Hari Om.
Let us begin the second sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The duo exited the danDaKa forest and as indicated accurately by kabandha, reached the banks of pampa and met SabarI. The ascetic woman worhipped rAma with her hospitality and with his permission shed her mortal coil and reached the heavens. Spring was reigning! The banks of pampa had transformed in to a veritable heaven – crystal clear waters, sandy banks, grass lawns, flowers of various hues in full bloom on the trees, climbers and plants and generously spread on the ground by mother nature. The trees had bloomed such that the leaves could hardly be seen. The mountain ranges of RshyamUka reigned supreme in the backdrop. A variety of beasts frolicked around. Birds galore chirped merrily. Ideally, it was a time to rejoice in the mind blowing beauty of mother nature. But the happiness that such sylvan surroundings could confer on someone, sadness and melancholy thousand times of that was caused to rAma! He confessed to lakshmaNa that normal what would have given him joy is redoubling his grief due to separation from sItA – he was being scorched by the beautiful spring season! Alas, every thing around him would remind him of sItA and he remembered that spring was sItA’s favourite season too and wondered how she could be surviving without him in the spring. Brother lakshmaNa noted the feelings of rAma and underlined the importance of being enterprising in the given circumstances. rAma agreed with this timely counsel, gathered and composed himself. The duo then headed further on the banks of pampa, around RshyamUka looking for their next break in the quest of sItA – sugrIva. The resplendent duo were of course spotted by a vigilant sugrIva who lived on the mountain of RshymUka and he became restless. Onwards…
Beholding the valorous duo wielding wonderful weapons, sugrIva became apprehensive. He grew very restless and started pacing hither and thither looking in all directions but couldn’t find peace anywhere. As he beheld the mighty duo, he got frightened. He began to discuss with his vAnara mates the favorable and unfavorable possibilities arising from the advent of the duo in that region. He opined that, certainly the duo are in guise of men in bark clothes and have been sent by his bitter enemy brother vAlI. To find out for themselves, the vAnara counsellors took position on other mountain peak and kept looking the bow wielding duo who were advancing. The vAnaras also panicked at their sight and in no time leapt over the peaks and jumped from tree to tree, breaking branches by their impact, frightened all the beasts around them by their panic and reached their leader sugrIva and stood surrounding him with folded hands.
Then, one of the mates, hanumAn, articulately advised sugrIva who was laden with the fear, terrified of the offense of vAlI –
ततस्तं भयसंविग्नं वालिकिल्बिषशङ्कितम्।
उवाच हनुमान्वाक्यं सुग्रीवं वाक्यकोविदः4.2.13।।
“Give up this mortal fear of vAlI. This is the mountain range of malaya and we have no reason to fear him here. I know that you have fallen out with your cruel brother, but I see no signs of him around and so you need not fear him here. You have exposed your fickle mindedness and behaved true to being a restless monkey jumping from branch to branch. O intelligent and knowledgeable one, please use common sense, a king without intellect cannot rule over his subjects”.
sugrIvA heard the well meaning words of hanumAn and then responded with even more meaningful words –
“The duo have long and mighty arms, well armed wielding robust bows and swords, whose mind won’t be filled with fear seeing these two who are like the scions of the gods? These best of men have come on the behest of vAlI to accomplish his goal. Kings have many friends and so I wouldn’t believe that there is no danger from these two. One has to be alert and identify his enemies or else, the enemy can strike at the when we are unprepared. And vAlI is wise and has many strategies. Such strategies need to be identified by common unassuming people who wouldn’t be suspected. You go there in the form of a common man and try to divine their cause through their gestures, traits, appearance and conversing with them. Eulogize them and win their confidence. Study their intentions and if they are pleasant to deal with. And yes, when you talk to them, please face me and inquire from the two bow wielders the purpose of entering this forest. Find out through your conversations if these two are pure in heart and estimate whether they are good or wicked”.
Asked thus by the leader of the vAnaras, hanumAn decided to go and meet rAma and lakshmaNa. Honoring the words of the lord sugrIva, the mighty, giant and inconquerable hanumAn went to where the mighty rAma and lakshmaNa were.
Here we conclude the second 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: 4.3. rAma divines hanumAn’s ability
Previous: 4.1. Scorched by the soothing spring
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
