Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/212

 182 BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. [ Chap, scenery of the Daksinatya and the ever-changing seasons allay their heart’s grief, and the royal couple and the prince Laksmana pass their days, restored to peace of mind, and even to happiness. In the Sita 14th year of exile, Sita is carried off by Ravana, the carried off Raksasa King of Lanka ; and Ram with the help of by Ravana. রর ; ee Sugriva, King of Kiskindbya, wages a dreadful war to recover his wife. In Lanka, Sita resists all the persuasions, threats and oppressions of Ravana. She is resigned in her forlorn condition but firm and resolute in her mind. Ram obtains victory over the Raksasa King and recovers Sita, and returns with her The victory. to the capital after fourteen years. He ascends the throne of Ayodhya, but his subjects express their doubt about Sita’s fidelity during her stay at Ravana’s palace; and Ram only to satisfy Brie ie the people, banishes her, though he knows her to be faultless. For the purpose of the Agvamedha or horse-sacrifice ceremony which he holds after a time, the subjects hope that the king will marry again, as withcut a queen such cere- monies cannot be performed. But Ram makes a golden image of Sita, and says that he has but one wife ; she has been true to him in all his sufferings and he does not, for one moment, suspect her to be faithless. He knows her to be pure as_ purity itself; and he has banished her only because he could not prove his own conviction to others. In the capacity of a king whose principal duty is to win the good wishes of his people, he has sacri- ficed all the happiness of his life and he is more miserable by doing so than the most miserable of bis subjects. He performs the horse-sacrifice ceremony, sitting beside the golden image of Sita. Not