212 THE HINDOO MYTHOLOGY.

sion; and when Ramu was called to the coadjutorship by
the voice of the people, and to which Dushu-rut'hu gladly
assented, Kekoiyee reminded the king of his promise ; and
at the instigation of a deformed and revengeful female slave,
whom Ramu had formerly beaten, she petitioned that
Ramu might be exiled to a distant forest to live as an as-
cetic, and that Bhurutu her son might be installed in his
stead. The king reluctantly complied. Ramu however
readily submitted, and went into the forest, taking with
him Seeta and his brother Lukshmunu. Dushu-rut'hu
soon died of grief for Ramu; after which a shoe of Ramii's
was placed on the throne, Bhurutu refusing the crown.
When in the forest, Soorpu-nukha e, the sister of Ravunu,
a giant who reigned at Liinka, (Ceylon,) proposed marriage
to Ramix, who sent her to Lukshmunu; he sent her again
to Ramu; Ramu sending her back to Lukshmunu, the
latter cut off her nose: on this she fled to her brothers
Khuru and Dooshunu, who immediately made war upon
Ramu; Ramu, however, destroyed them, as well as their
army of 14,000 giants, (rakshustis.) Ravunu, on hearing of
these events, requested Murcechu, another giant, to go to
the residence of Ramu in the form of a beautiful deer, and
tempt Ramu to pursue him, while he stole Seeta. Maree-
chu consented, and Ramu, at the urgent request of Seeta,
pursued the flying deer, leaving Lukshmunu to guard his
family. When MarSechu, in the form of the deer, was
wounded, he set up a loud cry like the voice of Ramu;
which greatly alarmed Seeta, who prevailed on Lukshmunu
to follow her beloved husband. While Seeta was thus
left alone, Ravunu carried her off in triumph. The poem
then describes the grief of Ramu and his brother for the

* A name given to her on account of her having nails like a Hindoo fan
for winnowing corn.