1.11. Rama Story in Laos

Introductory—Rama story in Laos is met with in four versions, two literary and two pictorial. Of the literary versions the bigger and the more well-known which has provided identity to the Lao Rama story is called Phra Lak Phra Lam. In Lao r is not pronounced though it may be used in writing. It is preferable to adopt the pronounced form of the word which is Pha. Lak is Laksmana and Lam is Rama, being pronounced as / which also is the case with many Thais who follow this pronunciation. It is the only version of the Rama story in Southeast Asia where the title has the name of Laksmana and that too before Rama. The text of the work is found in six Mss. a critical edition of which was prepared after collating them by Sacchidanand Sahai and was published in 1973 under the aegis of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi, The other version Gvay Dvorahbi pronounced as Khvay Thuaraphi which is much smaller than the one referred to above is also edited on the basis of the single Ms. with the Royal Palace in Luang Prabang (the ancient capital of Laos) also by Sahai together with its English translation. The text of it is divided in two sections, Phuk. Written in Yuan script it is prevalent in the region of Chiengmai and Northern Laos. The Ms. does not carry any date but it looks the story must have been popular in the region before it was committed to writing. This version is not able to provide explanation of the peculiar names of some of the Ramayanic characters. Sita, according to it, is so called because

the sage Kassapa (Kasyapa) found the girl on opening the golden casket in which she had been encased rubbing (sz) her eyes (ta) with her raised hand. Similarly, Ongkhot, according to it, is so called because he was born with his limbs (ong, Sanskrit anga) curved (khot) on account of the injury sustained by his mother through the buffalo Thuaraphi. Interestingly, it is the name of this buffalo that has provided the title to the story though the episode connected with it, also found under the name of Dundubhi in the Valmiki Ramayana occupies a very small portion of the Rama narrative, testifying to its great popularity in northern Laos and Thailand. Outline of the Story of Khvay Thuaraphi In the first aeon (Kalpa) a king of the name of Tapparamensuan ruled over the kingdom of Kasi. Of his three sons from three queens Thattaratha he kept with him to share the burden of kingdom while the second son Virulhaka he sent to rule over Lanka and the third one Viruppakkha (Viruapakkha) to rule over Kururathanakhon. Thattaratha who ascended the throne after the death of his father had two sons Phari (Valin) and Sukrip (Sugriva) and a daughter Nang Kasi. Virulhaka had three sons Raphanasuan (Ravanasura), Phik Phi (Vibhisana) and Inthasik (Indrajit) who together ruled over Lanka. Raphanasuan had two supernatural powers athivithiyana (adhivijnana ?) and divine vision while Phik Phi was well-versed in Astrology. Viruppakkha had two sons Rama and Lakkhana. With his divine powers Raphanasuan seduced four billion of divine damsels including Sujata, the chief queen of Indra who out to take revenge on him incarnated herself in his (Raphanasuan's) lap. Predicted by astrologers to be the cause of his death, she was put in a golden casket and set afloat on a raft. Coming to the notice of the sage Kassapa, she was adopted by him. Hunters in search of games arriving in his Asrama saw her and spoke of her beauty to their respective kings. The sage laid down the condition CC-0. Prof. Satya&ral Enhis chowo Sahassa thamathanu (Sanskritof the lifting of

Rama Story in Laos 99 99 Sahasradhamadhanus) for the marriage of the girl which none of the hundreds of kings descending on his hermitage could fulfil. With the idea that no other person may claim her, they persisted there for months and years. On their way back from the Asrama of their preceptor on completion of their study Rama and Lakkhana passed by the Asrama of Kassapa and on making enquiries about the great noise of 101 kings stationed there and the reason of their being there, Rama came forward to try his hand at the bow. He lifted it and the sage gave him the hand of his daughter. The kings paid obeisance to him and left. While Rama and Lakkhana were on their way to Kassapa's Asrama Nang Sida had noticed them through the window of her palace and had felt the heart throb. With the thought that Sujata may not be able to fulfil her vow of taking revenge on Raphanasuan because of her attachment to Rama and Lakkhana Indra reincarnated himself in the form of a golden deer coming to the view of Nang Sida whose insistense to have it for her made Rama chase it for long with Lakkhana (to whose care she had bern entrusted) leaving her to the care of the Mother Earth and going after Rama to know his whereabouts. Noticing with his divine vision that Nang Sida was alone Raphanasuan hurried from Lanka and tried to abduct her. The Earth holding her in Her firm grip, he failed in his first two attempts. He could succeed in carrying her away only when the Earth loosened her grip on Rama questioning Lakkhana on meeting him as to how the Earth could protect her. The golden deer disappeared after the abduction of Nang Sida leaving bewailing Rama to search for her in hills and vales. One day sitting under a banyan tree, tired and thirsty, Rama asked Lakkhana to bring water from a stream which on sipping he found saline making him conclude that it was nothing but tears shed by some one close by as afflicted as he was. Searching for him, he came upon Sukrip who narrated his tale of woe to him as under Prof. Satya Vrat Shastri Collection, New Delhi. Digitized by S 3 Foundation USA

A herd of buffaloes with huge bodies and sharp horns descended on the city of Kasi forcing people to starve by making them keep away from their farms for fear of being gored to death with their spirits so low that they would not dare to drive them away even for a reward which Phari (Valin) had announced for the purpose. Failing to persuade any of them, Phari and Sukrip (Sugriva), the sister Nang Kasi Rajathida came out herself to fight them even in her advanced stage of pregnancy but was wounded so seriously as to make the buffaloes to take her for dead. When carried to the city, it was found that the child she was carrying had slipped down the womb and reached the vagina into which some one put his hand and took it, the male child, out. It was called Ongkhot because it had its limbs (ong=anga) khot (=curved). Finding that the womb was still bulging some one inserted his hand in it and took out another child who was called Valayot because "the womb was seen again". Seeing the sister in deep agony the brothers Phari and Sukrip came out to fight the buffaloes killing a number of them and forcing others to take shelter in a cave. Then comes the story of the fight of Phari in the cave which is almost identical with the one in other versions: Phari asking Sukrip to conclude from the colour of the blood flowing out of the cave as to who is killed: if it is light red, it is Phari, if it is deep red it is buffaloes. Phari killed the buffaloes but from the light colour of the blood Sukrip thought that it is Phari who had been killed and so he returned to his kingdom of Kasi. On coming out of the cave and not finding Sukrip anywhere near it, Phari flew into rage and turned him out of the city. This is followed by the Nanthiyak episode which in its main contours resembles that of Nonthuk in the Thai Ramakien. In brief it recounts Nanthiyak having poisonous hands killing any one to whom he would point his finger. A lady of the name of Khanthapi approaches him and luring him with the promise of marrying him makes him act as she would. She dancing and Nanthiyak following, she points her fingers towards her head with Nanthiyak doing the same. With this he drops dead.

Rama Story in Laos 101 On reaching Kasi Nang Khanthapi demonstrates to King Thattaratha through her dance the way she had killed Nanthiyak. Overpowered with passion the king ejaculates. Khanthapi collects his semen and deposits it in the mouth of Nang Kasi, the blind mother of Ongkhot and Valayot lying under a fig tree with which she gives birth to a son named Hualaman (Hanuman). Nang Kasi died seven days after the birth of the son but before that she had advised him to help himself with the fruit of the fig tree; it is on it; she said, she had subsisted for some time. One day Hualaman (Hanuman) noticing the red sun coming out of the crest of the mountain took it for a fruit of the fig tree and jumped out to swallow it burning himself completely in the process. The sun noticing the bubbles of blood on 'his' chariot and inferring thereby that some one with spiritual merit had been killed, sprinkled the liquid Nam Chai Khai on the bubbles recreating Hualaman, this time with greater spiritual powers in that he could assume any form as he wished. Though willing to help his ally Sukrip, Rama did not want to follow the unrighteous path of invading the territory of his adversary. He asked Sukrip to tie a piece of cloth on his hand to enable him to distinguish the two brothers to challenge Phari for a duel who flew out with a bow and arrow making Sukrip take refuge with Rama. With Phari following him there, Rama charged him with trespassing into his territory and shot an arrow at him. The same charge he repeated when Phari protested at his intervention but offered to save his life were he to agree to the arrow taking out of his body the quantity of the blood needed to satisfy a fly. With Phari declining the offer, he fell dead. On having been crowned the king of Kasi Sukrip offered his three nephews Ongkhot, Valayot and Hualaman to Rama and Lakkhana and volunteered to escort them to their capital of Kururathanakhon. From now on it is the episode of the search for Nang Sida. Hualaman possessing supernatural powers, he was commissioned at the suggestion of the kings of Jambudvipa to look for her. With jump he went beyond Langka landing himself in the hermitage New Delhi. Digitized by S 3 Foundation USA

of the sage Phra Rot Ta Phai who but reduced him to ashes and then revived him by sprinkling Nam Chai Khai on a clot of blood of his heart stuck to the door of his hermitage. He removed the leech with the saliva of his mouth when it stuck to his body when he went to the pond of the hermitage to wash his face on brushing his teeth with a twig, removing the drops of blood oozing out due to the leech-sucking with a towel with all the activities resulting in the temporary loss of his spiritual power which was why during the jump this time he could not overfly Langka. Coming to know through conversation between the two maids of Langka the presence of Nang Sida in a garden he approached her, presented the signet ring of Rama to her with an offer to carry her to him which she declined on ground of public censure, suggesting on the contrary to carry her message to Rama to come to Langka with his convoy to ask Raphanasuan for her release and on his refusal to do so to secure it through force. Next was Hualaman's adventure in entering the palace of Raphanasuan and tying his hair with those of Mandodari with the slapping of the inscription on the door that the hair could be untied only if Mandodari were to strike his head with her fist first and pulling the pillows from under his head making him wake up. With Mandodari striking Raphanasuan's head with her fist, he lost his divine vision. Hualaman was punished for his misdemeanour by being set aflame by being wrapped in oil-soaked cloth which made him burn the city of Langka. The fire on his body he extinguished by jumping into the sea. Ongkhot was then sent to Langka with a letter and presents to persuade Raphanasuan to release Nang Sida to which he agreed if Rama were to come to it by building a succession of rafts which the latter (Rama) did in seven years with Hualaman playing important role in it. The king of the city of Pattalum (Patala) getting troubled with the noise of the building of the rafts despatched his daughter to find out its genesis who having swallowed the sweat of the toiling Hualaman got pregnant and gave a CC-0. Prof. Satya Vrat Shastri Collection, North to son called Rotthayi.

Rama Story in Laos 103 In terms of the word sent through Ongkhot by Raphanasuan Rama sent Valayot to inform him of the completion of the succession of rafts and to ask for the release of Nang Sida. Raphanasuan went back on his word and refused to part with Nang Sida. He called for astrological calculations from Phik Phi who predicted bad luck for Langka and its people in front of Valayot making him order his (Phik Phi's) expulsion in anger forcing him to join the camp of Rama where he predicted bad luck for him to the tune of his near death on the seventh day for which necessary precautions were taken like Hualaman taking care of the aerial region with his extended palm and the earthly region by other princes. On the seventh day the king of Pattalum came to Rama and carried him away to avenge the birth of an illegitimate child to his daughter and put him in a cage. Rama found missing, Phik Phi explained everything to Hualaman, showed him the way to Pattalum to which the latter reached through a hole in a lotus stalk and turning himself into an old maid overheard two servants of Pattalum king leaving for the mortal world to procure a poisonous liquid which was to kill Rama. He killed the servants and turning himself into a fly perching on the shoulder of a maiden entered the palace, smashed the cage, delivered Rama, defeated the Pattalum king and appointed his som Rotthayi the king in his place. The battle of Langka now began, Phik Phi told Rama that Raphanasuan could be killed only with the weapon of Thasaphon or Vasir lying in the bed of the ocean and guarded by a demon. Hualaman procured it for him. In the battle Raphanasuan stretched himself to the height of mount Yukhanthon while Rama ascended the shoulder of Hualaman to be at par with him in height. He shot Thasaphon which killed Raphanasuan after which he appointed Phik Phi the ruler of Langka in his place and returned to his kingdom of Kururathanakhon along with Nang Sida and Lakkhana. Finding the kingdom overcrowded he set up new settlements at Lavo, Phitsnulok, Nakhonsawan, Nanthirat and Ayuthiya-all in modern Thailand. Finally, he made Ayuthiya his capital-0. Prof. Satya Vrat Shastri Collection, New Delhi. Digitized by S 3 Foundation USA

Rama had sixteen thousand maidens of which Nang Sida was the first. One day when he was on a tour of Ayuthiya, Nang Sida made a portrait of Raphanasuan at the request of some maidens which, as Rama came back in the meantime, she concealed under a seat. When Rama sat on it, the portrait spoke out: We both belong to the royal lineage. Why was he then sitting on his head? On discovery that it was Nang Sida who had drawn the portrait he ordered her execution which Lakkhana took upon himself to carry out but which he avoided on account of her being pregnant. Indra then turned himself into a newly-dead dog whom Lakkhana killed and carried the blood-soaked sword to Rama to convince him of Nang Sida's execution. Nang Sida took refuge in the Asrama of the sage Thipracakkhu (Divyacaksus) where she gave birth to a son called Phra But. Later the sage made another child of the like appearance, infused life in it and named it Phra Hup. Coming to know from his mother that Rama was his father, Phra But left along with Phra Hup for Ayuthiya. In the battle with Hualaman for the refusal to pay taxes to his agents the former was wounded in fighting Rama who could not defeat them. Phra But then took the vow that if the person shooting at him was his father, his (Phra But's) arrow would entwine his body like a lion and return to him. This is what exactly happened. He recognized his father. The princes were ushered into the palace and were crowned to rule over half the kingdom. Accompanied with the two princes Rama and Lakkhana went to the hermitage of the sage and brought Nang Sida to Ayuthiya. Phra But and Phra Hup were crowned the rulers of Ayuthiya. Folk Elements in the Story There are certain elements in the story which have given rise to certain beliefs and practices in Laos. One of these relates to fighting the buffaloes by Nang Kasi Rajathida, the wife of Phari These were assemble follection New Delhi. Digitized S that flew all over. stri Collectiostitched together with the addition of

Rama Story in Laos 105 a few pieces. The art of making this type of skirts popular in Laos goes back to that period. There is a belief in Laos that the buffalo horns have developed backward bend and curvature since the time Nang Kasi fighting buffaloes had fallen on the horns of one of them causing bend backwards and develop a curve. The story has the incident of Hualaman wiping off blood from his forehead with a towel after a leech had stuck to his body while having bath in a pond. The leech had dropped off with the application of his own saliva. The belief is that since that time monkeys have come to have red hair. The next belief relates to Hualaman putting a small quantity of rice in his jaw when he could not finish the ball of rice the had offered him to eat when he had descended on his Asrama on overflying Langka. The belief is that it is since that time the monkeys have developed the habit of keeping things in their jaw. sage Still the next belief concerns itself with the burning of the body of Hualaman. He had gone to the top of the palace when it had caught fire. Now, when the monkeys' body catches fire, they are seen to go to the roof of the building, a practice owing its origin, according to popular belief, to that event. The last one: When Rama did not believe Hualaman's word that he had burnt the palace of Raphanasuan in Langka, he told him to close his ears and hear the crackling sound of Hup, Thup. It is believed that one can hear this type of sound even now. The anecdotes accompanying the setting up of the new settlements by Rama, found also in Pha Lak Pha Lam, finding the city of Kurunathanakhon overcrowded also have folk overtones. Thus Rama is said to have ordered Hualaman to follow the arrow Thasaphon after he had shot it while he was carrying mount Sapphaya on his palm and to place the mountain at the place of his (arrow's) fall which he did and after clearing the area waited for Rama. Since he did it without fixing an auspicious day, Rama abandoned the place (la) and so it came to be known Lopburi. After laying the city of Phitsnulok Rama went along the river and stayed in an area where people engaged themselves in CC-0. Prof. Satya Vrat Shastri Collection New Foundation USA

festivities giving the feeling that it was a veritable heaven. Rama laid a city there called Nakhon Suan, Nagara Svarga. An old man told Rama of the presence of a hill in the neighbourhood which was protected by a demon Nanthirat with his thousand attendants. Rama shot an arrow which scared the demon to run away to the Northeast of Laos as also turned all the fruits sweet which starved the demon to death who wanted to have sour ones. A mound grew over his dead body. In the vicinity of it Rama laid a city called Ayuthiya. Rama Jataka The next version in literature of the Rama story in Laos is the Rama Jataka, a tale of Dasaratha and a tale of Rama in the collection of fables (pakorn) in the second book entitled Book of the Frogs, Mandupakorn. The tale of Dasaratha tells that he had four sons Rama, Bharata, Lakkhana and Sataghana. In old age the king retires to a forest to live with Lakkhana and his mother. The tale of Rama describes the abduction of Siita by Ravana against whom Rama wages war in his own interest and that of Piphek (Vibhisana ), the brother of Ravana, to avenge a wrong done to him. After the victory Rama installs Piphek as the ruler of Lanka. These tales reflect in a way the short versions of the story as tales or fables distinct from the bigger works dealing with the war of Lanka. The name Jataka appearing in the name Rama Jataka would give the impression, which is not correct, of its being a Jataka tale somewhat analogous to the Dasaratha Jataka in the Buddhist Canon which describes the story of Rama wandering in the forest with his brother Lakkhana and sister ( sic) Sita to keep his father's word of promise not meeting Ravana at any stage or waging war against him. A purely secular story, it had Buddhist trappings superimposed upon it and became a Jataka where Lord Buddha is made to say that he had been Rama in a previous birth. The rest of it is all Rama story. The Rama Jataka is divided in two sections of which the first consists of twenty chapters and the second of twenty-three. The CC-0. Prof. New Delhi. Digitized by S 5 Foundation USA

Rama Story in Laos 107 first part after the usual formula of a Buddhist Jataka gives the history of the hero and the villain. Tapparames, a descendant of Brahma had two sons Thottaroth and Wirulhok with their capital in Inthapat near Angkor. On account of the deficiency in handling arms the father appoints the younger son as his successor which makes the elder one leave home and set up a capital of the name of Mahanathi Sri Phanpao in the valley of the Thon river. Under the advice of a Naga king who happens to come along there he shifts his capital to the other side of the river which he names Chanthaburi Sri Sattanag which is obviously Vinchieng. The Thon river is Mekong.. In course of time Raphanasuan, son of Wirulhok comes and forcibly takes away Thottarath's daughter Santha. On coming of age Thottarath's sons Rama and Laksana having acquired proficiency in the use of arms volunteer to avenge the insult to their family by their cousin. They subdue Raphanasuan and in their long journey from Inthapat back to their capital contract many matrimonial alliances. There is reconciliation in the families in course of time and Santha's hand is given in marriage to Raphanasuan. There is no Rama story in the sense it it familiar to the people of the region in the first section. In the second section there is mention of Raphanasuan who feeling unsatisfied with his surroundings moves to the south and founds a city called Langka. He violates on assuming the form of Indra his queen who on realization of the wrong done to her asks her husband to allow her to be born on the earth to avenge it. She is born as the daughter of Raphanasuan and Sudtho (Montho of Ramakien and Mandodari of the Valmiki Ramayana). Because of the prediction of the royal astrologer Philophi (Vibhisana), the brother of Raphanasuan she is abandoned but is protected by the genii till she is discovered by an unnamed Rsi (the name is Chanok or Janaka in other versions). When grown up, she is given in marriage to Rama who alone among the suiters including Raphanasuan was able to lift the ancient bow in the possession of the seer. Next is described in the Jataka the incident of the abduction of Sita by Raphanasuans through the well-known device of the Digitized by S 3 Foundation USA

golden deer. Phya Krut (Jatayu of Valmiki Ramayana and Sadayu of the Ramakien) opposes him but is killed by the ring which Raphanasuan pulls out of the finger of Siya and which later is restored to Rama and which serves as the means for identification. Upto now the story of the Jataka is more or less the same as in the Valmiki Ramayana and the Thai Ramakien with only one important omission, the intrigue of Kaikeyi. The story now moves on: In the course of his wanderings in search for Siya Rama eats a certain fruit which turns him into a monkey during which the following incidents take place: An unnamed seer (Kodam of Ramakien) has a daughter Phoengsi (Sawaha of Ramakien) and two sons Sangkib and Phalichan (the names are mixed up in the Jataka and the activities connected with one in other versions are ascribed to the other). As the children grow, the seer develops the feeling that they are not his. By invoking divine help for verification he throws them into water. While Phoengsi comes back, Sangkib and Phalichan disappear over the waters to found their own settlement called Kasi (Khidkin in the Ramakien and Kiskindha in the Valmiki Ramayana). Sawaha is turned into a female monkey by eating the same fruit as Rama had eaten. With their mating is born a monkey Hunlaman (Hanuman). A bull born of Thoraphi after killing his father challenges Sangkib in a mortal combat. Sangkib's younger brother Phalichan waiting outside the cave where the combat takes place seals its gate thinking that his elder brother is killed therein. The elder brother breaking through the cave charges the younger one with treachery. After a series of combats between the two he is killed by an arrow of Rama who has formed an alliance with the younger one. A demon Nantha (Nonthuk, Nandaka of the Ramakien) is gifted with a magic finger which will kill any one to whom he will point it . He is killed through a beautiful celestial damsel (according to the Ramakien she is Visnu in that form) who makes him dance with her and points her finger at her head which the demon imitates thus bringing haw Delhi. Digitized by S 3 Foundation USA his end.

Rama Story in Laos 109 By the time of alliance with the king of Kasi Rama is released from the curse of his existence as a monkey. Now Kodtaraj, the widow of Sangkib who had been injured and blinded while assisting her husband in his fight with his brother is cured of the blindness by Rama and begets a son through him as a bargain who, Kwan Taofa, is to become one of his leading generals in the war with Raphanasuan. All preparations having been undertaken, Rama begins his advance on the enemy. The compaign against Lanka is almost the same in the Rama Jataka as is described by Valmiki and the Ramakien with the exception that it has a character peculiar to it only not figuring in any of the existing versions of the Rama story. It is a divine steed Manikab, a present from Indra, a constant companion of Rama since the early days of Inthapat who apart from being a resourceful mount is his trusted friend and counsellor with the credit of having saved the life of Laksana from Rama who had gone into a frenzy of anger on learning the loss of Sita. On the way to Lanka Rama sends Hunlaman and Kwan Taofa to ascertain the whereabouts of Sida and to find out as to what is happening to her. Except for minor details and an important side issue the account is the same as in the Ramakien. The side issue concerns itself with the asylum the two brothers take with the sage Tafai "The Flame-eyed one" (Narod of the Ramakien, Skt. Narada) with magical powers. The brothers (it is only Hanuman in the Ramakien, Ongkhot continues to be on the other side of the ocean) are worsted by the sage as in the Ramakien. The side issue is important in its being a favourite farce and consequently being quite popular. The brothers arrive in Lanka and their adventures are the same as in the Ramakien with the exception that there is no mention in it of the attempt of Sida to commit suicide. There is then the story of the tying of the hair of Raphanasuan with those of queen Santha which could be untied only with the boxing of the head of Raphanasuan by the queen, an episode common to many Southeast Asian versions and has its parallel in the Khamphak ballads recited at the time of the Khon performance depicting tofection, New Delhi. Digitized by S 3 Foundation USA the compaign in Lanka and believed to

date from the days of Ayuthiya which precede the Ramakien of 1798 A.D. The brothers playing havoc with Lanka, are caught and finding it impossible to punish them, are set afire, in pursuance of their own suggestion to get rid of them. This done, they suffering the agony move about the palace and other buildings which catch fire with the result that the whole city gets engulfed in flames. Not able to extinguish the fire on their bodies they hurry back to Inthapat. Unlike the Ramakien they do not invite Rama's anger in having overstepped their brief. Their action of making their seat as high as that of Raphanasuan by coiling their tail has its counterpart in the Ramakien. Manikab now advises Rama to find an ancient chart which shows the shallow from where to cross to Lanka. Hunlaman and Taofa who are assigned the task find it inside the gigantic fish under the ocean sustaining the ocean. Rama then shoots an arrow informing the adversary of the impending attack unless Sida is restored to him. Raphanasuan calls a council of war in which having been advised against keeping. Sida he throws out his advisers Phibphi and Inthachit together with his son Chetthakumar who along with their families join Rama, he being after all their cousin. Now, we come to the war of Lanka to which the Valmiki Ramayana devotes a full Book and the Rama Jataka a big portion, not as big, however, as does the Ramakien. There are some extra episodes in the Rama Jataka than the Ramayana of Valmiki. The Ramakien has all of them , it has also some more of them. Many relatives and allies of Raphanasuan in the Ramakien have no parallel in the Rama Jataka like Sahasdeja whose mighty size frightens the monkey troops and the two tusked sons of Totsakan born of elephants Sathasura and Virunchanibang and many others. When Rama orders the construction of the causeway over the sea, daughters of a Naga king remove the stones out of fun. They are caught and seduced by Hunlaman and brothers which puts an end to their mischief. Rama then again sends an peace, Prof. Satya Vrat Shastri Collection, ACOWinsetting his conditions for

Rama Story in Laos 111 A banana trunk disguised as Sita's corpse floats past Rama's camp. While Rama is taken in, Chetthakumar exposes the fraud. Four of the generals of Lanka are killed in the fight during which one of them had seen real and magical snakes to annahilate the army of Rama which are, however, thwarted by magical garudas, the traditional enemies of serpents. Maiyarab, the magician charms Rama's army to sleep and carries away Rama to the nether world, Patala, his habitat. Hunlaman and three brothers rescue Rama and kill Maiyarab. Raphanasuan's nine sons put up fight and are killed. Raphanasuan goes up a hill to have a look at Rama's camp. Rama shoots an arrow and Raphanasuan takes to flight. Raphanasuan wounds Rama with the lance, the Mokkhasakdi. Hunlaman brings a mountain of herbs. Chetthakumar cures Rama. In the final battle Raphanasuan is vanquished and killed. Sida is restored to Rama at the initiative of the dowagers who request Rama to accept the throne of Lanka which he declines, and anoints Phibphi, the brother of the dead king, its ruler. After a stay of four months in Lanka to give rest to his army, Rama returns to Inthapat founding a number of settlements on the way such as Phitsnulok, Nakhon Sawan, Sri Ayuthiya, Nakhon Raj, Phutthaisong and Pimai. The Rama Jataka lacks the episode of Sita's ordeal by fire, a common refrain of Indian and other southeast Asian versions of the Rama story. The story continues to the point where Rama procures the wonderful fruit which has the capacity to change monkeys into human beings. Once when Rama is on an inspection tour of his kingdom the maidens-in-waiting persuade Sida to draw a portrait of Raphanasuan whom they had never seen. Rama's sudden arrival puts them all in confusion. Rama's enquiry yields the information that it is Sida who had drawn the portrait. He then orders Laksana to kill her. He takes her out and returning after a while with the blood-soaked sword as proof on killing a dog tells his brother that he had carried out the ghastly act. Meanwhile Sida mounted on

Manikab is taken to the seer who had brought her up from childhood and in time gives birth to a son named But (put < putra-son). Later the seer with his magical power creates another son like him in appearance named Hup (=image). As they grow they come into conflict with Hunlaman's minor officials which develops into such a major affair that not only Hunlaman but Rama and all his brothers come out to help the officials against the rowdy boys. The weapons of either party causing no harm, Rama enquires of the boys of their parentage and is informed that they are his sons who have never seen him, their mother living all by herself in the hermitage. This is the harbinger of reunion of the husband and the discarded wife and the happy life of them and all others thereafter.