Book IV : Kishkindha Kanda - The Empire of Holy Monkeys
The war cries of monkey soldiers in their enthusiasm to conquer Ravana are uttered in the audience of Sugreeva, when all of them started to their designated directions. This suggests the |
sarvaaH ca aahuuya sugriivaH plavagaan plavagarSabhaH |
samastaan ca abraviit raajaa raama kaaryaartha siddhaye || 4-45-1
evam etat vicetavyam bhavadbhiH vaanarottamaiH |
1, 2a. plavaga rSabhaH= of fly-jumper, the best one; raajaa sugriivaH= king [of monkeys,] Sugreeva; sarvaaH plavagaan aahuuya= all of them, fly-jumpers, calling forth; raama kaarya artha siddhaye= Rama's, task, purpose, to achieve; samastaan= to all of them; abraviit= spoke to; vaanara uttamaiH= vanara-s, best ones; bhavadbhiH= by you; evam etat= in this way [as I detailed,] all this [earth]; vicetavyam= shall be searched.
On calling forth all the fly-jumpers for achieving the purpose of Rama's task the best fly-jumper and the king of monkeys Sugreeva spoke to all of them, "oh, best vanara-s, you shall search all of this earth as I have detailed." Sugreeva said so to all monkeys. [4-45-1, 2a]
tat ugra shaasanam bhartur vij~naaya hari pu.ngavaaH || 4-45-2
shalabhaa iva sa.mChaadya mediniim sa.mpratasthire |
2, 3a. hari pungavaaH= monkey, best ones; bhartuH= of husband [king of vanara-s]; tat ugra shaasanam= that, arduous, order; vij~naaya= on understanding; mediniim shalabhaaH iva= earth, grasshoppers, as with; samChaadya= covering over; sam pra tasthire= well started out.
Understanding that arduous order of the king of monkeys Sugreeva those best monkeys started out covering the earth like grasshoppers. [4-45-2, 3a]
raamaH prasravaNe tasmin nyavasat saha lakSmaNaH || 4-45-3
pratiikSamaaNaH tam maasam yaH siitaa adhigame kR^itaH |
3b, 4a. raamaH= Rama; saha lakSmaNaH= with, Lakshmana; yaH siitaa adhigame kR^itaH= which, for Seetha's, reaching out, made - marked for locating Seetha; tam maasam= that, month; prati iikSamaaNaH= forward, looking to; tasmin prasravaNe nyavasat= on that, Prasrvana [mountain,] he dwelled - remained.
Rama remained on that Mt. Prasravana along with Lakshmana looking forward to that month which is marked for locating Seetha. [4-45-3b, 4a]
uttaraam tu disham ramyaam giri raaja samaavR^itaam || 4-45-4
pratasthe sahasaa viiro hariH shatabaliH tadaa |
4b, 5a. tadaa= then; shatabaliH viiraH hariH= Shatabali, brave, monkey; giri raaja sam aavR^itaam= by mountain, king - Himalayas, encompassed by; ramyaam uttaraam disham= to beautiful, northern, direction; sahasaa pratasthe= swiftly, transited.
Then the brave monkey Shatabali swiftly started towards the beautiful northern quarter that is encompassed by the king of mountains, namely Himavanta. [4-45-4b, 5a]
puurvaam disham prati yayau vinato hari yuuthapaH || 4-45-5
taaraa a.ngadaadi sahitaH plavagaH pavanaatmajaH |
agastya caritaam aashaam dakSiNaam hari yuuthapaH || 4-45-6
5b, 6. hari yuuthapaH vinataH= monkey, troop-commander, Vinata; puurvaam disham prati yayau= to eastern, direction, towards, journeyed; hari yuuthapaH= monkey, leader; pavana aatmajaH= Air-god's, son; plavagaH= fly-jumper - Hanuma; taaraa angada aadi sahitaH= Tara, Angada, others, along with; agastya caritaam= by Agastya, trodden; dakSiNaam aashaam= direction, southerly; [yayau= travelled to.
The monkey-troop commander Vinata journeyed towards the eastern direction, and the fly-jumper, leader of monkeys and Air-god's son Hanuma travelled towards southerly quarter that is once trodden by Sage Agastya, along with Lt. Tara, Prince-regent Angada, and others. [4-45-5b, 6]
pashcimaam tu disham ghoraam suSeNaH plavageshvaraH |
pratasthe hari shaarduulo disham varuNa paalitaam || 4-45-7
7. plavaga iishvaraH= fly-jumper's, commander; hari shaarduulaH= monkey, tigerly one; suSeNaH= Sushena; varuNa paalitaam disham= by Rain-god, ruled, direction; ghoraam pashcimaam disham= horrifying, western, direction; pratasthe= started out.
The commander of fly-jumpers and a tigerly monkey Sushena started out towards the horrifying western direction that is ruled by Varuna, the Rain-god. [4-45-7]
tataH sarvaa disho raajaa codayitvaa yathaa tatham |
kapi senaa patiin viiro mumoda sukhitaH sukham || 4-45-8
8. tataH= latter; viiraH raajaa= valorous, king - Sugreeva; kapi senaa patiin= monkey, army, commanders; yathaa tatham= according to their capabilities; sarvaa dishaH codayitvaa= to all, directions, having sent; sukhitaH= is contented; sukham mumoda= contentedly [to his heart's content,] gladdened.
Then on disposing the commanders of monkey army to all directions according to their capabilities, that valorous king Sugreeva who is contented earlier by way of gaining his kingdom through Rama, is now gladdened to his heart's content for sending monkey troops to all directions as a requital to Rama's help. [4-45-8]
evam sa.mcoditaaH sarve raaj~naa vaanara yuuthapaaH |
svaam svaam disham abhipretya tvaritaaH sa.mpratasthire || 4-45-9
9. raaj~naa evam sam coditaaH= by king [Sugreeva,] in this way, who are sent; sarve vaanara yuuthapaaH= all of the, vanara, lieutenants; svaam svaam disham= his own, his own, direction; abhi pretya= readying to go; tvaritaaH sampratasthire= expeditiously, started out.
In this way when despatched by their king Sugreeva all the vanara lieutenants expeditiously started towards one's own direction. [4-45-9]
nadantaH ca unnadantaH ca garjantaH ca plava.ngamaaH |
kSvelanto dhaavamaanaaH ca vinadanto mahaabalaaH || 4-45-10
10. mahaabalaaH plavan gamaaH= great mighty, fly-jumpers; nadantaH ca= bawling, also; ud nadantaH ca= highly, blaring, also; garjantaH ca= thundering, also; kSvelantaH [or, kshhveDantaH]= roaring like lions; vi [vicitra naada] nadantaH= oddly, bellowing; dhaava maanaaH= they started to dash off.
When those great mighty fly-jumpers have started to dash off some are bawling, some highly blaring, some more thundering, and some more oddly bellowing, while some more are roaring like lions. [4-45-10]
evam sa.mcoditaaH sarve raaj~naa vaanara yuuthapaaH |
aanayiSyaamahe siitaam haniSyaamaH ca raavaNam || 4-45-11
11. raaj~naa= by king - Sugreeva; evam samcoditaaH= this way, well-motivated; sarve vaanara yuuthapaaH= all of the, vanara, lieutenants; aanayiSyaamahe siitaam= we will lead forth, Seetha; raavaNam haniSyaamaH ca= Ravana, we wish to kill, also; [vacanam uucuH ca= words, boasted, also.]
Well-motivated this way by the king Sugreeva those vanara lieutenants put their fortitude into boastful words and said, "we lead forth Seetha, we wish to kill Ravana." [4-45-11]
aham eko vadhiSyaami praaptam raavaNam aahave |
tataH ca unmathya sahasaa hariSye janaka aatmajaam || 4-45-12
12. aham ekaH= I, single-handedly; aahave praaptam raavaNam= on battlefield, chanced, vadhiSyaami= I wish to kill; tataH ca= then, also; unmathya= on drubbing; [itara raakshasaan= other, demons]; sahasaa janaka aatmajaam aahariSye= quickly, daughter, Seetha, I bring back.
"I will kill Ravana single-handedly if he chances on battlefield, and then on drubbing the other demons I will quickly bring back Janaka's daughter, Seetha." Another monkey soldier said so. [4-45-12]
vepamaanam shrameNa adya bhavadbhiH sthiiyataam iti |
eka eva aahariSyaami paataalaat api jaanakiim || 4-45-13
13. vepamaanam shrameNa adya= shivering [Seetha,] by enervation; jaanakiim= Janaki; paataalaat api= from netherworld, even; eka eva= by myself; aahariSyaami= I will bring back; adya= now; bhavadbhiH sthiiyataam= by you [monkey colleagues,] stay back; iti= thus - one more monkey said.
"I alone will bring back Janaki even from netherworlds, who might be shivering owing to enervation, and you my monkey-soldier colleagues, you all may stay behind now." Thus another monkey-hero said. [4-45-13]
vidhamiSyaami aham vR^ikSaan daarayiSyaami aham giriin |
dharaNiim daarayiSyaami kSobhayiSyaami saagaraan || 4-45-14
14. aham= I will; vR^ikSaan= trees; vidhamiSyaami [vi dham iSyaami]= can completely, shatter; aham giriin daara yiSyaami= I will, mountains, shred; dharaNiim daarayiSyaami= earth, I wish to split; saagaraan kSobha yiSyaami= oceans, I wish to storm.
"I will completely shatter the trees, shred the mountains, split the earth and storm the oceans." Thus another monkey gave war cry. [4-45-14]
aham yojana sa.nkhyaayaaH plavitaa na atra sa.nshayaH |
shatam yojana sa.nkhyaayaaH shatam samadhikam hi aham || 4-45-15
15. aham yojana sankhyaayaaH shatam= I will, yojana numbers, a hundred, - hundred yojana-s in number; plavitaa atra na sanshayaH= can fly-jump, there is, no, doubt; aham= I; [plavitaa= can leap]; shatam yojana sankhyaayaaH= hundred, yojana, in number; sam adhikam= even, more; hi= for sure; [I will fly-jump.]
"I can fly-jump a hundred yojana-s, undoubtedly," said one monkey while the other said, "I can jump even more than a hundred yojana-s, for sure." [4-45-15]
bhuu tale saagare vaa api shaileSu ca vaneSu ca |
paataalasya api vaa madhye na mama aacChidyate gatiH || 4-45-16
16. bhuu tale= on earth's, plane; saagare vaa api= in ocean, or, even; shaileSu ca vaneSu ca= in mountains, also, in forests, also; paataalasya api vaa madhye= in netherworld, even, or, in the core of; mama gatiH= my, transit; na aacChidyate= not, thwarted.
"My transit cannot be thwarted either on the plane of earth, or in the ocean, or on mountains or in forests, or in the netherworld, or in its core." This is the slogan of another monkey-warrior. [4-45-16]
iti ekaikaH tadaa tatra vaanaraa bala darpitaaH |
uucuH ca vacanam tasya hari raajasya sannidhau || 4-45-17
17. tadaa= then; vaanaraa= vanara-s; bala darpitaaH= by might, in proper pride; tatra= there; tasya hari raajasya sannidhau= that, monkey, king's, in audience; eka ekaH= one by one; iti= in this way; vacanam uucuH= words [war whoops,] uttered - and departed.
Thus each individual vanara gave war-whoops with the proper proud of his might in the audience of monkeys king Sugreeva and departed. [4-45-17]
iti vaalmiiki raamaayaNe aadi kaavye kiSkindha kaaNDe pa.nca catvaarinshaH sargaH
Thus, this is the 45th chapter in Kishkindha Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India.
© Sept, 2002, Desiraju Hanumanta Rao [Revised : November 04]