Hari Om.
Let us begin the fifty ninth sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The menacing vulture was salivating at the prospect of a buffet laid out before him in form of lamenting vAnaras who were ready to give up their lives by fasting until they drop. The lamentations reached their crescendo and turned into a melancholic remembrance of the episodes from rAma’s life, his exile, his trials and tribulations and in that process they remembered hiw jaTAyu valiantly fought for rAma’s cause and was felled by the demon rAvaNa. The reported death of jaTAyu shattered sampAti and he was moved to the core and inquired as to how his brother jaTAyu was felled in the janasthAna. The apprehensive vAnaras cautiously narrated the tale of what transpired in the janasthAna and a grieving sampAti now had a change of heart. He was brought down by the vAnaras from the hill and upon angada’s request, putting his long vision to great use, sampAti told the vAnaras that he can see sItA in the lanka of rAvaNa, a hundred yOjanas into the sea. He requested the vAnaras to help him offer ablutions to the dear departed soul of jaTAyu. Onwards…
The nectarine words of the vulture king sampAti made the vAnaras joyous and they delighted. They all stood up and jAmbavAn along with the best of the vAnaras asked –
“You are the refuge of us forestdwellers. By whom was sItA seen being abducted and who was taking her away? Please tell us in detail. Who is that who is underestimating the potency of the arrows of dASarathi and those unleashed by lakshmaNa himself”?
को दाशरथि बाणानां वज्रवेगनिपातिनाम्।
स्वयं लक्ष्मणमुक्तानां न चिन्तयति विक्रमम्।।4.59.4।।
In order to assure the vAnaras who were keen to hear about sItA, affectionately sampAti spoke thus –
“Listen, I shall tell you about by whom I was informed about the news of the abduction of the large-eyed lady sItA. I am old and have been confined to this hill for a long time now counting my days and with dwindling valor. I am being looked after by my son supArSva who is providing me food in time.
तीक्ष्णकामास्तु गन्धर्वास्तीक्ष्णकोपा भुजङ्गमाः।
मृगाणां तु भयं तीक्ष्णं ततस्तीक्ष्णक्षुधा वयम्।।4.59.9।।
Just like the gandharvas have intense passion, the snakes have anger, the deer are timid, we vultures have intense hunger. One day, I was very hungry and my son came to me after sunset without meat. He saw me being tormented by hunger and said to me –
‘O dear father, as usual I took to the skies and perched on the threshold of the mahEndra mountain in order to secure meat for you. I was looking down on the ocean from up there, obstructing the aerial path and I saw someone dark like the clouds carrying away a woman who was shining like the rising sun. I thought this was my prey and I resolved to catch hold of them. But he gently asked me to move away. I couldn’t discard his request. Polite words are respected even by mean creatures, then what to speak of me. As I moved off, he sped off carrying her and I was greeted warmly by the aerial beings.
दिष्ट्या जीवसि तातेति ह्यब्रुवन्मां महर्षयः।
कथञ्चित्सकळत्रोऽसौ गतस्ते स्वस्त्यसंशयम्।।4.59.18।।
The sages who saw that told me that I was lucky to be spared in one piece by him despite accosting him.
The accomplished and great to behold sidhhas told me that he was rAvaNa, the king of the demons. And that he was abducting the consort of dASarathi. She was disconsolate and disheveled and was crying out the names of rAma and lakshmaNa repeatedly’.
The usually prompt supArSva confessed to me thus the delay in his advent that day. Although I heard that saga, I had no intention to show my might and do something about sItA’s abduction as a vulture without wings cannot do much. However, since I am endowed with thinking and speech, let me use those faculties and how you can utilize your prowess in this matter.
वाङ्मतिभ्यां तु सर्वेषां करिष्यामि प्रियं हि वः।।4.59.24।।
यद्धि दाशरथेः कार्यं मम तन्नात्र संशयः।
By virtue of my intellect and words, I shall do good to you, since the task of rAma is my task as well, there is no doubt about it. You are all supremely intelligent, mighty, mentally strong and difficult to be defeated by gods also. Hence the king of the vAnaras has sent you. The arrows of rAma and lakshmaNa are adequate to torment the three worlds. Although the ten headed rAvaNa is illustrious and powerful, you are all capable and there is nothing impossible for you.
तदलं कालसङ्गेन क्रियतां बुद्धिनिश्चयः।।4.59.28।।
न हि कर्मसु सज्जन्ते बुद्धिमन्तो भवद्विधाः।
Therefore, without worrying about the lapse of the stipulated time, resolve to accomplish. Intelligent ones like you do not run away from action.
Here we conclude the fifty ninth 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: 4.60. sampAti sees the seer
Previous: 4.58. sampAti saves the day and their lives
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 