146 Earn Narayan — Translation qftJie Ayodhya-MaTiatmya. [No. 2, 



appeared before them, in white clothes, accompanied by several maids, 

 adorned with necklaces and armed with the S'aokha, Chakra, Gada, and 

 Padma. She is the beloved abode of Bamji and the most ancient of all the 

 sacred places. She is worshipped by all the Gods and the Munis who reside 

 there. Thus the thieves saw what no one had ever seen before, and they were 

 very glad. As sins have no power there, they lost their influence over 

 the thieves, as will be explained. Ayodhya advanced towards them with 

 the Gada, and the thieves trembled from fear. All of a sudden, the sins made 

 their appearance, wearing blue clothes with horrible and dreadful faces, 

 depressed noses, wearing iron ornaments, having red hair of different 

 shapes, some blind, some one-eyed, and so on. Then Ayodhya beat them 

 with clubs, and compelled them to fly. They waited under a pipal tree 

 outside the city, and made a horrible noise, which greatly astonished the 

 people. Ayodhya then called the thieves, who went to Svargadvar. It was 

 the Navami day, they bathed in the Sarayii, repaired to the Birthplace, kept 

 the fast, and visited the place. Thus they were freed from all sins. At 

 this time, Yama called Chitra-Gupta and said, ' The thieves have become 

 pure, blot out their sins from thy book and forgive them ; their sins have 

 been destroyed by Ayodhya, the first city of Vishnu. Here live those 

 who require salvation. The thieves have become Vaishnavas. Then Chitra- 

 Gupta became sorry, and said, " We have suffered much trouble in entering 

 their sins, but it may be, as thou sayest, that we shall no more register the 

 crimes of the wicked ; for it is all in vain : the wicked go to Ayodhya and 

 obtain salvation and the vicious, in the Kali Yuga, become pure on visiting 

 the Birthplace.' Having said this, they scratched out the sins of the 

 thieves." 



Then Mahadeva said, " Goddess, the messengers of Yama, who wander 

 about on earth, came to the pipal tree where the sins of the thieves stood 

 crying and asked them, ' Who are you, whence have you come ? what has 

 brought you here, and what are you talking about ?' The sins replied, 

 ' There were five thieves in the country of Marakantar, very wicked, who 

 nourished us and did not mind the orders of their parents, spiritual guides, 

 the Vedas and Puranas.' They then related the whole of the rest of the 

 above story." 



Then Mahadeva said, "0 Goddess, on hearing the words of the sins, 

 the messengers felt compassion for them, and got angry with Ayodhya, 

 but unable to oppose her, they told them to stop there, as they would try 

 their utmost to bring them again together with their friends (the thieves). 

 After this, the messengers went to the place of Yama and said, ' You have 

 made a great mistake.' Yama replied, ' You are not aware of the advantages 

 of bathing at Svargadvar, keeping fast on the Navami and visiting the Birth- 

 place. I am quite unable to fight with Ayodhya, "let us go there.' Having 



