5.15. The quest bears fruition

Hari Om.

Let us begin the fifteenth sarga of the sundara kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.

Overcoming the depression of failure to find sItA so far with a great determination, falling back on his enormous strength and deciding to confront rAvaNa straight away if his quest is unyielding, hanuman reset his thoughts and stepping out of the private chambers beheld the aSOka grove in front of him. He decided to search for sItA there and offering salutations to the trio – rAma, lakshmaNa and sItA and the guardian deities of the eight quarters, jumped into the grove. The natural habitat of vAnaras made him feel completely at home and he jumped from tree to tree, shaking it, waking up the birds and looking for sItA. Finally he sighted a SimSupa tree near which there were a number of aSOka trees and well maintained garden. There was a stream near by and with dawn around the corner, hanumAn felt that sItA could be coming there soon to perform the morning ablutions and so without moving he lay waiting there shrinking himself to a small size and becoming completely inconspicuous in the foliage. Onwards…

Being on the SImSupa tree, hanumAn began scanning all over the ground for maithilI. He saw the santAna trees (one of the five divine trees in the garden of indra) in full bloom, melodies of cuckoos and other birds emerging from it making it look like the nandana garden of indra. A number of deer and birds frolicked around. He saw tall buildings, lotus ponds containing golden and blue lotuses. There were excellent seats provided in the gardens. The aSOka trees were so much in bloom that their leaves were not seen. They shone like the sunrise. The hanging flowers of the aSOka that drove away the sadness (Soka) looked like the ear rings of the garden. He also saw the kanrika and kimSuka flowers in the garden. The branches of the trees had lowered by the burden of flowers and fruits that they bore. Some of the flowers on the numerous aSOka trees shone like gold, yet others like flames and some others like the dark clouds. The blooms of kimSuka, champaka and others looked like flames and it appeared as if the grove was on fire!

With a sea of flowers all around, very fragrant and intoxicating, it was house to the buzzing bees seeking honey and a variety of birds and deer. The delightful and colorful aSOka grove surpassed even the gardens nadana vana of indra or chaitraratha of kubEra. There in the middle of the aSOka vana, the vAnara beheld a sky-scraping imposing tower made of a thousand pillars. Its stair case was fitted with corals and dazzled the eyes. The mansion itself was imposing like gandhamAdana mountain and fragrance emerged from the mansion and permeated the air. The prosperity was stealing the vision.

ततो मलिनसंवीतां राक्षसीभिस्समावृताम्।।5.15.18।।

उपवासकृशां दीनां निश्श्वसन्तीं पुनः पुनः।

ददर्श शुक्लपक्षादौ चन्द्ररेखामिवामलाम्।।5.15.19।।

Then he saw a woman, clad in soiled clothes, surrounded by ogresses, emaciated by fasting, dejected and was sighing deeply and repeatedly. She appeared like the crescent moon at the beginning of the bright fortnight.

Clothed in a single soiled cloth that was yellow in color, unadorned like a lotus pond bereft of lotuses, with a faintly recognizable form but shining brightly like a flame engulfed in smoke, bashful, grieving, withering and suffering, she looked like star rOhiNI that was suppressed by the planet mars. Tears were rolling down her face, helpless, emaciated due to lack of food, lost in thought and ever grieving, she was not able to see her kin and seeing the ogresses around her, she resembled a deer that was away from its flock and was surrounded by hounds.

प्रियं जनमपश्यन्तीं पश्यन्तीं राक्षसीगणम्।

स्वगणेन मृगीं हीनां श्वगणाभिवृतामिव।।5.15.24।।

Her black braid of hair extended to her hips and looked like a terrifying cobra and looked expansive like forests at the end of the rainy season. She deserved all comfort and not used to difficulties. Beholding the wide eyed, emaciated lady with soiled cloth, he began to deliberate if she could be sItA.

तां समीक्ष्य विशालाक्षीमधिकं मलिनां कृशाम्।।5.15.26।।

तर्कयामास सीतेति कारणैरुपपादिभिः।

He recollected the picture of misery that he saw while a woman was being abducted by the demon and found resemblance with her. She was charming like ratI, the consort of manmatha with a countenance like the full moon, round breasts, black hair, red lips, slender waist and shapely limbs. Her glorious form dispelled the darkness of all the quarters. She was the delight of the whole world and much loved like the brilliance of the full moon. She was seated on the ground firmly like an ascetic.

इष्टां सर्वस्य जगतः पूर्णचन्द्रप्रभामिव।।5.15.30।।

भूमौ सुतनुमासीनां नियतामिव तापसीम्।

She was sighing and hissing like the serpent princess, and gloomy caught in a cobweb of grief. Further she looked a like a flame covered with smoke, like a misconstrued scripture, like a lost treasure, like a broken discipline, like a lost hope, like unattained accomplishment, like eclipsed intellect, like fame dashed by calumny. She was terribly pained by the separation from rAma and was withering due to the abduction by the demon.

संसक्तां धूमजालेन शिखामिव विभावसोः।।5.15.32।।

तां स्मृतीमिव सन्दिग्धामृद्धिं निपतितामिव।

विहतामिव च श्रद्धामाशां प्रतिहतामिव।।5.15.33।।

सोपसर्गां यथा सिद्धिं बुद्धिं सकलुषामिव।

अभूतेनापवादेन कीर्तिं निपतितामिव।।5.15.34।।

रामोपरोधव्यथितां रक्षोहरणकर्शिताम्।

The deer eyed weakling was looking here and there with tears streaming from her eyes and she was sighing deeply and repeatedly being devastated. Her body was soiled by the dust and she who deserved to smear sandal paste on her but had not worn it looked like the light of the moon was dimmed by the black clouds.

तस्य संदिदिहे बुद्धिर्मुहुः सीतां निरीक्ष्य तु।

आम्नायानामयोगेन विद्यां प्रशिथिलामिव।।5.15.38।।

Looking at sItA again and again, hanumAn felt she looked like a skill that was blunted for lack of practice. The unbedecked lady resembled a broken sentence that couldn’t convey the intended meaning.

दुःखेन बुबुधे सीतां हनुमाननलङ्कृताम्।

संस्कारेण यथा हीनां वाचमर्थान्तरं गताम्।।5.15.39।।

Deliberating and reasoning thus, with great sorrow, hanumAn was becoming sure that she was indeed sItA. He thought – “the insignia of vaidEhI that rAma had described then, her physical features and the various jewelry on her body are confirming that she is vaidEhI. Of course, several of the ornaments were lost but the ones that remained there matched the description provided by rAma”.

तान्यैवेतानि मन्येऽहं यानि रामोऽन्वकीर्तयत्।।5.15.43।।

तत्र यान्यवहीनानि तान्यहं नोपलक्षये।

यान्यस्या नावहीनानि तानीमानि न संशयः।।5.15.44।।

Further – “the yellow upper cloth that fell on the mountain the other day in presence of the five vAnaras from which the dazzling ornaments fell with tinkling sounds on the ground seemed like part of the cloth she was wearing even if it was soiled and crumpled due to long usage. There is no doubt really! Indeed this golden complexioned woman is the beloved consort of rAma, whose loss he has not been able to clear from his mind.

इयं कनकवर्णाङ्गी रामस्य महिषी प्रिया।

प्रणष्टापि सती याऽस्य मनसो न प्रणश्यति।।5.15.48।।

rAma experiences fourfold grief on account of losing her – pity for the woman lost, compassion for the one who is dependent on him, grief because she is his wife and scorching torment because she is his beloved. The charm, grace and the well proportioned body of this woman is a perfect match for rAma. He is established in the heart of this dEvI and she is established in his. That is the reason both of them have been able to survive the separation thus far.

अस्या देव्या मनस्तस्मिंस्तस्य चास्यां प्रतिष्ठितम्।

तेनेयं स च धर्मात्मा मुहूर्तमपि जीवति।।5.15.52।।

rAma had indeed pulled off an impossible task by surviving thus far without her. Thus, having beheld sItA, the son of the wind god, in his mind reached rAma and extolled the greatness of the lord”.