Janaka

“ I shall be well, my child, if Rāma fired with rage, do not render all the world bereft of Rākshasas; if Janaka's daughter hath not sprung to compass thy destruction, if a dreadful disaster do not befall thee because of Sitā, and if having obtained for her lord thee that art wilful and wicked, the city of Lankā with thee and the Rākshasas do not meet with utter extermination. The sovereign who is wicked, whimsical and of evil intent like thee, bringeth about his own destruction as well as that of his kingdom and relatives. ”

“ But, O hero, to-day, O Rāghava, by my acts will I remove this huge sorrow that hath been heaped upon us by Indrajit. Therefore, rise thou up. Rise up, O foremost of men, O long-armed one, O thou who observest vows. Why dost thou not understand thyself as the Supreme Soul?349 And, O sinless one, urged on behalf of thy welfare, I, waxing wroth on hearing of the slaughter of Janaka's daughter, shall with my shafts entirely raze to the ground Lankā with cars and elephants and steeds and the foremost Rakshas". ”

“ And neither the celestials, nor the Asuras, nor the Rākshasas, nor the Gandharbas nor the Yakshas, nor the Kinnaras, nor the mighty Uragās,—how shall men fare?—have succeeded in stringing or stretching it, or fixing the arrow to it, or pulling its string, or wielding it. This foremost of bows hath been brought here, O chief of ascetics. Do thou, O exalted one, show it unto these sons of the king." Hearing Janaka,s words, the righteous Viçwāmitra said unto Rāghava,—"O Rāma, do thou, my child, behold the bow." ”

“ Incomparable is his power; daughter of Janaka is his wife and lives in the forest confiding in the mighty strength of his bow; thou shalt not be able to carry her away. She is the beloved wife of that best of men having a leonine chest—and he holds his wife dearer than his life and is ever attached unto her. And young Sitā beloved of the mighty Rāma, and like unto the rays of flaming fire is ever incapable of being carried away by thee. Of what avail is this vain attempt O Rākshasa chief? No sooner Rāma shall see you in the battle thou shalt meet with thy end. ”

“ Thou by virtue of thy character conducive to delight, hast found an access into my heart. These even the celestials and Asuras with Indra (at their head) are incompetent to quell. Seeing such sight, I speak to thee as to their being alive. And behold, O Maithili, this mighty wonder! These are lying insensible with arrows; but of those Grace hath not taken leave. It generally happens that the faces of persons dead and gone, are unsightly to a degree. Therefore, O Janaka's daughter, leave off grief and sorrow and stupor. ”

“ O daughter of Janaka, do thou exercise, thy supremacy, over all my wives, living in my seraglio and gifted with all accomplishments. O thou having black hair, all my wives are foremost in beauty over the three worlds. And they shall all attend thee like unto Apsarās waiting upon the Goddess of wealth. O thou having beautiful eye brows and well-developed hips, do thou, along with me, enjoy at thy pleasure all the wealth and riches of Kuvera.323 O worshipful damsel, in asceticism, strength or prowess, wealth or fame, Rāma is not my equal. Do thou therefore at thy pleasure drink, enjoy and eat. ”

“ And here will we happily spend a night; and on the morning of the morrow thou wilt, O foremost of men., behold Janaka.' And having heard that the illustrious Viçwāmitra had come, that best of kings, the effulgent Sumati, appeared before him. And having paid Viçwāmitra high homage together with his priests and friends, and with clasped hands enquired after the former's welfare, he addressed Viçwāmitra, saying,— "Blessed are we, and obliged are we, whose domains, O ascetic, have been graced with thy presence. Surely none is more blessed than I am." ”

“ Now the ministers reflected that Mahaushadha had deprived their fathers of life, and they thought, remembering the old grudge, that if they brought the matter energetically before the king, Mahaushadha would never return home. So, after they had met together, they said to the king, “It is Mahaushadha in whom King Janaka has such a source of mental power. When he is at home by the king’s side, no one can injure the king, but while he is here, we might well go forth again to attack King Janaka.” ”

“ The first minister, Mahaushadha, perceived that there was no withstanding him in fight, so he considered how he could excite discord. By means of sending divers presents to King Śibi’s five hundred ministers he produced dissension. When this had been brought about, Janaka sent envoys to the king of Panchāla with a message to the effect that, although he was in a position to fight the king of Panchāla, yet he wished to be reconciled with him, and not to fight with him who was his father-in-law. The king of Panchāla should know that in King Janaka’s hands lay life and death. ”

“ King Janaka found Sitâ, the consort of Râma, at the end of his plough. Yâjnavalkya defeated all the Brâhmanas of his time in discussions held at the court of king Janaka.
When Râma incarnated, there existed the people of Lankâ, a remnant of the Atlantean continent, who had inherited a mighty material civilisation, but who were called Râkshasas, on account of their gross iniquities. They reached the last point of material downfall, and lost all spirituality. They were called Râkshasas as final extinction was their lot, and as the force of dissolution was strong in them. ”

“ The third discourse (iv. 3–4) is another dialogue between Janaka and Yājnavalkya. It presents a picture of the soul in the conditions of waking, dreaming, deep sleep, dying, transmigration, and salvation. For wealth of illustration, fervour of conviction, beauty and elevation of thought, this piece is unequalled in the Upanishads or any other work of Indian literature. Its literary effect is heightened by the numerous stanzas with which it is interspersed. ”

“ After a time King Janaka sent a messenger to see how Pūrṇa was treating the mule. He reported to the king the precautions which had been taken. The king perceived that the mule could not escape while it was guarded in that way, so he said that he wished one of the men to be sent for. The minister asked which man was to be summoned. The king said that they were to send for the man who was sitting on the mule’s back. For while the others were asleep he could ride off with the mule. So the king had the watcher sent for who sat on the mule, and the man came away together with the beast. ”

“ In course of years, probably of centuries, the kingdom of the Videhas rose in power and in civilization, until it became the most prominent kingdom in Northern India, and Janaka, King of the Videhas, is probably the most important figure in the history of the Brahmanic and Epic Period in India, for he not only established his power in the farthest confines of the Hindu dominions, but also gathered round him the most learned men of his time, entered into discussion with them, and instructed them in holy truths about the Universal Being. ”

“ And I could not search for Vaidehi elsewhere; for in the matter of search, people always search for women even among women. And people search for creatures among the species to which they happen to belong: none searcheth for a lost lady among female deer. Therefore have I with a pure heart explored the entire inner apartment of Rāvana; but Janaka's daughter I see not." And Hanumān endowed with prowess saw the daughters of gods, and Gandharbas, and Nāgas; hut he saw not Jānaki. ”

“ But Virūpa thought, “What can such a wretched man as I am do with such a wife—I, who can scarcely support myself? She will not so much as look at me.”
Coming down from the tree, he surrounded it with thorns and then went his way.
Now it happened that just at that time King Janaka went out hunting, and he heard in the forest the wailing of Udumbarikā deserted by her husband. Following [179] the sound, he caught sight of the bright-eyed one, who seemed to him like a goddess of the forest. ”

“ Having in this way sent the gold pieces and a missive along with them, he himself went to King Janaka.
The Brahman went to the Kaksha forest, and delivered to Viśākhā the missive and three hundred of the pieces of gold. When Viśākhā perceived that she had not received the fourth hundred, she at once began looking under the bed.
“What are you looking for there?” he asked.
“Men have come from the court of the king,” she replied, “with orders to seize the malefactor, and have gone away. ”

“ And sighing hot, that descendant Ikshwāku spoke onto that wife of his, saying,—"O Kaikeyi, Sitā deserves not to go in a Kuça dress. Tender, and youthful, and worthy of happiness, she is by no means capable of living in the forest. My spiritual guide has spoken the truth. Whom has this one injured that, being the daughter of the foremost of kings, she like a female ascetic, wearing a meagre garb in the presence of all, will (repair to the woods and) remain there like a beggar destitute of everything? Let Janaka's daughter leave off her ascetic guise. ”

“ Meanwhile Virūpa, as he walked along by himself, repented of having deserted his wife. So he returned to the Udumbara tree, but found that his wife was not there, and learnt that King Janaka had taken her away with him, and had made her one of his wives. Thereat he was sorely grieved.
He went to the gate of the palace, but he was not admitted within. Then he saw that there were men at work in the courtyard of the palace, and he resolved to carry stone along with them. By this means he gained access to the palace, where he saw his wife and the king in loving converse. ”

“ Even the flame of fire cannot do, although touched by the hands, what Janaka's daughter can bring about by her ire. I have related unto you what had happened. It now behoveth us to behold Vaidehi along with those two sons of a king, after commanding all the monkeys headed by Jambavān and others. ”

“ Having said this, (Saramā) , repairing to the Raksha, heard Rāvana's converse with his counselors. And having heard of the decision of that wicked-minded one, she, understanding decisions, swiftly retraced her steps to the fair açoka forest. And then, entering there, she saw Janaka's daughter, expecting (her) like a very Sri, bereft of her lotus. And, the fair-spoken Saramā, on getting back (near her) , Sitā, embracing her affectionately, herself gave her a seat. "Sitting down here at ease, do thou relate to me faithfully all about the determination of the wicked-minded and guileful Rāvana". ”

“ He challengeth thee to the fight. The worthy son of Vāli and ever dear unto Sugriva, he putteth forth his prowess, as Varuna doth for Sakra. That that well-wisher of Rāghava, the vehement Hanumān, hath seen Janaka's daughter, was owing to the advice of this one. That powerful (hero) is proceeding, taking innumerable bands belonging to the lord of monkeys, for the purpose of beating thee by means of his soldiery. Following Vāli's son, and surrounded by a mighty force, stayeth in the field the heroic Nala, the builder of the bridge. ”

“ Vyása knew his thoughts, and said: “O son, my mind being immersed in the study and in the contemplation of God, I cannot, for want of time, impart to thee at present distinctly the account which thou desirest; but I will put thee in the way by which thou mayst arrive at the satisfaction of thy heart, and I will send thee to a man who will gratify thee. Know then, that in the country of Tirhut [462] is a town called Míthila, and there resides Janaka, the Rája, who is an excellent man, and possesses incomparable knowledge. ”

“ Meantime, the wind murmured, the trees rustled, the creepers whispered softly, and to the child they seemed to say, "Go on, Janko, there is not a soul there. . . . Go on, Janko."
The night was clear and bright. By the pond in the garden a nightingale began to sing—now softly, now loudly. Her song said, "Go on; have courage; touch it." An honest raven flew softly over the child's head and croaked, "No, Janko; no." The raven flew away, but the nightingale remained, and the creepers cried more plainly than ever, "There's no one there."
The fiddle still hung in the track of the moonbeams. ”

“ We asked the priest for Heaven's blessing for Anneka.
Dearest, we should so love to have you here, so that you could live our native life with us. There is so much that is touching in our Javanese life; especially in the honour that we show to our dead and to our parents. Nothing ever happens in our lives of any importance, either of joy or of sorrow, that we do not think of our dead. Anneka will remember Japara when she sits high and dry at Buitenzorg, although she may be a thousand times better off there than here. They that have known Japara; who have seen its soul, can never forget it. ”

“ In the interval Janko had edged nearer and nearer to his treasure, but fear seized him. In the shadow of the creepers he felt at home, like a wild creature in a thicket, now he quivered like a wild creature in a snare. His movements were hasty, his breath came short.
The pulsing summer lightning that glanced from east to west illumined the apartment for an instant, and showed poor trembling Janko almost on his hands and knees, his head stretched out, cowering before the violin, but the summer lightning ceased, a cloud passed before the moon, and there was nothing to be seen nor heard. ”