Book IV : Kishkindha Kanda - The Empire of Holy Monkeys
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Sampaati regains his wings when he passes information to the monkeys. Sampaati flies away for flight-test of his newborn wings wishing the monkeys success. Then the enthused monkeys journey on to southern direction, as directed by Sampaati. |
etaiH anyaiH ca bahubhiH vaakyaiH vaakya vishaaradaH |
maam prashasya abhyanuj~naapya praviSTaH sa svam aalayam || 4-63-1
1. vaakya vishaaradaH= sentences, expert in; saH= he that sage; etaiH= with these; anyaiH ca= with other, also; bahubhiH vaakyaiH= with many, words; maam prashasya= me, on encouraging; abhi anuj~naapya= making me to take leave of him; svam aalayam praviSTaH= his own, hermitage / heavens [dwelling,] he entered.
"That expert in sentences, namely sage Nishaakara, entered his own dwelling on saying these and many other words of encouragement and after permitting me to take leave. [4-63-1]
ka.ndaraat tu visarpitvaa parvatasya shanaiH shanaiH |
aham vi.ndhyam samaaruhya bhavataH pratipaalaye || 4-63-2
2. aham= I; parvatasya kandaraat= of mountain, from cave; shanaiH shanaiH= slowly, slowly; visarpitvaa= on creeping; vindhyam samaaruhya= Mt. Vindhya, on clambering up; bhavataH pratipaalaye= towards your [arrival,] looking forward.
"But on creeping slowly and slowly from the cave of that mountain I clambered up the Mt. Vindhya and I am looking forward for your arrival... [4-63-2]
adya tu etasya kaalasya saagram varSa shatam gatam |
desha kaala pratiikSo asmi hR^idi kR^itvaa muneH vacaH || 4-63-3
3. adya tu= as of now, but; etasya kaalasya= of this, time; sa agram= with, a little more; varSa shatam= years, hundred; gatam= slipped by; muneH vacaH= sage's, words; hR^idi kR^itvaa= in heart, on making [minding]; desha kaala pratiikSaH asmi= place [events,] time, awaiting.
"As of now, a little more than a hundred years have slipped by, and I am awaiting events and times minding sage's words in my heart... [4-63-3]
There is an inconsistency in accounting the years of Sage Nishaakara's living, dying and Sampaati's continuation on that mountain after sage's demise. It is said: 'for me lapsed are eight thousand years, without him...' at 4-60-9 by Sampaati and here he alone is saying that one hundred years are elapsed. For this there is another shade given to this verse in other mms and the compound varSa shatam gatam is replaced with varSa shata trayam 'years, hundred, three, three hundred years...' then the meaning will be 'that sage lived for eight thousand years, and he died a hundred years back, and I have been waiting for three hundred years after his demise...'
mahaaprasthaanam aasaadya svar gate tu nishaakare |
maam nirdahati sa.ntaapo vitar.hkaiH bahubhiH vR^itam || 4-63-4
4. nishaakare mahaa prasthaanam aasaadya= Nishaakara, great, voyage - to heavens, on obtaining; svar gate= to heaven, having gone; bahubhiH= with many; vi tarkaiH= illogical, thoughts; vR^itam= one who is enfolded in; such; maam= me; santaapaH nirdahati= anguish, burning [me] down.
"But many illogical thoughts crowded round me when Sage Nishaakara has gone on great voyage to heaven, thus my anguish burned me down... [4-63-4]
uditaam maraNe buddhim muni vaakyaiH nivar.htaye |
buddhiH yaa tena me dattaa praaNaanaam rakSaNe mama || 4-63-5
saa me apanayate duHkham diiptaa iva agni shikhaa tamaH |
5, 6a. maraNe uditaam buddhim= for dying [suicide,] cropped up, thought; muni vaakyaiH nivartaye= sage, by words of, I am reversing; mama praaNaanaam rakSaNe= my, lives, regarding safeguarding; tena me yaa buddhiH dattaa= by him [sage,] to me, which, thought [pracodana= afflatus= a divine creative impulse, inspiration,] given [endowed]; saa= that afflatus; diiptaa agni shikhaa tamaH iva= flaring, fire, tongue of, to darkness, as with; me duHkham= my, anguish; apa nayate= away, taking.
"I have been reversing the thought cropped up for my suicide by virtue of the afflatus endowed to me by that sage, and I have been safeguarding my lives as that afflatus is taking away my anguish, as a tongue of flaring fire takes away darkness... [4-63-5, 6a]
budhyataa ca mayaa viiryam raavaNasya duraatmanaH || 4-63-6
putraH sa.mtar.hjito vaagbhiH na traataa maithilii katham |
6b, 7a. duraatmanaH raavaNasya viiryam= dirty-minded one, Ravana's, valour; budhyataa= aware of; mayaa maithilii= by me, Maithili; katham na traataa= how, [she is] not, saved; [iti= thus]; vaagbhiH= with words; putraH= [my] son is; sam tarjitaH= well, rebuked.
"Though I am aware of the valour of that dirty-minded Ravana, I was rebuking my son saying, 'how you have not saved Maithili?' [4-63-6b, 7a]
tasyaa vilapitam shrutvaa tau ca siitaa viyojitau || 4-63-7
na me dasharatha snehaat putreNa utpaaditam priyam |
7b, 8a. tasyaa vilapitam shrutvaa= her, bewailing, on hearing; tau ca siitaa viyojitau= those two [Rama, Lakshmana,] also, as separated [from Seetha]; me dasharatha snehaat= my, with Dasharatha's, owing to friendship; putreNa priyam= by [my] son, a cherish [of mine]; na utpaaditam= not, effectuated.
"My son has not effectuated my cherish even on hearing the bewail of Seetha, or at least on hearing that Rama and Lakshmana are separated from Seetha, or at least on knowing my friendship with Dasharatha..." Thus Sampaati spoke to monkeys. [4-63-7b, 8a]
tasya tu evam bruvaaNasya sa.mhataiH vaanaraiH saha ||
4-63-8
utpetatuH tadaa pakSau samakSam vana caariNaam |
8b, 9a. tadaa= then; samhataiH vaanaraiH saha= clustered around, monkeys, with; tasya= to him; evam bruvaaNasya= in this way, who is speaking; vana caariNaam samakSam= of forest, movers - monkeys, before eyes; pakSau= wings; ut petatuH= to up, flew - cropped up.
Both the wings of Sampaati have then cropped up just before the eyes of those monkeys who are clustering around him, while Sampaati is speaking in this way to those monkeys... [4-63-8b, 9a]
sa dR^iSTvaa svaam tanum pakSaiH udgataiH aruNa cChadaiH ||
4-63-9
praharSam atulam lebhe vaanaraan ca idam abraviit |
9b, 10a. saH= he tht Sampaati; aruNa cChadaiH= with reddish [feathers,] covered [feathered]; udgataiH pakSaiH= emerged, wings; svaam tanum dR^iSTvaa= his own, body, on seeing; a+tulam praharSam lebhe= not, comparable, rejoice, he obtained; vaanaraan idam abraviit ca= to vanara-s, this, said, also.
On looking at his own body which is now covered with newborn reddish-feathered wings Sampaati obtained an incomparable rejoice, and he also said this to vanara-s. [4-63-9b, 10a]
nishaakarasya raajarSeH prabhaavaat amita ojasaH || 4-63-10
aaditya rashmi nirdagdhau pakSau punaH upasthitau |
10b, 11a. amita ojasaH= of illimitable, magnificence; raajarSeH= of kingly sage; nishaakarasya prabhaavaat= Nishaakara's, by efficacy; aaditya rashmi nirdagdhau= by Sun's, rays, burnt down; pakSau punaH upasthitau= both wings, again, present themselves [resurfaced.]
By the efficacy of that kingly sage of illimitable magnificence both the wings of Sampaati that were burnt down by sunrays have resurfaced again. [4-63-10b, 11a]
yauvane vartamaanasya mama aasiit yaH paraakramaH || 4-63-11
tam eva adya avagacChaami balam pauruSam eva ca |
11b, 12a. yauvane vartamaanasya= in youth, what that was prevailing; mama= my; yaH paraakramaH= which, valour; aasiit= was present; tam eva adya avagacChaami= that [valour,] alone, now, I am getting at [experiencing]; balam pauruSam eva ca= vigour, valiance, like that, also.
"Which valour, vigour, and valiance were prevailing in my youth, now I am experiencing them alone... [4-63-11b, 12a]
sarvathaa kriyataam yatnaH siitaam adhigamiSyatha || 4-63-12
pakSa laabho mama ayam vaH siddhi pratyaya kaarakaH |
12b, 13a. sarvathaa yatnaH kriyataam= anywise, let endeavour, be made; siitaam adhi gamiSyatha= Seetha, [for sure,] you will obtain - come by her; mama ayam pakSa laabhaH= my, this, wings, regaining; vaH siddhi pratyaya kaarakaH= to you all, for accomplishment, credibility, causer of.
"Let an endeavour be made by all of you. For sure, you will come by Seetha. This event of my regaining wings shall be the causer of credibility in you all... [4-63-12b, 13a]
iti uktvaa taan hariin sarvaan sa.mpaatiH patagottama ||
4-63-13
ut.hpapaata gireH shR^i.ngaat jij~naasuH kha gamo gatim |
13b, 14a. pataga uttama= bird, the best; sampaatiH= Sampaati; sarvaan taan hariin= to all of, those, monkeys; iti uktvaa= thus, on saying; kha gamaH= of a sky, goer's - of a bird; gatim= plight / flight; jij~naasuH= to ascertain; gireH shR^ingaat ut papaata= from mountain's, top, up, fallen - took wing.
On saying thus to all of those monkeys that best bird Sampaati took wing from that mountaintop to ascertain the plight of a sky-going bird when anew on the wing. [4-63-13b, 14a]
tasya tat vacanam shrutvaa pratisa.mhR^iSTa maanasaaH |
babhuuvuH hari shaarduulaa vikrama abhyudaya unmukhaaH || 4-63-14
14b, c. hari shaarduulaa= monkeys, tigerly ones; tasya tat vacanam shrutvaa= his [Sampaati's,] that, word, on hearing; prati samhR^iSTa maanasaaH= in turn, gladdened, at hearts; vikrama abhyudaya unmukhaaH= valour, inspirited, proactive; babhuuvuH= they became.
On hearing that word of Sampaati those tigerly monkeys are heartily gladdened and while their valour inspiriting them they have became proactive towards their task. [4-63-14]
atha pavana samaana vikramaaH
plavaga varaaH pratilabdha pauruSaaH |
abhijit abhimukhaam disham yayuH
janaka sutaa parimaargaNa unmukhaaH || 4-63-15
15. atha= then; pavana samaana vikramaaH= with air [gustily,] equal, in their gusto; pratilabdha pauruSaaH= redeemed, certitude; plavaga varaaH= fly-jumpers, the best; abhijit abhimukhaam= abhijit, [an opportune time,] who are waiting towards; janaka sutaa pari maargaNa= Janaka's, daughter, in search; un mukhaaH= forward, faced [pioneers]; disham= to [southern] direction; yayuH= they journeyed on.
Those best fly-jumpers having redeemed their certitude, then with a gustily gusto waited for an opportune time called abhijit lagna and then journeyed on to the southern direction, as they are the pioneers in searching Seetha, the daughter of Janaka. [4-63-15]
The auspicious and opportune time in a day is called abhijit lagna a little later to noon time. This is as said in astrology s¨rya× ca caturdhakam lagnam abhijit pari kŸrtitam | sarva doÿa haram caiva praşastam şubha karmasu || The chapters from 59 to 63 are treated as interpolated ones and to support that statement, the action of Sampaati in flying away without offering further cooperation to monkeys in the search for Seetha, is exemplified. 'As and when he got wings he flew away like any ordinary bird as it goes as-it-pleases. If Sampaati were to be a true friend of Dasharatha and an admirer of Rama, he should have at least followed the monkeys up to seashore...' is the argument of those who hold these chapters as interpolated ones. But contradicting them, the others say, 'Sampaati is given small wings for his locomotive purpose, but not to fly aggressively... further, his part ends as and when he informs about the direction of Seetha and Ravana, as the role of Swayamprabha ended when she brought the monkeys out of Black Hole... hence these chapters are not interpolated...' thus the debate continues, endlessly...
iti vaalmiiki raamaayaNe aadi kaavye kiSkindha kaaNDe tri SaSTitamaH sargaH
Thus, this is the 63rd chapter in Kishkindha Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India.
© Mar, 2003, Desiraju Hanumanta Rao [Revised : December 04]