Gods and Spirits, bright Immortals to that royal Tajna came, Sita saw the bright Celestials, monarchs gathered from afar, Rama's queen and Janak's daughter, will she stoop her cause to plead, Oh! her woman's heart is bursting, and her day on earth is done, And she pressed her heaving bosom, slow and sadly thus begun : "If unstained in thought and action I have lived from day of birth, Spare a daughter's shame and anguish and receive her, Mother Earth! If in duty and devotion I have laboured undefiled, Mother Earth! who bore this woman, once again receive thy child! Then the earth was rent and parted, and a golden throne arose, And the Mother in embraces held her spotless sinless Child, CONCLUSION IN N the concluding portion of the Uttara or Supplemental Book, the descendants of Rama and his brothers are described as the founders of the great cities and kingdoms which flourished in Western India in the fourth and fifth centuries before the Christian Era. Bharat had two sons, Taksha and Pushkala. The former founded Taksha-sila, to the east of the Indus, and known to Alexander and the Greeks as Taxila. The latter founded Indus, and known to Alexander Thus the sons of Bharat are said Pushkala-vati, to the west of the and the Greeks as Peukelaotis. to have founded kingdoms which flourished on either side of the Indus river in the fourth century before Christ. The Lakshman had two sons, Angada and Chandraketu. former founded the kingdom of Karupada, and the latter founded the city of Chandrakanti in the Malwa country. Satrughna had two sons, Suvahu and Satrughati. The former became king of Mathura, and the latter ruled in Vidisha. Rama had two sons, Lava and Kusa. The former ruled in Sravasti, which was the capital of Oudh at the time of the Buddha in the fifth and sixth centuries before Christ. The latter founded Kusavati at the foot of the Vindhya mountains. The death of Rama and his brothers was in accordance with Hindu ideas of the death of the righteous. Lakshman died under somewhat peculiar circumstances. A messenger from heaven sought a secret conference with Rama, and Rama placed Lakshman at the gate, with strict injunctions that whoever intruded on the private conference should be slain. Lakshman himself had to disturb the conference by the solicitation of the celestial rishi Durvasa, who 179 |