(vi) Sita is exiled Canto XLIII (Uttarakanda) Wise and witty narrators used to sit around the king reciting various kinds of stories. (1) Vijaya, Madhumatta, Kāśyapa, Mangala, Kula, Surāji, Kāliya, Bhadra, Dantavaktra and Sumāgadha used to narrate with great delight various kinds of humorous stories to the high-souled Rāma. (2-3) After sometime, during the course of the narration of a certain story, Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu) inquired: — "Bhadra! What are the talks of the town and the kingdom? (4) What are the people of the town and the country talking about me and about Sītā, Bharata and Laksmana and what indeed about Śatrughna and mother Kaikeyī ? Kin

APPENDICES I Sri Aurobindo on the Ramayana The pure literature of the period is represented by the two great epics, the Mahabharata, which gathered into its vast structure the greater part of the poetic activity of the Indian mind during several centuries, and the Ramayana. These two poems are epical in their motive and spirit, but they are not like any other two epics in the world, but are entirely of their own kind and subtly different from others in their principle. It is not only that although they contain an early heroic story and a transmutation of many primitive elements, their form belongs to a period of highly developed intellectual, ethical and social culture, i

Introduction I The epical story of Sri Rama has been an undying power of sustenance of the three great qualities that have characterised the idealism of Indian culture, viz., heroism that is spontaneously fearless and valorous, a human-divine tenderness that imparts restraint to exuberance, an over- flowing sweetness to the ingathered strength of virtue, and an indefatigable austerity that must end in triumph and celebration of victory. Sri Rama, the hero of the Ramayana is the human-divine light as fierce as the summer sun and also as tender as the rain of love, each drop of which, bears the healing charm of the splendid moon of the autumn. He is a mass

(iv) Śrī Rāma vanquishes and kills Rāvana Canto XCIX (Yuddhakanda) On seeing Mahodara and Mahāpārśwa killed, the notorious champion Virūpāksa, who was endowed with ex traordinary might, having (already) been struck down, a great rage actually seized Rāvana in the course of the great conflict. He urged on his charioteer and addressed to him the following words: so the tradition goes: — (1-2) "Killing the two princes, Rāma and Laksmana, I shall certainly get rid of the suffering caused (to me) on account of the ministers who have been killed and the city which has been laid siege to (by the monkeys). (3) In the fight I shall cut d

(v) Sita's ordeal and Return of Śrī Rāma, Sita and Lakshmana to Ayodhyā Canto CXIV Having greeted the foremost of all archers, Śrī Rāma, whose eyes resembled the petals of a lotus, that great sage (Hanūmān) submitted to him as follows: — (1) "You ought to see that divine princess of Mithilā, who is sorely stricken with grief, for whose sake this course of action was undertaken, which has (now) borne fruit. (2) Having heard of your consummate victory, that princess1 of Mithilā, who is over whelmed with grief, her eyes bedimmed with tears, longs to see you. (3) By her, who was full of trust in m

Selected Episodes ( i ) Śrī Rāma is Exiled Canto XVI (Ayodhyākanda) Passing through the outermost gate of the inner chambers (for women), which was crowded with men, Sumantra (who knew many old legends) next reached the inner gate, which was solitary and was guarded by young men wielding a Prāsa (a barbed missile) and a bow and adorned with ear rings of burnished gold, unfailing in their duty and single minded of purpose and fully devoted (to their master) (1-2) Here he saw stationed at the gate, staff in hand, aged men clad in ochre coloured liveries and richly adorned, most attentive to their duty and guarding the inmates of the inner apart

(ii) Dialogue of Śrī Rāma and Bharata in the Forest Canto XCVI Having shown on that occasion the hilly stream (Mandakinī) to Sītā (the Princess of Mithila), Śrī Rāma sat down on a single flat rock humouring Sītā with a description of the pulp of fruits fit for the consumption of austere sages (as follows): — (1) "This (fruit) is fit for being offered as an oblation into the sacred fire, this is luscious and this (bulb) has been roasted well in fire." In this way the celebrated Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu), whose mind was devoted to righteousness, spent his time with Sītā. (2) While he remained sitting there, the dust raised by th

Story of Ramayana in a Nutshell Canto I (Balakanda) The sage Vālmīki put the following question direct to Narada, the heavenly sage, the foremost of those skilled in expression, who remains (ever) engaged in askesis and the study of the self (the study of the Vedas): — (1) "Who can possibly be full of virtues in this world at present? Who is possessed of prowess and knows what is right? Who is conscious of services done, truthful of speech and firm of resolve? (2) Who is possessed of right conduct and who is friendly to all living beings? Who is a man of knowledge? Nay, who is powerful and who has a singularly lovable appearanc

References The quotations from the Writings of Sri Aurobindo are reproduced from Sri Aurobindo Birth Centenary Library volumes 15 & 19 and are serially as follows : Introduction The Human Cycle - p. 181, p. 201. Reason and Democracy The Human Cycle - p. 183, pp. 183-5, p. 185. The Ideal of Human Unity - p. 450, pp. 450-1. The Human Cycle — pp. 185-6. The Ideal of Human Unity - p. 444, p. 444, p. 448. The Human Cycle — p. 187. Reaction to Capitalism The Human Cycle - p. 188, p. 188, pp. 188-9, p. 189, p. 189, pp. 189-90, pp. 195-6, pp. 196-7, p. 197, p. 192, pp. 193-4, p. 194. Reaction to Suprem

Reason and Democracy What is the relationship between Reason and Democracy? Why did Monarchy come to be replaced by Democracy? Are ordinary people extraordinary in the art of government? Is perfect democracy practicable? What is the necessity of Parliamentary Democracy? Democracy is on the anvil. Democracy is in crisis. Has Parliamentary Democracy succeeded? What is the likely future of Parliamentary Democracy? Will Democracy come to be replaced by Monarchy or Totalitarianism? Individualistic Democracy leads to a huge organised but unbridled competitive system — to the present industrialised capitalism, and to an increasing plutocratic tendency. It leads to scramble