Hari Om.
Let us begin the fortieth sarga of the sundara kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Having accomplished the mission of crossing the ocean and finding sItA and triumphantly so, hanumAn was ready to go back. Sympathizing with sItA’s predicament he offered to fly her back to rAma that instant. But she refused. She wanted rAma to take her back after vanquishing the demons. She made her vow of not touching another man on her volition very clear and underscored her chastity even if it meant endangering her very life! The great vAnara was mighty impressed at her strong will and realized why rAma pined so much for her and how the great couple so thoroughly deserved each other. He then asked sItA to give her a mark of identification so that he can convince rAma of having found sItA. She told her the incident of kAkAsura, the crow on whom rAma fired brahmAstra and finally gave refuge as well. And then she gave him her crest jewel and inquired what hanumAn thought of crossing the ocean and laying a seize on lanka. She specifically wanted to know how the lesser mortal vAnaras can pull off what he did so spectacularly and how the entire army will head to lanka. The very articulate hanumAn spoke convincingly and assured her very humbly that no sooner he reaches rAma, they shall start for lanka and hence he didn’t take her suggestion of resting in some safe place for a day. It was time to go back to rAma or was it! Onwards…
Having listened to the humble and earnest reassurances of the great hanumAn, the godly princess sItA spoke of her innate wish and said –
“O vAnara, having seen and heard your very articulate self, I am extremely delighted like the earth with half grown crops delights at rain. Please be so kind to me that I would be able to caress the best of men rAma with all my heart with this grief-tormented body. O best of vAnaras, please pass on the identification mark to rAma, the incident of a grass blade turning into a blazing brahmAstra and finally rendering the crow one-eyed.
मनश्शिलायास्तिलको गण्डपार्श्वे निवेशितः।
त्वया प्रणष्टे तिलके तं किल स्मर्तुमर्हसि।।5.40.5।।
Also please remind him about how when my tilaka on the forehead had erased, he applied the tilaka of manaSSilA on my cheeks rather than forehead! How does that indra-like supremely valorous man condone sItA’s abduction and her captivity of demons?
O rAma, this wonderful crest jewel of mine has been carefully preserved by me and whenever I felt low, I behold it and feel as if I am beholding you! This splendid jewel was mined from the sea and I send it to you.
एष चूडामणिर्दिव्यो मया सुपरिरक्षितः।
एतं दृष्ट्वा प्रहृष्यामि व्यसने त्वामिवानघ।।5.40.7।।
Henceforth stricken by grief I will not be able to survive. I have put up with the unbearable and heartrending taunts of the terrible and evil demonesses only for your sake until now. O repressor of the enemies, I will cling on to my life for just one more month, more than one month, I will not be alive without you.
धारयिष्यामि मासं तु जीवितं शत्रुसूदन।
ऊर्ध्वं मासान्न जीविष्ये त्वया हीना नृपात्मज।।5.40.10।।
This demon king is evil and mean and the way he ogles at me doesn’t make me comfortable at all. If you delay rescuing me any more I can’t pull on for even a moment more”.
Responding to the teary appeal of sItA, the illustrious son of wind god said –
“I swear by you O dEvi, rAma is very disinterested in everything due to your grief. Seeing him thus, lakshmaNa gets very sad. You have been found by me somehow after great efforts and therefore this is no time to grieve. You shall see the beginning of the end of your torment this very moment. The redoubtable duo, repressor of the enemies are very anxious to see you and will ruin lanka into ashes and having vanquished rAvaNa, they will take you back to ayOdhyA. O blemish-less lady, please give me one more mark of identification which rAma will cherish and feel happy”.
sItA responded to him and said the crest jewel she has given will be adequate and is the best of the identification marks. Once that is presented, rAma will believe the account of hanumAn. The best of leapers accepted the crest jewel, bowed to vaidEhI with his head down and began his return journey. Beholding the best of vAnaras getting up and ready to leave, sItA was in tears again and with a choked voice said –
“O hanumAn, please convey my inquiries of welfare to the lionlike duo of rAma and lakshmaNa and also to sugrIva and all his key ministers. You ought to plan such that the mighty rAghava takes me past this ocean of grief.
यथा च स महाबाहुर्मां तारयति राघवः।
अस्माद्दु:खाम्बुसम्रोधात्त्वं समाधातुमर्हसि।।5.40.23।।
O great vAnara, may your journey be auspicious. Go to rAma and tell him about my intense sorrow and the torment by the demons”.
Having grasped the message of sItA, hanumAn felt very delighted at his accomplishment of the mission. He however thought of a small pending task but already went northward in his mind.
Here we conclude the fortieth 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: 5.41. He gets busy with the remaining task!
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 