Hari Om.
Let us begin the twenty sixth sarga of the yuddha kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
As the vAnara army headed by rAma himself made its way to lanka for the siege, unrest was growing in rAvaNa and he wanted to know more about the who’s who of the enemy camp. Accordingly he sent an emissary Suka when the army was on the northern shore of the ocean itself. The fellow was identified got a sound thrashing and managed to secure his life thanks to the intervention of the righteous rAma. He was held captive and the army crossed over to the southern shore of the ocean over the sEtU built by nala and the vAnaras. The emissary was let go and terrified by what he saw he advised rAvaNa not to incite rAma further and be safe by returning sItA to him. Drunk with pride and past glory, rAvaNa pooh-poohed this advise and again sent two spies, Suka and sAraNa who took the guise of vAnaras and infiltrating into the army began to spy. Soon they were identified and apprehended by vibhIshaNa. Both of them got a good beating and were again saved only by rAma’s intervention. When they told rAma about their mission, he was not angry or anxious but smiled and said if they didn’t manage to spy about something they could take the help of vibhIshaNa and know everything about the vAnara army! This underscored rAma’s supreme confidence in his abilities and his compassion towards everyone, even the enemy. Saved by his magnanimity the duo reported back to rAvaNa and repeated the same advise which was to return sItA and save himself. Onwards…
The good advise that sAraNa offered unhesitatingly was heard by the king rAvaNa and he retorted –
“Even if the gods, gandharvas and demons unite and attack me, even for the fear of them or that of the entire world, there is no way that I will return sItA. You have been tormented heavily by the vAnaras and hence have concluded that it is best to return sItA to rAma. Who is that rival of mine that can win me over on the war”?
Thus lambasting sAraNa for his uncalled for advice, rAvaNa went up his white palace that was as tall as several tAla trees in order to have a good look at the vAnara army along with the two spies – Suka and sAraNa. He saw the ocean, the hills and the forests and then beheld the vAnara army that had covered the entire earth and seethed in anger. Casting his looks at the immense might and the uncountable number of vAnaras he questioned sAraNa –
“Among these chiefs of the vAnaras who are valorous and who are mighty?
एषांवानरमुख्यानांकेशूराःकेमहाबलाः ।
केपूर्वमभिवर्तन्तेमहोत्साहास्समन्ततः ।।6.26.8।।
केषांशृणोतिसुग्रीवःकेवायूथपयूथपाः ।
सारणाचक्ष्वतत्त्वेनकेप्रधानाःप्लवङ्गमाः ।।6.26.9।।
Who are these warriors equal to in earlier battles? Whose words are heeded to by sugrIva, who is the chief of the army and who are the foremost among them, tell me in a matter of fact manner, o sAraNa”.
Upon hearing this question of the demon king, sArAna who was aware of the chiefs of vAnaras began to talk about them –
एषयोऽभिमुखोलङ्कांनर्दंस्तिष्ठतिवानरः ।
यूथपानांसहस्राणांशतेनपरिवारितः ।।6.26.11।।
यस्यघोषेणमहतासप्राकारासतोरणा ।
लङ्काप्रवेपतेसर्वासशैलवनकानना ।।6.26.12।।
सर्वशाखामृगेन्द्रस्यसुग्रीवस्यमहात्मनः ।
बलाग्रेतिष्ठतेवीरोनीलोनामैषयूथपः ।।6.26.13।।
“This warrior who is surrounded by an army of hundreds of thousands of vAnara and who is roaring loudly facing lanka by which the entire lanka with its hills and forests in shaking up, he leads the entire army of the great sugrIva and goes by the name nIla.
Look at this vAnara with his hands raised walking with a swag, he is facing lanka and glaring at it. He is repeatedly hitting the ground with his tail which is causing a reverberating sound that is resounding from all quarters. He is mountainous in form and lotus filament like in complexion. This vAnara warrior has been crowned as the heir apparent by king sugrIva. His name is angada and he is challenging you for combat. He is the son of vAlI, equal to him in prowess and always dear to sugrIva. He dedicates his valour for the sake of rAghava like varuNa does for lord indra.
वालिनस्सदृशःपुत्रस्सुग्रीवस्यसदाप्रियः ।
राघवार्थेपराक्रान्तश्शक्रार्थेवरुणोयथा ।।6.26.18।।
It was the idea of this angada that the supremely agile hanumAn, the well-wisher of rAma, executed in finding the whereabouts of sItA. This invincible warrior is leading the vAnara army of great prowess and is heading towards you to decimate you with it.
After this son of vAlI, accompanied by a great army is the heroic nala who is the cause of the bridge across the ocean.
अनुवालिसुतस्यापिबलेनमहताऽवृतः ।
वीरस्तिष्ठतिसङ्ग्रामेसेतुहेतुरयंनलः ।।6.26.21।।
He leads an army of a lakh crore and more vAnaras who have made their limbs stiff, roaring in excitement and delight. They are unassailable, terrible, great fighters and eager to decimate lanka. These are inhabitants of the sandalwood forests.
There is that sharp, intelligent, fair as silver, agile and hefty hero who is well known in the three worlds. Look, here he comes to sugrIva and immediately goes away and stratifies the vAnara army. This warrior is kumuda who in the yore ruled over his kingdom on a mountain range by name samkOchana on the banks of river gOmatI. He leads hundreds of thousands of vAnaras. They have long and hairy tails that are in various colours such as copper, yellow and white. These fellows are known for their terrible deeds. They are never down, have eyes red with anger and raring to go for the battle to siege lanka with their own might.
Here you have a brown coloured vAnara with long eyes who is casting a death glare at lanka leading an army of thirty crore valorous vAnaras all eager to fight and lay down lanka. He goes by the name rambha and ruled over the mountains vindhyA, kRshNagiri, sahya and sudarSana.
Look at that vAnara warrior who has made his ears stiff and is opening is mouth wide again and again. He is not afraid of death and will not run away from war. He is thundering and casting oblique glances and hitting the ground with his stiff tail. He is mighty, very agile, unafraid and living on the sAlvEya mountain goes by the name Sarabha. His army of four crore vAnara warriors are called vihAras in the middle of whom Sarabha shines like lord indra in the middle of clouds.
Whose deafening roar is sounding like a trumpet, accompanied by a large army raring for a fight is the even invincible warrior called panasa and a habitant of the pAriyAtra mountain. He leads a pack of fifty lakh warriors who are arranged in several battalions.
Then the one whose sixty lakh dazzling army of warriors resemble an ocean by the side of the ocean, habitant of the dardara mountain on the banks of the best of rivers parNAsa is the vAnara by name vinata.
Challenging you to combat is a vANara by name krOdhana. He is orange in complexion, leading a large army is heading to crush lanka on his own. Then the warrior gavaya with seventy lakh warriors is heading towards you to destroy lanka.
एतेदुष्प्रसहाघोराबलिनःकामरूपिणः ।
यूथपायूथपश्रेष्ठामेषांयूथानिभागशः ।।6.26.48।।
These vAnara warriors are irresistible, mighty, can change form at will, are the best among fighters and have arranged their great armies in several battalions and are leading them.
Here we conclude the twenty sixth sarga of the yuddha kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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Next: 6.027. The profiling continues…
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 