Hari Om.
Let us begin the fortieth sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Responding to king sugrIva’s call, the entire vAnara lot that lived all over came over and reported to take part in the mission. They were led by extremely able, mighty, intelligent, donning-forms-at-will, gigantic vAnaras who were born as off springs of various gods and demi gods. A reading of the Arrangements for the advent of the Almighty could refresh the memory about what brought such large number of vAnaras onto the earth who were powerful, capable and yet lived in perfect harmony with nature and each other. The great sage vAlmIki gives out the numbers as crores and crores, which practically translate as innumerable! They are perhaps unrelatable to the numbers we are used to today. But why see history in the lens of the present? It is a happening of its own time and its own circumstances. Therefore, without being distracted by the doubts, let us move onwards. sugrIva instructed the leaders to take stock of their battalions and feel at home in the nearby hills, forests, riversides and wherever else they could. They were to be avilable on call for receiving further instructions and executing the plan of finding the whereabouts of sItA. Onwards…
The accomplished lord of the vAnaras, sugrIva, turned to the best among men, the mighty rAma and said – “The vAnaras of elephantine might, dedicated to my cause, capable of assuming any form at will have arrived and settled down here. They are accomplished in their fierce valour and might and are dreaded like the gods and the demons. They are supreme achievers, powerful, indefatigable, well known for their valor, persistent in their efforts, living all over the earth, by the sides of water bodies, various mountains, these crores and crores who have arrived are servile to you, O rAma. All of them conduct themselves as per the orders, ever committed to the welfare of the master, they are capable of fulfilling the mission that is dear to you.
यन्मन्यसे नरव्याघ्र प्राप्तकालं तदुच्यताम्।
तत्सैन्यं त्वद्वशे युक्तमाज्ञापयितुमर्हसि।।4.40.8।।
O best among men, they are at your command, order them when you think the time is appropriate. Although what is to be done is known to me, you should issue the orders about the work to be done”.
Thus spoken to by sugrIva, rAna, the son of daSaratha, embraced sugrIva in his arms and said –
ज्ञायतां मम वैदेही यदि जीवति वा न वा।
स च देशो महाप्राज्ञ यस्मिन्वसति रावणः।।4.40.11।।
“Find out if my vaidEhI is alive or not and also that place where rAvaNa lives. Once it is found out, I shall decide upon the appropriate course of action along with you.
नाहमस्मिन् प्रभुः कार्ये वानरेश न लक्ष्मणः।
त्वमस्य हेतुः कार्यस्य प्रभुश्च प्लवगेश्वर।।4.40.13।।
O king of vAnaras, I am not the boss in this mission, nor is lakshmaNa. This is your objective and you own the mission. Therefore, O king, you give the orders as to how my objective can be fulfilled. I have no doubt that you know very well what is to be done.
त्वमेवाऽज्ञापय विभो मम कार्यविनिश्चयम्।
त्वं हि जानासि यत्कार्यं मम वीर न संशयः।।4.40.14।।
You are my well wisher, humble, powerful, knowledgeable, are proficient in timely action. You are invested in my welfare, capable of achieving the objective and can plan the action in a strategic manner”.
Hearing these words from rAma, sugrIva then summoned the vAnara by name vinata. He was towering in build like a mountain and thundering like a cloud and ordered –
“O best of vAnaras, along with the vAnaras born of the Sun and the moon and a hundred thousand more vAnaras who can torment, go in the eastern direction filled with mountains, forests and gardens and there you find out the whereabouts of vaidEhI and the abode of rAvaNa by sifting through the riversides, mountain peaksand forests. You are discerning, have a great sense of the appropriate place and time, endowed with statecraft and can discriminate between what can be done and what cannot.
वृतश्शतसहश्रेण वानराणां तरस्विनाम्।।4.40.18।।
अधिगच्छ दिशं पूर्वां सशैलवनकाननाम्।
Thoroughly search for the beloved wife of rAma and the daughter-in-law of daSaratha in and all around the following places (to east of the vindhyas) –
‘The lovely river bhAgirathI (ganga), sarayU, yamunA, sarasvatI, sindhU, SoNA with its crystal like waters. In the region of mahI and kAlamahI which is beautiful with its mountains and forests. In the kingdoms of brahmamAla, vidEha, mAlavAn, kASI, kOsala, mAgadha and anga. In the great villages of puNDra, in the region where they grow silkworms and in the region where they mine silver.
You will find habitats in mandara, in the middle of the seas, on the mountains and in the cities. You will find people who have their ears covered and others whose ears extend until their lips, those that have fierce iron faces, those who move swiftly with one foot and a whole horde of others who are man-eaters. There in the island called kirAta, you will find the inhabitants are handsome, gold-studded, their tuft tied towards the ear. They eat raw fish and can move in the water. They are known as tigers among men. The vAnaras need to thoroughly search in these locations and you may employ who can leap over mountains and who can swim as well.
You will come across an island full of gems called the yavadwIpa, – comprising of seven states. It is endowed with plenty of gold and silver. After crossing this island, you will encounter a mountain of lofty peaks called SiSira, visited by the gods and demons.
एतेषां गिरिदुर्गेषु प्रपातेषु वनेषु च।
मार्गध्वं सहितास्सर्वे रामपत्नीं यशस्विनीम्।।4.40.32।।
In these mountains, caves, waterfalls and forests, thoroughly search for the illustrious wife of rAma.
Going further you will find the reddish waters of the river SONA, and then the sea which is the abode of sidhhas and chAraNas. Go forth and seach in the islands that you find in the middle of the sea which is full of waves stirred up by the winds. As you keep going further, you will find terrible and hungry demons who trap the shadows of passerby and make of meal of them, being permitted by lord brahma to do so. Cross that dreaded ocean which is the abode of giant serpents. As you cross the red waters of this sea, you will see a giant tree of cotton and the imposing mansion of garuDa studded with gems that was built by viSwakarma.
तत्र शैलनिभा भीमा मन्देहा नाम राक्षसाः।
शैलशृङ्गेषु लम्बन्ते नानारूपा भयावहाः।।4.40.40।।
ते पतन्ति जले नित्यं सूर्यस्योदयनं प्रति।
निहता ब्रह्मतेजोभिरहन्यहनि राक्षसाः।।4.40.41।।
अभितप्ताश्च सूर्येण लम्बन्ते स्म पुनः पुनः।
You will find here on the mountains adjoining the seas, demons by name mandEhas who are terrifying to behold and rock like, they hang down from the mountain peaks. Every morning, on sunrise, scorched by the rays of the Sun and defeated by the oblations offered by the effulgent brAhmins (arghyam offered during sandhyAvandanam). Then the demons get back to the peaks and this repeats everyday.
ततः पाण्डुरमेघाभं क्षीरोदं नाम सागरम्।।4.40.42।।
गत्वा द्रक्ष्यथ दुर्धर्षा मुक्ताहारमिवोर्मिभिः।
You go further from there, you will behold the milky white ocean name kshIrOdA that looks like creamy clouds and whose waves are akin to pearl necklaces. There stands in the middle of that ocean, a mountain by name rishabha which has a delectable lake by name sudarSana surrounded by fragrance permeating trees. Royal swans and silver lotuses with golden filaments make this lake enchanting. The gods, demigods, apsaras and all others who want to be enchanted visit the lotus lake.
O vAnaras, upon crossing the kshIrOdA, you will see the ocean of pure water that is extremely scary and creatures are terrified upon seeing this. Here, it is said was born fire out of water, in form of the angry face of a horse (hayamukha). This fire is said to be moveable and consumes both moveable and immoveable beings. You can listen to the screams of the terrified creatures there.
From there, at a distance of thirteen yOjanas you will find a majestic golden mountain by name jAtarUpaSila. You will behold on top of that mountain the thousand hooded serpent ananta with wide eyes, berobed in blues, bearing the earth and worshipped by all. On top of the mountain you will see his three-fold flag fixed on an altar. The gods have placed this lofty flag in the eastern direction.
Beyond this mountain is the mount udaya, the golden peak from which the sun rises and spreads over a hundred yOjanas. This mountain houses a variety of trees and shines brilliantly. There in this range is a golden peak by name saumanasa which is lofty at ten yOjanas with a yOjana in breadth. This is where lord vishNU in his time as vAmana put his first foot and from there put the second foot one on the mErU!
उत्तरेण परिक्रम्य जम्बूद्वीपं दिवाकरः ।
दृश्यो भवति भूयिष्ठम् शिखरं तन्महोच्छ्रयम् ॥ 4.40.59
The sun after going over the jambudvIpa to its north, again reappears clearly on this udaya peak. There you will find a number of different types of the sages called the vaikhAnasas and vAlAkhilyas. They glow brilliantly in the hues of the sun. Next to this peak is an island called the sudarSana island. This is the sunrise land that sees the first rays of the sun. The sunrise here is golden red in hue, due to the color of the rising sun and that of the peaks there.
पूर्वमेतत्कृतं द्वारं पृथिव्या भुवनस्य च।।4.40.63।।
सूर्यस्योदयनं चैव पर्वा ह्येषा दिगुच्यते।
In the yore, this was declared as the eastern threshold of the earth as even the first rays of the sun enter here first. In all these mountains, caves, forests, streams, waterfalls, thoroughly search for sItA along with rAvaNa’s abode. Search for her even in the places that you come across which have not been indicated by me.
शैलेषु तेषु सर्वेषु कन्दरेषु वनेषु च।।4.40.66।।
ये च नोक्ता मया देशा विचेया तेषु जानकी।
The place beyond that doesn’t see the light of the sun or the moon. It is guarded by the gods and is inaccessible. O best of vAnaras, we can go in search only until here in the eastern direction.
एतावद्वानरैश्शक्यं गन्तुं वानरपुङ्गवाः।।4.40.67।।
अभास्करममर्यादं न जानीमस्ततः परम्।
Identify the place where rAma’s beloved wife sItA is by searching for her all the way until the udaya mountain and return within a month. You will deserve death if you do not return within a month.
O vAnaras, go forth in the eastern direction, the quarter of the lord indra, which is replete with forests and groves, carry out the expedition of the search with great expertise, return successfully after finding the whereabouts of beloved of the raghu clan (sItA)”.
Here we conclude the fortieth 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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