Hari Om.
Let us begin the tenth sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The friendship was blossoming. Both friends assured each other of help. sugrIva offered to bring sItA back while rAma pledged to ensure sugrIva’s problems are solved. The vAnara sugrIva categorically tells him that his problems will end only with the end of vAlI. rAma says sure and asks for the reason behind such fall out between the brothers. This would enable him to understand the situation and estimate the strengths and weaknesses of either. So sugrIva begins narration of the story of the sworn enemy demon mAyAvI who came and challenged vAlI for a combat by night. vAlI got livid at this challenge and chased him right away with sugrIvA dutifully following him. The demon went and entered a giant billow. Asking sugrIva to stay out at the mouth of the billow, vAlI entered and there was no news of him for a year post which sugrIva heard the yelling of the demons but not the voice of vAlI. He suspected the worst and to secure kishkindhA from mAyAvI, he closed the billow with a giant boulder and returned alone. The ministers forced him to become the king. He unwillingly took the throne. Soon vAlI returned and outraged at sugrIva’s becoming the king and accosted him angrily not paying any heed to the words of sugrIva who wanted to return the kingdom and be subservient to him. Onwards
sugrIva continued – “I sought to appease my elder brother who was seething with anger and outraging – ‘O brother it is indeed a matter of great good fortune that you are back safe and sound after slaying the enemy. I am an orphan and you alone are my lord. Let me raise this royal parasol over you and fan you with the hair of yak tail.
O king, I waited restlessly for a year at the mouth of that giant billow. Even then when you didn’t come and I saw foamy hot blood flowing in the cave, I blanked out, closed the mouth of the cave with a giant boulder and came back totally dejected and distraught. Seeing the crestfallen thus, the ministers and the citizens coronated me and I didn’t take up the throne by my own desire for it.
विषादात्विह मां दृष्ट्वा पौरैर्मन्त्रिभिरेव च4.10.6।।
अभिषिक्तो न कामेन तन्मेत्वं क्षन्तुमर्हसि।
O brother, you continue to be the deserving king as before. I just was a care taker king to keep the kingdom safe from enemies which has been accomplished. I just took care of your kingdom like a trustee in your absence. Kindly accept it back and don’t be angry with me.
त्वमेव राजा मानार्हस्सदा चाहं यथा पुरम्4.10.7।।
राजभावनियोगोऽयं मम त्वद्विरहात्कृतः।
सामात्यपौरनगरं स्थितं निहतकण्टकम्4.10.8।।
I fold my hands and bow down my head to your feet. I was forcibly coronated by the ministers and citizens to keep the kingdom safe from enemies’.
As I affectionately pleaded thus, vAlI paid no heed and continued to abuse me. He summoned his yes-men ministers and ordinary citizens and in that assembly he heaped terrible insults upon me in the middle of my well wishers and said –
प्रकृतीश्च समानीय मन्त्रिणश्चैव सम्मतान्4.10.12।।
मामाह सुहृदां मध्ये वाक्यं परमगर्हितम्।
‘O members of the assembly, you know very well the enmity I have with mAyAvI who challenged me for a duel one night. I left the kingdom in response to his challenge and was followed by this wicked brother of mine. That mAyAvI entered into a giant billow as soon as he saw me. I asked this cruel sugrIva to stay put at the entrance of the cave for me since I was incapable of returning without vanquishing my enemy and entered into that formidable cave in search of mAyAvI thinking sugrIva was there for me. I searched for the demon in that billow and after spending a full year in that formidable billow, I vanquished mAyAvI along with his kin. Then I returned and found the entrance of the cave blocked and cried out for sugrIva again and again but got no response. Then by kicking the boulder repeatedly and I broke it and escaped from the cave.
अत्रानेनास्मि संरुद्धो राज्यं प्रार्थयताऽत्मनः।
सुग्रीवेण नृशंसेन विस्मृत्य भ्रातृसौहृदम्।।4.10.25।।
And here I am in front of sugrIva who forgot fraternal love and desired for the kingdom’.
एवमुक्त्वा तु मां तत्र वस्त्रेणैकेन वानरः।
निर्वासयामास तदा वाली विगतसाध्वसः4.10.26।।
Having insinuated thus, the vAnara vAlI banished me without any remorse just with the clothes that I was wearing. He usurped my wife and tormented me and in his fear I have been roaming the earth covered with forests and oceans. Dejected at the abduction of my wife, I have entered the great hill RshyamUka due to vAlI.
एतत्ते सर्वमाख्यातं वैरानुकथनं महत्।
अनागसा मया प्राप्तं व्यसनं पश्य राघव4.10.29।।
O rAghava, this is whole story of how the enmity with vAlI came about without any of my fault in it. O refuge of the world from all fears, you ought to save me who is afraid of vAlI by restraining him”.
एवमुक्तस्स तेजस्वी धर्मज्ञो धर्मसंहितम्।
वचनं वक्तुमारेभे सुग्रीवं प्रहसन्निव4.10.31।।
Spoken to thus by sugrIva, rAma, the knower of dharma, smiled and responded –
“Look at these wonderful arrows, glowing brightly like the sun, They are unerring and shall soon be unleashed on the evil vAlI soon.
यावत्तं नाभिपश्यामि तव भार्यापहारिणम्।
तावत्स जीवेत्पापात्मा वाली चारित्रदूषकः4.10.33।।
He, the usurper of your wife, the sinner and one with bad conduct, vAlI, will be alive only as long as I do not see him. I see that you are submerged in the ocean of grief. I shall take you across this ocean and you shall be rewarded with the desired outcome”.
Hearing this reassurance of rAma, sugrIva’s joy and grit swelled. And happily he said…
Here we conclude the tenth sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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Next: 4.11. rAma offers himself for a test!
Previous: 4.9. vAlI slays old enemy, makes a new one
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
