Hari Om.
Let us begin the sixty second sarga of the sundara kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Following the wise counsel of jAmabvAn, the triumphant vAnaras head to the praSravaNa mountain where rAma and lakshmaNa were camping along with king sugrIva. They had already crossed the deadline of one month stipulated by sugrIva. They were now not afraid of the punishment since they were accomplished in the mission. So on the way when they saw madhuvana, a pleasure grove with thick foliage and blossoms and consequently rich in fruits and honey, they felt that they deserved a break and wanted to enjoy the produce of the grove. The prince understood the need for recreation of his team and permitted. The vAnaras soon spread everywhere in an otherwise prohibited zone and throwing all caution to wind, caring a damn for the protector of the grove dadhimukha, they revelled. When dadhimukha tried to shoo them away, he received their blows and choicest abuses. The vAnaras were drunk fully and had no sense of propriety at the time! Onwards…
Addressing the vAnaras who were being taken to task for tress passing and ransacking the grove while gorging honey, hanumAn told them to carry on and enjoy themselves while he took those who were impeding the joy to task. The prince angada was elated to hear these words from hanumAn and agreed with him. He added – “of course, I agree with the words of the accomplisher hanumAn. Our accomplishment allows us to do even forbidden tasks, then what to speak of this”!
अवश्यं कृतकार्यस्य वाक्यं हनुमतो मया।।5.62.3।।
अकार्यमपि कर्तव्यं किमङ्ग पुनरीदृशम्।
The vAnaras were overjoyed with this assurance and hailing the prince rushed to the grove with the speed of river which was going to uproot trees! They attacked the guards and entered the grove. While some vAnaras manned the guards others were busy grabbing honey combs of the sizes of the buckets and enjoying it. The honey hued vAnaras gorged honey heartily. While some drank too much and threw up, others went high because of it. They ran here and there, some stood with the support of branches, some squatted down on beds of leaves, some were ecstatic and crooning, others were intoxicated and dozed off. Some pushed others while others walked randomly. Driven away by the vAnaras, the guards of the grove went off to report the matter to dadhimukha and complained to them that, under the assurance of hanumAn, the vAnaras have seized the grove, drinking honey merrily, beat them up and showed them their posterior! The protector dahiimukha was livid on hearing this, he assuaged the guards and asked them to follow him to the grove to take on the offenders who were gorging honey.
Assured by their leader, the guards headed back to the grove along with dadhimukha. On the way he armed himself with a tree and with the guards picking up boulders, trees and peaks, they charged at the vAnara angrily. The vAnaras ran to where hanumAn and angada were and dadhimukha with the guards chased them. Prince angada immediately got up and held dadhimukha who was charging at them with a tree in hand. He arrested his charge and not caring or remembering the fact that elderly dadhimukha was a grandsire for him, he threw him down. In this scuffle dadhimukha was injured and bleeding he lost senses for a while. Quickly gaining his senses, he chased the drunk vAnaras again but couldn’t punish them.
Somehow freeing himself from the scuffle, he retreated to a lonely place with his group of guards and said – “Let these vAnaras be here, let us go to where our king sugrIva is residing along with rAma and I will narrate to him all the offences committed by angada. He will be annoyed listening to that and will punish the vAnaras. This grove is a prized possession for him inherited from his forefathers and even gods do not get an easy entry into this place. Therefore surely he will punish those drunk and unruly vAnaras whose time is up. These mean vAnaras deserve death having displeased the king and in their punishment by the annoyed king my anguish and hurt will find peace”.
Saying so to the guards of the forest, he leapt into the sky and within a few moments he reached the forest where the son of the thousand-rayed sun, sugrIva camped. Beholding rAma, Lakshmana and sugrIva in that place, he descended onto a plain land along with the other guards. With a long face, he prostrated in front of the king sugrIva putting his head on his feet.
Here we conclude the sixty 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: 5.63. The king knows his bunch!
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 