Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies - DUBOIS, Abbé Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies, Dubois | страница 662

SITA SAVED
622
BY A STRATAGEM
However, as Sita was far advanced in pregnancy,
he had scruples about killing her in this condition, and
resolved to save her life. The difficulty was to invent
some stratagem in order to persuade Rama that he had
executed the task entrusted to him. Now it happened
that in the jungles to which Sita had been taken there
were several trees which, as soon as an incision was made
in the bark, emitted a juice the colour of blood. Lakshmana
accordingly bent his bow, and taking the arrow which had
been destined to pierce Sita's heart, shot it into one of these
trees, staining it with the juice, and then abandoned Sita
He at once returned and announced
to her unhappy fate.
to Rama that his vengeance had been satisfied, and for
proof of it showed him the arrow stained with Sita's
blood h
Alone and abandoned in this deserted place, poor Sita
proclaimed her despair in mournful cries and torrents of
tears.
It happened that Vasishta the penitent had made
his dwelling-place not far off 2
Attracted by the weeping
and wailing which struck his ear, he approached Sita, and
asked her who she was and what was the cause of her
The unfortunate woman thereupon stopped her
trouble.
sobs, and, assuming an air of dignity which filled the
I am
penitent with respectful fear, answered him thus
The king Janaka is my father, the Earth is my
Sita
mother, and Rama is my husband.'
At these words the penitent, filled with the most pro-
found feelings of veneration, prostrated himself before the
goddess
then, rising and clasping his hands, he said to
orders.
.
'
:
!
;
her
why
give yourself up thus to grief
forgotten that you are the queen
of the world, and that on you the salvation
of all creatures depends ?
He spoke a few more words of consolation, and then led
her to his hermitage, where he offered sacrifices to her.
A few days afterwards Sita brought forth twins, which
'
Illustrious goddess,
and despair ?
and mistress
Have you
'
1
In
memory of this event it is customary on the last clay of the military
Dasara for princes to go with great ceremony into the open
country and there shoot off arrows. Dubois.
- It was not Vasishta, but Valmiki, the author of the Ramayana.
Ed.
feast of the
—