Book IV : Kishkindha Kanda - The Empire of Holy Monkeys
Search for Seetha failed in east, north, and west directions. The monkey chiefs who went there have come back to inform that she is not found and they all hoped Hanuma to find her out, because he is pursuing the direction in which Seetha was taken away. |
darshanaartham tu vaidehyaaH sarvataH kapi ku.njaraaH |
vyaadiSTaaH kapi raajena yathaa uktam jagmur a.njasaa || 4-47-1
1. kapi raajena vyaadiSTaaH [vi+aa+dish]= by monkeys, king, commanded; kapi kunjaraaH= monkeys, elephantine; yathaa uktam= as, said [true to command]; vaidehyaaH darshanaartham= of Vaidehi, for a glimpse; anjasaa= with post-haste; sarvataH jagmuH= everywhere, essayed at.
As commanded by the king of monkeys Sugreeva all of the elephantine monkeys essayed everywhere with post-hast for a glimpse of Vaidehi. [4-47-1]
te saraa.msi sarit kakSaan aakaasham nagaraaNi ca |
nadii durgaan tathaa shailaan vicinvanti samantataH || 4-47-2
2. te= those - monkeys; saraamsi saritaH kakSaan= at lakes, river's [on riverbanks,] chambers, [creeper-pens]; aakaasham nagaraaNi ca= sky [empty space, unpeopled lands,] cities, also; tathaa= thus; nadii dur gaan shailaan= with rivers, not, passable places, mountains; samantataH vi cinvanti= everywhere, thoroughly, searched out.
Those monkeys have thoroughly searched at lakes, in the pens of creepers on riverbanks, in vacant lands and in crowded cities and at impassable places with rivers and mountains. [4-47-2]
sugriiveNa samaakhyaataaH sarve vaanara yuuthapaaH |
tatra deshaan pravicinvanti sa shaila vana kaananaan || 4-47-3
3. sugriiveNa sam aakhyaataaH= by Sugreeva, well-said [explicitly, commanded]; sarve vaanara yuuthapaaH= all, monkey's, commanders; tatra= in that matter; pra sa shaila vana kaananaan= inclusive of, mountains, woodlands, thick forests; [sarvaan= all of the]; deshaan= provinces; vi cinvanti= carefully, searched.
All the monkey commanders explicitly commanded by Sugreeva, very carefully searched all the provinces inclusive of their mountains, woodlands, and thick forests. [4-47-3]
vicintya divasam sarve siitaa adhigamane dhR^itaaH |
samaayaanti sma medinyaam nishaa kaaleSu vaanaraaH || 4-47-4
4. sarve vaanaraaH= all of the, monkeys; siitaa adhigamane dhR^itaaH= in Seetha's, attaining, firmed up; divasam vicintya= by day, on searching; nishaa kaaleSu= at night, time; medinyaam= onto earth; sam aayaanti sma= well [together,] come, they are.
All the Vanara-s firmed up in finding Seetha have searched nooks and corners of earth by day, and at nighttimes they used to coming together onto earth at scheduled places. [4-47-4]
sarva R^itukaan ca desheSu vaanaraaH sa phalaan drumaan |
aasaadya rajaniim shayyaam cakruH sarveSu ahassu te || 4-47-5
5. te vaanaraaH= those, Vanara-s; sarveSu ahassu [ te]= in all [those,] days; sarva R^itukaan ca= all, seasonal, also; sa phalaan drumaan= with, fruits, trees; desheSu aasaadya= in [those and those] provinces, on getting at; rajaniim shayyaam cakruH= at nights [at bedtime,] bed, made.
In all those days those Vanara-s used to come to trees which have fruits of all seasons to make those trees as their beds at bedtime. [4-47-5]
Or to say in another way: drumaan saphalaan cakruH= 'trees, blessed to be fruitful, they...' Because they resided on all the trees of all provinces, Rama blesses all of the trees of those and those countries through those monkeys, namely the agents of Rama. Even now allowing a troop of monkeys into orchard or groves is tolerable and sacred. But after a sumptuous meal, they start all their monkey tricks and ransack gardens, which is intolerable and then they are driven out.
tat ahaH prathamam kR^itvaa maase prasravaNam gataaH |
kapi raajena sa.ngamya niraashaaH kapi ku.njaraaH || 4-47-6
6. tat ahaH prathamam kR^itvaa= that, day [of their starting,] first, on making [counting]; maase= in month; kapi kunjaraaH= monkey, elephants; nir aashaaH= without, hope; prasravaNam gataaH=, Mt. Prasavana, went [returned]; kapi raajena sangamya= with monkey, king, joined - met with Sugreeva.
Counting the day of their starting as day one, those elephantine monkeys returned to Mt. Prasavana within one month, hopeless of Seetha, and met Sugreeva, the king of monkeys, who is with Rama awaiting the return of monkeys. [4-47-6]
vicitya tu disham puurvaam yathaa uktaam sacivaiH saha |
adR^iSTvaa vinataH siitaam aajagaama mahaabalaH || 4-47-7
7. mahaabalaH= great-mighty one; vinataH= Cmdr. Vinata; sacivaiH saha=1] ministers, 2] colleagues, together with; yathaa uktaam= as, said [as advised by Sugreeva]; puurvaam disham vicitya= eastern, quarter, on searching; siitaam a dR^iSTvaa= Seetha, not, seeing [finding]; aa+jagaama= came back.
Cmdr. Vinata, the great-mighty vanara, came back after searching eastern quarter as Sugreeva had advised, but without finding Seetha there. [4-47-7]
disham api uttaraam sarvaam vivicya sa mahaakapiH |
aagataH saha sainyena viiraH shatabaliH tadaa || 4-47-8
8. tadaa= then; viiraH mahaa kapiH shatabaliH= valiant one, matchless, monkey, Shatabali; sainyena saha= army, along with; sarvaam uttaraam disham api= whole of, northern, direction, even; vi vicya== explored; [siitaam a +dR^iSTvaa= Seetha, without seeing]; saH= such as he is; aagataH= he came back.
Even the valiant and matchless monkey Shatabali explored whole of the northern direction along with his army, but he too came back as Seetha is undiscovered there. [4-47-8]
suSeNaH pashcimaam aashaam vivicya saha vaanaraiH |
sametya maase puurNe tu sugriivam upacakrame || 4-47-9
9. suSeNaH vaanaraiH saha= Sushena [father-in-law of Sugreeva,] vanara-s, along with; pashcimaam aashaam vivicya= in western, direction, on searching; maase puurNe tu= a month, on completion, but; [a +dR^iSTvaa siitaam= without seeing, Seetha]; sametya= came back; sugriivam upacakrame= to Sugreeva, nearby arrived.
Sushena, the father-in-law of Sugreeva, searching whole of western quarter along with vanara-s, but not finding Seetha there, he came back when one month is completed, and approached Sugreeva. [4-47-9]
tam prasravaNa pR^iSThastham samaasaadya abhivaadya ca |
aasiinam saha raameNa sugriivam idam abruvan || 4-47-10
10. raameNa saha aasiinam= Rama, along with, one who is seated; prasravaNa pR^iSThastham= Mt. Prasavana, on peak of; tam sugriivam= him, Sugreeva; sam aasaadya= on reaching; abhivaadya ca= on revering, also; idam abruvan= this, [all the expeditionists] spoke.
All of the expeditionists have reached and venerated Sugreeva who is sitting along with Rama on the peak of Mt. Prasavana and spoke this to him. [4-47-10]
vicitaaH parvataaH sarve vanaani gahanaani ca |
nimnagaaH saagara antaaH ca sarve janapadaaH tathaa || 4-47-11
11. sarve parvataaH vicitaaH= all, mountains, are searched; gahanaani vanaani ca= serried, forests, also; nimn agaaH= low, going [flowing, rivers that slope down]; saagara antaaH ca= ocean's, edge of [or, along the rivers that slope down into oceans]; tathaa= likewise; sarve jana padaaH= all, people's, places [inhabitations - are thoroughly searched.]
"All of the mountains, all of the serried forests, all of the riversides up to the edge of oceans, likewise, all of the inhabitations have been searched. [4-47-11]
guhaaH ca vicitaaH sarvaa yaaH ca te parikiirtitaaH |
vicitaaH ca mahaagulmaa lataa vitata sa.mtataaH || 4-47-12
12. sarvaaH= all; te pari kiirtitaaH= by you, explicitly, extolled; yaaH= which of those; guhaaH= caves are there; they too; vicitaaH= thoroughly searched; lataa vitata santataaH= climbers, entwined with, thickly; mahaa gulmaaH= immense, shrubby hutches; vicitaaH ca= rummaged, also.
"Those caves that were explicitly extolled by you, they are all thoroughly searched, and immense shrubby hutches that are thickly entwined with climber plants have also been rummaged. [4-47-12]
gahaneSu ca desheSu durgeSu viSameSu ca |
sattvaani atipramaaNaani vicitaani hataani ca |
ye caiva gahanaa deshaa vicitaaH te punaH punaH || 4-47-13
13. gahaneSu= in compacted places; dur geSu= impenetrable areas; viSameSu ca= asymmetrical, [lopsided lands]; desheSu= in such provinces; ati pramaaNaani= too much, in size [colossal beings]; sattvaani= living beings [creatures]; vicitaani= are hunted out; hataani ca= are killed [by us,] also; gahanaaH ye deshaaH= impassable ones, which of those, provinces are there; te= they are; punaH punaH vicitaaH= again, again, searched high and low.
"Search is conducted in the compacted, lopsided, and impenetrable provinces, and colossal beings are hunted out and killed presuming that Ravana might have assumed those odd shapes, and the impassable provinces are searched high and low, time and again. [4-47-13]
udaara sattva abhijano hanuumaan
sa maithiliim j~naasyasi vaanarendra |
disham tu yaam eva gataa tu siitaa
taam aasthito vaayu suto hanuumaan || 4-47-14
14. vaanarendra= oh, Vanara king; udaara sattva abhijanaH= exceptionally, mighty, high-born one; saH hanuumaan= he that, Hanuma; maithiliim j~naasyasi= about Maithili, he ascertains; siitaa yaam eva disham gataa= Seetha, in which, direction, alone, has gone [taken away]; taam= that direction; vaayu sutaH hanuumaan= Air-god's, son, Hanuma; aasthitaH= resorted to.
"Hanuma is high-born and exceptionally mighty, oh, Sugreeva, the king of vanara-s, he will ascertain about Maithili, because the son of Air-god, Hanuma, resorted to the direction in which Seetha is taken away." Thus, monkey chiefs reported to their king Sugreeva. [4-47-14]
iti vaalmiiki raamaayaNe aadi kaavye kiSkindha kaaNDe sapta catvaarinshaH sargaH
Thus, this is the 47th chapter in Kishkindha Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India.
© Oct, 2002, Desiraju Hanumanta Rao [Revised : November 04]