5.63. The king knows his bunch!

Hari Om.

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

The ransacking of the madhuvana grove by the victorious vAnaras left dadhimukha, the caretaker fuming. He along with his guards tried to browbeat and also beat the offenders. However enjoying protection from the highest point in the hierarchy, the prince angada himself, the vAnaras offended them even by vulgar means. When chased, they sought refuge from the mighty angada who thrashed dadhimukha and his guards. The caretaker soon realized this was beyond him and sought to escalate the matter to sugrIva with a complaint against the offenders. He leapt across to where sugrIva, rAma and lakshmaNa were camping and sought the refuge of the king sugrIva. Onwards…

As dadhimukha fell at the feet of king sugrIva, the king became anxious and immediately asked to him to rise and relate to him the reason for doing so while assuring him safety no matter what news he brings. Assured thus, dadhimukha opened up and said –

“O king, madhuvana, the grove that was beyond limits for the vAnaras during yours, vAli’s and even your father Rksharaja’s time has now been trespassed and ransacked by the vAnaras. Even though these guards of the grove tried to restrain them, they didn’t care and continued to gorge on the honey in the grove.

शिष्टमत्रापविध्यन्ति भक्षयन्ति तथापरे।

निवार्यमाणास्ते सर्वे भ्रुवो वै दर्शयन्ति हि।।5.63.6।।

They throw off the stored honey in the grove and then devour it. When restrained they browbeat us! When the guards tried to force them, they reddened their eyes in anger and thrashed them with their hands and knees. They manhandled them at will and showed them their posterior! Thus while you are the lord, the entire madhuvana has been devoured by the vAnaras and the guards have been thrashed”.

As dadhimukha was complaining thus to the king of vAnaras, sugrIva, the highly observant lakshmaNa, slayer of enemies intervened and asked –

“O king, what brings this protector of the grove here? Why is he sad and what is he narrating”?

Asked thus by the diligent lakshmaNa, the highly articulate sugrIva who knew what he was talking said –

“O noble lakshmaNa, this valorous dadhimukha has spotted the squad that went southwards in the quest led by angada. They have ransacked the entire grove and devoured honey. This can’t be the behaviour of those who didn’t accomplish their task!

नैषामकृत्यानामीदृशस्स्यादुपक्रमः।।5.63.15।।

आगतैश्च प्रमथितं यथा मधुवनं हि तैः।

धर्षितं च वनं कृत्स्नमुपयुक्तं च वानरैः।।5.63.16।।

वनं यदाऽभिपन्नास्ते साधितं कर्म वानरैः।

दृष्टा देवी न सन्देहो न चान्येन हनूमता।।5.63.17।।

न ह्यन्यस्साधने हेतुः कर्मणोऽस्य हनूमतः।

कार्यसिद्धिर्मतिश्चैव तस्मिन्वानरपुङ्गवे।।5.63.18।।

व्यवसायश्च वीर्यं च श्रुतं चापि प्रतिष्ठितम्।

जाम्बवान्यत्र नेता स्यादङ्गदश्च महाबलः।।5.63.19।।

हनुमांश्चाप्यधिष्ठाता न तस्य गतिरन्यथा।

The vAnaras who have entered the madhuvana have accomplished their mission. The dEvi sItA has been seen and by no one else other than hanumAn. Only he possesses the ability, determination and the necessary valour to accomplish this. No one else can do this. A mission led by jAmabvAn and angada and where hanumAn is the key driver can have no go no other way but towards success. They all forcibly entered in to the madhuvana and thrashed the guards who were trying to prevent them. To complain about them this dadhimukha who is the protector of the grove has come to me.

दृष्टा सीता महाबाहो सौमित्रे पश्य तत्त्वतः।।5.63.22।।

अभिगम्य तथा सर्वे पिबन्ति मधु वानराः।

O mighty armed saumitri, sItA has been found, mark my words. And the triumphant returnees are revelling by gorging honey! O best among men, it has been ordained that they can’t enter the madhuvana without being successful in finding vaidEhI”.

These words of sugrIva were like music to the ears and the righteous rAghava along with lakshmaNa was ecstatic and exhilarated. sugrIva was also delighted to hear the report of dadhimukha and replied to him –

“I am very delighted that the accomplishers have devoured the madhuvana. The triumphant lot deserves to be excused and have been forgiven. I want to immediately see the proud-like-lions vAnara warriors starting with hanumAn who have accomplished the mission and along with rAma and lakshmaNa I want to hear about their exploits in finding sItA.

The eyes of rAma and lakshmaNa opened widely in utter ecstasy. Watching the princes in such joy, sugrIva was himself delighted. Every limb and part of his body experienced that joy and inferring that the mission has been accomplished he knew that good times had come.