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## The Thirty-Third Chapter
123. Lakshmana then said, "I will not engage in conjugal union until I have won a place that cannot be conquered by my strength." ||315||
Padma replied, "We do not have a fixed abode anywhere. In this kingdom of Bharata, which is like heaven, we will cross all the lands and build our home near the Malaya mountain or the southern ocean. Then, driven by longing, either I or Lakshmana will surely return to Ayodhya. O kings, we will bring your daughters at that time. Tell me, how can one who has no fixed abode engage in conjugal union?" ||316-319||
Hearing this, the group of maidens, like a lotus grove struck by a frosty wind, became agitated and beautiful. ||320||
The maidens thought, "If we give up our lives in the separation from our husbands, how will we ever attain the elixir of union with them?" ||321||
"And if we continue to live, people will think we are deceitful, and our hearts will burn with the blazing fire of separation." ||322||
"Alas! On one side is a huge, steep cliff, and on the other, a most cruel tiger. With such extreme suffering, what support can we find?" ||323||
"Or perhaps, for now, we will subdue the tiger of separation with the knowledge of the desire for union and sustain our bodies." ||324||
Thinking thus, the maidens, along with the kings, departed as they had come, paying due respect to Rama and the others. ||325||
Those maidens, whose conduct was excellent, who were constantly honored by their fathers, and who were devoted to various pleasures, remained with their hearts fixed on Lakshmana. ||326||
Then, with great pomp and ceremony, the father, accompanied by his relatives, was brought back to his own country. Upon his arrival, a grand festival of reunion was held. ||327||
Then, in the dead of night, Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita, after bowing to the Lord, stealthily left the temple and walked away at their own pace. ||328||
When dawn broke, and the temple was found empty, all the people, forgetting their duties, were left with empty hearts. ||329||
1. Rama and others.
2. Empty-hearted.