Kishkindha Kanda · Sarga 2 of 67 · 29 verses
Sugriva’s Fear; Hanuman Sent
Seeing the great-souled brothers Rama and Lakshmana, heroes bearing fine weapons, Sugriva grows suspicious. His heart troubled, he looks in every direction and cannot stay still anywhere. Watching the two mighty ones, he cannot make up his mind to stay; the heart of the deeply frightened monkey sinks. Thinking it over, weighing what is serious and what is slight, very anxious, he tells his ministers: “Surely these two have been sent by Valin into this hard forest, wandering here in disguise, in bark clothes.” Seeing the two great archers, Sugriva’s ministers leave that mountain slope for another, higher peak. The troop-leaders quickly gather around the best of monkeys, leaping from mountain to mountain, shaking the peaks with their force, breaking the flowering trees, frightening deer, wildcats and tigers. Then on the king of mountains they gather around the chief monkey and stand with joined palms.
Then Hanuman, skilled in speech, says to Sugriva, terrified and suspecting some wrong from Valin: “Give up this great alarm about Valin, all of you. This is Malaya, best of mountains; there is no fear of Valin here. I do not see here that cruel Valin, cruel to look at, from whom you fled with troubled mind, bull among monkeys. That wicked Valin, your elder brother of evil deeds, whom you fear, gentle one, is not here; I see no danger for you. Ah, your monkey nature is plain, leaper: through fickleness of mind you cannot hold yourself steady in thought. Endowed with understanding and knowledge, do everything by reading signs; a king who has lost his judgment cannot rule all beings.” Hearing Hanuman’s good words, Sugriva answers with better ones: “Long-armed, large-eyed, carrying arrows, bows and swords, like sons of the gods: who would not fear on seeing them? I suspect these two best of men were sent by Valin. Kings have many friends; trust is not fitting here. A man must recognise enemies who go about in disguise; the untrusting strike the trusting at their weak points. Valin is shrewd in such matters, and kings see far; slayers of enemies must be known by ordinary men. You must go to them as an ordinary person, leaper, and learn about them from their gestures, their looks and their speech. See whether they are well disposed, gaining their trust again and again with praise and signs. Standing facing me, bull among monkeys, ask the two archers their purpose in entering this forest. Find out whether they are pure in heart, leaper; their wickedness can be known from their words or their looks.” Instructed so by the king of the monkeys, the son of the wind makes up his mind to go where Rama and Lakshmana are. Honouring the words of the frightened, formidable monkey, saying “So be it,” great Hanuman goes to where very mighty Rama is with Lakshmana.
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तौ तु दृष्ट्वा महात्मानौ भ्रातरौ रामलक्ष्मणौ । वरायुधधरौ वीरौ सुग्रीवः शङ्कितोऽभवत् ॥ १ ॥
Seeing those two great-souled brothers, Rama and Lakshmana, heroes bearing fine weapons, Sugriva became suspicious.
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Sugriva’s Fear; Hanuman Sent 1 min read.
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उद्विग्नहृदयः सर्वा दिशः समवलोकयन् । न व्यतिष्ठत कस्मिंश्चिद् देशे वानरपुंगवः ॥ २ ॥
His heart troubled, looking in all directions, the bull among monkeys did not stay in any one place.
नैव चक्रे मनः स्थातुं वीक्षमाणौ महाबलौ । कपेः परमभीतस्य चित्तं व्यवससाद ह ॥ ३ ॥
Seeing the two very mighty ones, he could not set his mind on staying; the heart of the monkey, greatly afraid, sank.
चिन्तयित्वा स धर्मात्मा विमृश्य गुरुलाघवम् । सुग्रीवः परमोद्विग्नः सर्वैस्तैर्वानरैः सह ॥ ४ ॥
Having thought, weighing what was heavy and what light, righteous Sugriva, greatly troubled, with all those monkeys,
ततः स सचिवेभ्यस्तु सुग्रीवः प्लवगाधिपः । शशंस परमोद्विग्नः पश्यंस्तौ रामलक्ष्मणौ ॥ ५ ॥
then Sugriva, lord of the leapers, greatly troubled, seeing Rama and Lakshmana, told his ministers:
एतौ वनमिदं दुर्गं वालिप्रणिहितौ ध्रुवम् । छद्मना चीरवसनौ प्रचरन्ताविहागतौ ॥ ६ ॥
“These two have surely been sent by Valin into this hard forest; they have come here roaming in disguise, wearing bark clothes.”
ततः सुग्रीवसचिवा दृष्ट्वा परमधन्विनौ । जग्मुर्गिरितटात् तस्मादन्यच्छिखरमुत्तमम् ॥ ७ ॥
Then Sugriva’s ministers, seeing the two supreme archers, went from that mountain slope to another, higher peak.
ते क्षिप्रमभिगम्याथ यूथपा यूथपर्षभम् । हरयो वानरश्रेष्ठं परिवार्योपतस्थिरे ॥ ८ ॥
Then, quickly approaching, the troop-leaders, the monkeys, surrounding the bull of the troop-leaders, best of monkeys, stood by him.
एवमेकायनगताः प्लवमाना गिरेर्गिरिम् । प्रकम्पयन्तो वेगेन गिरीणां शिखराणि च ॥ ९ ॥
So gathered in one place, leaping from mountain to mountain, shaking the peaks of the mountains with their force,
ततः शाखामृगाः सर्वे प्लवमाना महाबलाः । बभञ्जुश्च नगांस्तत्र पुष्पितान् दुर्गमाश्रितान् ॥ १० ॥
then all the very mighty monkeys, leaping, broke the flowering trees there growing in hard places.
आप्लवन्तो हरिवराः सर्वतस्तं महागिरिम् । मृगमार्जारशार्दूलांस्त्रासयन्तो ययुस्तदा ॥ ११ ॥
The best of monkeys, leaping on every side of that great mountain, went then, terrifying deer, wildcats and tigers.
ततः सुग्रीवसचिवाः पर्वतेन्द्रे समाहिताः । संगम्य कपिमुख्येन सर्वे प्राञ्जलयः स्थिताः ॥ १२ ॥
Then Sugriva’s ministers, gathered on the king of mountains, meeting the chief monkey, all stood with joined palms.
ततस्तु भयसंत्रस्तं वालिकिल्बिषशङ्कितम् । उवाच हनुमान् वाक्यं सुग्रीवं वाक्यकोविदः ॥ १३ ॥
Then Hanuman, skilled in speech, spoke these words to Sugriva, terrified, suspecting a wrong from Valin:
सम्भ्रमस्त्यज्यतामेष सर्वैर्वालिकृते महान् । मलयोऽयं गिरिवरो भयं नेहास्ति वालिनः ॥ १४ ॥
“Let this great alarm, made on account of Valin, be given up by all. This is Malaya, best of mountains; there is no fear of Valin here.
यस्मादुद्विग्नचेतास्त्वं विद्रुतो हरिपुङ्गव । तं क्रूरदर्शनं क्रूरं नेह पश्यामि वालिनम् ॥ १५ ॥
“I do not see here that cruel Valin, cruel to look at, from whom you fled with troubled mind, bull among monkeys.
यस्मात् तव भयं सौम्य पूर्वजात् पापकर्मणः । स नेह वाली दुष्टात्मा न ते पश्याम्यहं भयम् ॥ १६ ॥
“That wicked Valin, your elder of evil deeds, from whom your fear comes, gentle one, is not here; I see no fear for you.
अहो शाखामृगत्वं ते व्यक्तमेव प्लवङ्गम । लघुचित्ततयाऽऽत्मानं न स्थापयसि यो मतौ ॥ १७ ॥
“Ah, your monkey nature is surely plain, leaper, you who through lightness of mind do not settle yourself in thought.
बुद्धिविज्ञानसम्पन्न इङ्गितैः सर्वमाचर । नह्यबुद्धिं गतो राजा सर्वभूतानि शास्ति हि ॥ १८ ॥
“Endowed with understanding and knowledge, do everything by signs. For a king fallen into folly does not rule all beings.”
सुग्रीवस्तु शुभं वाक्यं श्रुत्वा सर्वं हनूमतः । ततः शुभतरं वाक्यं हनूमन्तमुवाच ह ॥ १९ ॥
But Sugriva, hearing all Hanuman’s good words, then spoke still better words to Hanuman:
दीर्घबाहू विशालाक्षौ शरचापासिधारिणौ । कस्य न स्याद् भयं दृष्ट्वा ह्येतौ सुरसुतोपमौ ॥ २० ॥
“Long-armed, large-eyed, bearing arrows, bows and swords, like sons of the gods: who would not have fear seeing these two?
वालिप्रणिहितावेव शङ्केऽहं पुरुषोत्तमौ । राजानो बहुमित्राश्च विश्वासो नात्र हि क्षमः ॥ २१ ॥
“I suspect these two best of men are indeed sent by Valin. Kings have many friends; trust is not fitting here.
अरयश्च मनुष्येण विज्ञेयाश्छद्मचारिणः । विश्वस्तानामविश्वस्ताश्छिद्रेषु प्रहरन्त्यपि ॥ २२ ॥
“Enemies who go about in disguise must be recognised by a man. The untrusting strike the trusting at their weak points.
कृत्येषु वाली मेधावी राजानो बहुदर्शिनः । भवन्त परहन्तारस्ते ज्ञेयाः प्राकृतैर्नरैः ॥ २३ ॥
“Valin is shrewd in such tasks, and kings see much. Slayers of enemies must be known by ordinary men.
तौ त्वया प्राकृतेनेव गत्वा ज्ञेयौ प्लवंगम । इङ्गितानां प्रकारैश्च रूपव्याभाषणेन च ॥ २४ ॥
“Going as an ordinary person, leaper, you must learn about those two, by the kinds of their gestures, by their looks and their speech.
लक्षयस्व तयोर्भावं प्रहृष्टमनसौ यदि । विश्वासयन् प्रशंसाभिरिङ्गितैश्च पुनः पुनः ॥ २५ ॥
“Observe their disposition, whether they are glad at heart, gaining their trust again and again with praises and signs.
ममैवाभिमुखं स्थित्वा पृच्छ त्वं हरिपुङ्गव । प्रयोजनं प्रवेशस्य वनस्यास्य धनुर्धरौ ॥ २६ ॥
“Standing facing me, bull among monkeys, ask the two archers the purpose of their entering this forest.
शुद्धात्मानौ यदि त्वेतौ जानीहि त्वं प्लवङ्गम । व्याभाषितैर्वा रूपैर्वा विज्ञेया दुष्टतानयोः ॥ २७ ॥
“Find out, leaper, whether these two are pure-hearted. By their speech or by their looks, wickedness in them can be known.”
इत्येवं कपिराजेन संदिष्टो मारुतात्मजः । चकार गमने बुद्धिं यत्र तौ रामलक्ष्मणौ ॥ २८ ॥
Instructed so by the king of the monkeys, the son of the wind set his mind on going to where Rama and Lakshmana were.
तथेति सम्पूज्य वचस्तु तस्य कपेः सुभीतस्य दुरासदस्य । महानुभावो हनुमान् ययौ तदा स यत्र रामोऽतिबली सलक्ष्मणः ॥ २९ ॥
Saying “So be it,” honouring the words of that very frightened, formidable monkey, great Hanuman then went to where very mighty Rama was, with Lakshmana.