464 Analysis of the Raghu Vans' a. [No. 6. 



Das'aratha leading troops whose dust snatched away the solar rays, 

 beset the city in friendly bands, the marriage of men and women 

 took place like the union of a crude noun with its suffixes. Das'a- 

 ratha returned on the march, the winds blowing against his soldiers, 

 tree-like banners disturbed them as a river bursting its banks the 

 plain, the sun was wrapped in a halo, the clouds of evening were red 

 like garments dipped in blood, the wolves sent forth a horrid howl, — 

 omens disregarded. Before them an awful form appeared wearing the 

 paita> a sign of his father being a Brahman, and bearing the bow, the sign 

 of his mother being a Khetriya, the union of the two resembled that of 

 sandal- wood with a snake. On his right ear he wore a necklace of aksha 

 seeds. To Das'aratha the name of Rama and Parasurama suggested joy 

 and terror as that of a necklace of gems and the serpent's gem. Parasu- 

 rama thus addressed Rama, " as a sleeping serpent is roused by the blow 

 of a stick so is my anger by your fame : the horn of my strength is 

 broken by your bending Janaka's bow : the greatness of fire is tested 

 by its burning in the ocean as in dry grass, therefore bend my bow." 

 Him answered Bama by bending the bow — on this the splendour of his 

 face paled, as the sun at evening in the time of full moon, while Bama 

 brightened as the lunar orb, but Rama pardoned him, for the brave 

 respect merit even in a vanquished foe. Grateful as is the fall of rain 

 to a tree on fire, so was the victory of Rama to his father who received 

 him as it were again to life. Then the lord of the earth having stopped 

 some nights in serais, on the road entered Ayodhya, whose women from 

 their windows gazed with lotus-eyes on the daughter of Janaka. 



Das'aratha was near the period of his bodily extinction, like the light' 

 of a lamp at the morning dawn : old age in the guise of grey hairs 

 whispered into his ears, Deliver your office to Rama. The bare rumour 

 of this rejoiced the citizens as much as a water course does the garden 

 plants, but Kaikaleya according to promise required Rama's exile for 

 fourteen years : Rama submitted, the colour of his face remained the 

 same in his dress of bark as in his festal garb ; with Sita and Laksh- 

 mana he entered at the same time the Dandaka forest and the heart 

 of every true man. Das'aratha went to heaven. Bharata went to Rama 

 who had been married to the throne, who refused to return but by 

 request gave to Bharata two slippers as tutelary guardians. Rama lived 

 on torest food, sometimes reclining under the tree's broad shade in the 



