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58
A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYAM
that she was impelled by himself to do so for the accomplishment of the work of the gods and so she was not to be held guilty (2. 9. 63-64). The Ananda Rāmāyana follows it (1. 6. 112-115). The Torāve Rāmāyana (2.6) and the Rāmalingāmặta (12) follow the same.
According to the Dharmakhanda ch. 38 of Skandapurăņa and Tativasangraharāmāyaṇa (2. 11), Kaikeyi gets perturbed to see that the people of Ayodhyā are in grief on account of the parting away of Rama. Her heart melts and she goes to Rama and requests him to come back (Bulcke, p. 404, 2nd edition).
SECTION IV RAMA'S JOURNEY FROM CITRAKŪTA TO DANDAKĀRANYA
A. Main work during the Journey:
According to the PCV, Rama and Lakşmaņa along with Sīta, throughout their journey from the Citrakūța hill upto their entering into the foret of Dandaka, primarily assist the helpless rulers and rescue them from the atrocities of the oppressive kings and tribal chiefs. They bring them under the suzerainty of their brother Bharata and promise to marry several girls offered to them by those kings. It is only on the Vamsagiri that they pay homage to some monks and save them from a calamity.
In the VR and the TR, Rama along with Sitā and Lakşmaņa comes across various Rșis who greet Rama and inform him of the atrocities of the Raksasas. Rāma promises to annihilate the Rākşasas. There is no reference to the subjugation of any ruler by Rāma and Lakşmaņa. B. Route of their Journey :
According to the PCV they leave behind the Citrakūta hill and enter the Avantideśa. Further they cross the river Narmada and after traversing the Vindhya forest they reach the land where flows the river Tāpi. Proceeding further they arrive at the Vamsasthalagiri. From there they depart to the Dandakāraṇya where flows the rivers Krauñca. ravă and Karnaravā. They sojourn there.
According to the VR, they immediately enter the Dandakaranya leaving behind Citrakūta and the Aśrama of Atri. They proceed by
1. It has been already stated in the preceding section that they came across some
hermitages before reaching the Citrakūta hill. They stayed there for night only (33. 4). Further in the Dandaka forest they pay homage to two more monks (Sec.5).