ABSTRACT
XXIV. j(iibfili'£l $inv1ti£l±i.ml lliz.wurz.e ltltll ~ ii m lt 'z r.ev1J1 . Ramayana, ii. 108 and 109 (Bombay edition, and ii. 116 and
lIS, Gorresio's edition). Rama, the eldest son of Dasaratha, King of Ayodhya, by his
queen Kausalya, and tho destined heir of his father, consented to go into banishment, in consequence of the action of Kaikeyi, another of the wives of his father, to whom the latter had once promised that her son should be his successor. Rama's banishment was very much against his father's will, and occasioned him great grief ; but he felt himself obliged to permit the fulfilment of his promise, on which Kaik eyi insisted. Bharata, the son of Kaik eyi, who was absent from Ayodhya when Rama left it, and had no desire to supplant his brother, was sent for on his fath er's death; but refused to be installed as king in his stead, and followed Rama into exile, with the view of indue-
ing him to return home. Rama, however, though the kingdom was offered to him by Bharata, refused to accept it, and declared he would abide by his father's decision. (See Prof. Monier Williams' "Indian Epic Poetry," pp. 67-71). The Brahman Jabali now endeavours to persuade Rama to disregard his father's decision. The arguments which he employs, founded on immoral principles, are very freely reproduced in the following translation of most of his discourse. They represent the doctrines of th e Charvakas or Lokayatikas ; and tally with those ascribed to the Charvakas in the Sarvadarsana-sangrnhn, and to Maynmoha, th e great deceiver, in the Vishnu Puruna, iii. 18, ~5 if.
