Hari Om.
Let us begin the twenty second sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The chaste vAnara woman and well wisher of vAlI who offered wise counsel to him and warned him to not get too carried away by his ill temper and hatred for sugrIva and not rush to him for offense, saw her advise come true, her hopes and joy for life collapse along with vAlI. She was devastated and fell at the feet of fallen vAlI and wailed miserably. She found no fault with either rAma or sugrIva thus making it clear that there was no bitterness or bad blood driven enmity in her and that she had an astute understanding of the workings of the political and administrative forces, their alliances, intelligence and statecraft. All the same, she was deeply distressed by the terrible personal loss and wondered about the future of her son angada as to how sugrIva would treat him. hanumAn pacified him and asked her to gather herself for the sake of angada. Although she was anxious about his future and life, she didn’t nurse any ambitions for him and said that it was up to sugrIva to decide how he would treat him. tArA rejected this argument that she had to live on for the sake of the son after the inevitable death of her husband vAlI that would happen any moment now. She abhorred a life sans him. Onwards…
vAlI momentarily gained consciousness, the life force in him was feeble, breathing slowly he looked around and saw sugrIva standing in front of his son angada. He affectionately addressed the victorious sugrIva and said –
“O sugrIva, please do not fault me for what I did, for I was forcibly dragged by the inevitable destiny out of my delusion. Alas, the usual fraternal love and affection that ought to exist between brothers was not written in our fate. Proposing you today as the king of the forest dwelling vAnaras, I am ready to depart for the abode of vaivasvata (god of death, yama). I leave behind my life, kingdom, prosperity and great unblemished fame. O king, whatever I say under the circumstances, be committed to that even if it is difficult.
जीवितं च हि राज्यं च श्रियं च विपुलामिमाम्।
प्रजहाम्येष वै तूर्णं महच्चागर्हितं यशः4.22.6।।
Look at this youthful biy of mine, angada, who was raised with a lot of comfort and who deserves comfort, he is crestfallen and is full of tears. Please rear this son of mine, dearer to me than my own life, as your own son and tend to him well in all respects. You would be his provider and protector and savior in danger just as I was until now. This son of tArA, young and dynamic is equal to you in valour and in war he will achieve feats similar to yours and leading from the front he will slay the demons.
एष तारात्मज श्रीमांस्त्वया तुल्यपराक्रमः।
रक्षसां च वधे तेषामग्रतस्ते भविष्यति4.22.11।।
अनुरूपाणि कर्माणि विक्रम्य बलवान्रणे।
करिष्यत्येष तारेयस्तरस्वी तरुणोऽङ्गदः4.22.12।।
And this daughter of sushENa is adept in understanding the subtleties of matters and deciding the course of action in crises. Her judgment is perfect and her advice in any matter can be followed without any doubt whatsoever.
सुषेणदुहिता चेयमर्थसूक्ष्मविमनिश्चये।
औत्पातिके च विविधे सर्वतः परिनिष्ठिता4.22.13।।
यदेषा साध्विति ब्रूयात्कार्यं तन्मुक्तसंशयम्।
न हि तारामतं किञ्चिदन्यथा परिवर्तते4.22.14।।
Without any doubt, you must carry out the work of rAghava (rAma). Not doing so would amount to adharma and you may incur his wrath if you offend him by not following your dharma.
राघवस्य च ते कार्यं कर्तव्यमविशङ्कया।
स्यादधर्मो ह्यकरणे त्वां च हिंस्याद्विमानितः4.22.15।।
O sugrIva, here accept my talismanic golden necklace which may fade out in brilliance after my death if it continues on me”.
Having spoken to sugrIva with brotherly affection thus vAlI once again turned miserable like the moon eclipsed by the planet. Pacified by the words of vAlI, sugrIva received the talismanic golden necklace from him in a composed manner. Having given the talisman, away, vAlI, ready to depart, beheld his son angada and affectionately said –
देशकालौ भजस्वाद्य क्षममाणः प्रियाप्रिये।
सुखदुःख सह: काले सुग्रीववशगो भव4.22.20।।
“O angada, accept situations whether you like them or not and acting as appropriate in a given situation and time, in both your joys and sorrows, abide by the will of sugrIva. He may not deal with you as affectionately as I did, however, O crusher of foes, do not align with his enemies or their friends and be devoted to his interests, endure and abide by his will.
माऽस्यामित्रैर्गतं गच्छेर्मा शत्रुभिररिन्दम।
भर्तुरर्थपरो दान्तः सुग्रीववशगो भव4.22.22।।
न चातिप्रणयः कार्यः कर्तव्योऽप्रणयश्च ते।
उभयं हि महान्दोष स्तस्मादन्तरदृग्भव4.22.23।।
Neither should you be too attached nor should you be detached and stay cold. Both are fraught with faults. Take the middle path”.
As he spoke thus, vAlI experienced excruciating pain from the arrow that had pierced into him, his eyes rolled up and the otherwise fierce jaws, remained open as his left him. And as vAlI, breathed his last, the vAnara warriors cried in despair recounting his olden days –
“Alas, there is a great void that has been created in kishkindhA today with the departure of the lord of vAnaras to the heavens. The gardens and the forests will lose their sheen sans him. As vAlI flew with great speed, all the flowers in the forests and gardens followed him. Who can match that now?
Alas, he who had given a fitting reply to the great gandharva gOlabha and fought him through day and night for fifteen years, ultimately felling him down in the sixteenth year and giving protection to all of us from his misdeeds, how could he be felled thus”?
Like a herd of cattle feels unsafe and tormented in a forest full of lions when the bull of their flock is killed, so tormented did the vAnaras feel upon the fall of vAlI. tArA was submerged in a sea of grief beholding the face of her dead husband. Fallen and embracing the fallen hero vAlI, she appeared like a creeper around a gigantic tree that was cut down.
Here we conclude the twenty 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: 4.23. tArA’s monologue with vAlI
Previous: 4.21. hanumAn pacifies tArA
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 