Kishkindha Kanda · Sarga 13 of 67 · 30 verses
The Hermitage of the Saptajanas
Righteous Rama, Lakshmana’s elder brother, goes with Sugriva from Rishyamuka to Kishkindha, guarded by Valin’s valour. Raising his great gold-adorned bow and taking arrows like the sun that win battles, he goes, with Sugriva, his neck bound with the creeper, and mighty Lakshmana ahead of him, and behind him the hero Hanuman, Nala, mighty Nila, and Tara of great splendour, leader of the leaders of monkey troops. Looking at trees bent with the weight of flowers, rivers with clear water flowing to the sea, caves, mountains, ravines and caverns, chief peaks and lovely clefts, ponds along the way with water clear as beryl and lotuses in bud, echoing with karandavas, cranes, swans, vanjulas, water-cocks, chakravakas and other birds; deer feeding on tender grass, fearless, standing on the meadows; wild elephants, terrible, roaming alone, enemies of ponds, adorned with white tusks, battering the banks, rutting, like moving mountains; monkeys like elephants, sprinkled with the dust of the earth; other forest creatures and birds of the sky, the followers of Sugriva go quickly. As they go, Rama sees a grove of trees and says to Sugriva: “This grove of trees shines like a cloud in the sky, vast as a mass of clouds, ringed by plantains at its edge. What is it? I want to know, friend; I am curious, and I want you to satisfy my curiosity.” Hearing great-souled Raghava’s words, Sugriva, still walking, tells him about that great forest: “This, Raghava, is a broad hermitage that takes away weariness, full of gardens and groves, with sweet roots, fruits and water. Here lived seven sages named the Saptajanas, of strict vows, always lying in water with their heads down, eating once in seven nights, living on air, unmoving. After seven hundred years they went to heaven with their bodies. By their power this hermitage, enclosed by a wall of trees, cannot be attacked even by the gods and asuras with Indra. Birds avoid it, and so do other forest creatures; those who enter it out of folly never come back. Here the tinkling of ornaments is heard, with full syllables, and the sound of instruments and songs, and a divine fragrance, Raghava. The three sacred fires still blaze; this smoke is seen, thick, reddish like a dove’s body, as if wrapping the treetops. These trees shine with smoke clinging to their crowns, like beryl mountains covered with nets of cloud. Righteous Raghava, bow to them, with your brother Lakshmana, purified, with joined palms. Those who bow to those seers of perfected self have nothing inauspicious in their bodies, Rama.” Then Rama with his brother Lakshmana, palms joined, salutes those great-souled seers. Having saluted them, righteous Rama, his brother Lakshmana, Sugriva and the monkeys go on, glad at heart. Having gone far along the road from the Saptajana hermitage, they see Kishkindha, hard to attack, guarded by Valin. Then Rama, his younger brother and the monkeys, taking up their weapons, their fierce splendour risen, come again to the city guarded by the valour of the son of the lord of the gods, to kill the enemy.
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ऋष्यमूकात् स धर्मात्मा किष्किन्धां लक्ष्मणाग्रजः । जगाम सह सुग्रीवो वालिविक्रमपालिताम् ॥ १ ॥
From Rishyamuka, that righteous elder brother of Lakshmana went with Sugriva to Kishkindha, guarded by Valin’s valour.
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The Hermitage of the Saptajanas 1 min read.
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समुद्यम्य महच्चापं रामः काञ्चनभूषितम् । शरांश्चादित्यसंकाशान् गृहीत्वा रणसाधकान् ॥ २ ॥
Raising his great bow, adorned with gold, and taking arrows like the sun, accomplishers of battle, Rama went;
अग्रतस्तु ययौ तस्य राघवस्य महात्मनः । सुग्रीवः संहतग्रीवो लक्ष्मणश्च महाबलः ॥ ३ ॥
and ahead of that great-souled Raghava went Sugriva, his neck bound, and very mighty Lakshmana;
पृष्ठतो हनुमान् वीरो नलो नीलश्च वीर्यवान् । तारश्चैव महातेजा हरियूथपयूथपः ॥ ४ ॥
behind, the hero Hanuman, Nala and mighty Nila, and Tara of great splendour, leader of the leaders of monkey troops.
ते वीक्षमाणा वृक्षांश्च पुष्पभारावलम्बिनः । प्रसन्नाम्बुवहाश्चैव सरितः सागरंगमाः ॥ ५ ॥
They, looking at trees hanging with the weight of flowers, and rivers flowing with clear water, going to the sea,
कन्दराणि च शैलांश्च निर्दराणि गुहास्तथा । शिखराणि च मुख्यानि दरीश्च प्रियदर्शनाः ॥ ६ ॥
and caves and mountains, and ravines and caverns, and chief peaks and lovely-looking clefts,
वैदूर्यविमलैस्तोयैः पद्मैश्चाकोशकुड्मलैः । शोभितान् सजलान् मार्गे तटाकांश्चावलोकयन् ॥ ७ ॥
looking at ponds along the way, full of water, adorned with water clear as beryl and lotuses with closed buds,
कारण्डैः सारसैर्हंसैर्वञ्जुलैर्जलकुक्कुटैः । चक्रवाकैस्तथा चान्यैः शकुनैः प्रतिनादितान् ॥ ८ ॥
echoing with karandas, cranes and swans, vanjulas and water-cocks, chakravakas and other birds,
मृदुशष्पाङ्कुराहारान्निर्भयान् वनगोचरान् । चरतः सर्वतः पश्यन् स्थलीषु हरिणान् स्थितान् ॥ ९ ॥
seeing deer, feeding on tender shoots of grass, fearless forest-roamers, moving about on every side, standing on the meadows,
तटाकवैरिणश्चापि शुक्लदन्तविभूषितान् । घोरानेकचरान् वन्यान् द्विरदान् कूलघातिनः ॥ १० ॥
and wild elephants, enemies of ponds, adorned with white tusks, terrible, roaming alone, battering the banks,
मत्तान् गिरितटोत्कृष्टान् पर्वतानिव जङ्गमान् । वानरान् द्विरदप्रख्यान् महीरेणुसमुक्षितान् ॥ ११ ॥
rutting, gouging the mountain slopes, like moving mountains, and monkeys like elephants, sprinkled with the dust of the earth,
वने वनचरांश्चान्यान् खेचरांश्च विहंगमान् । पश्यन्तस्त्वरिता जग्मुः सुग्रीववशवर्तिनः ॥ १२ ॥
and other forest-roamers in the forest, and birds moving in the sky: seeing these, Sugriva’s followers went quickly.
तेषां तु गच्छतां तत्र त्वरितं रघुनन्दनः । द्रुमषण्डवनं दृष्ट्वा रामः सुग्रीवमब्रवीत् ॥ १३ ॥
As they were going quickly there, Rama, delight of the Raghus, seeing a forest grove of trees, said to Sugriva:
एष मेघ इवाकाशे वृक्षषण्डः प्रकाशते । मेघसंघातविपुलः पर्यन्तकदलीवृतः ॥ १४ ॥
“This grove of trees shines like a cloud in the sky, vast as a mass of clouds, surrounded by plantains at the edges.
किमेतज्ज्ञातुमिच्छामि सखे कौतूहलं मम । कौतूहलापनयनं कर्तुमिच्छाम्यहं त्वया ॥ १५ ॥
“What is this? I wish to know, friend; I have curiosity. I wish the removal of my curiosity to be done by you.”
तस्य तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा राघवस्य महात्मनः । गच्छन् नेवाचचक्षेऽथ सुग्रीवस्तन्महद् वनम् ॥ १६ ॥
Hearing those words of great-souled Raghava, Sugriva, while going, then told him about that great forest:
एतद् राघव विस्तीर्णमाश्रमं श्रमनाशनम् । उद्यानवनसम्पन्नं स्वादुमूलफलोदकम् ॥ १७ ॥
“This, Raghava, is a broad hermitage, destroyer of weariness, rich in gardens and groves, with sweet roots, fruits and water.
अत्र सप्तजना नाम मुनयः संशितव्रताः । सप्तैवासन्नधःशीर्षा नियतं जलशायिनः ॥ १८ ॥
“Here sages named the Saptajanas, of strict vows, were seven, heads downward, always lying in water,
सप्तरात्रे कृताहारा वायुनाचलवासिनः । दिवं वर्षशतैर्याताः सप्तभिः सकलेवराः ॥ १९ ॥
“eating once in seven nights, living on air, dwelling unmoving. After seven hundred years they went to heaven with their bodies.
तेषामेतत्प्रभावेण द्रुमप्राकारसंवृतम् । आश्रमं सुदुराधर्षमपि सेन्द्रैः सुरासुरैः ॥ २० ॥
“By their power this hermitage, enclosed by a rampart of trees, is very hard to attack even by gods and asuras with Indra.
पक्षिणो वर्जयन्त्येतत् तथान्ये वनचारिणः । विशन्ति मोहाद् येऽप्यत्र न निवर्तन्ति ते पुनः ॥ २१ ॥
“Birds avoid it, and so do other forest-roamers. Those who enter here out of folly do not return again.
विभूषणरवाश्चात्र श्रूयन्ते सकलाक्षराः । तूर्यगीतस्वनश्चापि गन्धो दिव्यश्च राघव ॥ २२ ॥
“The sounds of ornaments are heard here, with full syllables, and the sound of instruments and song, and a divine fragrance, Raghava.
त्रेताग्नयोऽपि दीप्यन्ते धूमो ह्येष प्रदृश्यते । वेष्टयन्निव वृक्षाग्रान् कपोताङ्गारुणो घनः ॥ २३ ॥
“The three sacred fires also blaze; this smoke is seen, thick, reddish like a dove’s body, as if wrapping the treetops.
एते वृक्षाः प्रकाशन्ते धूमसंसक्तमस्तकाः । मेघजालप्रतिच्छन्ना वैडूर्यगिरयो यथा ॥ २४ ॥
“These trees shine with smoke clinging to their crowns, like beryl mountains covered with nets of cloud.
कुरु प्रणामं धर्मात्मंस्तेषामुद्दिश्य राघव । लक्ष्मणेन सह भ्रात्रा प्रयतः संहताञ्जलिः ॥ २५ ॥
“Make a bow, righteous one, directed to them, Raghava, with your brother Lakshmana, purified, with joined palms.
प्रणमन्ति हि ये तेषामृषीणां भावितात्मनाम् । न तेषामशुभं किंचिच्छरीरे राम विद्यते ॥ २६ ॥
“For those who bow to those seers of perfected self, Rama, there is nothing inauspicious in their bodies.”
ततो रामः सह भ्रात्रा लक्ष्मणेन कृताञ्जलिः । समुद्दिश्य महात्मानस्तानृषीनभ्यवादयत् ॥ २७ ॥
Then Rama, with his brother Lakshmana, palms joined, directing it to those great-souled seers, saluted them.
अभिवाद्य च धर्मात्मा रामो भ्राता च लक्ष्मणः । सुग्रीवो वानराश्चैव जम्मुः संहृष्टमानसाः ॥ २८ ॥
And having saluted, righteous Rama and his brother Lakshmana, Sugriva and the monkeys went on, glad at heart.
ते गत्वा दूरमध्वानं तस्मात् सप्तजनाश्रमात् । ददृशुस्तां दुराधर्षां किष्किन्धां वालिपालिताम् ॥ २९ ॥
Having gone a long way from that Saptajana hermitage, they saw that Kishkindha, hard to attack, guarded by Valin.
ततस्तु रामानुजरामवानराः प्रगृह्य शस्त्राण्युदितोग्रतेजसः । पुरीं सुरेशात्मजवीर्यपालितां वधाय शत्रोः पुनरागतास्त्विह ॥ ३० ॥
Then Rama’s younger brother, Rama and the monkeys, taking their weapons, their fierce splendour risen, came here again to the city guarded by the valour of the son of the lord of the gods, to kill the enemy.