Hari Om.
Let us begin the forty eighth sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The king of the vAnaras, sugrIva summoned crores of vAnaras from all over the world and grouping them into four teams, sent out four search squads in the four cardinal directions providing them with a detailed account of the places they would encounter on the way. While evidence suggested that sItA was taken in the southern direction and rAvaNa resided in lanka which was an island in the southern sea, the vAnara king didn’t want to leave anything to chance and so sent teams to all four directions. Of course, knowing that the best chance lay in the south, he sent a large and special team to the south. The greatness of mahaRshI vAlmIki’s story telling is where, he quickly completes the narration of the quest in the non-south directions and is posied to tell the story of what happened to the south bound squad and their exploits. This provides an excellent readability and a modular nature to the each sarga when presented thus. Therefore, in the previous sarga, the three warriors with their teams return after a month has passed in their quest after searching for sItA in all the places indicated by sugrIva. The action now turns to the south. Onwards…
In the meanwhile, hanumAn along with tAra, angada, and all other vAnara warriors began scanning through the mountain ranges of the vindhyas. They searched the difficult- to-enter caves, up to the tip of every mountain peak, rivers flowing from those ranges, lakes, large trees and thick groves. They partook the fruits and roots that were available there, took their breaks hither and thither and continued their quest diligently and yet could not locate sItA.
Suddenly they entered a region that had huge and inaccessible caves. The place was quite frightening with no sign of water, habitation and was desolate and inaccessible. Even in such difficult places, the fearless vAnara warriors laid out their quest for sItA diligently. The trees were dried up and devoid leaves, there was no bloom in sight, completely arid and there was no food available there. In that region, they could see neither buffaloes, nor deer, nor elephants, nor tigers, nor birds nor any other wild animal.
न सन्ति महिषा यत्र न मृगा न च हस्तिनः।।4.48.9।।
शार्दूलाः पक्षिणो वापि ये चान्ये वनगोचराः।
While they found no trees or any other vegetation like the creepers and climbers around, they saw shining lotus leaves and fragrant lotuses there without any bees around it. In this region lived a great sage by name kanDu who was upright, a stickler to truth but short tempered. He had lost his sixteen year old son in the forest because of which he cursed it and the forest turned barren and unfit for habitation and thus was devoid of birds and animals.
In that forest and the hills, the great and enterprising vAnaras, keen to delight sugrIva, thoroughly searched by the rivers and at the sources of the rivers and the mountains but could not find sItA or rAvaNa anywhere. In course of that, they saw a deep cave covered with creepers and trees. Getting in, they saw a forest and there they beheld a giant demon who was unafraid of even the gods. He was livid and spotting them and with closed fist he menacingly ran towards the vAnaras, As he ran thus, the leader angada, immediately thinking him to be rAvaNa, leapt forward and hit him with his open palm. By the impact of angada’s hit, the demon vomitted blood and fell down dead broken like the peak of a mountain!
Having won over the dreaded demon, the vAnaras continued their quest in that forest. Having looked for sItA everywhere and not finding her anywhere, the vAnaras were dispirited and gathered at a tree full of disappointment.
Here we conclude the forty eighth 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: 4.49. Fighting the southbound spirits!
Previous: 4.47. Team south the only hope as the month passes by
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
