Skandapurana 3.2.30

Vyāsa said:

Formerly, when the Tretāyuga arrived, an incarnation of Viṣṇu, the best of Raghu's line, / was born in the solar dynasty:

lotus-eyed Rāma.

That Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, both wearing side-locks of hair,

were devoted to Viśvāmitra in accordance with their father's command.

The two boys were given by the king to protect the sacrifice:

heroic, bearing bow and arrows, obedient to their father's word.

While they were traveling on the path, a rākṣasa woman named Tāḍakā

came and stood before them to cause an obstacle.

With the seer's permission, Rāma slew Tāḍakā,

and Gādhi's son imparted the science of the bow to Rāma.

From the touch of his sole, the stone [that had been turned into one] through Indra's agency—

Ahalyā, the wife of Gautama—was born again in her own form.

When Viśvāmitra's sacrifice was underway, the best of Raghu's line

struck Mārīca and Subāhu with supreme arrows.

The bow of Īśvara kept in the house of Janaka was broken;

Rāma, in his fifteenth year, [and] the princess of Mithilā, six years old,

then married, O king—the lovely Sītā, not born from a womb.

Having obtained Sītā, the scion of Raghu was then fulfilled.

They set out for Ayodhyā, and seeing Jamadagni's son on the road,

there was a battle then, O king, unbearable even for the gods.

Then, having defeated Rāma [Jāmadagnya], he came home with Sītā.

Then Rāma enjoyed delight with her for twelve years.

In the twenty-first year, when he was to be granted the status of heir-apparent,

Kaikeyī asked the king for two boons:

"By one of them, let Rāma, with Sītā and accompanied by Lakṣmaṇa,

wear matted hair and wander into exile here for fourteen years.

And by the second, let Bharata be my master of the heir-apparency."

Deluded by Mantharā's words, she asked for this boon.

The king sent Rāma into exile together with Janaka's daughter and Lakṣmaṇa.

Having only water for food for three nights, on the fourth day he ate fruits;

on the fifth, Rāma made his dwelling at Citrakūṭa.

Then Daśaratha went to heaven, saying: "Rāma!"

Indeed, having brought the curse of the brahmin to fruition, he went to heaven.

Then Bharata and Śatrughna arrived at Citrakūṭa.

Having informed Rāma that their father had gone to heaven, O king,

and having consoled Bharata concerning his turning back,

Bharata and Śatrughna then went to Nandigrāma.

Devoted to worshiping the wooden sandals, both held the kingdom there.

Having seen the great-souled Atri, [Rāma] went to the Daṇḍaka forest.

At the beginning of the slaying of the hosts of demons, when Virādha was struck down,

in the twelfth and a half year, he lived at Pañcavaṭī.

Then he disfigured the night-roaming woman Śūrpaṇakhā.

As he wandered in the forest accompanied by Janaka's daughter,

that terrible rākṣasa came to abduct Sītā.

Then, on the eighth day of the dark half of Māgha, during the muhūrta named Vṛnda,

the ten-necked one abducted Sītā in the absence of the two descendants of Raghu.

Having gone to Mārīca's hermitage, and by him in the form of a deer

having led the scion of Raghu far away along with Lakṣmaṇa,

Rāma then swiftly slew Mārīca in the form of a deer.

Reaching the hermitage again, Rāma indeed saw it without Sītā.

Right there, being carried off, she wailed like an osprey:

"O Rāma, Rāma, protect me! Protect me, who am carried off by a rākṣasa!"

Just as a hungry hawk might carry off a crying quail,

so the rākṣasa, overwhelmed by passion,

was carrying off Janaka's daughter. Hearing that then, the king of birds

fought with the lord of rākṣasas; struck down by Rāvaṇa, he fell.

[Sītā] dwelling in Rāvaṇa's abode on the ninth day of the dark fortnight of Māgha.

Searching for her at that time, the two brothers, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa,

saw Jaṭāyus and understood that she had been carried off by the rākṣasa.

Having learned of Sītā, the bird was then cremated by [Rāma] with devotion.

Rāma marched ahead, and Lakṣmaṇa followed in his footsteps.

Arriving near Pampā and showing grace to Śabarī,

he touched its water, and a meeting with Hanumān took place.

Then Rāma formed an alliance with Hanumān.

Then, approaching Sugrīva, he killed the monkey Vālin.

Dispatched by Lord Rāma, [monkeys] headed by Hanumān [went to find] his beloved.

Taking the ring, the son of the wind-god then set out.

In the tenth month, Sampāti told the monkey about her.

Then, at his word, [Hanumān] leapt across the ocean of one hundred yojanas.

On that night, Hanumān searched all around in Laṅkā.

At the remainder of that night, Hanumān obtained the sight of Sītā.

On the twelfth day, Hanumān stationed himself in a śiṃśapā tree.

On that night, he held a conversation with Jānakī to gain her trust.

Then on the thirteenth day, battle commenced with Akṣa and the others.

On the thirteenth day, the monkey was bound with the weapon of Brahmā by Śakrajit.

Harsh and rough words to the king of the rākṣasas

the son of the wind-god spoke, bound and encompassed by the Brahmā-weapon.

The burning of Laṅkā was carried out by the fire attached to his tail.

On the full moon day, the monkey's return to Mount Mahendra occurred.

With five days on the road from the first day of the fortnight of Mārgaśīrṣa,

returning on the [sixth] day of the year, the Madhuvana was indeed laid waste.

On the seventh day occurred the delivery of the token of recognition and the recounting of everything;

he reported everything to Rāma, presenting Sītā's jewel.

On the eighth day, under Uttaraphālgunī, at the muhūrta named Vijaya,

when the thousand-rayed [sun] had reached the meridian, occurred Rāghava's departure,

Rāma having indeed made a vow to march toward the southern quarter:

"Crossing even the ocean, I will slay the king of the rākṣasas."

As he set forth toward the southern direction, Sugrīva was then his ally.

In seven days the encamping of the army on the shore of the ocean took place;

from the first day of the bright fortnight of Pauṣa until the third,

Rāghava along with his army indeed stood at the ocean.

On the fourth day, Vibhīṣaṇa united with Rāma.

On the fifth, counsel was undertaken in order to cross the ocean.

Rāma undertook fasting while seated for four days.

There was the obtaining of a boon from the ocean, along with the revelation of the means.

The bridge was begun on the tenth day, and finished on the thirteenth.

On the fourteenth day, Rāma encamped the army on Mount Suvela.

From the full moon day to the second, crossing of the army took three days.

Having crossed the ocean, Rāma, accompanied by the army of heroic monkeys,

he of auspicious marks, besieged the city of Laṅkā for Sītā's sake.

From the third up to the tenth day, the encampment lasted eight days.

The arrival of Śuka and Sāraṇa occurred there on the eleventh day.

And on the twelfth of the dark fortnight of Pauṣa, the counting of the army took place,

along with the description by Śārdūla of the strengths and weaknesses of the monkey chiefs.

From the thirteenth to the end of the new moon day, in three days in Laṅkā,

Rāvaṇa then carried out the counting of the army and the rousing for battle.

Aṅgada set out on his embassy on the first day of the bright fortnight of Māgha.

And then Sītā saw the illusory severed head and other [illusions] of her husband.

From the second day of the bright fortnight of Māgha through seven days to the eighth,

there was a tumultuous battle between the rākṣasas and the monkeys.

On the ninth day of the bright fortnight of Māgha, at night, in battle by Indrajit,

Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa were indeed bound in the snare of serpents.

When the monkey leaders were distraught and completely despondent,

Rāghava then remembered Garuḍa upon the advice of Vāyu.

To release [them] from the serpent-snare, Garuḍa arrived on the tenth day.

A cessation [of battle] lasted two days, beginning with the eleventh of the bright fortnight of Māgha.

On the twelfth, the slaying of Dhūmrākṣa was carried out by Añjanā's son [Hanumān].

On the thirteenth, Akampana was slain in battle by him alone.

Having displayed an illusory Sītā to Rāma, the ten-necked [Rāvaṇa]

then terrified all those who were in the army as well.

From the fourteenth day of the bright half of Māgha up to the first day of the dark half,

over three days, the slaying of Prahasta was accomplished by Nīla.

From the second day of the dark half of Māgha until the fourth, over three days,

Rāvaṇa was routed from the battle by Rāma in a tumultuous fight.

From the fifth until the eighth, awakened by Rāvaṇa,

Kumbhakarṇa then feasted for four days.

Kumbhakarṇa fought for four days beginning from the ninth;

the devourer of many monkeys was slain in battle by Rāma.

On the new moon day, there was indeed cessation [of battle] due to grief.

Beginning on the first day of Phālguna until the fourth, during four days,

the five rākṣasas headed by Narāntaka were slain.

From the fifth until the seventh, the slaying of Atikāya took place over three days.

From the eighth until the twelfth, within five days, there were slain

both Nikumbha and Kumbha, and Makarākṣa over four days.

On the second day of the dark half of Phālguna, Śakrajit was indeed defeated.

Beginning on the third and ending on the seventh—for five days precisely—

there was a pause [in fighting] due to the urgency of bringing the herbs.

On the eighth, the evil-minded Rāvaṇa struck down the illusory Maithilī.

From the rush of grief, Rāma then held a council with his army.

Then, up to the thirteenth, over five days, Indrajit,

renowned for his strength and valor, was slain in battle by Lakṣmaṇa.

On the fourteenth, the ten-necked [Rāvaṇa] took up initiation following the cessation [of battle].

On the new moon day, the ten-necked one went forth to battle.

From the first day of the bright half of Caitra, during the five days up to the fifth,

Rāvaṇa continued to fight, and abundant was the slaughter of the rākṣasas.

Up to the eighth day of the bright half of Caitra was the destruction of chariots, horses, and the like.

On the ninth day of the bright half of Caitra, when the spear struck Saumitri [Lakṣmaṇa],

the ten-necked one was routed by Rāma, who was overcome with rage.

On the advice of Vibhīṣaṇa, there was battle indeed by Hanumān;

he went to Mount Droṇa to fetch the herb for Lakṣmaṇa's sake.

Taking the Viśalyā [herb], he made Lakṣmaṇa drink it.

On the tenth, there was a pause [in battle], but at night there was fighting by the rākṣasas.

On the eleventh, a chariot with Mātali as charioteer arrived for Rāma.

Having arrived for battle on the twelfth, up to the fourteenth day of the dark half,

on the eighteenth day, Rāma slew Rāvaṇa in a duel of chariots.

The funeral rites of Rāvaṇa and the others took place on the new moon day.

A tumultuous battle having occurred, Rāma attained victory.

From the second day of the bright half of Māgha to the fourteenth day of the dark half of Caitra,

there were thus eighty-seven days; among them, for fifteen days,

there was a pause in fighting, and the battle lasted for seventy-two days.

On the first lunar day of Vaiśākha, Rāma dwelt on the battlegrounds.

On the second, Vibhīṣaṇa was consecrated in the sovereignty of Laṅkā.

On the third was the purification of Sītā and the receiving of boons from the gods,

and the arrival of Daśaratha and his rejoicing right there.

Having swiftly slain the lord of Laṅkā, the all-powerful elder brother of Lakṣmaṇa,

taking holy Jānakī, who had been afflicted by the rākṣasa,

taking Jānakī with supreme joy, he departed.

On the fourth day of Vaiśākha, Rāma boarded the Puṣpaka [chariot].

He returned through the sky once again toward the city of Ayodhyā.

When the fourteenth year was complete, on the fifth day of Mādhava [Vaiśākha],

Rāma arrived at the hermitage of Bharadvāja with his troop.

On the sixth, he arrived at Nandigrāma by means of the Puṣpaka.

On the seventh, that scion of Raghu was consecrated once again in Ayodhyā.

For fourteen months and ten additional days indeed, Maithilī

dwelt deprived of Rāma in the residence of Rāvaṇa.

In his forty-second year, Rāma assumed the kingdom.

Sītā, on the other hand, was thirty-three years old at that time.

At the end of the fourteen years, the lord entered his own city,

named Ayodhyā, joyful, Rāma the destroyer of Rāvaṇa's pride.

Together with his brothers, Rāma ruled the kingdom there.

For ten thousand years and ten hundred years,

Rāma ruled the kingdom and then went to the abode of heaven.

During the reign of Rāma, the people's minds were overflowing with joy;

men were rich in wealth and grain, endowed with sons and grandsons.

Parjanya rained at will, and crops were of high quality;

cows yielded milk by the pailful, and trees were ever-fruitful.

There were neither mental afflictions nor physical diseases in Rāma's kingdom, O ruler of men;

women were devoted to their husbands, and men were dedicated to devotion toward their fathers.

Twice-born were constantly devoted to the Veda; kṣatriyas served the twice-born;

and the vaiśya class always offered devotion to the twice-born and cows.

There was no intermixture of castes there, nor corruption of conduct.

No woman was barren, unfortunate, bearing but a single child, or having dead offspring;

none was a widow, nor did any woman with a husband lament.

None showed disrespect toward mother, father, or teacher.

No one who performed meritorious deeds transgressed the word of elders.

There was no seizure of land there; men turned their faces away from other men's wives.

People were not prone to slander, nor impoverished, nor afflicted by disease.

There was no thief, no gambler, nor wine-drinker—no sinners at all.

There was no stealer of gold, no slayer of a brahmin, nor any who defiled a guru's bed,