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PAUMACARIU OF SVAYAMBHU
grief due to long separation from him. Rāma decided to return to Ayodhyā at once. Vibhişaņa transformed Ayodhyā into a golden city. On their way to Ayodhyā Kāma showed to Sitā from their aerial car all the places below, rich in associations of their eventful past. Sandhi LXXIX. Return to Ayodhyā. Bharata renounces the world.
Bharata gave a warm welcome to Rāma. Glorious entry into Ayodhyā. Reunion of Rāma and Lakşmaņa with their mothers. Once Bharata became disgusted with the ephemeral worldly pleasures and expressed his decision to rěnounce them. On Rāma's instruction the young ladies of the harem tried to allure Bharata to sensual pleasures, but he was unmoved. The Royal elephant Trijagadvibhūşaņa once ran amuck, but on seeing Bharata he recalled his previous birth and was pacified. But he gave up food and drink. This mystery of the strange behaviour of the elephant was solved by the monk Kulabhūşaņa by narrating to Rāma a previous birth of Bharata. Thereupon Bharata along with Kaikeyā and many others renounced the world. Rāma was crowned king.
Sandhi LXXX. Satrughna's Conquest of Mathurā.
Rāma honoured each of his associates with a share of his territories. Satrughna decided to win for himself Mathurā from king Madhu. He besieged the city. In the battle that ensued, Madhu's son Lavaṇamahārņava was killed, and Madhu too was fatally wounded by Satrughna, who now became the lord of Mathurā. Sandhi LXXXI. Sitā’s Exile. Birth of Lavana and Ankusa.
Rāma satisfied Sītā's pregnancy-longing for performing a ceremonial worship of the Jina. In the meanwhile people's representatives approached Rāma and eomplained that loose women had been justifying their behaviour with the instance of Rāma's acceptance of Sītā even when she had been kept by Rāvaņa for a year. Rāma was shocked by this, but not to displease the people and giving consideration to inborn fickleness of women, he ordered his commander, inspite of Lakşmaņa's protests, to take away Sitā and abandon her in wilderness. Sītā, shattared with grief and . lonely, bewailed her tragic lot in the terrific wilderness. Vajrajangha, Rāma's sister's husband, happened to pass through that
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