Valmiki Ramayana - Kishkindha Kanda in Prose
Sarga 28

..

Rama then on eliminating Vali and enthroning Sugreeva and when residing on the hinterlands of Mt. Malayavata [Prasavana,] spoke to Lakshmana.

"This is that season which is well-chanced and now chanced is the time for the rains... you see the aerosphere well, it is widespread with clouds, mountainous in their gleam... Sustaining the nine-month old pregnancy impregnated through Sun with his sunrays guzzling the essence of oceans, the heaven is birthing the elixir of life...

dhvani/allusion: The atmosphere bears pregnancy of rainy-water drawing through the sunrays, keeping that essence in air, consolidating it to become watery cloud, for nine months from the month of kaartiika to aaSaaDha roughly from November to July, and delivers rainwater, the elixir of life, in the month of shraavaNa, and it is an extract of six rasa-s elixirs, for various crops... atra megh˜× s¨rya raþmi marut ˜dibhi× samudram udakam g®hŸtv˜ garbhavt k˜rtŸka m˜sa prabh®ti nava m˜sa dh®tam sasy˜n˜m ÿaý rasa sampatti hetu bh¨tam þuddham udakam þr˜vaõe m˜si muncati it s¨citam -- dharm˜k¨tam

"It is very likely to climb up the flight of stairs of clouds to bedeck the Sun with the garlands of white wild-jasmines, and red Arjuna flowers...

dhvani/allusion: Vishnu or Narayana is located in the solar orb and He is to be adored in these days of rain, before any bodily activity like eating or drinking is undertaken. dhyeyaH sadaa savitR^i maNDala madhya vartii naaraayaNam... and this Vishnu is 'decoration-happy' deity alankaara priyo vishNuH... and thus He can easily be reached by the stepladder formation of clouds and He can be garlanded easily. To do so a wife must be at his side sa patnyaa vishaalaakshyaa naaraayanam upaagamat... 'adore that Narayana along with your wife...' and now if Rama were to adore that Supreme, Seetha is not at his side. Govindaraja.

"The uprisen hue of the eventide is reddish at the edges of those clouds which are much whitish and softish, like the overlaid bandage dressings to the gashes of the sky...

dhvani/allusion: The sky's parturition is just over and she is bandaged with cotton-like whitish clouds and yet the spilt blood is appearing at the edges of those dressings, in it reddish coppery colour of the twilight, for ceased is the heavy downpour just now.

"Breathing out slothful breaths, as though bedaubed by the sandal-paste is the twilight's ochry colour, and with its palish white-clouds the sky is gleaming like a love-longing one...

dhvani/allusion: The birthing of rain is over and to give next birth of rain, the sky is ready as a wooable female with all her paleness and exhalations and smearing the sandal pastes to cool off her love longing.

"This earth is overly agonised by the searing-summer, and now by new waters overflowing her, like tearful Seetha who is also well seared by her grief, this earth is also verily outpouring her tears...

dhvani/allusion: The earth that becomes heated in summer, vents out hot vapours on the fall of first rains, thus releasing its agony of heat. Human's first act to vent out their agony is to shed tears. Now the earth is shedding its humid tears and is like Seetha, who also is in the same predicament, seared by the heat called Ravana.

"Freed out from the wombs of clouds is this draught, and it is wafting the coolness of minty-camphor [or the coolness of red-lotuses,] thus it is possible to draught this breeze with palms-bowl, which is perfumed with Ketaki plant's fragrance... This mountain is full with its blooming Arjuna flowers, further fragranced by Ketaka flowers, and like Sugreeva, whose enemy is silenced, the downpours are anointing this mountain...

dhvani/allusion: This Mountain Prasavana is full with its blooming Arjuna flowers, like the colourful garlands on the chest of Sugreeva, and the mountain is further fragranced with Ketaka flowers, like the fragrant items brought in for Sugreeva's anointment. As with Sugreeva, who after silencing his enemy Vali, is seasonably anointed with the pouring down of all kinds of waters from golden flasks, thus this is mountain after silencing its enemy called sun-sear, is also being anointed by rainy downpours.

"Donning clouds akin to black deerskin, showers akin to the sacred-threads, caves replete with breeze akin to vocal cavities, and the mountains are like the young-scholars...

dhvani/allusion: The duty of young scholars of Vedic studies is to wear black deerskin and sacred thread as their initiation into Vedic studies. In these rainy days, there will be no other activity to them other than sitting tight to recite their texts. The caves of mountains are its own mouths and they are replete with air and air gives out a din, and even the Vedic recitation gives out a din of its own kind. Thus, the mountains appear to be like humble young-scholars of Veda-s, voicing out their chanting like the hum of the air in caves. atra parvat˜n˜m k®ÿõa ajina yajñopavŸta ˜di dharma kalpena adhyet®u s˜d®þya pratip˜dan˜t adhyet®¨õ˜m brahmac˜riõ˜m k®ÿõa ajina yajñopavŸta ˜di dh˜raõam dharma iti uktam --- dk

"As though with golden whips the flashes of lightning are whipping the sky... and the sky is out-letting its inward rumbles as thunders, in all her throes... That lightning relying upon that blue cloud is squirmy in its movements, to me it is well gleaming so... like the squirming of penitent Vaidehi in the grasp of Ravana... For those, who are with their beloved ones these precincts are advantageous, for unclear are their directions, as to which east and which is west, and to loverless ones like me they are disadvantageous, because they, the precincts have their planets and even their moon lost, and they look as though begrimed by dark-clouds...

"Elsewhere, well befogged by vapour intimately, well enthused by the advent of rainy season, you see Soumitri, at those wild-jasmines flowered on those mountain terraces... those trees are standing there, as though to impassion my passion, who am already verily befogged by my sorrow...

dhvani/allusion: 'While some natural beings are enthused to delight in the process of nature, some others are refuting it... thus my passion is increasing to bring back those perverts onto correct path...'

"Dust is well-quietened, breeze is chilly... the vile pervasions of summer are also quietened down... stalled are the expeditions of earthly kings, and the migrants are returning to their own countries...

dhvani/allusion: This verse contains the word rajaH which speaks about the one who is blessed by the Supreme Being by way of His beneficence in the form of rain. For such a blessed soul rajaH which also means rajo guNa, 'activism...' apart from the meaning of 'dust..' This is one among the tri-some attributes sattva, rajaH, tamo guNaa-s 'purity, activity, stolidity...' and thus rajaH prashaantam.... 'the quality of activity is quietened, along with the quality of stolidity...' thus, only 'purity' is evident in him in his worldly activities. sa himo vaayuH 'with, coldness, is air...' the word 'air' denotes 'breathing humans' and those blest human's heart breaths a cool breeze, rather than fumes and fires, that which is the attitude of a person who is dominated by rajo guna 'attribute of activity...' Thus, they the blessed souls have no evil effects of searing or scorching of summer nigadha doSa... prashantaaH which means worldly affairs, [where vile of summer is the personified vile of worldly affairs,] are silenced for them. And even their worldly expeditions to conquer, to possess, and to become significant etc., are stalled for the blessed souls sthitaaH... adhipaanaam. They have nothing to do here on earth because they are immigrants onto earth. So, they are returning to their own country, quarters, or abode, pravaasino... sva deshaan. Their own place sva desha is vaikunTha. Thus the divine rain blesses them with salvation.

"The Swans are well-journeying to Lake Maanasa in their avidity to live in there, but the Cakravaka birds, ruddy gees, now having an attachment with their beloveds are not departing... oftentimes verily battered are the roadways by rainwater and thus the vehicles are not verily falling to, on them...

dhvani/allusion: The swans do not like muddy waters so they aspire the clear waters of Lake Maanasa in Himalayas. The great sages are also called 'swans, supreme swans' hamsa, parama hamsa for they wander all over acquiring and disseminating spirituality, in world. But they take break in rainy season in a vow called caatur maasyam and contemplate in their own manas 'mind' about the Supreme Being. If the swans tend to go to Himalayan Maanasa Lake, these sagely-swans tend to gain entry into their own mind in search of Supreme. And, like swans that can search and separate milk from water, to drink milk alone, the sages can search for their being. Contrarily those ruddy gees tied bound by attachments do not flee away, but stick to their worldly interests. Thus, this rainy season is sagely, to enable the seekers to seek the Supreme, without any bickerings due from the world.

"Shiny in some places and unshiny at others... this aerospace is overspread with clouds, it is well-gleaming here and there... and in its aspect it is like a great peaceful ocean verily dammed up with mountains...

dhvani/allusion: The sky is apparently shiny at places where the cloud of ignorance is not there in the mind of the discerner, and it is unshiny and unapparent because of the gloom in the mind of the beholder about the disposition of sky, heaven and also called Supreme, according to kham brahma... 'Sky is Brahman...'

"Well coalesced with Sarja and Wild-jasmine flowers and also with the mountain coppery ores, the new water is transiting in track with the screams of peacocks... and the mountain's rapids are very swiftly carrying them away towards ocean...

dhvani/allusion: The flowers and mineral ores are mingling in waters and flowing as one with the waters. This is indicative of purposeful devotion, saatvika guNa prathaana bhakti 'devotion in its pureness.' The sattva guNa from the standpoint of mind is sukha 'devotion in pleasure....' and the rajo guNa is 'pain...' thus that sort of devotion is rajo guNa prathaana bhakti is 'devotion in pain...' Thus in pleasure or pain devoutness is evident. Apart from these two, there are some simple devotees. They do not have any higher values/purposes in view, except to extol, praise, and sing for the Ultimate. Thus, the screaming screeching peacocks indicate such simple devotees. Govindaraja.

"Fully luscious are the Rose-apple fruits and they seem to be bees and they are well devoured with much delightfulness by one and all, and many coloured mango fruits are falling down onto ground heaved by wind, and they are verily ripened...

dhvani/allusion: The falling of fruits on their own by wind's gust is indicative of the fruition of the true devotee’s adherence, and to him the ripened fruit is made available without any of his physical effort.

"With electric-charges as their fluttering flags, and cranes engirdling them, and in design well-gleaming like the pinnacles of lofty mountains, these clouds are thundering in a very high-pitched voice, like lofty vigorous elephants standing up to a fight...

dhvani/allusion: The towering mountains or the haughty elephants do stand tall among all and their thunderous grumblings are akin to the rumblings of Vedic scholars who stand tall to establish Vedic tenets, though they come to fistfights.

"The pasturelands are satiated with rainwater, peacocks are stimulated for their dancing carnivals... and after the clouds raining on the greenery completely, behold it, that is extremely well-splendorous in afternoons...

dhvani/allusion: The Divine couple Lakshmi and Narayana have grown this garden called earth, watering each of its plant with their Divine hands. Thus, due to the divine beneficence of that couple in the form of rain, that which is sprinkled on that garden, the desires of living beings and their means are fulfilled. Govindaraja. The aparaahNa is the fourth part of daytime, among the five, and they are: praataH, sangavaH, madhyaahna, aparaahNa, saayaahna

"Carrying much weighty water well-up, those water-carriers are adorned by cranes, and they are rumbling for the burden of water is inside, and on the loftiest peaks of mountain they are reposing and again moving... moving and again reposing, [like pregnant women...]

dhvani/allusion: The saintly persons and pregnant mothers are indicated by these clouds. hR^idayena ud vahan harim... 'The Supreme is to be carried along by one's own heart...' thus with their complete knowledge about that Supreme the saintly persons are repeatedly reposing at a sinful situation and proceeding further, after that sin is absolved. Thus they journey further towards total salvation. The clouds are pregnant not only by the weighty water but also by carrying the weight of cranes. The cranes fly high up to the clouds to mate. Thus, the clouds are loaded down with their own water and even with the flying cranes, both trying to carry the seedling, the Supreme Being, in their wombs.

"Verily desirous of the clouds, well-flying up above are the rows of cranes... shining and delightful... as though a best white-lotuses' flowery-tassel is dangling in the wind, the cranes dangle in the sky...

dhvani/allusion: The black clouds are desired by the white flying cranes. It indicates that the pure white conscious is desiring the Supreme abiding beyond the dark/obscured quarters and thus this pure white conscious of the true devotee is flying up above the normal planes to merge into that unknown, dark, or obscured zone to have a glimpse of that Supreme, whose body colour is said to be 'blue' or 'blue-black' kaala megha shyaama, niila megha shyaama

"As though embroidered with little red-beetles innerly, this meadowland is verily shining with new meadows... and like a woman, who is wrapped around with a parrot-green wrap-over in its shine, on which embroidered are lac-red spots...

dhvani/allusion: It is usual for the insects to swarm on the new pasturelands by which the earth is appearing to be wearing a parrot-green colour sari embroidered with exotic red spots. The red colour is indicative of mercy of Supreme, appearing opportunely and the green pastures are His fertile kindness that reveals after humanly suffering, say summer heat.

"Sleep is slowly getting closer to Vishnu, rivers are rapidly getting closer to oceans, cranes are gleefully getting closer to clouds, and women are passionately getting closer to their beloveds...

dhvani/allusion: Vishnu goes into yogic trance from aaSaaDha ekaadashii to kaartiika shuddha ekaadashi thus He concentrates on the sustenance of the Universe, as an expression of His satisfaction liila. He is sheshin 'lord' and all other beings are shesha 'servants.' Thus, all the servants are eager to get in touch with the master. Govindaraja. Dharmaakuutam put this as: atra caturÿvapi p˜deÿu nidr˜ nadŸ bal˜k˜ k˜nt˜n˜m sva sva priyat˜n keþava samudra ghana patŸn˜n prati svata eva abhisaraõa kathan˜t patim pratyabhisaraõaþŸl˜ abhis˜rik˜ s¨citam - - varÿ˜ k˜le strŸõ˜m k˜modreka ukta× -- bal˜k˜n˜m garbha dh˜raõ˜rtham sajalam ghanam prati gamamanam uktam -- dk Further he quotes from Kalidasa's megha sandesha garbh˜dh˜n kÿaõa paricay˜n n¨nam ˜baddha m˜l˜× | sevante nayana subhagam khe bhavantam bal˜k˜× || meghasandeþa

"Adaptive are the interiors of forests for the peacocks to dance very well, adaptive are the Kadamba trees with their branches and bouquets, adaptive are the bulls with matching sensualities of cows, and adaptive is this earth with its enrapturing crops and orchards, and all are adaptive to the season's gaiety... Surging are the rivers, showering are the clouds, shrilling are the rutty elephants, and shining are the forest interiors, and reminiscing are the lover-less, rocking are the peacocks, resolving are the monkeys to stay a place...

Comment: The monkeys have resolved to stay at one place without hopping hither and thither for abundant are the fruits for them at any one place.

"Verily joyous are the elephants on whiffing the aroma of Ketaka flowers and thus they are rutted, and baffled are they by the sounds of streamlets that are falling well in the forest brooks from the mountain rapids, and those best ruttish elephants are blaring along with screaming peacocks to the tune of waterfalls...

Comment: The elephants are confused at the sounds of mountain rapids falling to form brooklets in the forest and they construe those sounds to be from an attacking elephant, thus they are giving out their challenge trumpeting. The peacocoks are also screaming at the same sounds of rapids thinking them to be rainfall, for they welcome the rainfall and start to dance in the rain.

"By the downpours that are falling down, knocked down are the hexapods, and they are languishing on the branches of Kadamba trees, and their once acquired copious intemperance from the nectar of flowers in Spring season, they the honeybees are now slowly forfeiting...

"Equalling in their aspect with the globes of powdered coal are the full-fledged Rose-apple fruits with abundant juice, and the branches of those trees are glittering well, like the hives of swilling honeybees... Well ornate with the flags of lightning, spewing forth great and profound rumbles, those clouds by their shapes are verily shining like the enthusiastic warring elephants...

"Striding and well advancing on its way that mountain-forest wayfaring elephant, on listening the thundering of the cloud and doubting it to be the call out of another elephant  desirous of a war, that best elephant turns about energetically without proceeding on its way...

dhvani/allusion: The 'warring elephant' is indicative of Vedic proponent, where any such scholar on hearing the profound and uproarious challenge of his opponent, he will re-echo the same in order to retain his stand in the war of blaring words. Thus, he takes an elephantine U-turn to colloid headlong with his opponent, to establish the Vedic dharma.

"Somewhere... these recesses of forests are finely singing, in affect, for they have swarms of honeybees... elsewhere... they are richly dancing, practically, for the purple-necked peacocks are bestirring... somewhere else, they are ruttish, virtually, for choicest elephants are there... and verily beaming are these alcoves with their diverse vassals...

"Plentiful in Kadamba, Sarja, Arjuna, Kandala trees, with the heaps of their reddish flowers fallen on ground, and the forest-interior is aplenty with the watery nectar of those fallen flowers... and the well-excited peacocks are screaming and dancing like the tipplers of that watery nectar... and thus this is impressively similar to the land of liquor...

Comment: The ancient Indian alehouses are rather open spaces with palm/toddy trees in and around. The boozers used to wear flowery garlands and flowery armlets and they used to drink in the pinkish buds of banana flowers, which served mostly like the present day 'use and throw' plastic mugs. The screaming and dancing of nectar-drunk peacocoks is metaphoric with the liquor-drunk boozers, and the land itself is boozy.

"Verily falling are the water-drops, pearl similar in their cast, pure and clear, firstly clinching in the hallows of leaves... the birds, though they and their wings are discoloured in rain, they are heartily guzzling down those pearly-raindrops... the gift of Indra...

Comment: Indra is the administrative authority to accord rain through the presiding deity of Rain, namely VaruNa, the Rain-God. So also, all the other aspects of nature like air, fire, thunders, thunderbolts, crops, famines, earthquakes, and the whole of natural happenings are at Indra's behest.

"With the melodious stringendo of the string bass of honeybees, frogs crocking as its vocal rhythm to the drumbeat of the clouds, commenced is the music in the forest, as though programmed...

dhvani/allusion: Please refer to verse section. On this and next verses that contain the aspect of 'Nature's Music' dharmaakuutam records extensive commentary with reference to the 'Art of Music' sangiita shaastra Here only three instruments, namely sting instrument viiNa percussion instrument mR^iida~Nga and vocalised rhythm beat taala are suggested. But these do not exclude the other components of music. The commentator says that the dancing and singing are also inclusive of it, as contained in the next verse: atra vŸõ˜ t˜la m®daðga v˜dya m˜tram pratip˜dya sangŸtam pravrittam iti uktv˜ vakÿyam˜nam n®tta gŸta api abhipretam - gŸtam v˜dyam tath˜ n®tyam traya× sangŸtam uccyate -- þ˜raðga deva Then the commentator proceeds to say that whole of the epic is replete with music for it is rendered to be sung: tath˜ ca bhagavat˜ v˜lmŸki maharÿiõ˜ svasya parama puruÿa r¨pa abhidhy˜na artham gŸti r¨pam r˜ma caritam varõitam | g˜na arthatay˜ r˜ma nika÷e kuþa lavayo× preÿaõam tu

"Somewhere well-dancing, elsewhere voicing in high pitch, and somewhere else seated high on the trees are the peacocks... with their decorative dangling plumaged tails, and it is as though the music and dance are commenced in the forests...

Comment: The dancing peacocks are the dancers, the voicing peacocks are the singers and instrumentalists, and those that are sitting atop trees dangling their tails and conducting the ballet are the virtuosos/maestros... atra n®tyanto may¨r˜ nartak˜ iva bhavanti | unnadanto may¨r˜× g˜yak˜ v˜dak˜ iva ca bhavanti | ucca sth˜na sthita sabh˜ n˜yak˜ iva bhavanti | dk

"Thunders of clouds called up the frogs, and casting off their long-time captivity in sleep, they the frogs of various casts, carves, colours and crocks, verily scourged by the streams of new waters, they are crocking...

Comment: Frogs are the foretellers of rain and they quickly respond to the rainfall because they cherish water and land alike as amphibians, for their happy dwelling.

"The rivers with the up-swinging Cakravaka birds over them are overflowing their battered banks... and well lugging their new, full-fledged, seducible, nubile breasts, along with the other items like flowers and fragrances that are steeped in waters by the rain... thus they are surging swiftly to the near and nigh of their husband, the ocean...

dhvani/allusion: The rivers are the nubile girls and the over flying pairs of Cakravaka birds are their heaving breasts. These girls called rivers are rushing towards their beloveds carrying flowers and fragrances, and they look like those girls that rush heaving their new breasts, uncaring for the elders or others around them, as though overflowing the brims of riverbanks, called the society.

"Among the swarthy clouds berthed are the swarthily clouds with new waters, and they shine forth like the mountains burnt to swarthiness by forest fires and berthing among the other mountains that are conjoined at the footing, and that are already burnt swarthily by the forest fires... Well-screaming are the peahens voluptuously, overspread are these pasturelands with red-beetles, also fragranced are they with Niipa and Arjuna flowers, and the elephants are moving about these verily pleasant interiors of the forests... Lashed are the fibrils of lotuses with the pours of new waters, and quickly leaving them off the honeybees are sapping the new fibrils of Kadamba flowers...

"In forests moving about are the select elephants that are rutting, the ideal bulls that are delighting, the peerless lions that are striding, lofty are the pleasant mountains that are standing, the choicest kings are withdrawing from their campaigns, and the noblest of gods, Indra, is playing with the clouds...

"The clouds verily overpowering the boom of the ocean are dangling downpours of the waters from the skies, and they completely make the rivers, lakes, pools, tanks and even the earth to outflow... Falling are the rains substantially and speedily, gales intensified in their speediness, while the riverbanks are eroded the river water is outrunning in its course and is speedy in its flow...

"Lords of People will be anointed only by their people [who bring in the water pots on their shoulders to anoint their king,] and that king then shows his own propitious aspect of a humanly king, whereas the Lord of Mountains is being anointed by the water from the cloudy-pots, sent by Lord Indra and wafted hitherto by Lord Air, showing his own serene as well as propitious aspect of his divine nature on earth... Clouds nearly hemming in as no star no sun is getting around to espy... fully satiated is this earth with the torrents of new waters... enswathed in obscurity the precincts are unilluminated...

dhvani/allusion: The statement of 'obscurity and illumination' is suggestive of the Vedic import tamasomaa jyotirgamaya... 'from darkness lead me unto light...' when the earth itself is satisfied with the gift of nature the earthlings are still hankering after inaccessible desires, thus they cycle through the karmic cycle.

"The paramount pinnacles of the mountains are well-washed by the torrents and are shining forth surpassingly... and the voluminous and capacious torrents that are pitching down are like the pendant pearly necklaces hanging on the chests of mountains... Speedily washing the mountain stones the rapids on the lofty mountains are widespread and entering the caves, in which peacocks are well-screaming, and all them are like the bestrewn lavalieres in their gleam...

dhvani/allusion: The mountain rapids are running helter-skelter on the mountain verily washing the boulders speedily. But the boulders according to their nature obstruct these rapids. When obstructed they have the only recourse to enter the nearest cave. The caves by then are already full with screaming and colourful peacocks. Adding to the lustre of those peacock's variegated colours, the pearly-white water has also entered the caves. Then these three, pearly water, colourful peacocks, blackish caves are giving out sparkles of their own, like necklaces studded with many colourful gems, and if many such pendants are bestrewn, each of its studded stone emits its own colour.

"The mountain rapids are quickly and speedily falling on the broad bases of mountains and on washing the crests of mountains and the planes nearby, they are falling alike the pearly necklaces around the necks, viz., mountain-peaks, and the planes of the recesses of cavernous cave are sustaining them...

dhvani/allusion: The mountains are noblemen in simile. The mountain rapids are pearly-necklaces firstly falling around their necks, and then drooping onto their chests, thus culminating at their locket-position, i.e., at the caves, on the chest of mountains. Those caves are glittering with the colours of peacocks, pearly water and blackish caves. Thus the utsanga 'heart of hearts...' of these noblemen is covered with such necklaces and lockets.

"Like the undone and broken apart tassels of pearls of the heavenly women in their lovemaking, the unique pearly rainfalls are falling in all directions and streaming all over... By the crouching in of the birds, by the closing up of the lotuses and by the blooming up of the jasmine flowers, the sun is discernable to have gone into dusk... Reversed are the campaigns of kings, for stalled are their armies and thus the conflicts and the roadways as well are well-abated by water... The month of Bhaadrapada [August-September,] is for those Brahmins who concern themselves for Vedic Studies and came forth is this time for learning the singing of Sama Veda...

Comment: During this time a vow called caatur maasya vrata will be observed by all adherers of Veda-s, and during this time young celibates are initiated into Vedic studies which commences on bhaadrapada shukla tR^itiiya 'third day in the white-fortnight of this Bhaadrapada month...'

"On carrying out all the domestic affairs and completely garnering the goods in aashaaDha month only, Bharata, the King of Kosala, might have engaged in the 'four-month-vow...' Definitely the River Sarayu will be overfilling and mounting with its swashing... like the commotion of Ayodhya on beholding me coming back...

Comment: Ayodhya and its people used to create hubbubs whenever Rama used to return to city after his short trips to outside. Such is the affection of the inmates of Ayodhya to Rama, and now Rama is reminiscing that hubbub with the swashing or Sarayu as both soundalike.

"The rainy season is unwinding and is with all the requisites [of self-contained conditions to enjoy oneself of,] and Sugreeva devours all the pleasures on conquering his enemy, on being with his wife and staying in his great kingdom...

"But I am with my wife stolen, toppled down from the great kingdom, like a riverbank that is toppled over, I am toppling down, Lakshmana... Also my anguish is surpassing, definitely the rains have surpassed the pathways, that enemy Ravana is an unsurpassed one... and to me it appears that all the three are unsurpassable...

"On envisioning the impassability of these pathways, for certainly they are impassable, though Sugreeva was humble enough to send his monkeys to search Seetha, by me nothing was uttered... Even Sugreeva has undergone difficulties muchly and entirely and after a long while he is in unison with his wife... and also due to the magnitude involved in our work in sending various monkeys in various directions etc., then I desired not to insist on that monkey...

"Verily after a respite, realising on his own that the time has come close, Sugreeva also realises his requital on his own... there is no doubt... Thereby I am looking forward for the time, oh Lakshmana of felicitous-aspect, and I stay abidingly... expectant of the generosity of Sugreeva and of these rivers...

"Verily a valiant one who is succoured is conjoined by his requital... an unfaithful one and an un-redeemer maims humane hearts..." Rama said so to Lakshmana, keeping Sugreeva in view.

Then, Lakshmana resolving what Rama said alone is to be candid, honouring Rama's words adjoined his palms spoke to Rama, who by his own aspect is a delightful one for a ken, and to evince his benign rationale about the future course of action, Lakshmana spoke to Rama...

"What all said by you and all this as required by you, oh, best king Rama, will completely be done by that Sugreeva, the king of monkeys... not later but soon... envisaging autumn you may bear up these heavy rainfalls, besides bearing with the idea of disciplining the enemy...

.

Thus, this is the 28th chapter in Kishkindha Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

© 2002, Desiraju Hanumanta Rao