Hari Om.
Let us begin the sixty sixth sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The mission with which the vAnaras set out was within visible distance of sampAti. He said she was at a distance of a hundred yOjanas in lanka and flew away with his renewed wings that arose out of taking part in the mission of rAma. Now the question was Who shall be the hero that crosses the hundred yOjanas and sees sItA. The leader angada asked each of his warrior to declare their abilities to leap. They all fell short of the hundred yOjanas that was needed to get to lanka. The best was jAmabavAn who despite his old age could do ninety. Then angada himself could do hundred but was not sure of the return! However, the old and wise jAmbavAn was not in favor of entrusting the leader of the pack with this work. He then looked around to find the one and only hanumAn who was yet to declare his leaping ability. He found the son of wind god, hanumAn who was sitting in solitude and started to exhort him. Onwards…
Grasping the pensive mood in the ranks of the large vAnara army, jAmbavAn addressed hanumAn and said – “O great warrior among the vAnaras, well versed in all the sciences, why are you sitting quietly in solitude and not speaking up your abilities.
वीर वानरलोकस्य सर्वशास्त्रविदां वर।
तूष्णीमेकान्तमाश्रित्य हनूमन्किं न जल्पसि।।4.66.2।।
O hanumAn, you are equal in valor and splendor to sugrIva, rAma and lakshmaNa. The redoubtable son of arishTanEmi, garuDa, the best among the avian species has been spotted several times by me picking serpents at will from the ocean. You are as illustrious as him.
बहुशो हि मया दृष्टः सागरे स महाबलः।
भुजङ्गानुद्धरन्पक्षी महावेगो महायशाः।।4.66.5।।
The might that he has in his wings, you have in your arms. Neither your combativeness nor the agility is any less than his. Your might, intellect, splendor and ability is the best among all the beings. Why don’t you then realize that and offer yourself.
बलं बुद्धिश्च तेजश्च सत्त्वं च हरिपुङ्गव।
विशिष्टं सर्वभूतेषु किमात्मानं न बुध्यसे।।4.66.7।।
The best among the apsaras by name punjikasthala was famous in the three worlds for her peerless beauty and due to a curse took the vAnara form and came to be known as anjanA. She was the consort of the great vAnara kEsari. Assuming a human form, clad in the silks and wearing attractive garlands she was once roaming on the mountain top near the dark rain-bearing clouds. Her attractive upper garment colored in bright yellow and red slowly slid off due to the wind and exposed her well rounded thighs and attractive bosom. Beholding her exquisitely beautiful face and her shapely limbs, the wind god was smitten by desire, lost control of himself and embraced her in his long arms.
The blemishless anjana was confused at this turn of events and in surprise questioned as to who was challenging her chastity and monogamy. Listening to her question, the wind god spoke –
‘O beauty, I shall not violate you, don’t be afraid. Since I was smitten by you, O illustrious lady, I only embraced you mentally. Your son shall be highly valorous, possess great intellect, very powerful, splendorous and mighty. In leaping and flying he will have agility equal to mine’.
मनसाऽस्मि गतो यत्त्वां परिष्वज्य यशस्विनीम्।
वीर्यवान्बुद्धिसम्पन्न: पुत्रस्तव भविष्यति।।4.66.18।।
महासत्त्वो महातेजा महाबलपराक्रमः।
लङ्घने प्लवने चैव भविष्यति हि मत्समः।।4.66.19।।
एवमुक्ता ततस्तुष्टा जननी ते महाकपे।
गुहायां त्वां महाबाहो प्रजज्ञे प्लवगर्षभम्।।4.66.20।।
With these words of the wind god, your mother was pleased and gave birth to you in the cave. In the forest, beholding the rising sun and taking it to be a fruit, you want to seize it and leapt into the skies.
You rose to a height of three hundred yOjanas in the sky. As the radiance of the sun pushed you back, but that didn’t deter you. You were falling freely in the space when indra got angry and hurled his thunder at you seething with anger. Your left chin (hanu) was dented and you fell on the top of the mountain. Thus you came to be known as hanumAn. Seeing you felled like that by indra, the carrier of fragrance, wind god was livid with anger against the three worlds and stopped blowing. All the gods were taken aback at this stop of flow of the wind in the three worlds and began to placate the wind god. With the wind god propitiated, lord brahma conferred the boon on you that you are immune to be killed by any weapon in the war. The thousand eyed indra was pleased by the way you withstood the impact of his thunder and conferred the boon on you that you can leave your life only at your will.
प्रसादिते च पवने ब्रह्मा तुभ्यं वरं ददौ।
अशस्त्रवध्यतां तात समरे सत्यविक्रम।।4.66.27।।
वज्रस्य च निपातेन विरुजं त्वां समीक्ष्य च।
सहस्रनेत्रः प्रीतात्मा ददौ ते वरमुत्तमम्।।4.66.28।।
स्वच्छन्दतश्च मरणं तेभूयादिति वै प्रभो।
You are that valiant son born to kESari. You are the legitimate child of the wind god and equal to him in splendor and agility.
Right now we are as good as dead and among us you are as good as the king of vAnaras – sugrIva. During the time of trivikrama (vAmana taking the viSwarUpam), I have circumambulated the world replete with its forests and hills twenty one times. We had collected the herbs by the command of the gods when they were churning the mil ocean. Then I was mighty and strong. Currently old age has caught up with me and my valour has diminished.
Right now, you are the one among us endowed with all the great virtues and ability. O hero, you have the best leaping ability among us and it is time to show it. The entire vAnara army is eagerly waiting to see your valor. Therefore, rise, O best of vAnaras and leap across the ocean. Your speed is the best among all beings.
तद्विजृम्भस्व विक्रान्त: प्लवतामुत्तमो ह्यसि।
त्वद्वीर्यं द्रष्टुकामा हि सर्वा वानरवाहिनी।।4.66.35।।
उत्तिष्ठ हरिशार्दूल लङ्घयस्व महार्णवम्।
परा हि सर्वभूतानां हनुमन्या गतिस्तव।।4.66.36।।
O hanuman, why are being indifferent to the lost morale of the vAnara army. Get up, O swift one and enlarge yourself like vishNu did as trivikrama”.
Then exhorted by the best among the vAnara army, the son of the wind god, known for his great speed, assumed a gigantic form filling great joy and delight in the ranks.
Here we conclude the sixty sixth 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: 4.67. hanumAn wipes vAnaras’ worries away
Previous: 4.65. Who shall be the hero?
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
