5.68. Speech that is sweet, sincere and assuring

Hari Om.

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

The valiant vAnara hanumAn was a witness to the sorrow of sItA. He tactfully displayed his oratory, wisdom and might to partly quell her misery. She was no longer afraid that rAma would not come to rescue her. She only suffered the sorrow of distance from him. At the same time, the very capable and all powerful rAma on top of the praSravaNa mountain was being swept through mixed emotions. He was happy that the search party sent by sugrIva to the south could locate sItA but at the same time, his sorrow was also doubled at the knowledge of sItA’s misery! Now the articulate hanumAn was successfully shouldering the responsibility of pacifying rAma with a very detailed account of sItA, her misery, her conduct and how she was holding onto her life just with the hope that rAma will come to her rescue soon. While rAvaNa stipulated a time of two months for sItA, she stipulated only a month for her rescue! rAma wanted to go that very moment to her! The detailed account of hanumAn continued before they were to take the next step. Onwards…

hanumAn continued to narrate –

“I was further spoken to by the dEvI out of her love for you and confidence in you. She told me that you should be narrated this in a variety of ways such that she is united with you after you vanquish rAvaNa in the battle.

एवं बहुविधं वाच्यो रामो दाशरथिस्त्वया।

यथा मामाप्नुयाच्छीघ्रं हत्वा रावणमाहवे।।5.68.2।।

She said – ‘O valiant one, why don’t you stay back today in a secluded place, recoup from your fatigue and leave tomorrow. By virtue of your being here, this unfortunate me has experienced a few moments away from agony. I doubt if I will be alive by the time you return, O vAnara. Once you are gone, the demons will torment me further and my sorrow will enhance and this miserable me will grieve even more. O vAnara warrior, this doubt haunts me – how will your army of vAnaras and bears or the princes duo rAma and lakshmaNa will be able to cross this impossible-to-cross ocean? Only three beings are capable of crossing this ocean – vainatEya (garuDa), you and the wind god marut.

त्रयाणामेव भूतानां सागरस्यास्य लङ्घने।

शक्तिस्स्याद्वैनतेयस्य तव वा मारुतस्य वा।।5.68.9।।

तदस्मिन् कार्यनिर्योगे वीरैवं दुरतिक्रमे।

किं पश्यसि समाधानं ब्रूहि कार्यविदां वरः।।5.68.10।।

Do you see any possibility of how the impossible task of crossing the ocean can be accomplished, tell me, O great accomplisher. You alone may well be adequate to accomplish this task. rAma doesn’t deserve to take me back the way the demon abducted me by cheating. If rAghava comes here with his army, vanquishes rAvaNa and his army, that will be fitting and bring him fame.

यथाऽहं तस्य वीरस्य वनादुपधिना हृता।

रक्षसा तद्भयादेव तथा नार्हति राघवः।।5.68.13।।

Therefore, plan the action and assault such that the result is befitting the great warrior rAghava who is unassailable in battle’.

Responding to this very logical question that was very relevant and meaningful, I responded and said –

O dEvi, the leader of the vAnara army, sugrIva is determined for your cause. He commands vAnaras who have valour, might, substance and can accomplish things at the speed of resolve. They are capable of traveling in all the directions -up, down and oblique and are quintessential go-getters. These vAnaras, proud of their might, have circumambulated the earth more than once flying in the skies.

तस्य विक्रमसम्पन्नास्सत्त्ववन्तो महाबलाः।

मन स्सङ्कल्पसम्पाता निदेशे हरयः स्थिताः।।5.68.18।।

मद्विशिष्टाश्च तुल्याश्च सन्ति तत्र वनौकसः।

मत्तः प्रत्यवरः कश्चिन्नास्ति सुग्रीवसन्निधौ।।5.68.21।।

अहं तावदिह प्राप्तः किं पुनस्ते महाबलाः।

न हि प्रकृष्टाः प्रेत्यन्ते प्रेष्यन्ते हीतरे जनाः।।5.68.22।।

There are vAnaras who are better than me or equal to me in valour. You won’t find a vAnara who is inferior to me in sugrIva’s command. If I have been able to make it this far, then what is there to speak of those mighty accomplishers? You are aware that the highly able ones are not sent on mean jobs but the less capable are.

Therefore, O dEvi, please discard this anger arising out of frustration. In one giant leap, the vANara army will siege lanka. The two princes of lion-like might can come flying on my back for your sake, O noble one. Before long you will behold on the threshold of lanka, the lion-like mighty rAghava, the demolisher of foes wielding his bow along with lakshmaNa. So also, you will behold the large army of vAnaras who have their nails and canines as their weapons and are mighty like the lions and tigers. They shall soon be perched on the mountains of lanka like the rain clouds and you will hear the skies reverberate with their roars.

Very soon you will see the foe-vanquisher rAghava, complete his exile and along with you go back to ayOdhyA and be crowned.

निवृत्तवनवासं च त्वया सार्धमरिन्दमम्।

अभिषिक्तमयोध्यायां क्षिप्रं द्रक्ष्यसि राघवम्।।5.68.28।।

O rAma, the daughter of maithila (janaka) who was depressed in grief for you, became quiet and peaceful through the non-pessimistic, auspicious and pleasant words articulated by me.