Hari Om.
Let us begin the thirtieth sarga of the sundara kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The valiant vAnara who went through moments of wow, grief and guilt before zeroing in on the aSOkA grove and perched on the SimSupa tree and found that his quest had bore fruition as he validated that the lady he was seeing under the aSOkA tree was sItA. The torment of rAvaNa soon after confirmed his find. Before he could even think of approaching sItA, rAvaNa continued with her enticement of her and was snubbed and pooh-poohed by sItA. Although she put a brave face and managed to turn him back, the ogresses around her, ordered by rAvaNa continued to put pressure on her and threatened to make a meal of her. She was devastated at the ignominious turn that life had taken for her. This fall from glory and grace was hard to live with and she thought of ending her life by noosing her long braid around her neck on one of the branches of the SimSupa tree. Just then sItA began to see what have been laid down in the scriptures as good omens and harbingers of good times. But there was no change in her physical condition immediately. hanumAn, unaware of the auguries galore, was alarmed and began thinking of how to approach sItA. Onwards…
The valiant hanumAn witnessed first hand the vision of trijaTA, sItA’s grief and the torture by the ogresses. A variety of thoughts criss crossed his mind as he beheld sItA who resembled a goddess in the divine garden of kubEra (nandana vana) –
यां कपीनां सहस्राणि सुबहून्ययुतानि च।
दिक्षु सर्वासु मार्गन्ते सेयमासादिता मया।।5.30.3।।
“Moving about with utmost care and secrecy, I have managed to spy around in the city of lanka, getting a fair look at the city, demons and their capabilities. I have been able to locate sItA for whom thousands of vAnaras are running a quest in all the quarters. It is appropriate that I reach out to and console the consort of the mighty and compassionate rAma. She is dying to see him. I must at once reassure this grieving lady of moon-like countenance who doesn’t deserve grief and is also not seeing the end of grief. If I simply go back without reassuring her, that would be fraught with fault as the illustrious princess will grieve endlessly and end her life. I must also assuage the grief of the mighty rAma who is longing for sItA.
However, it is indeed hard to talk to sItA in the presence of these ogresses and if I don’t reach out to sItA before the dawn, there is no doubt she will end her life. If I go back without reassuring her and she ends her life, what will I say to rAma without speaking to her? If I go back without speaking to her, a livid rAma may just burn me with a death glare. If she ends her life, the advent of the vAnaras would be a vain pursuit. I must watch out for these ogresses and speak to sItA at an opportune time in a hushed manner and reassure the grieving sItA. However, if with this tiny frame, I speak samsRta like a brAhmin, sItA will get further scared thinking I am rAvaNa in disguise as how can a vAnara speak like that in samskRta! Of course, I have to speak to her in a language understood by humans since it will be impossible to assuage her grief in any other manner.
But she might just get scared seeing my form and hearing me speak and scream. Hearing her screams, the ogresses will come and try to catch and kill me. I will elude them from jumping from branch to branch and they will be filled with fear and doubt. The soldiers who protect rAvaNa’s palace will be called for and the deadly demons will come here fully armed with spears and other weapons and try to capture and kill me. They would surround me from all sides and try to capture me. I may well be able to fend off some of them but it will become hard for me to go back across the ocean. Taking to cruelty the violent demons may torture sItA further thus endangering the mission of rAma and sugrIva. sItA is kept in extreme secrecy here at a place that doesn’t open to any public roads and is highly guarded by the ogresses. Therefore, if I am either killed in a conflict with these demons or captured by them, I don’t see a way forward for this mission. Once I am finished, as much as I think I don’t see another vAnara who can come across the ocean and accomplish this task. I may well be able to vanquish thousands of demons but am not sure of crossing back the ocean.
I am not in favor of an unnecessary conflict for the outcome is uncertain. No one in his right mind will opt for an uncertain war. If I speak up, a conflict may arise and that will complicate matters for sItA and if I do not speak up, sItA will shed her life.
अर्थानर्थान्तरे बुद्धिनिश्चितापि न शोभते।।5.30.38।।
घातयन्ति हि कार्याणि दूताः पण्डितमानिनः।
With a foolish emissary, the objectives of a mission will be ruined like the night is dispelled by the sun rise when there is no sense of appropriateness of place and time. Even well thought plans will face difficulties when faced with pros and cons and an emissary who thinks too much of him surely spoils the objectives.
It must be ensured that the mission is not destroyed by being foolish and the effort of crossing the ocean must not go in vain. I must speak in manner and something that she can hear but not get agitated about”.
Thus the intelligent hanumAn reflected and made up his mind –
राममक्लिष्टकर्माणं सुबन्धुमनुकीर्तयन्।।5.30.41।।
नैनामुद्वेजयिष्यामि तद्बन्धुगतमानसाम्।
इक्ष्वाकूणां वरिष्ठस्य रामस्य विदितात्मनः।।5.30.42।।
शुभानि धर्मयुक्तानि वचनानि समर्पयन्।
श्रावयिष्यामि सर्वाणि मधुरां प्रब्रुवन् गिरम्।।5.30.43।।
श्रद्धास्यति यथाहीयं तथा सर्वं समादधे।
“By singing the glory of rAma, who is capable of accomplishing impossible tasks with ease and who is dear to her, I will not cause anxiety in sItA whose mind is absorbed in rAma. I will recount to her, the auspicious and righteous tale of the greatest of ikshvAkus, rAma in a sweet manner which she will listen to attentively”.
Thus reflecting in a variety of ways, the supremely noble hanumAn beholding the darling of the lord of the world rAma began to speak sweetly, sincerely and earnestly the following words sitting in the middle of the foliage.
Here we conclude the thirtieth sarga of the sundara 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
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Next: 5.31. A capsule of his story confers ecstasy and hope
Previous: 5.29. Good auguries galore
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
