Valmiki Ramayana -
Sundara Kanda in Prose Sarga 65
|
|
|
Keeping Angada the prince in their forefront those monkeys, on reaching Mount Prasravana having forests of variegated appearance, offered their salutation by bowing their heads in reverence to Rama and the mighty Lakshmana, greeting Sugreeva respectfully. Then, they started narrating the news of Seetha. Those monkeys started to narrate, in the presence of Rama, about, the female-demons, and frightening Seetha in Ravana's gynaecium, her complete affection towards Rama and the time-limit of two months given by Ravana.
Hearing of Seetha being alive, Rama on his part replied, "Where is Seetha, the princess? How is she disposed towards me? O monkeys! Tell me all that about Seetha."
Hearing the words of Rama, the monkeys urged Hanuma to tell, in the presence of Rama, all the incidents because he knew them better, about Seetha. The eloquent Hanuma, the son of wind-god saluting towards the direction of the Seetha the princess by bowing his head, spoke the following words, explaining how he saw Seetha.
"Having gone across the ocean, a hundred Yojanas wide, I reached the southern shore looking in search of Seetha, Janaka's daughter, with a wish to see her. There at the southern shore of the southern ocean, there is city called Lanka of the evil-minded Ravana. O Rama! There, living in Ravana's gynaecium in the city, I saw the lady Seetha, your virtuous wife, centering here heart's desire in you."
"In that pleasure garden, I saw Seetha sitting in the midst of female demons, guarded by those ugly-faced female-demons as also time and again being threatened by them."
"O hero! Seetha, who deserves to live happily with you, is obtaining grief. O Rama! I somehow searched that princess, Seetha wearing a single plait (as a as a mark of desolation), looking miserable, remaining absorbed in your thought, reposing on the floor, having discoloured limbs like a lotus in winter, turning back the wish from Ravana, having determined to die, but thinking of you alone. O faultless tiger among men! Seetha established confidence in me, after I slowly described to her the fame of Ikshvaku dynasty. Thereafter, I spoke and explained to Seetha, about the entire significance of my arrival there. On hearing about the alliance between Rama and Sugreeva, she was quite pleased. Her morality as well as her devotion in you are steadfast. O, the foremost of men! I thus saw that illustrious Seetha, endowed with severe penance and devotion towards you."
"O Rama, of great intelligence! To me, she gave as a token of remembrance, a previous event of a crow occurred at your vicinity in Mount Chitrakuta. Seetha spoke to me saying, 'O Hanuma! Inform Rama, the foremost among men, all that you have seen here. While Sugreeva is hearing nearby and while you are telling the words in this way, let this jewel, which is deliberately well-guarded, be given to Rama. This beautiful jewel for the head has been well-guarded by me. You also ought to recall a mark indeed painted by you (by slip) on the curve of my cheek with powder of an orange-red rock, when my former mark on my forehead got effaced. This beautiful jewel, which has its origin in sea-water, has been sent to you. Seeing this in my grief, I am feeling always happy as though I am seeing you."
"O Rama! I shall be sustaining my life for a month. Having come into the control of demons, I cannot survive beyond one month. Seetha, with her emaciated body, practicing virtue, confined in Ravana's gynaecium and with her wide-open eyes like that of a doe, spoke to me the following words:"O Rama! I have narrated to you whatever has occurred, in its entirety. Let a bridge be constructed, by all means, across the waters of the ocean.”
Coming to know that the two princes, Rama and Lakshmana have become confident and having given that token of remembrance to Rama, Hanuma apprised completely in so many words, in regular succession, all that was conveyed by Seetha, the princess.
Thus completes 65th Chapter of Sundara Kanda of the glorious Ramayana of Valmiki, the work of a sage and the oldest epic.
© February, 2007, K. M. K. Murthy