Rama Vijaya

68 Kamavijaya.

temple'. As.directed by the goddess, they made an opening
to one of the walls of the temple and pushe'd them in
through it. Eama and Lakshuman were frightened at
the sight of the goddess^ who opened her mouth and said
to them, " I shall now devour you, as 1 am very hungry; .
but before I do that, name the espouser of your cause/5"
Whereupon the princes replied, " If- Maruti were here,
he would come to our* rescue. We arS now helpless, and
throw ourselves on your mercy J' Maruti was tnoved with
pityattlje princes, and immediately discovered himself
to them. "I am now without weapons," said Eama,
'* and how can I kill the demons without them ?" " You
need not be afraid," continued Maruti, " I shall get your
weapons here." So saying he brought the Weapons and
dhanushabans from Suvela. As princes were hungry,
Maruti gave them to eat the butter and other things which
he had preserved for them; and after they had appeased
their hunger he sat in the place of the goddess, hiding
them behind his back, and loudly exclaimed, " I am now
ready to bless all my beloved demons one by one. Let
Ahiravana come in first." Ahiravana was extremely glad,
as the goddess wanted him first; and without loss of time
he went in and stood before the deity, who trampled him
under his foot and instantly killed him. As the demon
did not come out for some time, the other demons outside
the temple apprehended that there was some mischief in
the temple, and began to make enquiries about him, when
Maruti broke open the doors of the temple and killed a,
great number of the demons with his tail. Having been
informed that his brother was killed by Maruti, Bama,
and Lakshuman, MaMravana commenced to fight with
them. He let off arrows after arrows at his enemies but
they cut them off and let off an arrow and killed the de-
mon with it; but, to their great surprise,, they found that
every drop of the blood of the demon produce^ one MaM-