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Hearne the lamentations (of the Rakshasas and monkeys) the virtuous-souled Rama, with a poor heart and having his eyes full of tears, engaged in meditation for some time. Thereupon the king Vaisravana, Yama with his progenitors, the thousand-eyed lord of the celestials, Varuna, the lord of water, the three-eyed graceful Mahideva—the rider of bull, Brahm& the creator of the world and the foremost. of those conversant with the knowledge of Brahma —all these arriving at the city of Lanka in their cars bright asthe rays of the sun, approached Raghava. Thereupon raising up their huge hands, decked with various ornaments and folding them, those foremost of the celestials said unto Raghava—"‘O lord, thou art the preserver of all the worlds and the foremost of the wise, why dost thou neglect Sit& entering into fire? Why dost thou not understand thyself the foremost of the celestials? Thou wert before the Patriarch of all Vasus,* by the name of Kratadhima. And thou art thyself, O lord, the creator of the three worlds. Thou art the eighth of the Rudrast and the fifth of the * “A kind of demi-god of whom eight are enumerated. + A demi-god—an inferior manifestation of Siva: they are eleven is number. ‘

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Sddhyas ;* the Agwinis are thy two ears and the sun and the moon are thy eyes. -O slayer of enemies, thou appearest at the begining and the end of the creation. Why dost thou neglect Vaidehi like an ordinary man?” Being thus ‘addressed by the deities presiding over quarters, Raghava, the lord of people and the foremost of the pious, . spoke unto those leading celestials, saying:—"I know myself to be man—R&ma, the son of Dagaratha. Let the great Patriarch tell me, who I am and whence I have come.” Thereupon Brahma, the foremost of those conversant with the knowledge of Brahma, spoke unto Kakutstha, who had spoken thus, saying,—Do thou hear my true words, O thou having truth for thy prowess. O lord, thou art the great and effulgent, N&r&yana holding discus and mace ; thou art the boar having one tusk; thou hast conquered the’ past, present and future ; thou art undecaying and without end, O Raghava; thou art the great virtue of the pious—thou art the propounder of all laws and art fourarmed ; thou art the holder of bow of time—the subduer of senses—the execllent Purusha (person), unconquerable by sins; thou art Vishnu holding dagger, Krishna and of incomparable strength ; thou art the army, the minister—the universe—the understanding, forgiveness and control of passions ; thou art the creation and destruction; Upendra and the slayer of (demon) Madhu; thou art the creator of Indra; thou art Mahendra; thou hast a lotus-like navel and thou art the slayer of enemies. The celestials and the great saints style thee as the refuge of those who seek for shelter. Thou art the foremost of Vedas with its thousand branches and hundred regulations. Thou art thyself the creator of the three worlds, O lord. Thou art the refuge of the Siddhast and Sddhyas, thou art the Purvaja,t the * An inferior deity or demi-god, one of a class of twelve. + Saints of accomplished piety. ¢ Produced or appearing before creation.

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sacrifice, Vashathar,* Omt and Pardtpara.t No one is conversant with thy birth and destruction—thou art manifest in all creatures—cows and Brahmins—in all quarters, in the sky, in the mountain, and in the river. Thou art gifted with thousand legs, thousand heads and thousand eyes. Thou dost uphold all creatures, the earth and all the mountains, Thou appearest like the great serpent in the water underneath the earth, O Rama, thou dost uphold three creations—-the celestials, the Gandharbas and the Danavas. O Rama—I am thy heart, the worshipful Swaraswati (Goddess of learning) is thy tongue and all other celestials, O lord, created by Brabm& are thy down. The closing of thy eye is the night and the opening is the day. The Vedas are significant of thy desire and the control thereof—none hath got independent existence but thee. The whole universe is thy body, the earth is thy patience, the fire is thy anger—the sun and the moon are thy delight ; thou hast got Sveebatsha (a peculiar curl of hair); thou didst before tread the three worlds with thy three foot steps; thou didst get the dreadful Bali bound and make Mahendra king; Sita is Lakshmi and thou art Krishna and Vishnu the Preserver of people. For Ravana’s destruction thou hast assumed the human shape. Thou hast accomplished that work of ours, O thou the foremost of the pious. O Rama, Ravana hath been slain: Do thou go up to heaven delighted. Sure is thy godly energy and never goes for nothing thy prowess. O° R&ma, never is fruitless thy view and the chanting of thy glory. And always successful shall be these persons on earth who shall be devoted unto thee. Those * Burnt offering, oblation with fire—from the exclamation used on the occasion. + Qm—the first term of the Mantra, Om or Omkéra is well-known as a combination of letters invested by Hindy mysticism with peculiar sanctity. ¢ Greatest of the great.

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who shall be devoted unto thee at one with Purgna* and the excellent Purasha,t shall attain all their desires both in this world ‘and the next. Those persons shall never be unsuccessful both in this world and the next who shall chant this theme—excellent, instinct with the knowledge of Brahma and describing the old history.