20 Ramavijaya*

who, having responded to the call of thei? brother, tott
off the body of the Brahman and came out. Thus they
killed every Brahman and ate his flesh. One day Agasti
was invited by Atapi to partake of the food and water
The Rishi complied with his invitation; and a?s soon as
he ate the food and drank the water, Atapi cried aloud
as usual the names of his brothers but to his great sur-
prise, they did not respond to his call, as the Rishi burnt
• Vatapi in his stomach. Alva, who had escaped from the
belly of the Rishi, and his brother, Atapif assumed dif-
ferent forms and began to run away, when the Rishi cut
off the head of Atapi. Alva escaped and mixed himself
with the oc^an, when Agasti drank off the whole ocean and
killed the demon."

Rama stayed with Agasti fora month; and during:
his stay there he presented him with an arrow to kilt
Havana. From the Dandakaranya Rama set out for
Panchavati. On the road he saw a huge bird caHeA
Jatayu, who asked Rama who he was. " I belor%- to
the solar race," replied Rama," and am son of the king,
Dasharatha. I am called Rama." "I am son of Kasha,"
said Jatayu, " and the name of my uncle is Suparna, and
I am called Jatayu. Your father was my great friend*
I helped him during tne battle which he had fought
with Shukra and, therefore, he called me his brother/
Having embraced Jatayu, Rama proceeded on his journey
and reached Panchawati, where he lived with Sita in a
parhakutika built by Lakshuman. Lakshuman gathered
fruits and kandamuls* for Sita and Rama, which -they,
ate and passed their days there. He guarded the hut
every night for fear of the demons and he himself remain-
ed without food. *
One day Lakshuman went near a thicket to collectf
fruits and kandamuls, where he saw a deadly
* Esculent "roots, f A sword.