ders a moment what has
chanced and then, all on fire for glory, rushes to the fight. Rama also
revives, and instigated by the sages, exerts his celestial energies, by
which the daitya, Ravana, and his host speedily perish. Rama is
victorious, and Sita is recovered.

Vibhishana is now crowned king of Lanka. Alaka, a tutelary deity, comes.
Lanka, another tutelary deity, is consoled by Alaka.

Sita passes the fiery ordeal in triumph. The gods cheer her.

Rama, accompainied by Sita, Lakshmana, Vibhishana and Sugriva, then
enters the aerial car Pushpaka which was once wrested from Kuvera by
Ravana, and which is now placed at the disposal of Rama by Vibhishana.
The car transports them from Ceylon all the way to Ayodhya. One or other
of the party points out the places over which they fly viz. the _Setu_
or bridge of Rama the Malaya mountain, the Kaveri river, the hermitage
of Agastya, the Pampa river, the residence of Bali and of Jatayu, the
limits of the Dandaka forest, the Sahya or Sailadri mountains and the
boundaries of Aryavarta.

They then rise and travel through the upper air, approaching near the
sun, and are met and eulogized by a _Kinnara_ and his bride; they then
come to the peaks of the Himalaya, and descend upon Tapavana, whence
they go towards Ayodhya, where Rama is welcomed by his brothers Bharata
and Satrughna, their mothers, Vasistha and Viswamitra.

The four brothers embrace one another. Rama is now consecrated king by
Vasishtha and Viswamitra.

UTTAR RAMA CHARITA

OR

THE LATER LIFE OF RAMA.

Rama, when duly crowned at Ayodhya, enters upon a life of quiet
enjoyment with his wife Sita. The love of Rama and Sita, purified by
sorrow during the late exile, is most tender.

After a stay of a few days at Ayodhya, Janaka, the father of Sita, goes
back to his country Mithila. Rama consoles his queen for her father's
absence. The sage Ashtavakra comes in and delivers a message to Rama
from his spiritual preceptors to satisfy the wishes of Sita and please
his people. Then the sage goes away.

The family priest Vasishtha, having to leave the capital for a time to
assist at a sacrifice, utters a few words of parting advice to Rama,
thus:--

"Remember that a king's real glory consists in his people's welfare."

Rama replies: "I am ready to give up everything, happiness, love,
pity--even Sita herself--if needful for my subjects' good."

In accordance with this promise, he employs an emissary name