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The heavenly hosts repaired to him and undertook to make him their Indra. After the Asuras were defeated he became king of the gods, and Indra paid him homage. Ylien he re- turned to his own city, he left Indra as his deputy in heaven. On Eaji's death Indra refused to acknowledge the succession of his sons, and by the help of Brihaspati, who led them astray and effected their ruin, Indra recovered his sovereignty. EAKA. A Erdvshasi, wife of Yisravas and mother of Khara and Surpa. naklifi. EAKSIIASAS. Goblins or evil spirits. They are not all equally hhd, but have been classified as of three sorts — one as a set of beings like the Yakshas, another as a sort of Titans or enemies of the gods, and lastly, in the common acceptation of the term, demons and fiends wlio haunt cemeteries, disturb sacrifices, harass devout men, animate dead bodies, devour human beings, RAKSHASAS—RAKTA-VIJA. 255 and vex and afflict mankind in all sorts of ways. These last are the Erdvshasas of whom Rava?ia was chief, and according to some authorities, they are descended, like Ravawa himself, from the sage Pulastya. According to other authorities, they sprang from Brahma's foot. The YisliTiu Purawa also makes them de- scendants of Kasyapa and Kha^a, a daughter of Daksha, through their son Rakshas ; and the Ramayawa states that when Brahma created the waters, he formed certain beings to guard them who were called Rakshasas (from the root rokili, to guard, but the derivation from this root may have suggested the explanation), and the Visli?Ri Pura?ia gives a somewhat similar derivation. It is thought that the Rakshasas of the epic poems were the rude barbarian races of India who were subdued by the Aryans. When Hanuman entered the city of Lanka to reconnoitre in the form of a cat, he saw that " the Rakshasas sleeping in the houses were of every shape and form. Some of them dis- gusted the eye, while some were beautiful to look upon. Some had long arms and frightful shapes ; some were very fat and some were very lean : some were mere dwarfs and some Avere prodigiously tall. Some had only one eye and others only one ear. Some had monstrous bellies, hanging breasts, long pro- jecting teeth, and crooked thighs ; whilst others were exceedingly beautiful to behold and clothed in great splendour. Some had two legs, some three legs, and some four legs. Some had the heads of serpents, some the heads of donkeys, some the heads of horses, and some the heads of elephants." — [Rdmdyana.) The Rakshasas have a great many ejDithets descrij^tive of their characters and actions. They are called Anusaras, Asaras, and Ilanushas, 'killers or hurters ;' Ish/i-pachas, 'stealers of offer- ings;' Sandhya-balas, 'strong in twilight ;' Kshapa/as, jSTaktan- charas, Ratri-charas, and ^amani-shadas, 'night-walkers;' Nr/- jagdhas or Nri-chakshas, 'cannibals;' Palalas, Paladas, Palan- kashas, Kravyads, 'carnivorous;' Asra-pas, Asr/k-pas, Kauna- pas, Kilrda-pas, and Rakta-pas, 'blood-drinkers;' Danda-sukas, 'biters;' Praghasas, 'gluttons;' Malina-mukhas, 'black-faced;' Karburas, &c. But many of these epithets are not reserved exclusively for Rakshasas. RAKSHASA-LOKA. See Loka. RAKTA-YIJA. An Asura whose combat with the goddess Chamu?ZfZa (Devi) is celebrated in the Devi-mahiitmya. Each 256 7^ A MA. drop of his blood as it fell on tlie ground produced a new Asura, but Cliamuw(ia put an end to this by drinking his blood and devouring his flesh. RAMA. There are three Riimas : Parasu-rama, Rama-chan- dra, and Bala-rama ; but it is to the second of these that the name is specially applied. RAMA, RAMA-CHANDRA. Eldest son of Dasa-ratha, a king of the Solar race, reigning at Ayodhya. This Rama is the seventh incarnation of the god A'ishwu, and made his appearance in the world at the end of the Treta or second age. His story is briefly told in the Yana Parva of the Maha-bharata, but it is given in full length as the grand subject of the Ramaya^^a. King Da.9a-ratha was childless, and performed the aswa-medlia sacrifice with scrupulous care, in the hope of obtaining ofi'spring. His devotion was accepted by the gods, and he received the pro- mise of four sons. At this time the gods were in great terror and alarm at the deeds and menaces of Rava?ia, the Rakshasa king of Lanka, who had obtained extraordinary power, in virtue of severe penances and austere devotion to Brahma. In their terror the gods appealed to Yishyiu for dehverance, and he resolved to become manifest in the world with Dasa-ratha as his human father Dasa-ratha was performing a sacrifice when Yishwu appeared to him as a glorious being from out of the sacrificial fire, and gave to him a pot of nectar for his wives to drink. Dasa-ratha gave half of the nectar to Ivausalya, who brought forth Rama with a half of the divine essence, a quarter to Kaikeyi, whose son Bharata was endowed with a quarter of the deity, and the fourth part to Su-mitra, who brought forth two sons, Lakshma7ia and iS'atru-ghna, each having an eighth part of the divine essence. The brothers were all attached to each other, but Lakslima??a was more esj^ecially devoted to Rama and /Satru-ghna to Bharata. [The two sons of Su-mitra and the pairing off of the brothers have not passed without notice. The version of the Ramaya7?a given by Mr. Wheeler endeavours to account for these circum- stances. It says that Dam-ratha divided the divine nectar be- tween his senior wives, Ivausalya and Kaikeyi, and that when the younger, Su-uiitrii, asked for some, Dasa-ratha desired them to share their portions with her. Each gave her half, so Sumitrii received two quarters and gave birth to two sons : " from the RAM A. 257 quarter wliich she received from Kausalya she gave birth to Lal^shmawa, who became the ever-faithful friend of Rama, and from the quarter she received from Kaikeyi she gave birtli to *S^atru-ghna, who became the ever-faithful friend of Bliarata." This account is silent as to the superior divinity of Riima, and according to it all four brothers must have been equals as mani- festations of the deity.] The four brothers grew up together at Ayodhya, but while they were yet striplings, the sage Viswamitra sought the aid of Rama to protect him from the Rakshasas. Dasa-ratha, though very unwilling, was constrained to consent to the sage's request. Rama and Lakshma?za then went to the hermitage of Viswa- mitra, and there Rama killed the female demon Taraka, but it required a good deal of persuasion from the sage before- he was induced to kill a female. Viswamitra. supplied Rama with celestial arms, and exercised a considerable influence over his actions. Viswamitra afterwards took Rama and his brothers to Mithila to the court of Janaka king of Yideha. This king had a lovely daughter named Sita, whom he offered in marriage to any one who could bend the wonderful bow which had once belonged to ^Siva. Rama not only bent the bow but broke it, and thus won the hand of the princess, who became a most virtuous and devoted wife. Rama's three brothers also Avere married to a sister and two cousins of Sita. This breaking of the bow of jS'iva brought about a very curious incident, wliich is probably an interpolation of a later date, in- troduced for a sectarian purpose. Parasu-rama, the sixth incar- nation of VisliTiu, the Brahman exterminator of the Kshatriyas, was still living upon earth. He was a follower of /S'iva, and was off'ended at the breaking of that deity's boAv. Notwithstanding that he and Rama were both incarnations of YisliTiu, he chal- lenged Rama to a trial of strength and was discomfited, but Rama spared his life because he was a Brahman. Preparations were made at Ayodhya for the inauguration of Rama as successor to the throne. Kaikeyi, the second wife of Dasa-ratha, and mother of Bliarata, was her husband's favourite. She was kind to Rama in childhood and youth, but she had a spiteful humpbacked female slave named Mantharil This woman worked upon the maternal afi'ection of her mistress until she aroused a strong feeling of jealousy against Rama. Kaikeyi B 2 53 RAA[A. liad a quarrel and a long struggle with her husband, but he at length consented to install Bharata and to send Riima into ex,ile for fourteen years. Rfima departed with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmawa, and travelling southwards, he took up his abode at Chitra-ku^a, in the Dawc/aka forest, between the Yamuna and GodavarL Soon after the departure of Rama, his father Dasa-ratha died, and Bharata was called upon to ascend the throne.