Hari Om.
Let us begin the fifth sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The words of kabandha were coming out to be true. While rAma and lakshmaNa sought sugrIva on the banks of pampa, the vAnara warrior sighted them from the top of the RshyamUka hill. He was panic stricken to see the mighty duo wielding robust bows, glittering swords, resplendent and had compelling gait. His apprehension was they were possibly sent by his all-season enemy brother vAlI to eliminate him. He discusses the serious matter that would decide if they should desert the place and go far away with his four mates. One of them, hanumAn assured sugrIva that the duo may have nothing to do with vAlI. Then sugrIva asked hanumAn to don the guise of an unsuspectable mendicant and go and find out the reason behind the advent of the duo and their identity. He added that the inquiry may be done facing him so that he gets a first hand glimpse of the manner in which the two were disposed towards them. Accordingly hanumAn goes and praises the looks, might and the physique of the duo and wonders who they were. rAma was impressed at the impeccable speech, tone and tenor of hanumAn and asked lakshmaNa to apprise him of their identity. Brother lakshmaNa gives a brief of who they were and what brought them here and referring to the words of danu (kabandha), he said they were looking to befriend sugrIva. As he narrated the need to seek sugrIva’s help, lakshmaNa momentarily choked at the way things have turned for the mighty price rAma to be ibliged to a vAnara warrior! However hanumAn saw that good fortune has come seeking sugrIva, for he can take the help of rAma and win back his kingdom. On behalf of sugrIva, hanumAn welcomes them and having shed his guise of mendicant and assuming the natural form of a gigantic vAnara, he lifted the duo on his mighty shoulders and flew to sugrIva at once. Onwards…
From RshyamUka, hanumAn carried the duo rAma and lakshmaNa and reached the malaya mountain and announced their arrival to sugrIva –
“We have found him, rAma, the supremely intelligent, strong, valorous, unflinching in his commitment to truth along with his brother lakshmaNa. Born in the clan of the ikshvAkus, stickler to the command of his father, he is distinguished in his commitment towards dharma. He is the son of that great king daSaratha who had conducted many a rAjasUya and aSwamEdha yajnas, given aways hundreds of thousands of cows in charity and who ruled over the land justly and truthfully as a penance. The son of that great king has come to you seeking your help for the sake of his wife who has been abducted by the demon rAvaNa while they loved in the forest. The duo rAma and lakshmaNa are desirous of befriending you and hence you should felicitate the duo with due reverence”.
भवता सख्यकामौ तौ भ्रातरौ रामलक्ष्मणौ।
प्रतिगृह्यार्चयस्वैतौ पूजनीयतमावुभौ4.5.7।।
sugrIva was delighted to listen to the words of hanumAn and gave up his anxiety. Assuming a cheerful and appealing form, he approached rAma and spoke pleasantly –
“hanumAn has narrated to me factually all your great virtues, your obedience to dharma, love for all beings and great might. That you should seek the friendship of a vAnara like me is indeed an honor and of great benefit to me. If this friendship interests you, here I extend my hand to you, please take hold of my palm in yours with due regard and ensure the firm bond of friendship between us”.
रोचते यदि वा सख्यं बाहुरेष प्रसारितः।
गृह्यतां पाणिना पाणिर्मर्यादा बध्यतां ध्रुवा4.5.12।।
Responding to the sweet and meaningful words of sugrIva, rAma was delighted in his mind, took sugrIvas hand in his and squeezed it warmly, heartily accepted the friendship and embraced sugrIva tightly.
एतत्तु वचनं श्रुत्वा सुग्रीवेण सुभाषितम्।
सम्प्रहृष्टमना हस्तं पीडयामास पाणिना4.5.13।।
हृद्यं सौहृदमालम्ब्यपर्यष्वजत पीडितम्।
Seeing this, hanumAn who had given up the guise of the mendicant and assumed his natural form, gathered fire wood, generated fire by rubbing the wood and having worshipped the agni (fire) duly, he placed it between rAma and sugrIva.
ततोऽग्निं दीप्यमानं तौ चक्रतुश्च प्रदक्षिणम्।।4.5.16।।
सुग्रीवो राघवश्चैव वयस्यत्वमुपागतौ।
The duo, rAma and sugrIva attained companionship having circumambulated that sacred and bright fire. Both were thrilled with the friendship in their minds and affectionately gazed at each other and were not contented. sugrIva was delighted and said “you are a dear companion to me and our sorrows and delights are now shared”.
Then sugrIva broke the leaf laden branch of a sAla tree in full bloom and offered it as a seat to rAma and they both sat down. Delightfully, hanumAn broke a similar branch of the sandalwood tree and offered it as a seat to lakshmaNa. Having settled down, sugrIva began to narrate in a sweet voice with a twinkle of delight in his eyes –
“O rAma, I have been subjected to terrible ignominy by my brother vAlI. My wife has been usurped and afraid of vAlI, I have taken refuse in this difficult to access forest. I am deeply disturbed and roam here soaked in fear of vAlI with whom I have developed enmity. O great kakutstha (rAma), please render me fearless against the fear of vAlI”.
वालिनो मे महाभाग भयार्तस्याभयं कुरु4.5.24।।
कर्तुमर्हसि काकुत्स्थ भयं मे न भवेद्यथा।
Submitted thus by sugrIva, rAma, the radiant, knower of dharma and to whom dharma was dear, with a sweet smile responded to sugrIva –
“Of course, O great vAnara, of course, I understand a friend is obtained through a favor, and I shall for sure slay vAlI, the usurper of your wife. These straight arrows of mine, bearing the kanka leaves at the tail, having sharp and golden tips, resembling the thunderbolt of indra in impact, resplendent like the sun, hissing like angry serpents, unerring in their flight shall soon hit the evil vAlI and he shall collapse on the ground like a mountain pulled down”.
sugrIva’s joy was enhanced upon hearing these assuring words of rAma which promised his own welfare and he submitted –
“By your grace, O warrior, I am deemed to have won my wife and kingdom. Accomplish it such that the enemy, my elder brother is slain”.
सीता कपीन्द्रक्षणदाचराणां
राजीवहेमज्वलनोपमानि।
सुग्रीवरामप्रणयप्रसङ्गे
वामानि नेत्राणि समं स्फुरन्ति4.5.32।।
As sugrIva and rAma struck the alliance, simultaneously, the lotus like left eye of sItA, the gold complexioned left eye of the chief of vAnaras, vAlI and the burning red colored left eye of the nocturn rAvaNa twitched equally!
[The import this verse is far-reaching as the twitching of left eye indicates a good omen for women suggesting glad tidings, while it indicated bad omen for men. mahaRshi vAlmIki invokes that omen from the Sakuna SAstra and beautifully made it into an amazing verse suggesting the glad tidings for sItA have begun.]
Here we conclude the fifth 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: 4.6. The alert act of sItA works as hoped
Previous: 4.4. hanumAn visualizes a win-win alliance
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
