Doha 260

“O elephants guarding the cardinal points, O divine tortoise*, O serpent-king, O divine boar*, steadily hold the earth that it may not shake. Śrī Rāma is about to break the bow of Śiva; therefore, listen to my command and be alert.” (1) * The divine tortoise referred to here is the same who served as the base for churning the ocean of milk at the dawn of creation. And the divine boar refers to the manifestation of the Lord as a boar in order to lift the earth out of the waters in which the demon Hiraṇyākṣa had submerged it. The tortoise as well as the boar are represented here as ever holding the earth, conjointly with the serpent-king, the one on its back and the other on its tusks. When Rāma drew near to the bow, men and women present there invoked the help of gods as well as of their past good deeds. The doubts and ignorance of all who had assembled there, the arrogance of the foolish kings, (2) the proud pretensions of Paraśurāma (the Chief of Bhṛgu’s race), the apprehension of gods and the great sages, the distress of Sītā, King Janaka’s remorse and the fire of the queen’s terrible agony, (3) all these boarded together the great bark of Śiva’s bow, with whose help they sought to cross the boundless ocean of Śrī Rāma’s strength of arm; but there was no helmsman to steer the ship. (4)

Rāma first looked at the crowd of spectators and found them motionless as the figures of a painting. The gracious Lord then turned His eyes towards Sītā and perceived Her in deep distress. (260)