Hari Om.
Let us begin the fortieth sarga of the yuddha kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
In the ayOdhyA kAnDam, rAma is hailed as a master strategist in battles, unforgiving and a determined warrior and an expert vanquisher who is ever victorious. While we see examples of his valour and victory in the araNya kAnDam, his marshalling of the troops, laying the strategy is exemplified as they prepare to lay siege on lanka. Not resorting to any sort of tricks or treachery, following dharma to the hilt, completely backing his strength, he takes stunning decisions like welcoming the dharmic brother of the enemy to his camp, explaining his strengths to the spies etc. Now, in order to complete the preparation, he scales the mount suvEla and takes a good look at lanka. He gives an astonished look where it is due. The amazing vAnara warriors who are in the protection of rAma have a great time on the suvEla mountain where the foliage makes them feel at home and the inspection of the enemy’s layout makes them more determined and craving for action. Onwards…
Then rAma went to the top of the peak of suvEla mountain which was a flat space of two yOjanas along with sugrIva and other vANara warriors. They stayed there for a while and inspected all the directions. They beheld the well-built city of lanka, built by the divine architect viSwakarma, which was bedecked with delightful forests and gardens on the top of the trikUTa mountain. Within that city they saw the demon king rAvaNa who was in his mansion that contain many gOpuras. He was being fanned by white fans, a parasol was held above his head, he was dressed in red and wore many ornaments. His chest was broad and strong enough that it survived the attack of the sharp tusks of airAvata which just made a scar on that. He was dark in complexion and looked like a cloud in that evening sky. As the vAnara chiefs and rAma kept looking at him, sugrIva got up at once at the sight of the demon king.
पश्यतां वानरेन्द्राणाम् राघवस्यापि पश्यतः ।
दर्शनाद्राक्षसेन्द्रस्य सुग्रीवः सहसोत्थितः ॥
Driven by anger, substance and might, he at once leapt from the top of the suvEla peak on to the gOpuram of rAvaNa’s mansion. He glared at him from a moment without any fear whatsoever and spoke to him ina harsh and condescending manner –
लोकनाथस्य रामस्य सखा दासोऽस्मि राक्षस ।
न मया मोक्ष्यसेऽद्य त्वम् पार्थिवेन्द्रस्य तेजसा ॥
“O demon, I am the companion and servitor of rAma, the lord of the world. There is no escape for you from me and my power now”.
Saying so, he at once leapt on to rAvaNa, grabbed his wonderful crown and cast it on the ground. rAvaNa on his part glared at sugrIva who appeared all of a sudden and said – “O sugrIva (one with a good neck), you will be bereft of your neck, now that you have seen me!”! Saying so, rAvaNa, grabbed sugrIva by his arms and threw him down to the ground. Rebounding from the ground like a ball, sugrIva got up and threw rAvaNa down to the ground. They engaged in a combat with both of them sweating and bleeding, each of them seizing the other and both of them resembled the Salmali and the kimSUka tree (they have red flowers and resemble an injured warrior!). The mighty duo fought with fists, slapped each other, jabbed with elbows, hurt with fingers and thus fought violently. Engaging in a terrible fight, the duo found a moment to stand on their feet on the terrace and soon attacked each other again rolling over to the lower floors and on to the moat. Both were well trained in wrestling and tried to seize the other tied down by their arms and the combat continued even as they found a moment to catch their breath and soon again tried to out do each other. They fought like a tiger and lion. Like the elephant calves butt each other, they hit each other with their chests, fell down on the ground and soon got onto their feet again. As they lifted the other and threw down on the ground and got up and returned the favour, it showed how well trained these two were in the duel and how well they practiced it. Despite all the fight, they were nowhere near exhaustion yet. Like the two tuskers engage with their tusks and go round, they engaged with their arms and went round and round. They were determined to kill each other and fought like cats would fight for food!
The duo of the vAnara king and the demon king went after each other, they went in circles waiting for the opportune moment to attack, they fell sideways, dodged each other’s attacks, skipped, dashed, leapt, turned back, kicked demonstrating their expertise in this combat. As they fought thus, the demon king began to employ his magic powers. The unexhausted vAnara king sensed that and in no mood to get into that trap, he at once sprang up into the sky and left rAvaNa alone there, dodging his tricks.
Thus the vAnara king earned fame by performing a daring assault on the demon king and making his sweat. And then leaping through the large skies, the sun of the Sun god, sugrIva came back with excitement to the midst of the vAnaras by the side of rAma with the agility of the wind. By performing that heroic deed, sugrIva enhanced rAma’s delight for the combat and was felicitated by the vAnaras.
अथ हरिवरनाथः प्राप्य सङ्ग्रामकीर्तिं निशिचरपतिमाजौ योजयित्वा श्रमेण ।
गगनमतिविशालं लङ्घयित्वाऽर्कसूनुः हरिवरगणमध्ये रामपार्श्वं जगाम ॥
इति स सवितृसूनुस्तत्र तत्कर्म कृत्वा पवनगतिरनीकं प्राविशत् सम्प्रहृष्टः ।
रघुवरनृपसूनोर्वर्धयन् युद्धहर्षं तरुमृगगणमुख्यैः पूज्यमानो हरीन्द्रः ॥
Here we conclude the fortieth 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: 6.041. lanka under siege as the final warning is served
Previous: 6.039. The astonishing lanka in the lap of nature
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
