vil desire cannot be slain by a woman; and the merit of my austerity
would be lost if I were to launch a curse against thee. But if I have
performed or bestowed or sacrificed aught may I be born the virtuous
daughter, not produced from the womb, of a righteous man.' Having thus
spoken she entered the blazing fire. Then a shower of celestial flowers
fell (from every part of the sky). It is she, lord, who, having been
Vedavati in the Krita age, has been born (in the Treta age) as the
daughter of the king of the Janakas, and (has become) thy [Rama's] bride;
for thou art the eternal Vishnu. The mountain-like enemy who was
[virtually] destroyed before by her wrath, has now been slain by her
having recourse to thy superhuman energy." On this the commentator
remarks: "By this it is signified that Sita was the principal cause of
Ravana's death; but the function of destroying him is ascribed to Rama."
On the words, "thou art Vishnu," in the preceding verse the same
commentator remarks: "By this it is clearly affirmed that Sita was
Lakshmi." This is what Parasara says: "In the god's life as Rama, she
became Sita, and in his birth as Krishna [she became] Rukmini."(1032)

In the following section (XVIII.) "Ravana is described as violently
interrupting a sacrifice which is being performed by king Marutta, and the
assembled gods in terror assume different shapes to escape; Indra becomes
a peacock, Yama a crow, Kuvera a lizard, and Varuna a swan; and each deity
bestows a boon on the animal he had chosen. The peacock's tail recalls
Indra's thousand eyes; the swan's colour becomes white, like the foam of
the ocean (Varuna being its lord); the lizard obtains a golden colour; and
the crow is never to die except when killed by a violent death, and the
dead are to enjoy the funeral oblations when they have been devoured by
the crows."(1033)

Ravan then attacks Arjuna or Karttavirya the mighty king of Mahishmati on
the banks of the Narmada, and is defeated, captured and imprisoned by
Arjuna. At the intercession of Pulastya (Sect. XXII.) he is released from
his bonds. He then visits Kishkindha where he enters into alliance with
Bali the King of the Vanars: "We will have all things in common," says
Ravan, "dames, sons, cities and kingdoms, food, vesture, and all
delights." His next exploit is the invasion of the kingdom of departed
spirits and his terrific battle with the sovereign Yama. The poet in his
description of these regions with the de