70 Eamavijaya.

the secret, he immediately went to Fatal and killed the
Bramahras except their chief whose life was spared, because
lie promised the monkey that he would be useful to him
on some occasion. Having killed the Bramahras, Maruti
returned to Rama and told him to let off arrows at the
Mahiravanas. The prince accordingly did It and killed
all the Mahiravanas.

Immediately .after this success Maruti remembered
the promise given by him to Chandraseni and said to him-
self, " I do not know what I should do now. If I tell
Eama .to marry Chandraseni, he will never do so, because
he has sworn that he will be faithful to Ms wife, Sita.
K I fail to fulfil the promise given by me to her, she will
curse me to death." Maruti however made bold and told
Eama all about the promise given by him to Chandraseni.
** I will not at all violate my oath." replied Kama, ".If
you like, I oan come to the place of Chandraseni and bless
her." " Yes," continued Maruti, " you can do so."
Thence Maruti first came alone to Chandraseni and said
to her, " Rama will come to-night. Keep your ^manchaka
ready for him, but I tell you one thing that if the man-
-chaka is broken by the weight of Rama, he will never
marry you and will go directly home. I therefore, tell
you to order a .strong manchaka to be made." Chandra-
.seni got a strong and beautiful manchaka ready for Eama
and sat there -expecting the prince. Maruti sent the
chief of the Branxahra without her knowledge to hollow
the bedstead in such a manner that as soon as E&ma sat
on it, it would be broken to pieces. The Bramahra
skilfully hollowed the whole of the manchaka with his sting
and went away. In the evening Maruti, .accompanied by
Eama, came to Chandraseni? who received him and made
him sit on the manchaka.; but no sooner did Eama sit on
it than it was broken to pieces. Whereupon Rama
• * A bed-stead. ' '• "~