Kishkindha Kanda · Sarga 32 of 67 · 22 verses
Hanuman’s Frank Counsel
Hearing Angada’s words, and hearing that Lakshmana is angry, self-possessed Sugriva rises from his seat with his ministers. Having weighed what is serious and what is slight, the skilled counsellor, well grounded in counsel, says to his ministers, who know counsel: “I have said nothing wrong and done nothing wrong. Why is Lakshmana, Raghava’s brother, angry, I wonder? Unfriendly enemies of mine, always looking for weak spots, have told Raghava’s younger brother of faults of mine that never existed. First let all of you, according to your understanding and properly, find out his intention carefully and slowly. I am not afraid of Lakshmana, nor of Raghava; but a friend angered without reason does cause alarm. It is always easy to make a friend and hard to keep one; because minds are fickle, affection breaks over a small thing. So I am afraid on that account; I am not able to repay what great-souled Rama did for me.” When Sugriva has said this, Hanuman, bull among monkeys, speaks with his own reasoning among the monkey ministers: “It is no wonder at all, lord of the hosts of monkeys, that you do not forget the very loving, good help you received. For the heroic Raghava, casting fear far away, killed Valin, equal to Shakra in valour, to please you. Without doubt Raghava is angry out of affection, and has sent his brother Lakshmana, increaser of fortune. You, careless, do not know the time, best of those who know time. Lovely autumn has begun, dark with flowering saptacchada; the sky is clear, its planets and stars bright, its clouds gone; all the directions are clear, and the rivers and lakes. You do not notice that the time for action has come, bull among monkeys; clearly you have been careless, and so Lakshmana has come here. You must bear the harsh words, even through another man’s mouth, of great-souled Raghava, in distress, his wife carried off. Since you have committed an offence, I see nothing else fitting except to join your palms and win Lakshmana’s favour. A king must be told what is good by the ministers appointed to him; so, casting fear aside, I speak a firm word. Raghava, enraged, able, raising his bow, could bring the world with its gods, asuras and gandharvas under his power. He who would have to be propitiated again is not one to be angered, especially by a grateful man who remembers past help. Bow to him with your head, with your son and your friends, king, and keep to your agreement, under his authority as a wife under her husband’s. You should not even think of setting aside the command of Rama and Rama’s younger brother, lord of monkeys; your mind knows the strength of that human, with Raghava, whose splendour is like the lord of the gods.”
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अङ्गदस्य वचः श्रुत्वा सुग्रीवः सचिवैः सह । लक्ष्मणं कुपितं श्रुत्वा मुमोचासनमात्मवान् ॥ १ ॥
Hearing Angada’s words, Sugriva, with his ministers, hearing that Lakshmana was angry, the self-possessed one, left his seat.
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Hanuman’s Frank Counsel 1 min read.
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स च तानब्रवीद् वाक्यं निश्चित्य गुरुलाघवम् । मन्त्रज्ञान् मन्त्रकुशलो मन्त्रेषु परिनिष्ठितः ॥ २ ॥
And having determined what was heavy and light, the skilled counsellor, well grounded in counsel, spoke these words to those who knew counsel:
न मे दुर्व्याहृतं किंचिन्नापि मे दुरनुष्ठितम् । लक्ष्मणो राघवभ्राता क्रुद्धः किमिति चिन्तये ॥ ३ ॥
“Nothing wrongly spoken is mine, nor anything wrongly done by me. I wonder why Lakshmana, Raghava’s brother, is angry.
असुहृद्भिर्ममामित्रैर्नित्यमन्तरदर्शिभिः । मम दोषानसम्भूतान् श्रावितो राघवानुजः ॥ ४ ॥
“By unfriendly enemies of mine, always seeing weak spots, faults of mine that did not exist have been made heard by Raghava’s younger brother.
अत्र तावद् यथाबुद्धिः सर्वैरेव यथाविधि । भावस्य निश्चयस्तावद् विज्ञेयो निपुणं शनैः ॥ ५ ॥
“Here first, by all of you, according to understanding and properly, the determination of his intention must be learned carefully and slowly.
न खल्वस्ति मम त्रासो लक्ष्मणान्नापि राघवात् । मित्रं स्वस्थानकुपितं जनयत्येव सम्भ्रमम् ॥ ६ ॥
“There is surely no fear for me from Lakshmana, nor from Raghava. But a friend angered out of place does produce alarm.
सर्वथा सुकरं मित्रं दुष्करं प्रतिपालनम् । अनित्यत्वात् तु चित्तानां प्रीतिरल्पेऽपि भिद्यते ॥ ७ ॥
“In every way a friend is easy to make, the keeping hard. From the impermanence of minds, affection breaks over even a little.
अतो निमित्तं त्रस्तोऽहं रामेण तु महात्मना । यन्ममोपकृतं शक्यं प्रतिकर्तुं न तन्मया ॥ ८ ॥
“So for that reason I am afraid: for that help which great-souled Rama did me cannot be repaid by me.”
सुग्रीवेणैवमुक्ते तु हनूमान् हरिपुंगवः । उवाच स्वेन तर्केण मध्ये वानरमन्त्रिणाम् ॥ ९ ॥
When Sugriva had said this, Hanuman, bull among monkeys, spoke with his own reasoning in the midst of the monkey ministers:
सर्वथा नैतदाश्चर्यं यत् त्वं हरिगणेश्वर । न विस्मरसि सुस्निग्धमुपकारं कृतं शुभम् ॥ १० ॥
“It is no wonder at all, lord of the hosts of monkeys, that you do not forget the very loving, good help that was done.
राघवेण तु वीरेण भयमुत्सृज्य दूरतः । त्वत्प्रियार्थं हतो वाली शक्रतुल्यपराक्रमः ॥ ११ ॥
“For by the hero Raghava, casting fear far away, Valin, equal to Shakra in valour, was killed for your pleasure.
सर्वथा प्रणयात् क्रुद्धो राघवो नात्र संशयः । भ्रातरं सम्प्रहितवाँल्लक्ष्मणं लक्ष्मिवर्धनम् ॥ १२ ॥
“In every way Raghava is angry from affection; there is no doubt here. He has sent his brother Lakshmana, increaser of fortune.
त्वं प्रमत्तो न जानीषे कालं कालविदां वर । फुल्लसप्तच्छदश्यामा प्रवृत्ता तु शरच्छुभा ॥ १३ ॥
“You, careless, do not know the time, best of the knowers of time. Lovely autumn has begun, dark with flowering saptacchada.
निर्मलग्रहनक्षत्रा द्यौः प्रणष्टबलाहका । प्रसन्नाश्च दिशः सर्वाः सरितश्च सरांसि च ॥ १४ ॥
“The sky has clear planets and stars, its clouds lost; and all the directions are clear, and the rivers and lakes.
प्राप्तमुद्योगकालं तु नावैषि हरिपुंगव । त्वं प्रमत्त इति व्यक्तं लक्ष्मणोऽयमिहागतः ॥ १५ ॥
“You do not know that the time for effort has come, bull among monkeys. Clearly you are careless; so this Lakshmana has come here.
आर्तस्य हृतदारस्य परुषं पुरुषान्तरात् । वचनं मर्षणीयं ते राघवस्य महात्मनः ॥ १६ ॥
“The harsh words of great-souled Raghava, in distress, his wife carried off, even from another man, are to be borne by you.
कृतापराधस्य हि ते नान्यत् पश्याम्यहं क्षमम् । अन्तरेणाञ्जलिं बद्ध्वा लक्ष्मणस्य प्रसादनात् ॥ १७ ॥
“For you, having committed an offence, I see nothing else fitting except joining your palms for the propitiation of Lakshmana.
नियुक्तैर्मन्त्रिभिर्वाच्यो ह्यवश्यं पार्थिवो हितम् । इत एव भयं त्यक्त्वा ब्रवीम्यवधृतं वचः ॥ १८ ॥
“For a king must surely be told what is good by appointed ministers. So, giving up fear from here, I speak a firm word.
अभिक्रुद्धः समर्थो हि चापमुद्यम्य राघवः । सदेवासुरगन्धर्वं वशे स्थापयितुं जगत् ॥ १९ ॥
“For Raghava, enraged, able, raising his bow, could set the world with gods, asuras and gandharvas in his power.
न स क्षमः कोपयितुं यः प्रसाद्यः पुनर्भवेत् । पूर्वोपकारं स्मरता कृतज्ञेन विशेषतः ॥ २० ॥
“He is not fit to be angered who would have to be propitiated again, especially by a grateful one remembering past help.
तस्य मूर्ध्ना प्रणम्य त्वं सपुत्रः ससुहृज्जनः । राजंस्तिष्ठ स्वसमये भर्तुर्भार्येव तद्वशे ॥ २१ ॥
“Bowing to him with your head, with your son and friends, king, stand by your own agreement, in his power like a wife to her husband.
न रामरामानुजशासनं त्वया कपीन्द्र युक्तं मनसाप्यपोहितुम् । मनो हि ते ज्ञास्यति मानुषं बलं सराघवस्यास्य सुरेन्द्रवर्चसः ॥ २२ ॥
“It is not fitting, lord of monkeys, for you to set aside even in mind the command of Rama and Rama’s younger brother. For your mind will know the human strength of this one, with Raghava, of splendour like the lord of the gods.”