Hari Om.
Let us begin the thirty fifth sarga of the sundara kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
After copping a fair amount of mental torture for several months, sItA, was unable to believe her good fortune that came in the form of a vAnara carrying the message of rAma and naturally enough her troubled mind suspected this to be yet another trick of the demon king to gain access to her. However, given how devoted she was to rAma, it was impossible for her to completely discard this as a trick and more so because she got good vibes about the presence of hanumAn. The valiant vAnara on his part tried to impress upon her his being a vAnara and provided her with all the background story of how he came about to find her in lanka. She was caught between hope and suspicion. Onwards…
Listening to the story of rAma from the great vAnara, vaidEhI felt comforted and pleasantly asked him –
क्व ते रामेण संसर्गः कथं जानासि लक्ष्मणम्।
वानराणां नराणां च कथमासीत्समागमः।।5.35.2।।
“Where did you come in touch with rAma, how do you know lakshmaNa, how did the meeting between the men and the vAnaras come about? O vAnara, what are the insignia of rAma and that of lakshmaNa? Tell me about those so that I don’t come to grief. How does rAma look like? Tell me about the physical form and appearance of rAma and lakshmaNa”.
Asked thus by vaidEhI, hanumAn started to speak about rAma in a matter-of-fact manner.
“O vaidEhI, although you are aware of the marks of rAma and lakshmaNa, by my fortune, you are asking me about it. Listen, I shall narrate to you the insignia of rAma and lakshmaNa as noticed by me.
रामः कमलपत्त्राक्ष स्सर्वसत्त्वमनोहरः।
रूपदाक्षिण्यसम्पन्नः प्रसूतो जनकात्मजे।।5.35.8।।
rAma has lovely lotus-like-eyes which captivate all beings. By birth he is endowed with superlative charm and gentleness. His brilliance is like that of the sun, in forbearance he is like the earth, in intellect he is like bRhaspati and in fame he is like indra.
तेजसाऽदित्य सङ्काशः क्षमया पृथिवीसमः।
बृहस्पतिसमो बुद्ध्या यशसा वासवोपमः।।5.35.9।।
He is the protector of the world and of his own ilk. The repressor of enemies that he is, he protects his own conduct and his dharma. O lady, rAma protects the four varnas of people (brAhmin, kshatriya, vaiSya and SUdra). He follows the conduct of the world and ensures others follow that as well. He is luminous, highly revered, knows how to help the good and follows brahmacharya as a vow. He is an able administrator. He is an expert in statecraft, devoted to the scholarly brAhmins, learned, endowed with a great character and very gentle. He is well versed in yajurvEda, worshipped by those learned in the vEdas and is an expert in the vEda, dharnurvEda (science of archery) and all the vEdangas (associated branches of vEdic learning). O dEvi, rAma is illustrious, he is mighty armed, round shouldered, has a conch shaped neck and has coppery eyes. He is valorous, has shining complexion, has a thunderous voice, has shapely and proportional limbs and has great physique.
His chest, fist and wrists are stiff and stable. His eyebrows, arms and scrotum are significantly built. His hair, knees and testicles are proportional. His navel, abdomen and chest are raised. His eyes, hands and feet are coppery in color. He has a deep navel, voice and a majestic gait. The lines on his hand and feet run deep. His neck has three folds, his chest and feet have marked depressions. His neck, organ, back and shanks are brief. There are three spirals on his head. He has four lines on the thumb, is four cubits (or eight feet) in height and his face, thighs, arms and legs are well proportioned. He has a very symmetrical built of the fourteen parts of his body, has four canines in his teeth, can move majestically in four ways (like a lion, bull, elephant or leopard). His lips, cheeks and nose are charming. His hair and skin are glossy, eyes are shiny, teeth are sparkling and feet are smooth. His backbone is stiff and long, trunk is strong among the eight parts of his body that are long and well built. His limbs are enchanting like the lotuses, well built, sharp in features, raised where needed, depressed where it looked good and he pursues the three fold practices of spiritual, worldly and sensual in the morning, afternoon and evening respectively.
The illustrious rAma is ever steeped in truth and dharma and is always busy in accumulation and conferring favors on others. His brother lakshmaNa born to the other wife of daSaratha is invincible and in his attachment, appearance and virtues is a replica of rAghava. Only he is golden in complexion while the illustrious rAma is dark!
The redoubtable duo, keen to find you, were looking all over the world for you and on the hill RshyamUka found us led by the charming sugrIva, the vAnara who was banished by his elder brother and was terrified of him. As we lived there attending to sugrIva, the duo wielding bows and dressed in bark clothes appeared there. Suspecting the duo, sugrIva got scared and sent me to them to find their identity. By the command of sugrIva, I went to meet the duo with folded hands and was very delighted to meet them. Having ascertained their identity and greatness as a matter-of-fact, I carried the duo on my back and took them to sugrIva and apprised him of their greatness. rAma and sugrIva got into deep conversations about each other and developed affection towards each other. rAma consoled sugrIva out of his grief that arose out his fall out with his brother vAlI on account of a woman.
Then lakshmaNa mentioned to sugrIva about you and the grief arising out of your loss. sugrIva was very pained to hear this and went lusterless. He then brought the ornaments that shone on your person once and which were scattered on the ground and showed them to rAma. When I showed it to rAma, he was devasted and lost his senses. He wailed pitiably clutching your ornaments. He was very downcast upon seeing those and with great effort we helped him regain his composure. Looking at those ornaments repeatedly, rAma kept them in the care of sugrIva.
O noble lady, rAghava is suffering in grief due to your absence and is ever raging like a live volcano. Like three sacred fires keep the fire sanctuary hot, rAghava is scorched by sleeplessness, grief and anxiety for you. Like the huge mountain moves in the earthquake, rAghava is moved to grief in your absence. Without you, he delights not in the lovely forests and rivers.
काननानि सुरम्याणि नदीः प्रस्रवणानि च।
चरन्न रतिमाप्नोति त्वामपश्यन्नृपात्मजे।।5.35.47।।
O daughter of janaka, the valiant rAghava will soon vanquish rAvaNa and his ilk and unite with you.
rAma and sugrIva made a deal to help each other – rAma would help eliminate vAlI and sugrIva would help to find you. As per the deal, the two brothers went to kishkindhA along with sugrIva and killed vAlI on the battlefield. Having killed him, rAma appointed sugrIvas as the king of the vAnaras. This is how the friendship of rAma and sugrIva came up, O dEvi. Know me as hanumAn, their emissary who has come here.
Having become the king of vAnaras, sugrIva dispatched valiant and mighty vAnaras in all directions to search for you with stern orders. Scared of his command, we vAnaras are searching for you all over the world. Out of them, our group was commanded by the warrior named angada, the son of vAlI, who commanded a third of the force. Not finding you after an elaborate search, we sat dejected in vindhyas, ready to give up our lives. We were too scared to go back as sugrIva was certain to kill those who go back unaccomplished. We were thin on hope and squatted there recounting the fate that led us here including your abduction, vAlI’s vanquishment and the death of jaTayu.
दृष्ट्वा प्रायोपविष्टांश्च सर्वान्वानरपुङ्गवान्।
भृशं शोकार्णवे मग्नः पर्यदेवयदङ्गदः।।5.35.60।।
तव नाशं च वैदेहि वालिनश्च वधं तथा।
प्रायोपवेशमस्माकं मरणं च जटायुषः।।5.35.61।।
Listening to our laments, the giant bird sampAti, brother of jaTAyu was livid with anger, thundered and wanted to know who killed his younger brother. Then angada narrated the happening in janasthAna and how jaTAyu was killed in your context. sampAti was extremely sad to learn about the death of jaTAyu and told us that you are in the palace of rAvaNa. The vAnaras were ecstatic to know about your whereabouts and leaving the vindhyas, we reached the northern shore of the sea. Beholding the vast sea, the vAnaras were terrified again.
As they were thus despondent looking at the sea, I overcame the fear and leapt across the hundred yOjana long ocean and reached lanka. Through the night I searched for you in the lanka, saw rAvaNa and finally found you steeped in grief.
अथाहं हरिसैन्यस्य सागरं प्रेक्ष्य सीदतः।
व्यवधूय भयं तीव्रं योजनानां शतं प्लुतः।।5.35.70।।
O dEvI, I have narrated everything to you as-it-is. I am the emissary of rAma, please speak with me. Know that I am the son of the wind god, minister of sugrIva and have come here on rAma’s work to find you.
Your rAma, the best among weapon wielders is safe, well served by the virtuous lakshmaNa who is ever busy attending to his brother. Your husband is devoted to your welfare and thus by the command of sugrIva I have reached here and seen you. Capable of assuming any form, I have come here unaided. Fortunately, by finding you I will wipe the grief of the vAnara army that is grieving your loss.
दिष्ट्या हि मम न व्यर्थं देवि सागरलङ्घनम्।
प्राप्स्याम्यहमिदं दिष्ट्या त्वद्दर्शनकृतं यशः।।5.35.78।।
Fortunately, my crossing the ocean didn’t go waste and equally fortunately I will get the fame of having found you. You will soon witness the great valour of rAghava who will wipe out rAvaNa along with his clan and take you.
O dEvI, a vAnara by name kESari, pronounced as my father by the sages, went from the mount mAlayavAn to the mount gOkarna. On the sacred shore of the sea, he vanquished a demon by name SambasAdana and secured his place. I am born in that place that belong to the vAnaras by the blessing of the wind god. I am known as hanumAn in the world popular by my deeds.
In order to secure your trust, I have narrated the virtues of rAghava who will rescue you from here before long”.
एवं विश्वासिता सीता हेतुभिश्शोककर्शिता।
उपपन्नैरभिज्ञानैर्दूतं तमवगच्छति।।5.35.84।।
By the well-reasoned and logical articulation of hanumAn, the grief-stricken sItA believed that he is indeed an emissary. She was ecstatic and great delight shed copious tears of joy. Her charming face with lovely eyes radiated like moon that emerged from the clutches of rAhu (emerged from eclipse).
हनुमन्तं कपिं व्यक्तं मन्यते नान्यथेति सा।
अथोवाच हनूमांस्तामुत्तरं प्रियदर्शनाम्।।5.35.87।।
She was convinced that he was a vAnara and none other than hanumAn. Then hanumAn, after a pause, asked her again, emphasizing his birth to the vAnara kESari and the boon of the wind god and asked her –
“O maithilI, I have narrated everything to you. May you be calm and confident. Please tell me what you would like me to do and then I shall go back”.
Here we conclude the thirty fifth 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: 5.36. His ring ends suffering
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 