hasing mole Mihilt’s daughter ascend, ascended bimmseli That emexgetic \der brother of Lakshmana next escended bimseli “Then the lord of the Nisbadas, Geh2, incited bis kumsiclt Hig wot on beard the beat, the cmceediagiy puissant Righons fet urtag hia. welfare, reeted sentras Gt te be scomedly Kahateiyas ond Grahmanas. Thea that magity mer, LakaMaADa, Sipping water from the giver uid on m the Sctiplucea, Dewed dawn t» it akheag wah Ss lay 4 heart Thee wilimg Sumer, Guba, and te Riles saceediae che bust, erdicred the bose Lupe@an! > Dem Uhe buat decid aut by the novell hy them, aed axed em bey the hy ra, woceede= agen ch tke } ab Vid GUMA® Ge Cie Sahoo \ "a ve ie ee ee iy ACA " os iow Me | \\ wah aS aa “Mah sar ih tity \ ‘wihh ~ Vaal. Ve Ls TTS Wi tn Avia Vash ‘ mee Las

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ways, O revered one, thou envelopest the regions of Brahma. Thou appearest in this world as the spouse of the Oceanking. I will, O respected one, bow down unto thee, O beauteous one, I will lrymn thee, when, with good fortune returned, the foremost of men has obtained the kingdom, I will to please thee give away unto Brahmanas hundreds and thousands of kine, cloths, sapid rice, and vessels of wine by thousands, and z//aos. O worshipful one, I will worship thee on Rama having returned to thecity. And I will worship all the gods that dwell on thy banks, as well as the holy spots and fanes, as soon as, O sinless one, that mighty-armed one without sin will, coming back from his abode in the forest, enter Ayodhy& in company with his brother and myself.’’ Having thus addressed the Gang, that blameless one ever obedient unto her hus- | band, swiftly went to the south bank (of the river). Going to the (other) bank of the stream, that best of men, and subduer of foes stood along with his brother and Vaidehi. Then that long-armed one spoke unto the enhancer ofSumitra’s delight, saying,—Be thou, whether in society or solitude, intent upon protecting Sita. Of course it behoves us to protect her in lone places. Do thou, O son of Sumitra, go ahead ; and let Sita follow thee. I myself will go in your wake, protecting both yourself and Siti. Surely, O foremost of men, we should now protect each other. We have not yet performed any of the arduons tasks. To day Vaidehi will know the grief of a life in the woods. And to day she will enter the forest destitute of the concourse of men, devoid of fields and gardens, uneven, and containing pits, etc.” Hearing Rama’s words, Lakshmana went ahead ; that descendant of Raghu, Rama, followed Sita. On R&ma having speedily crossed the Gang&, the distressed Sumantra who had been gazing at him stedfastly, being no longer able to discern him, turned away his eyes and, overcome with grief, shed tears. And having crossed

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that mighty river, that high-souled one, that bestower of boons, resembling in prowess a Lokap&la, without delay entered the flourishing and smiling Vatsas crowned with goodly crops. And then the two (brothers) having slain the four kinds of beasts, viz., boars, risyas, priskatas and mahdrurus,* and taking their flesh, in the evening took refuge under a mighty tree, feeling the demands of appetite.