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RĀJA SEKHARA—RĀKSHASAS.

RĀJA SEKHARA. A dramatist who was the author of the dramas Viddha-Sālabhanjikā and Prachanda-Pandava. He was also the writer of Karpūra-Manjarī, a drama entirely in Prakrit. Another play, Bāla-Rāmāyana, is attributed to him. He appears to have been the minister of some Rajput, and to have lived about the beginning of the twelfth century.

RAJA-SUYA. A royal sacrifice.' A great sacrifice performed at the installation of a king, religious in its nature but political in its operation, because it implied that he who instituted the sacrifice was a supreme lord, a king over kings, and his tributary princes were required to be present at the rite. RAJA-TARANGINĪ. A Sanskrit metrical history of Kashmir by Kalhana Pandit. It commences with the days of fable and comes down to the year 1027 A.D. The author probably lived about 1148 A.D. This is the only known work in Sanskrit which deserves the name of a history. The text has been printed in Calcutta. Troyer published the text with a French translation. Wilson and Lassen have analysed it, and Dr. Bühler has lately reviewed the work in the Indian Antiquary.

RAJI. A son of Ayus and father of 500 sons of great valour. In one of the chronic wars between the gods and the Asuras it was declared by Brahma that the victory should be gained by that side which Raji joined. The Asuras first sought him, and he undertook to aid them if they promised to make him their king on their victory being secured. They declined. 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. When he returned to his own city, he left Indra as his deputy in heaven. On Raji'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.

RĀKA. A Rākshasī, wife of Visravas and mother of Khara and Surpa-nakhā.

RĀKSHASAS. Goblins or evil spirits. They are not all equally bad, 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 who haunt cemeteries, disturb sacrifices, harass devout men, animate dead bodies, devour human beings,

RĀKSHASAS—RAKTA-VĪJA.

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and vex and afflict mankind in all sorts of ways. These last are the Rakshasas of whom Rāvana was chief, and according to some authorities, they are descended, like Rāvana himself, from the sage Pulastya. According to other authorities, they sprang from Brahma's foot. The Vishnu Purana also makes them descendants of Kasyapa and Khasa, a daughter of Daksha, through their son Rakshas; and the Rāmāyana states that when Brahmā created the waters, he formed certain beings to guard them who were called Rakshasas (from the root raksh, to guard, but the derivation from this root may have suggested the explanation), and the Vishnu Purāna 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 Āryans.

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 disgusted 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 were prodigiously tall. Some had only one eye and others only one ear. Some had monstrous bellies, hanging breasts, long projecting 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.”—(Rāmāyana.)

The Rakshasas have a great many epithets descriptive of their characters and actions. They are called Anusaras, Asaras, and Hanushas, 'killers or hurters;' Ishti-pachas, stealers of offerings;' Sandhya-balas, 'strong in twilight;' Kshapātas, Naktancharas, Ratri-charas, and Samani-shadas, 'night-walkers;' Nrijagdhas or Nri-chakshas, 'cannibals;' Palalas, Palādas, Palankashas, Kravyāds, carnivorous;' Asra-pas, Asrik-pas, Kaunapas, Kīlāla-pas, and Rakta-pas, 'blood-drinkers;' Dandasukas, 'biters;' Praghasas, 'gluttons ;' Malina-mukhas, 'black-faced;' Karbūras, &c. But many of these epithets are not reserved exclusively for Rakshasas.

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RAKSHASA-LOKA. See Loka.

RAKTA-VĪJA. An Asura whose combat with the goddess. Chamundā (Devī) is celebrated in the Devi-māhātmya. Each

drop of his blood as it fell on the ground produced a new Asura, but Chamundā put an end to this by drinking his blood and devouring his flesh.

RAMA. There are three Ramas: Parasu-rāma, Rama-chandra, and Bala-rāma; but it is to the second of these that the name is specially applied.

RĀMA, RĂMA-CHANDRA. Eldest son of Dasa-ratha, a king of the Solar race, reigning at Ayodhya. This Rama is the seventh incarnation of the god Vishnu, and made his appearance in the world at the end of the Treta or second age. His story is briefly told in the Vana Parva of the Maha-bhārata, but it is given in full length as the grand subject of the Rāmāyana. King Dasa-ratha was childless, and performed the aswa-medha sacrifice with scrupulous care, in the hope of obtaining offspring. His devotion was accepted by the gods, and he received the promise of four sons. At this time the gods were in great terror and alarm at the deeds and menaces of Rāvana, 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 Vishnu for deliverance, and he resolved to become manifest in the world with Dasa-ratha as his human father Dasa-ratha was performing a sacrifice when Vishnu 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 Kausalya, who brought forth Rāma 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, Lakshmana and Satru-ghna, each having an eighth part of the divine essence. The brothers were all attached to each other, but Lakshmana was more especially 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 Rāmāyana given by Mr. Wheeler endeavours to account for these circumstances. It says that Dasa-ratha divided the divine nectar between his senior wives, Kausalya and Kaikeyī, and that when the younger, Su-mitrā, asked for some, Dasa-ratha desired them to share their portions with her. Each gave her half, so Sumitrā received two quarters and gave birth to two sons: "from the

quarter which she received from Kausalya she gave birth to Lakshmana, who became the ever-faithful friend of Rāma, and from the quarter she received from Kaikeyi she gave birth to Satru-ghna, who became the ever-faithful friend of Bharata." This account is silent as to the superior divinity of Rāma, and according to it all four brothers must have been equals as manifestations of the deity.]

The four brothers grew up together at Ayodhya, but while they were yet striplings, the sage Viswamitra sought the aid of Rāma to protect him from the Rakshasas. Dasa-ratha, though very unwilling, was constrained to consent to the sage's request. Rāma and Lakshmana then went to the hermitage of Viswamitra, and there Rāma killed the female demon Tārakā, 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 Rāma and his brothers to Mithila to the court of Janaka king of Videha. This king had a lovely daughter named Sītā, whom he offered in marriage to any one who could bend the wonderful bow which had once belonged to Siva. Rāma 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 were married to a sister and two cousins of Sītā.

This breaking of the bow of Siva brought about a very curious incident, which is probably an interpolation of a later date, introduced for a sectarian purpose. Parasu-rama, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu, the Brahman exterminator of the Kshatriyas, was still living upon earth. He was a follower of Siva, and was offended at the breaking of that deity's bow. Notwithstanding that he and Rāma were both incarnations of Vishnu, he challenged Rama to a trial of strength and was discomfited, but Rāma spared his life because he was a Brahman.

Preparations were made at Ayodhya for the inauguration of Rāma as successor to the throne. Kaikeyī, the second wife of Dasa-ratha, and mother of Bharata, was her husband's favourite. She was kind to Rāma in childhood and youth, but she had a spiteful humpbacked female slave named Manthara. This woman worked upon the maternal affection of her mistress until she aroused a strong feeling of jealousy against Rama. Kaikeyi

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had a quarrel and a long struggle with her husband, but he at length consented to install Bharata and to send Rāma into exile for fourteen years. Rāma departed with his wife Sītā and his brother Lakshmana, and travelling southwards, he took up his abode at Chitra-kūta, in the Dandaka forest, between the Yamunā and Godavari. Soon after the departure of Rama, his father Dasa-ratha died, and Bharata was called upon to ascend the throne. He declined, and set out for the forest with an army to bring Rāma back. When the brothers met there was a long contention. Rāma refused to return until the term of his father's sentence was completed, and Bharata declined to ascend the throne. At length it was arranged that Bharata should return and act as his brother's vicegerent. As a sign of Rama's supremacy Bharata carried back with him a pair of Rāma's shoes, and these were always brought out ceremoniously when business had to be transacted. Rāma passed ten years of his banishment moving from one hermitage to another, and went at length to the hermitage of the sage Agastya, near the Vindhya mountains. This holy man recommended Rāma to take up his abode at Panchavati, on the river Godavari, and the party accordingly proceeded thither. This district was infested with Rakshasas, and one of them named Surpa-nakha, a sister of Ravana, saw Rama and fell in love with him. He repelled her advances, and in her jealousy she attacked Sītā. raged Lakshmana that he cut off her ears and nose. her brothers Khara and Dūshana with an army of Rakshasas to avenge her wrongs, but they were all destroyed. Smarting under her mutilation and with spretæ injuria forma, she repaired to her brother Ravana in Lankā, and inspired him by her description with a fierce passion for Sīta. Ravana proceeded to Rama's residence in an aerial car, and his accomplice Maricha having lured Rama from home, Rāvana assumed the form of a religious mendicant and lulled Sita's apprehensions until he found an opportunity to declare himself and carry her off by force to Lankā. Rama's despair and rage at the loss of his faithful wife were terrible. He and Lakshmana went in pursuit and tracked the ravisher. On their way they killed Kabandha, a headless monster, whose disembodied spirit counselled Rama to seek the aid of Su-grīva, king of the monkeys. The two brothers accordingly went on their way to Su-grīva, and after overcoming some

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