Then Hero's wife Virtue said: "My dear, we have done our duty by
the king. And you see how my daughter died of grief. So now I
say: What good is life to me without my children? I was a fool
before. I should have given my own head to save the king. So now
permit me to burn myself at once."

And when she insisted, Hero said: "Do so. What happiness is there
in a life of constant mourning for your children? And as for your
giving your own life instead, do not grieve about that. If there had
been any other way, I should of course have given my life. So wait
a moment. I will build you a funeral pile out of these logs." So he
built the pile and lighted it.

And Virtue fell at her husband's feet, then worshipped the
Dreadful Goddess, and prayed: "O Goddess, may I have the same
husband in another life, and may this same King Shudraka be
saved at the cost of my son's life." And she died in the blazing fire.

Then Hero thought: "I have done my duty by the king, as the
heavenly voice admitted. And I have paid for the king's food
which I have eaten. So now why should I want to live alone? It is
not right for a man like me to go on living at the expense of all the
family which I ought to support. Why should I not please the
goddess by sacrificing myself?"

So Hero first approached the goddess with a hymn of praise: "O
Demon-slayer! Saviour! Devil-killer! Trident-holder! Joy of the
wise! Protectress of the universe! Victory to thee, O best of
mothers, whose feet the world adores! O fearless refuge of the
pious! Kali of the dreadful ornaments! Honour and glory to thee, O