Hari Om.
Let us begin the fifty third sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Being under extreme stress and tormented by thirst and hunger, the vAnaras, as they searched, stumbled up on the cave. Braving the darkness as they entered the cave and moved along holding their hands together, they found the very fount of luxury inside the cave. And to top that there was the most gracious host svayamprabhA, the care taker of the bright spot inside the cave that was replete with luxury, beauty, elegance and very importantly food and water. The righteous ascetic woman that she was, immediately served the vAnaras with fruits and roots and then inquired about what brought them there. The diligent hanumAn briefly outlined their mission to her and reverentially asked her as to how they can return the favor to her. She replied that it was her duty to serve and she expected no return of favor. Onwards…
Listening to the righteous words of the ascetic woman, hanumAn addressed the blemish less lady and said – “O dhArmic lady, we have sought your refuge in this cave. While wandering in this cave, we have transgressed the time limit of one month that sugrIva set for us to complete the expedition and find sItA. Having flouted the orders of sugrIva, we are as good as dead. You ought to show us a way to get out of this cave. Our great mission awaits us and while we moved about in this cave for a long a time, we have not yet accomplished that. Please save us from the wrath of sugrIva”.
Upon hearing this plea of hanumAn, the ascetic replied – “I believe it is not possible to step out of this cave alove. However by virtue of the intense penance that I have performed while sticking to the strict code of conduct, I can transfer all of you out of here if you close you eyes. Beware, those that do not close the eyes cannot be transferred out”.
तपसस्तु प्रभावेन नियमोपार्जितेन च।
सर्वानेव बिलादस्मादुद्धरिष्यामि वानरान्।।4.53.7।।
निमीलयत चक्षूंषि सर्वे वानरपुङ्गवाः।
न हि निष्क्रमितुं शक्यमनिमीलितलोचनैः।।4.53.8।।
Keen to get out of the cave, the vAnaras not only closed their eyes but covered them with their delicate fingers. The great vAnaras who thus covered their closed eyes, in a trice where taken out of the cave by her power. Having taken the vAnaras thus out of a dead-end, the dhArmic ascetic woman said –
“This is is the range of vindhyas. This hill is praSravaNa and you will find a variety of foliage here. May good happen to you. I shall go back now”. Saying so, svayamprabhA returned to her mystic cave.
स्वस्ति वोऽस्तु गमिष्यामि भवनं वानरर्षभाः।
इत्युक्त्वा तद्बिलं श्रीमत्प्रविवेश स्वयम्प्रभा।।4.53.13।।
Searching in the mystic caves made by the demon maya, the vAnaras crossed the limit of one month stipulated by sugrIva. Having come out of that, they further searched for sItA in the foot ranges of the vindhya and not finding her anywhere, low in spirits assembled under the trees. As they lay down and watched the trees in full bloom, it struck them hard that spring was here and they were extremely terrified.
ततः पुष्पातिभाराग्रान् लताशतसमावृतान्।
द्रुमान्वासन्तिकान्दृष्टवा बभूवुर्भयशङ्किताः।।4.53.17।।
They fell on the ground realizing further that the time limit of one month has been exceeded. Then the broad shouldered and strong armed angada, the heir apparent, addressed his team, the distinguished vAnaras and spoke sweetly –
“You all must be aware that by the command of the king of vAnaras, we all left on this mission in the month of ASvayuja. All of you are confidantes of sugrIva, experts in following moral conduct, dedicated to the welfare of the leader, peerless in your pursuits and your exploits and abilities are well known in all the quarters. You all have joined me on the orders of king sugrIva.
However, now that we have failed in our mission, we are staring at death, for who will be at peace having not followed the orders of the king of the vAnaras? Having flouted the time stipulated by sugrIva who backs himself as the king of the vAnaras and will definitely not forgive us for having failed to find sItA, our best course of action is to fast until we die, giving up on our homes, family and wealth. It is certain that king sugrIva will order death sentence for us when we go back. Instead of that, it is better to give up our lives here itself.
न चाहं यौवराज्येन सुग्रीवेणाभिषेचितः।।4.53.30।।
नरेन्द्रेणाभिषिक्तोऽस्मि रामेणाक्लिष्टकर्मणा।
I have not been consecrated as the heir apparent by sugrIva. Rather it is the king of men, rAma, capable of pulling off the most difficult tasks easily, who has consecrated me. Remembering the old enmity between us, sugrIva will no doubt inflict stringent punishment on me having found this reason that I didn’t comply with his order. I don’t want my well wishers to see me die, instead I shall fast unto death right here in the sacred shore of this sea”.
Listening to this helpless words of angada, the vAnaras said –
“sugrIva is stern and strict by nature and rAghava is keen to find his dearest. Therefore, if we go back without seeing sItA, in order to please rAma, he will doubtless punish us. It doesn’t befit defaulters to go back to the boss. We should either continue to search here for sItA and go back having found her, or else we should head straight to the abode of yama, the god of death, from here”.
प्लवङ्गमानां तु भयार्दितानां
श्रुत्वा वचस्तार इदं बभाषे।
अलं विषादेन बिलं प्रविश्य
वसाम सर्वे यदि रोचते वः।।4.53.37।।
Listening to the opinions of the terrified vAnaras, tAra said – “enough of this despair, if you all like, let us return to the cave. This cave is mysterious, inaccessible and replete with food. Staying there, we will have neither the fear of indra or sugrIva or rAma”.
This proposal of tAra found approval from everyone including angada. They all wanted to adopt a course of action such that they can dodge the punishment by sugrIva that was looming large upon them.
Here we conclude the fifty third sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
Click on the above link for word by word meaning from IITK website
Click on the above link to listen to the audio by SrIrAma ghanApATi
Next: 4.54. Sowing seeds of doubt and saving the mission
Previous: 4.52. Gracious host enlivens the mission
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
