Hari Om.
Let us begin the fifty seventh sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Just as the vAnaras, bereft of success in their mission of finding sItA, not wanting to be hounded out from the cave and killed, wanted to die honourably through the prAyOpavESa – fast unto death, a new tragedy struck! The old vulture sampAti salivated at the prospect of making a meal of the vAnaras as they drop one by one. He really thanked his stars for this great gift that destiny showered on him. Listening to the menacing vulture and his intentions, the vAnaras although prepared to die were terribly disheartened. They recalled the tragedies that came one after the other – kaikEyI’s boons, rAma’s exile, sItA’s abduction, jaTAyu’s death, vAlI’s felling – it was as if destiny was targeting their end through all these tragedies! As they recounted all that, the story of rAma, which has the power to save was told even if as a lamentation. That moved the vulture with other intentions and he spoke. Onwards…
Hearing the lamentations voiced by angada, the sharp beaked vulture spoke out in a loud voice –
“Who is it that is talking about the felling of jaTAyu who is dearer to me than my own life. It is disturbing my mind. I am hearing the mention of my brother’s name after a long time. How did the combat come to be between the demon and the vulture in the janasthAna? I want to be takn down by you from this lofty hilltop. I am delighted by the singing of the glory of my virtuous younger brother with praiseworthy valor that I am hearing about after a long time. O best of vAnaras, I want to know about how his end came about, how did he develop friendship with king daSaratha whose eldest son rAma is the darling of the elders and the populace.
तस्यैव च मम भ्रातुस्सखा दशरथः कथम्।।4.57.6।।
यस्य रामः प्रियः पुत्रो ज्येष्ठो गुरुजनप्रियः।
सूर्यांशुदग्धपक्षत्वान्न शक्नोम्युपसर्पितुम्।।4.57.7।।
इच्छेयं पर्वतादस्मादवतर्तु मरिन्दमाः।
My wings were burnt down by the scorching rays of the Sun and hence I cannot on my own approach you. O vanquisher of the foes, I would like to be taken down from the hilltop”.
शोकाद्भ्रष्टस्वरमपि श्रुत्वा ते हरियूथपाः।
श्रद्दधुर्नैव तद्वाक्यं कर्मणा तस्य शङ्किताः।।4.57.8।।
However, even though the voice of the vulture was choked with sadness, the vAnara leaders suspected the intentions of the vulture and were cynical that he would just swallow them. And immediately the other thought came to their mind that if the vulture eats them they would achieve their goal of dying there for which they had resolved. Once they agreed on this thought, angada, the best of them, went and helped the vulture to come down from the hill to their midst and introduced himself –
“O vulture, there was a mighty vAnara by name Rksharaja who had two strong sons by name vAlI and sugrIva. By virtue of his deeds, vAlI was illustrious in this world and he was my father.
राजा कृत्स्नस्य जगत इक्ष्वाकूणां महारथः।
रामो दाशरथिः श्रीमान्प्रविष्टो दण्डकावनम्।।4.57.14।।
लक्ष्मणेन सह भ्रात्रा वैदेह्या चापि भार्यया।
पितुर्निदेशनिरतो धर्म्यं पन्थानमाश्रितः।।4.57.15।।
The king of this entire world, the great and valorous son of daSaratha, the illustrious rAma along with sItA and lakshmaNa entered the danDaka forest as per the command of his father who was following the path of dharma. His wife sItA was forcibly abducted from the janasthAna by rAvaNa. The friend of rAma’s father daSaratha, jaTAyu, the king of vultures, saw rAvaNa abducting sItA through the skies forcibly. He fought valiantly with rAvaNa, destroyed his chariot and brought sItA down on to the earth. However he became too tired as he was old and was killed by rAvaNa in that combat. After jaTAyu succumbed to the wounds caused by rAvaNa, rAma cremated him with due honors and by virtue of that jaTAyu was redeemed and went to the exalted worlds [3.68. rAma, the liberator]. Thereafter, rAma befriended my father’s brother sugrIva and killed my father vAlI. rAma killed vAlI since sugrIva and his ministers had developed enmity with my father and then consecrated sugrIva as the king of the vAnaras. We have been dispatched by sugrIva. Thus we have been sent on a mission to secure the whereabout of sItA by rAma. However we are not able to find her just like one cannot find the light of the un at night.
एवं रामप्रयुक्तास्तु मार्गमाणास्ततस्ततः।
वैदेहीं नाधिगच्छामो रात्रौ सूर्यप्रभामिव।।4.57.22।।
having searched the danDaka forests, without being aware, we stumbled in to the mystic caves of the dhArmic woman built by the demon maya. We squandered the time limit of one month stipulated by sugrIva for this mission in the cave. Hence, being afraid of the punishment that will be meted out to us by king sugrIva for not fulfilling our mission within the one month time given to us, we decided to do prAyOpavESanam – fast unto death. Going to rAma, lakshmaNa and sugrIva who would be angry with our failure, we can be very sure, that our life will cease to exist.
Here we conclude the fifty seventh 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: 4.58. sampAti saves the day and their lives
Previous: 4.56. They encounter a salivating sampAtI
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
