Aranya Kanda · Sarga 72 of 76 · 27 verses
Kabandha Freed; “Go to Sugriva”
Told this by Kabandha, the two heroes, lords of men, go to a mountain cleft and kindle a fire. Lakshmana lights the pyre on every side with great blazing torches, and it blazes all round. The fire slowly burns Kabandha’s great body, like a lump of ghee, cooking in its fat. Quickly shaking off the pyre, the mighty one rises like a smokeless fire, wearing two spotless garments and a divine garland. Then from the pyre, radiant, in spotless clothes, delighted, adorned on every limb, he flies up swiftly, standing in a shining, glorious celestial chariot drawn by swans, lighting up the ten directions with his radiance. Standing in the sky, Kabandha says to Rama: “Listen, Raghava, to how you will truly find Sita. There are six means in the world, Rama, by which everything is examined. One who is touched by the end of a phase is served by a bad phase. You, Rama, with Lakshmana, have fallen into a bad phase, because of which you have met calamity in the violation of your wife. So you must surely make a friend, best of friends; without doing that I see no success for you, as I think it over. Listen, Rama; I will tell you. There is a monkey named Sugriva, cast out by his angry brother Valin, Shakra’s son. On Rishyamuka, best of mountains, adorned by the shore of the Pampa, the self-possessed hero lives with four monkeys. Lord of the monkeys, very mighty, splendid, of boundless radiance, true to his word, disciplined, steady, wise, great, able, bold, bright, of great strength and valour, he was exiled by his great-souled brother for the sake of the kingdom, hero. He will be your helper and friend in searching for Sita, Rama; do not set your mind on grief. What is to be cannot be otherwise here, tiger of the Ikshvakus; Time is hard to pass. Go quickly from here, hero, to that mighty Sugriva; make him your friend at once, going today, Raghava, meeting him in no-betrayal before a blazing fire. You must not despise Sugriva, lord of the monkeys: grateful, taking any form, seeking help, mighty. You two are able today to do what he wishes to have done. Whether his purpose is achieved or not, he will do your work. He is the son of Riksharajas, wandering the Pampa in fear, the bodily son of the sun, wronged by Valin. Laying down your weapon quickly, make that forest-roaming monkey who lives on Rishyamuka your friend truly, Raghava. That elephant among monkeys, by his skill, reaches every place of the man-eaters in the world; nothing in the world is unknown to him, Raghava, as far as the thousand-rayed sun shines, scorcher of foes. Searching rivers, vast mountains, mountain strongholds and caves with the monkeys, he will find your wife. He will send huge-bodied monkeys to the directions to search for Sita, grieving at separation from you, Raghava; he will search for lovely-hipped Maithili in Ravana’s home. Whether she is on the peak of Meru, or has entered and stays in the depths of the underworld, the bull among monkeys will kill the rakshasas and give back your beloved, the blameless one.”
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एवमुक्तौ तु तौ वीरौ कबन्धेन नरेश्वरौ । गिरिप्रदरमासाद्य पावकं विससर्जतुः ॥ १ ॥
Spoken to so by Kabandha, those two heroes, lords of men, reaching a mountain cleft, released the fire.
Commentary on the whole sarga
Kabandha Freed; “Go to Sugriva” 1 min read.
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लक्ष्मणस्तु महोल्काभिर्ज्वलिताभिः समन्ततः । चितामादीपयामास सा प्रजज्वाल सर्वतः ॥ २ ॥
And Lakshmana lit the pyre on every side with great blazing torches, and it blazed on all sides.
तच्छरीरं कबन्धस्य घृतपिण्डोपमं महत् । मेदसा पच्यमानस्य मन्दं दहत पावकः ॥ ३ ॥
That great body of Kabandha, like a lump of ghee, cooking in its fat, the fire burned slowly.
सविधूय चितामाशु विधूमोऽग्निरिवोत्थितः । अरजे वाससी बिभ्रन्माल्यं दिव्यं महाबलः ॥ ४ ॥
Quickly shaking off the pyre, like a smokeless fire risen, wearing two spotless garments and a divine garland, the very mighty one,
ततश्चिताया वेगेन भास्वरो विरजाम्बरः । उत्पपाताशु संहृष्टः सर्वप्रत्यङ्गभूषणः ॥ ५ ॥
then from the pyre with speed, radiant, in spotless clothes, flew up quickly, delighted, adorned in every limb.
विमाने भास्वरे तिष्ठन् हंसयुक्ते यशस्करे । प्रभया च महातेजा दिशो दश विराजयन् ॥ ६ ॥
Standing in a shining, glorious celestial chariot yoked with swans, the very splendid one, lighting up the ten directions with his radiance,
सोऽन्तरिक्षगतो वाक्यं कबन्धो राममब्रवीत् । शृणु राघव तत्त्वेन यथा सीतामवाप्स्यसि ॥ ७ ॥
that Kabandha, gone into the sky, said these words to Rama: “Listen, Raghava, truly, how you will obtain Sita.
राम षड् युक्तयो लोके याभिः सर्वं विमृश्यते । परिमृष्टो दशान्तेन दशाभागेन सेव्यते ॥ ८ ॥
“Rama, there are six means in the world, by which everything is examined. One touched by the end of a phase is served by an evil phase.
दशाभागगतो हीनस्त्वं हि राम सलक्ष्मणः । यत्कृते व्यसनं प्राप्तं त्वया दारप्रधर्षणम् ॥ ९ ॥
“You, Rama, with Lakshmana, have fallen into an evil phase, because of which calamity has come to you, the violation of your wife.
तदवश्यं त्वया कार्यः स सुहृत् सुहृदां वर । अकृत्वा नहि ते सिद्धिमहं पश्यामि चिन्तयन् ॥ १० ॥
“Therefore you must surely make that friend, best of friends. Without doing so, I see no success for you, as I think.
श्रूयतां राम वक्ष्यामि सुग्रीवो नाम वानरः । भ्रात्रा निरस्तः क्रुद्धेन वालिना शक्रसूनुना ॥ ११ ॥
“Listen, Rama, I will tell you. There is a monkey named Sugriva, cast out by his angry brother Valin, Shakra’s son.
ऋष्यमूके गिरिवरे पम्पापर्यन्तशोभिते । निवसत्यात्मवान् वीरश्चतुर्भिः सह वानरैः ॥ १२ ॥
“On Rishyamuka, best of mountains, adorned to the edge of the Pampa, the self-possessed hero lives with four monkeys,
वानरेन्द्रो महावीर्यस्तेजोवानमितप्रभः । सत्यसंधो विनीतश्च धृतिमान् मतिमान् महान् ॥ १३ ॥
“lord of monkeys, very mighty, splendid, of boundless radiance, true to his promise, disciplined, steady, wise, great,
दक्षः प्रगल्भो द्युतिमान् महाबलपराक्रमः । भ्रात्रा विवासितो वीर राज्यहेतोर्महात्मना ॥ १४ ॥
“able, bold, bright, of great strength and valour, exiled by his great-souled brother, hero, for the sake of the kingdom.
स ते सहायो मित्रं च सीतायाः परिमार्गणे । भविष्यति हि ते राम मा च शोके मनः कृथाः ॥ १५ ॥
“He will be your helper and friend in searching for Sita, Rama. Do not set your mind on grief.
भवितव्यं हि तच्चापि न तच्छक्यमिहान्यथा । कर्तुमिक्ष्वाकुशार्दूल कालो हि दुरतिक्रमः ॥ १६ ॥
“For what is to be cannot be done otherwise here, tiger of the Ikshvakus; for Time is hard to pass beyond.
गच्छ शीघ्रमितो वीर सुग्रीवं तं महाबलम् । वयस्यं तं कुरु क्षिप्रमितो गत्वाद्य राघव ॥ १७ ॥
“Go quickly from here, hero, to that very mighty Sugriva. Make him your friend quickly, going from here today, Raghava,
अद्रोहाय समागम्य दीप्यमाने विभावसौ । न च ते सोऽवमन्तव्यः सुग्रीवो वानराधिपः ॥ १८ ॥
“meeting for no-betrayal before a blazing fire. And that Sugriva, lord of the monkeys, must not be despised by you:
कृतज्ञः कामरूपी च सहायार्थी च वीर्यवान् । शक्तौ ह्यद्य युवां कर्तुं कार्यं तस्य चिकीर्षितम् ॥ १९ ॥
“grateful, taking any form at will, seeking help, mighty. You two are able today to do what he wishes to do.
कृतार्थो वाकृतार्थो वा तव कृत्यं करिष्यति । स ऋक्षरजसः पुत्रः पम्पामटति शङ्कितः ॥ २० ॥
“Whether his purpose is achieved or not, he will do your work. He, the son of Riksharajas, roams the Pampa, fearful,
भास्करस्यौरसः पुत्रो वालिना कृतकिल्बिषः । संनिधायायुधं क्षिप्रमृष्यमूकालयं कपिम् ॥ २१ ॥
“the bodily son of the sun, wronged by Valin. Laying down your weapon quickly, the monkey dwelling on Rishyamuka,
कुरु राघव सत्येन वयस्यं वनचारिणम् । स हि स्थानानि कात्स्न्र्येन सर्वाणि कपिकुञ्जरः ॥ २२ ॥
“make that forest-roamer your friend by truth, Raghava. For that elephant among monkeys reaches all the places entirely
नरमांसाशिनां लोके नैपुण्यादधिगच्छति । न तस्याविदितं लोके किंचिदस्ति हि राघव ॥ २३ ॥
“of the man-eaters in the world, through his skill. For there is nothing in the world unknown to him, Raghava,
यावत् सूर्यः प्रतपति सहस्रांशुः परंतप । स नदीर्विपुलान् शैलान् गिरिदुर्गाणि कन्दरान् ॥ २४ ॥
“as far as the thousand-rayed sun shines, scorcher of foes. Searching rivers, vast mountains, mountain strongholds and caves,
अन्विष्य वानरैः सार्धं पत्नीं तेऽधिगमिष्यति । वानरांश्च महाकायान् प्रेषयिष्यति राघव ॥ २५ ॥
“with the monkeys, he will find your wife. And he will send monkeys of huge body, Raghava,
दिशो विचेतुं तां सीतां त्वद्वियोगेन शोचतीम् । अन्वेष्यति वरारोहां मैथिलीं रावणालये ॥ २६ ॥
“to the directions to search for Sita, grieving at separation from you. He will search for lovely-hipped Maithili in Ravana’s home.
स मेरुशृङ्गाग्रगतामनिन्दितां प्रविश्य पातालतलेऽपि वाश्रिताम् । प्लवङ्गमानामृषभस्तव प्रियां निहत्य रक्षांसि पुनः प्रदास्यति ॥ २७ ॥
“Whether she has gone to the top of Meru’s peak, blameless, or has entered and taken refuge in the underworld, the bull of the monkeys, having killed the rakshasas, will give back your beloved again.”