"Markandeya said, 'Having slain Ravana, that wretched king of the
_Rakshasas_ and foe of the celestials, Rama with his friends and
Sumitra's son rejoiced exceedingly. And after the Ten-necked
(_Rakshasa_) hath been slain, the celestials with the _Rishis_ at their
head, worshipped Rama of mighty arms, blessing and uttering the word
_Jaya_ repeatedly. And all the celestials and the _Gandharvas_ and the
denizens of the celestial regions gratified Rama of eyes like lotus
leaves, with hymns and flowery showers. And having duly worshipped Rama,
they all went away to those regions whence they had come. And, O thou of
unfading glory, the firmament at that time looked as if a great festival
was being celebrated.
"'And having slain the Ten-necked _Rakshasa_, the lord Rama of worldwide
fame, that conqueror of hostile cities, bestowed Lanka on Vibhishana.
Then that old and wise counsellor (of Ravana) known by the name of
Avindhya, with Sita walking before him but behind Vibhishana who was at
the front, came out of the city. And with great humility Avindhya said
unto the illustrious descendant of Kakutstha, "O illustrious one, accept
thou this goddess, Janaka's daughter of excellent conduct!" Hearing
these words, the descendant of Ikshwaku's race alighted from his
excellent chariot and beheld Sita bathed in tears. And beholding that
beautiful lady seated within her vehicle, afflicted with grief,
besmeared with filth, with matted locks on head, and attired in dirty
robes, Rama, afraid of the loss of his honour, said unto her, "Daughter
of Videha, go withersover thou likest! Thou art now free! What should
have been done by me, hath been done! O blessed lady, owning me for thy
husband, it is not meet that thou shouldst grow old in the abode of the
_Rakshasa_! It is for this I have slain that wanderer of the night! But
how can one like us, acquainted with every truth of morality, embrace
even for a moment a woman that had fallen into other's hands? O princess
of Mithila whether thou art chaste or unchaste, I dare not enjoy thee,
now that thou art like sacrificial butter lapped by a dog!" Hearing
these cruel words, that adorable girl suddenly fell down in great
affliction of heart, like a plantain tree severed from its roots. And
the colour that was suffusing her face in consequence of the joy she had
felt, quickly disappeared, like watery particles on a mirror blown
thereon by the breath of the mouth. And hearing these words of Rama, all
the monkeys also with Lakshmana became still as dead. Then the divine
and pure-souled Brahma of four faces, that Creator of the Universe
himself sprung from a lotus, showed himself on his car to Raghu's son.
And Sakra and Agni and Vayu, and Yama and Varuna and the illustrious
Lord of the _Yakshas_, and the holy _Rishis_, and king Dasaratha also in
a celestial and effulgent form and on car drawn by swans, showed
themselves. And then the firmament crowded with celestials and
_Gandharvas_ became as beautiful as the autumnal welkin spangled with
stars. And rising up from the ground, the blessed and famous princess of
Videha, in the midst of those present spoke unto Rama of wide chest,
these words, "O prince, I impute no fault to thee, for thou art well
acquainted with the behaviour that one should adopt towards both men and
women. But hear thou these words of mine! The ever-moving Air is always
present within every creature. If I have sinned, let him forsake my
vital forces! If I have sinned, Oh, then let Fire, and Water, and Space,
and Earth, like Air (whom I have already invoked), also forsake my vital
forces! And as, O hero, I have never, even in my dreams, cherished the
image of any other person, so be thou my lord as appointed by the gods."
After Sita had spoken, a sacred voice, resounding through the whole of
that region, was heard in the skies, gladdening the hearts of the
high-souled monkeys. And the Wind-god was heard to say, "O son of Raghu,
what Sita hath said is true! I am the god of Wind. The princess of
Mithila is sinless! Therefore, O king, be united with thy wife!" And the
god of Fire said, "O son of Raghu, I dwell within the bodies of all
creatures! O descendant of Kakutstha, the princess of Mithila is not
guilty of even the minutest fault!" And Varuna then said, "O son of
Raghu, the humours in every creature's body derive their existence from
me! I tell thee, let the princess of Mithila be accepted by thee!" And
Brahma himself then said, "O descendant of Kakutstha, O son, in thee
that art honest and pure and conversant with the duties of royal sages,
this conduct is not strange. Listen, however, to these words of mine!
Thou hast, O hero, slain this enemy of the gods, the _Gandharvas_, the
_Nagas_, the _Yakshas_, the _Danavas_, and the great _Rishis_! It was
through my grace that he had hitherto been unslayable of all creatures.
And indeed, it was for some reason that I had tolerated him for some
time! The wretch, however, abducted Sita for his own destruction. And as
regards Sita, I protected her through Nalakuvera's curse. For that
person had cursed Ravana of old, saying, that if he ever approached an
unwilling woman, his head should certainly be split into a hundred
fragments. Let no suspicion, therefore, be thine! O thou of great glory,
accept thy wife! Thou hast indeed, achieved a mighty feat for the
benefit of the gods, O thou that art of divine effulgence!" And last of
all Dasaratha said, "I have been gratified with thee, O child! Blessed
be thou, I am thy father Dasaratha! I command thee to take back thy
wife, and rule thy kingdom, O thou foremost of men!" Rama then replied,
"If thou art my father, I salute thee with reverence, O king of kings! I
shall indeed, return, at thy command, to the delightful city of
Ayodhya!"'
"Markandeya continued, 'Thus addressed, his father, O bull of the
Bharata race, gladly answered Rama, the corners of whose eyes were of a
reddish hue, saying, "Return to Ayodhya and rule thou that kingdom! O
thou of great glory, thy fourteen years (of exile) have been completed."
Thus addressed by Dasaratha, Rama bowed to the gods, and saluted by his
friends he was united with his wife, like the Lord of the celestials
with the daughter of Puloman. And that chastiser of foes then gave a
boon to Avindhya. And he also bestowed both riches and honours on the
_Rakshasa_ woman named _Trijata_. And when Brahma with all the
celestials having Indra at their head, said unto Rama, "O thou that
ownest Kausalya for thy mother, what boons after thy heart shall we
grant thee?" Rama, thereupon, prayed them to grant him firm adherence to
virtues and invincibility in respect of all foes. And he also asked for
the restoration to life of all those monkeys that had been slain by the
_Rakshasas_, and after Brahma had said--So be it, those monkeys, O king,
restored to life, rose up from the field of battle, and Sita too, of
great good fortune, granted unto Hanuman a boon, saying, "Let thy life,
O son, last as long as (the fame of) Rama's achievements! And, O Hanuman
of yellow eyes, let celestial viands and drinks be ever available to
thee through my grace!"'
"'Then the celestials with Indra at their head all disappeared in the
very sight of those warriors of spotless achievements. And beholding
Rama united with the daughter of Janaka, the charioteer of Sakra, highly
pleased, addressed him in the midst of friends, and said these words, "O
thou of prowess that can never be baffled thou hast dispelled the sorrow
of the celestials, the _Gandharvas_, the _Yakshas_, the _Asuras_, the
_Nagas_, and human beings! As long, therefore, as the Earth will hold
together, so long will all creatures with the celestials, the _Asuras_,
the _Gandharvas_, the _Yakshas_, the _Rakshasas_, and the _Pannagas_,
speak of thee." And having said these words unto Rama, Matali worshipped
that son of Raghu, and having obtained the leave of that foremost of
wielders of weapons, he went away, on that same chariot of solar
effulgence. And Rama also, with Sumatra's son and Vibhishana, and
accompanied by all the monkeys with Sugriva at their head, placing Sita
in the van and having made arrangements for the protection of Lanka,
recrossed the ocean by the same bridge. And he rode on that beautiful
and sky-ranging chariot called the _Pushpaka_ that was capable of going
everywhere at the will of the rider. And that subduer of passions was
surrounded by his principal counsellors in order of precedence. And
arriving at that part of the sea-shore where he had formerly laid
himself down, the virtuous king, with all the monkeys, pitched his
temporary abode. And the son of Raghu then, bringing the monkeys before
him in due time, worshipped them all, and gratifying them with presents
of jewels and gems, dismissed them one after another. And after all the
monkey-chiefs, and the apes with bovine tails, and the bears, had gone
away, Rama re-entered Kishkindhya with Sugriva. And accompanied by both
Vibhishana and Sugriva, Rama re-entered Kishkindhya riding on the
_Pushpaka_ car and showing the princess of Videha the woods along the
way. And having arrived at Kishkindhya, Rama, that foremost of all
smiters, installed the successful Angada as prince-regent of the
kingdom. And accompanied by the same friends as also by Sumitra's son,
Rama proceeded towards his city along the same path by which he had
come. And having reached the city of Ayodhya, the king despatched
Hanuman thence as envoy to Bharata. And Hanuman, having ascertained
Bharata's intentions from external indications, gave him the good news
(of Rama's arrival). And after the son of Pavana had come back, Rama
entered _Nandigrama_. And having entered that town, Rama beheld Bharata
besmeared with filth and attired in rags and seated with his elder
brother's sandals placed before him. And being united, O bull of Bharata
race, with both Bharata and Shatrughna, the mighty son of Raghu, along
with Sumitra's son, began to rejoice exceedingly. And Bharata and
Shatrughna also, united with their eldest brother, and beholding Sita,
both derived great pleasure. And Bharata then, after having worshipped
his returned brother, made over to him with great pleasure, the kingdom
that had been in his hands as a sacred trust. And Vasishtha and Vamadeva
then together installed that hero in the sovereignty (of Ayodhya) at the
eighth Muhurta[64] of the day under the asterism called _Sravana_. And
after his installation was over, Rama gave leave to well-pleased Sugriva
the king of the monkeys, along with all his followers, as also to
rejoicing Vibhishana of Pulastya's race, to return to their respective
abodes. And having worshipped them with various articles of enjoyment,
and done everything that was suitable to the occasion, Rama dismissed
those friends of his with a sorrowful heart. And the son of Raghu then,
having worshiped that _Pushpaka_ chariot, joyfully gave it back unto
Vaisravana. And then assisted by the celestial _Rishi_ (Vasishtha), Rama
performed on the banks of the _Gomati_ ten horse-sacrifices without
obstruction of any kind and with treble presents unto Brahmanas.'"
[64] Abhijit is lit. the eighth muhurta of the day, a muhurta
being equal to an hour of 48 minutes, i.e. the thirtieth part of
a whole day and night. The Vaishnava asterism is as explained by
Nilakantha, the Sravava.