id, "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 lea