Being this addressed by Rāghava, enraged, with those harsh words Sitā was greatly pained. And hearing those words of her lord, unheard of, before the great assembly Maithili was greatly humiliated with shame. As if entering unto her own person (with shame) and greatly pained with these arrow-like words the daughter of king Janaka began to shed tears. Thereupon wiping the tears off her countenance, she with sorrowful words, addressed her husband—"Why dost thou, O hero, like a common man addressing an ordinary woman, make me hear these harsh and unbecoming words painful unto ears? O thou of long arms, I am not what thou hast taken me to be. Do thou believe me I do swear by my own character. Seeing the ordinary women thou art distrusting the whole sex. Do thou renounce this suspicion since thou hast tried me. O lord, though my person was touched by another—but it was not in my power; nor was it an wilful act (of mine); accident is to blame in this. My heart is under my control and that is in thee;—and what could I do of my body which was subject to another and of which I was not the mistress. O thou the conferrer of honour—our affection towards one another was increased by our living continually for a long time; even then if thou hast not been able to understand me I am ruined for ever. O king, when the great hero Hanumān was despatched by thee to Lankā to see me why didst thou not renounce me then? Hadst thou deputed the monkey with that message I would have renounced my life there and then, O hero. Thou wouldst not have been required to undergo this toil at the risk of thy own life and giving unnecessary trouble to thy friends. O foremost of kings, being subject to ire—thou dost not perceive anything but womanhood in me, like an ordinary man. Although I am known to have a father but in fact I am born of the earth. Thou dost not sufficiently honour my character, O thou conversant with characters. Thy marriage with me in boyhood shall be disproved and thou art not sufficiently considering all my devotion and good conduct unto thee". Saying thus with accents choked in tears and weeping Sitā spoke unto Lakshmana, poorly and engaged in meditation. "Make a funeral pyre for me, O Saumitri, that is the only remedy for this disaster. Being thus branded with an unfounded stigma I do not like to keep my life. To adopt the proper course for me who had been renounced before this assembly by my disaffected husband I shall enter this". Being thus addressed by Vaidehi, Lakshmana, the slayer of enemies, being possessed by anger, looked towards Rāghava. And understanding Rāma’s intention by gestures and at his command the powerful Saumitri prepared a funeral pyre. None dared there request, speak with or even look at Rāma like unto Death at the time of dissolution. Thereupon circumambulating Rāma, standing with his head down, Vaidehi approached the burning fire. And bowing unto the celestials and Brāhmanas, Maithili, with folded hands, spoke before the fire:—"As my heart hath never gone away from Rāghava, may thou protect me, O fire, the witness of the people. As Rāghava considereth me vile, who have got a pure character, may fire, the witness of the people, protect me on all sides". Saying this and going round the fire, Vaidehi, with undaunted heart, entered the flaming fire. The great assembly there, young and old, overwhelmed with grief, saw Maithili enter the flaming fire. And (Sitā) resembling the burning gold entered the flaming fire in the presence of all people. All beheld Sitā, having expansive eyes, enter fire like unto a golden altar. The ascetics, celestials and Gandharbas saw that great damsel enter fire like unto a full oblation in the sacrifice. And beholding her fallen into the fire like unto Vasudhārā, sanctified by Mantras in a sacrifice, all the females began to weep. And the three worlds—the celestials, Gandharbas and Dānavas saw her fallen like unto a celestial from the heaven when imprecited. She having entered the fire, lamentations, unheard of before, rose from all sides from the Rākshasas and monkeys.
SECTION CXIX.
Hearing the lamentations (of the Rākshasas and monkeys) the virtuous-souled Rāma, with a poor heart and having his eyes full of tears, engaged in meditation for some time. Thereupon the king Vaisrāvana, Yama with his progenitors, the thousand-eyed lord of the celestials, Varuna, the lord of water, the three-eyed graceful Mahādeva—the rider of bull, Brahmā the creator of the world and the foremost of those conversant with the knowledge of Brahma—all these arriving at the city of Lankā in their cars bright as the rays of the sun, approached Rāghava. Thereupon raising up their huge hands, decked with various ornaments and folding them, those foremost of the celestials said unto Rāghava—"O lord, thou art the preserver of all the worlds and the foremost of the wise, why dost thou neglect Sitā entering into fire? Why dost thou not understand thyself the foremost of the celestials? Thou wert before the Patriarch of all Vasus,⁴⁷⁶ by the name of Kratadhāma. And thou art thyself, O lord, the creator of the three worlds. Thou art the eighth of the _Rudras_⁴⁷⁷ and the fifth of the Sādkyas;⁴⁷⁸ the Açwinis are thy two ears and the sun and the moon are thy eyes. O slayer of enemies, thou appearest at the begining and the end of the creation. Why dost thou neglect Vaidehi like an ordinary man?" Being thus addressed by the deities presiding over quarters, Rāghava, the lord of people and the foremost of the pious, spoke unto those leading celestials, saying:—"I know myself to be man—Rāma, the son of Daçaratha. Let the great Patriarch tell me, who I am and whence I have come". Thereupon Brahmā, the foremost of those conversant with the knowledge of Brahma, spoke unto Kākutstha, who had spoken thus, saying,—"Do thou hear my true words, O thou having truth for thy prowess. O lord, thou art the great and effulgent, Nārāyana holding discus and mace; thou art the boar having one tusk; thou hast conquered the past, present and future; thou art undecaying and without end, O Rāghava; thou art the great virtue of the pious—thou art the propounder of all laws and art four-armed; thou art the holder of bow of time—the subduer of senses—the excellent Purusha (person), unconquerable by sins; thou art Vishnu holding dagger, Krishna and of incomparable strength; thou art the army, the minister—the universe—the understanding, forgiveness and control of passions; thou art the creation and destruction; Upendra and the slayer of (demon) Madhu; thou art the creator of Indra; thou art Mahendra; thou hast a lotus-like navel and thou art the slayer of enemies. The celestials and the great saints style thee as the refuge of those who seek for shelter. Thou art the foremost of Vedas with its thousand branches and hundred regulations. Thou art thyself the creator of the three worlds, O lord. Thou art the refuge of the _Siddhas_⁴⁷⁹ and Sādhyas, thou art the Purvaja,⁴⁸⁰ the sacrifice, Vashatkar,⁴⁸¹ _Om_⁴⁸² and Parātpara.⁴⁸³ No one is conversant with thy birth and destruction—thou art manifest in all creatures—cows and Brahmins—in all quarters, in the sky, in the mountain, and in the river. Thou art gifted with thousand legs, thousand heads and thousand eyes. Thou dost uphold all creatures, the earth and all the mountains. Thou appearest like the great serpent in the water underneath the earth. O Rāma, thou dost uphold three creations—the celestials, the Gandharbas and the Dānavas. O Rāma—I am thy heart, the worshipful Swaraswati (Goddess of learning) is thy tongue and all other celestials, lord, created by Brahmā are thy down. The closing of thy eye is the night and the opening is the day. The Vedas are significant of thy desire and the control thereof—none hath got independent existence but thee. The whole universe is thy body, the earth is thy patience, the fire is thy anger—the sun and the moon are thy delight; thou hast got Sreebatsha (a peculiar curl of hair); thou didst before tread the three worlds with thy three foot steps; thou didst get the dreadful Bāli bound and make Mahendra king; Sitā is Lakshmi and thou art Krishna and Vishnu the Preserver of people. For Rāvana’s destruction thou hast assumed the human shape. Thou hast accomplished that work of ours, O thou the foremost of the pious. O Rāma, Rāvana hath been slain. Do thou go up to heaven delighted. Sure is thy godly energy and never goes for nothing thy prowess. O Rāma, never is fruitless thy view and the chanting of thy glory. And always successful shall be these persons on earth who shall be devoted unto thee. Those who shall be devoted unto thee at one with _Purāna_⁴⁸⁴ and the excellent Purasha,⁴⁸⁵ shall attain all their desires both in this world and the next. Those persons shall never be unsuccessful both in this world and the next who shall chant this theme—excellent, instinct with the knowledge of Brahmā and describing the old history.
⁴⁷⁶ A kind of demi-god of whom eight are enumerated.
⁴⁷⁷ A demi-god—an inferior manifestation of Siva: they are eleven in number.
⁴⁷⁸ An inferior deity or demi-god, one of a class of twelve.
⁴⁷⁹ Saints of accomplished piety.
⁴⁸⁰ Produced or appearing before creation.
⁴⁸¹ Burnt offering, oblation with fire—from the exclamation used on the occasion.
⁴⁸² Om—the first term of the Mantra, Om or Omkāra is well-known as a combination of letters invested by Hindu mysticism with peculiar sanctity.