he appeared there in the disguise of a hermit, for forcibly carrying away that lady of blameless character.  The virtuous daughter of Janaka, seeing him come, welcomed him with fruits and root and a seat.  Disregarding these and assuming his own proper shape, that bull among Rakshasas began to re-assure the princess of Videha in these words, “I am, O Sita, the king of the Rakshasas, known by the name of Ravana!  My delightful city, known by the name of Lanka is on the other side of the great ocean!  There among beautiful women, thou wilt shine with me!  O lady of beautiful lips, forsaking the ascetic Rama do thou become my wife!” Janaka’s daughter of beautiful lips, hearing these and other words in the same strain, shut her ears and replied unto him, saying, “Do not say so!  The vault of heaven with all its stars may fall down, the Earth itself may be broken into fragments, fire itself may change its nature by becoming cool, yet I cannot forsake the descendant of Raghu!  How can a she-elephant, who hath lived with the mighty leader of a herd with rent temples forsake him and live with a hog?  Having once tasted the sweet wine prepared from honey or flowers, how can a woman, I fancy, relish the wretched arrak from rice?” Having uttered those words, she entered the cottage, her lips trembling in wrath and her arms moving to and fro in emotion.  Ravana, however, followed her thither and intercepted her further progress.  And rudely scolded by the Rakshasa, she swooned away.  But Ravana seized her by the hair of her head, and rose up into the air.  Then a huge vulture of the name of Jatayu living on a mountain peak, beheld that helpless lady thus weeping and calling upon Rama in great distress while being carried away by Ravana.’”

SECTION CCLXXVII

“Markandeya said, ’That heroic king of the vultures, Jatayu, having Sampati for his uterine brother and Arjuna himself for his father, was a friend of Dasaratha.  And beholding his daughter-in-law Sita on the lap of Ravana, that ranger of the skies rushed in wrath against the king of the Rakshasas.  And the vulture addressed Ravana, saying, “Leave the princess of Mithila, leave her I say!  How canst thou, O Rakshasa, ravish her when I am alive?  If thou dost not release my daughter-in-law, thou shalt not escape from me with life!” And having said these words Jatayu began to tear the king of the Rakshasas with his talons.  And he mangled him in a hundred different parts of his body by striking him with his wings and beaks.  And blood began to flow as copiously from Ravana’s body as water from a mountain spring.  And attacked thus by that vulture desirous of Rama’s good, Ravana, taking up a sword, cut off the two wings of that bird.  And having slain that king of the vultures, huge as a mountain-peak shooting forth above the clouds, the Rakshasa rose high in the air with Sita on his lap.  And the princess of Videha, wherever she saw an asylum