Hari Om.
Let us begin the second sarga of the sundara kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Assuring the despondent vAnara mates about the success of their mission and filling them up with life and utter delight, hanumAn rose to gigantic proportions in full view of them and got onto the mahEndra mountain. With his mountainous size as he moved around on the mountain, the normal life on the mountain was disturbed and the mountain was stressed under his weight emanating water streams and minerals at places. Once again assuring his mates, hanumAn took off to the skies and flew south towards lanka. He created quite a low pressure area around him such that some of the trees from the mountain followed him for a while and also the sea surface was experiencing high tides due to the pressure difference wherever he went. Exhorted by the lord of the sea, sAgara, mount mainAka emerged from the bottom of the ocean and tried to offer hospitality to hanumAn. He gently rejected it and expressing his gratitude moved forward. The gods and the realized souls that followed his journey closely were thrilled. They then asked surasa, the nAga goddess to test his intellect by testing him. She came up in the form of an ogress and insisted that hanumAn enter into her mouth. He grew his size and she grew hers in turn to accommodate him until she was all of a hundred yOjanas. At that point, he became tiny like a thumb and entered and exited her mouth claiming that he had satisfied her condition. Pleased at the presence of mind of hanumAn she blessed and let him go. Then there was danger in form a shadow-grabbing ogress simhikA. He again grew in size first and then shrinking to a small size entered her interiors and struck at her life forces. She was conquered. Taking to the skies again, he reached the southern shores on the ocean and beheld lanka. Thus, overcoming enticement, test of intellect and test of might, hanumAn ultimately reached lanka to take the quest further. Onwards.
Having crossed the uncrossable ocean, the mighty hanumAn comfortably beheld the city of lanka situated on the top of the trikUTa mountain. He was inundated by the flowers showered on him copiously by the trees around him. The illustrious vAnara crossed over the hundred yOjanas but was neither panting for breath nor was feeling weary. He thought to himself –
शतान्यहं योजनानां क्रमेयं सुबहून्यपि।
किं पुनः सागरस्यान्तं संख्यातं शतयोजनम्।।5.2.4।।
“I can cross several hundred yOjanas of this sort, then what to speak of this hundred yOjana long ocean”.
The best of the most courageous vAnaras, having swiftly leapt across the ocean and reaching lanka now went over grasslands, fragrant forests, rocky as well as mountains replete with trees in full bloom now beheld the city of lanka situated on a peak. The mighty noticed a variety of trees – sarala, karNikAra, datepalms, priyAla, muchulinda, kuTaja, kEtaka, priyangu and kadamba. There were others like saptachhada, Asana, kOvidAra and karavIra replete with flowers and buds. The branches of the trees shook due to the wind and variety of birds chirped on those trees. There were flocks of swans and waterfowls that were frolicking in lakes. There were delightful resorts for entertainment and lovely gardens around which were seen by hanumAn.
He saw that lanka was safeguarded by a moat in which bloomed delightful lotuses and water lilies. The city had an imposing compound wall that was plated with gold. The houses within were high rises and shone in brilliant white like the clouds during the autumn. The streets were crowded and were delightfully decorated with flags and banners. The city was reminiscent of the city of gods in the heaven. Security was heightened due to the abduction of sItA by rAvaNa. There were stern demons who were moving all over armed with bows.
सीतापहरणार्थेन रावणेन सुरक्षिताम्।
समन्ताद्विचरद्भिश्च राक्षसैरुग्रधन्विभिः।।5.2.15।।
hanumAn beheld such a glorious city lanka that was built by the divine architect viSwakarma and being administered by rAvaNa presently. He approached northern threshold of lanka and thought that viSwakarma must have conceived lanka as a lady with the fortresses as the limbs, the moats around as her clothes, the iron rods all around as her hair!
The city, imposing like the mount kailAsa, was full of sky scrapers and looked as if it was flying in the sky and just like the nAgas protect the divine city of bhOgavatI, terrible demons protected the city of lanka. It was incomprehensibly well made and protected by spear and weapon wielding demons of terrifying forms. And further, it was well protected by the sea and on top of that, rAvaNa was a formidable enemy. So he thought –
“Even if the vAnaras can make it this far, it will still be in vain. This lanka cannot be won by even the gods. What can even the mighty rAma do coming all the way to this fortified lanka ruled over by rAvaNa. The four fold ways of conflict resolution – peaceful discussion (sAma), settlement (dAna), dissent (bhEda) or all out war to inflict punishment (danDa) – all are bound to fail with the demons.
आगत्यापीह हरयो भविष्यन्ति निरर्थकाः।
न हि युद्धेन वै लङ्का शक्या जेतुं सुरैरपि।।5.2.27।।
इमां तु विषमां दुर्गां लङ्कां रावणपालिताम्।
प्राप्यापि स महाबाहुः किं करिष्यति राघवः।।5.2.28।।
Only four of us can prevail here – angada, nIla, sugrIva and myself. Well, I shall first find out if vaidEhI is alive or not. Thereafter, I shall think over”.
यावज्जानामि वैदेहीं यदि जीवति वा न वा।
तत्रैव चिन्तयिष्यामि दृष्ट्वा तां जनकात्मजाम्।।5.2.31।।
Then, being there for a while on that peak, the vAnara contemplated the success of rAma. He thought further, beholding the city that was formidable for even the gods and demons –
“I will not be able to enter this city of demons, well protected by them in this form. They are cruel, mighty and illustrious. Deception shall be used by me in the quest for jAnakI.
उग्रौजसो महावीर्या बलवन्तश्च राक्षसाः।
वञ्चनीया मया सर्वे जानकीं परिमार्गता।।5.2.34।।
To achieve this great goal, I must enter lanka in the nighttime in an inconspicuous form. I must think of a way to find the daughter of king janaka without being noticed by the wicked king of the demons, rAvaNa. Just like the sunrise dispels darkness, well planned strategies fall flat when an emissary acts in dissonance with the time and place.
भूताश्चार्था विपद्यन्ते देशकालविरोधिताः।
विक्लबं दूतमासाद्य तमः सूर्योदये यथा।।5.2.39।।
अर्थानर्थान्तरे बुद्धिर्निश्चितापि न शोभते।
घातयन्ति हि कार्याणि दूताः पण्डितमानिनः।।5.2.40।।
Caught in the possibility of success and lack of it, it is difficult to implement even if the course of action has been decided. An emissary with an inflated sense of his intellect can really spoil the mission. How to go about this such that the mission is not destroyed and how to ensure that crossing the ocean doesn’t go in vain? If I am seen by the demons, then the plan of rAma to kill rAvaNa will be known and spoiled. However, it is impossible to stay here without being known to the demons even in the form of a demon, then what to speak of any other form. The mighty rAkshasas know everything that moves here – in fact, I believe even the wind cannot blow unknown to them. If I stay in my current form, I am sure destroy the mission and cause loss to my master. In order to accomplish the mission of rAma, I shall assume a very small form and enter lanka in the night and thoroughly search through the mansions of rAvaNa and locate sItA”.
तदहं स्वेन रूपेण रजन्यां ह्रस्वतां गतः।
लङ्कामभिपतिष्यामि राघवस्यार्थसिद्धये।।5.2.46।।
Debating thus, hanumAn awaited the sun set being very keen to see vaidEhI. At the stroke of the sunset, as night fell, mAruti (hanumAn) shrunk his body to the size of a small mouse-eater – cat and made for quite a sight.
सूर्ये चास्तं गते रात्रौ देहं सङ्क्षिप्य मारुतिः।
पृषदंशकमात्रः सन् बभूवाद्भुतदर्शनः।।5.2.49।।
Just at the nightfall, the daring hanumAn jumped in to the well laid out city. There were splendid looking strings of seven and eight storied mansions with golden pillars, gem studded ceilings and golden walls and windows – like the city of gandharvas. Beholding the unimaginably grand lanka, hanumAn was swept with mixed emotions of both joy and anxiety, being keen to find sItA [– joy at the prospect of finding her there and anxious at how to go about it].
In the middle of that garland of white mansions with golden arches all around, protected by the nocturnal beings (demons) and ruled over by rAvaNa, hanumAn beheld the thousand-rayed moon rising over the lake-like sky resembling the conch-coloured swan. Being in the middle of the stars, the moon was filling the world with light, as if rendering an important assistance help to hanumAn’s mission.
चन्द्रोऽपि साचिव्यमिवास्य कुर्वंस्तारागणैर्मध्यगतो विराजन्।
ज्योत्स्नावितानेन वितत्य लोक मुत्तिष्ठते नैकसहस्ररश्मि:।।5.2.57।।
Here we conclude the second sarga of the sundara kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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Next: 5.03. The lanka breached in spirit
Previous: 5.01. The flight of resolve
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
