PLATE SIX

The goddess of fortune, Rama, appeared like electricity, surpassing
the lightning that might illuminate a marble mountain. Because of her
exquisite beauty and her glories, everyone, including the demigods, the
demons and the human beings, desired her. They were attracted because
she is the source of all opulences, and thus they each worshiped her with
their own special presentations: a suitable sitting place from Indra; pure
water in golden waterpots from the Ganges and the Yamuna personified;
all the herbs needed for installing the Deity from the land personified;
milk, yogurt, ghee, urine and cow dung from the cows; everything pro-
duced during springtime from spring personified; flower garlands sur-
rounded by bumblebees from Varuna; various decorative ornaments
from Visvakarma; a necklace from Sarasvati; a lotus flower from Lord
Brahma; and earrings from the inhabitants of Nagaloka. The great sages
performed the bathing ceremony while the Gandharvas chanted all-
auspicious Vedic mantras and the professional dancers danced and sang.
The clouds personified blew conchshells and bugles, beat various drums,
and played flutes and stringed instruments. And the great elephants car-
ried big water jugs full of Ganges water and bathed the goddess of for-
tune, to the accompaniment of Vedic mantras chanted by learned
brahmanas. (pp. 292-300)
