Kishkindha Kanda · Sarga 37 of 67 · 37 verses
The Great Muster
Spoken to so by great-souled Lakshmana, Sugriva says to Hanuman, standing beside him: “Those who live on the peaks of Mahendra, Himavan, the Vindhya and Kailasa, on Mandara and Pandushikhara and the five mountains; on the mountains always shining with the colour of the young sun at the ocean’s edge in the west; the terrible bulls among monkeys who have taken refuge in the house of the sun, on the mountain like an evening cloud, and in the woods of Mount Padmachala; the monkeys like collyrium and clouds, with the might of lordly elephants, who live on Mount Anjana; the golden monkeys who live in the caves of great mountains; those on the slopes of Meru and those who live on Mount Dhumra; the terribly swift monkeys, coloured like the young sun, who drink honey and maireya on Mount Maharuna; and those in very lovely, fragrant, great forests and in woodland edges on every side made lovely by ascetics’ hermitages: bring all those monkeys on earth quickly, by conciliation, gifts and other means, through the swiftest monkeys. Send lords of monkeys again to hurry those very swift ones I ordered first. Bring here quickly all the lords of monkeys who are attached to pleasures and dilatory. Those who do not come within ten days at my command are to be killed, wicked ones who spoil the king’s order. Let hundreds, thousands and millions of lions among monkeys who stand under my command set out at my order. Let the best of monkeys, terrible in form, like clouds and mountains, go from here at my command, as if covering the sky. Let all the monkeys who know the ways go their ways on earth and bring all the monkeys quickly at my command.” Hearing the words of the king of the monkeys, the son of the wind sends valiant monkeys in all directions. Sent by the king, the monkeys set out in a moment on the path of Vishnu’s stride, the way of birds and stars. In oceans, mountains, forests and lakes, those monkeys urge all the monkeys on for Rama’s sake. Hearing the command of Sugriva, king of kings, like Death and Time, the monkeys come, fearing Sugriva. Then from that mountain come three crores of very mighty monkeys like collyrium to where Raghava is. From the best of mountains where the sun sets come ten crores, coloured like refined gold. From the peaks of Kailasa come thousands of crores of monkeys with the radiance of a lion’s mane. A thousand of those thousands of crores who live on fruit and roots on Himavan come. Thousands of crores of terrible monkeys, of terrible deeds, like Mars, rush from the Vindhya. Those who live on the shore of the ocean of milk, in the tamala forests, and who eat coconuts: their number cannot be told. From forests, caves and rivers comes the very mighty monkey army, as if drinking up the sun.
The heroic monkeys who had gone to hurry all the monkeys see on Mount Himavan that great tree. On that holy best of mountains, long ago, a sacrifice to Maheshvara was held, very lovely, delighting the minds of all the gods. There the monkeys see roots and fruits that grew from the overflow of the sacrificial food, sweet as nectar. Whoever eats once of those divine, charming fruits and roots born from that food is satisfied for a month. The fruit-eating bulls among monkeys take those divine roots and fruits and divine herbs, and from that sacrificial ground they bring fragrant flowers to please Sugriva. Having urged all the monkeys on earth, all those best of monkeys go quickly ahead of the troops. Swift-moving, the monkeys reach Kishkindha in haste at that very moment, where Sugriva is. Taking all the herbs, fruits and roots, the monkeys present them to him and say: “All the mountains, rivers and forests have been covered. All the monkeys on earth are coming at your command.” Hearing this, Sugriva, lord of the leapers, is delighted and, pleased, accepts all their gifts.
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एवमुक्तस्तु सुग्रीवो लक्ष्मणेन महात्मना । हनूमन्तं स्थितं पार्श्वे वचनं चेदमब्रवीत् ॥ १ ॥
Spoken to so by great-souled Lakshmana, Sugriva spoke these words to Hanuman standing at his side:
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महेन्द्रहिमवद्विन्ध्यकैलासशिखरेषु च । मन्दरे पाण्डुशिखरे पञ्चशैलेषु ये स्थिताः ॥ २ ॥
“Those who stand on the peaks of Mahendra, Himavan, the Vindhya and Kailasa, on Mandara and Pandushikhara, and on the five mountains;
तरुणादित्यवर्णेषु भ्राजमानेषु नित्यशः । पर्वतेषु समुद्रान्ते पश्चिमस्यां तु ये दिशि ॥ ३ ॥
“those on the mountains always shining with the colour of the young sun, at the ocean’s edge in the western direction;
आदित्यभवने चैव गिरौ संध्याभ्रसंनिभे । पद्माचलवनं भीमाः संश्रिता हरिपुंगवाः ॥ ४ ॥
“and the terrible bulls among monkeys who have taken refuge in the house of the sun, on the mountain like an evening cloud, and in the forest of Padmachala;
अञ्जनाम्बुदसंकाशाः कुञ्जरेन्द्रमहौजसः । अञ्जने पर्वते चैव ये वसन्ति प्लवंगमाः ॥ ५ ॥
“the leapers like collyrium and clouds, of the great might of lordly elephants, who live on Mount Anjana;
महाशैलगुहावासा वानराः कनकप्रभाः । मेरुपार्श्वगताश्चैव ये च धूम्रगिरिं श्रिताः ॥ ६ ॥
“the monkeys with golden radiance dwelling in the caves of great mountains, and those gone to the sides of Meru, and those who have taken refuge on Dhumragiri;
तरुणादित्यवर्णाश्च पर्वते ये महारुणे । पिबन्तो मधु मैरेयं भीमवेगाः प्लवंगमाः ॥ ७ ॥
“and the leapers of terrible speed, coloured like the young sun, on the mountain Maharuna, drinking honey and maireya;
वनेषु च सुरम्येषु सुगन्धिषु महत्सु च । तापसाश्रमरम्येषु वनान्तेषु समन्ततः ॥ ८ ॥
“and in very lovely, fragrant, great forests, and in woodland edges on every side, lovely with hermitages of ascetics:
तांस्तांस्त्वमानय क्षिप्रं पृथिव्यां सर्ववानरान् । सामदानादिभिः कल्पैर्वानरैर्वेगवत्तरैः ॥ ९ ॥
“bring all those monkeys on earth quickly, by means such as conciliation and gifts, through monkeys of greater speed.
प्रेषिताः प्रथमं ये च मयाऽऽज्ञाता महाजवाः । त्वरणार्थं तु भूयस्त्वं सम्प्रेषय हरीश्वरान् ॥ १० ॥
“And those very swift ones who were sent first, ordered by me: send lords of monkeys again for the purpose of hurrying them.
ये प्रसक्ताश्च कामेषु दीर्घसूत्राश्च वानराः । इहानयस्व तान् शीघ्रं सर्वानेव कपीश्वरान् ॥ ११ ॥
“And those monkeys who are attached to pleasures and dilatory: bring all those lords of monkeys here quickly.
अहोभिर्दशभिर्ये च नागच्छन्ति ममाज्ञया । हन्तव्यास्ते दुरात्मानो राजशासनदूषकाः ॥ १२ ॥
“And those who do not come in ten days at my command are to be killed, wicked ones, spoilers of the king’s order.
शतान्यथ सहस्राणि कोट्यश्च मम शासनात् । प्रयान्तु कपिसिंहानां निदेशे मम ये स्थिताः ॥ १३ ॥
“Let hundreds, then thousands and crores of lions among monkeys who stand in my command set out at my order.
मेघपर्वतसंकाशाश्छादयन्त इवाम्बरम् । घोररूपाः कपिश्रेष्ठा यान्तु मच्छासनादितः ॥ १४ ॥
“Like clouds and mountains, as if covering the sky, let the best of monkeys, terrible in form, go from here at my command.
ते गतिज्ञा गतिं गत्वा पृथिव्यां सर्ववानराः । आनयन्तु हरीन् सर्वांस्त्वरिताः शासनान्मम ॥ १५ ॥
“Let all those monkeys who know the ways, going their ways on earth, bring all the monkeys quickly at my command.”
तस्य वानरराजस्य श्रुत्वा वायुसुतो वचः । दिक्षु सर्वासु विक्रान्तान् प्रेषयामास वानरान् ॥ १६ ॥
Hearing the words of that king of monkeys, the son of the wind sent valiant monkeys to all the directions.
ते पदं विष्णुविक्रान्तं पतत्त्रिज्योतिरध्वगाः । प्रयाताः प्रहिता राज्ञा हरयस्तु क्षणेन वै ॥ १७ ॥
They went in a moment, sent by the king, the monkeys, to the stride of Vishnu, travellers of the path of birds and stars.
ते समुद्रेषु गिरिषु वनेषु च सरस्सु च । वानरा वानरान् सर्वान् रामहेतोरचोदयन् ॥ १८ ॥
In oceans, on mountains, in forests and in lakes, those monkeys urged all the monkeys for Rama’s sake.
मृत्युकालोपमस्याज्ञां राजराजस्य वानराः । सुग्रीवस्याययुः श्रुत्वा सुग्रीवभयशङ्किताः ॥ १९ ॥
Hearing the command of Sugriva, king of kings, like Death and Time, the monkeys came, fearing Sugriva.
ततस्तेऽञ्जनसंकाशा गिरेस्तस्मान्महाबलाः । तिस्रः कोट्यः प्लवंगानां निर्ययुर्यत्र राघवः ॥ २० ॥
Then from that mountain, very mighty, like collyrium, three crores of leapers went out to where Raghava was.
अस्तं गच्छति यत्रार्कस्तस्मिन् गिरिवरे रताः । संतप्तहेमवर्णाभास्तस्मात् कोट्यो दश च्युताः ॥ २१ ॥
From that best of mountains where the sun goes to set, those delighting there, coloured like refined gold, ten crores set out.
कैलासशिखरेभ्यश्च सिंहकेसरवर्चसाम् । ततः कोटिसहस्राणि वानराणां समागमन् ॥ २२ ॥
And from the peaks of Kailasa, of monkeys with the splendour of lions’ manes, then thousands of crores came.
फलमूलेन जीवन्तो हिमवन्तमुपाश्रिताः । तेषां कोटिसहस्राणां सहस्रं समवर्तत ॥ २३ ॥
Of those living on fruit and roots, dwelling on Himavan, a thousand of thousands of crores came.
अङ्गारकसमानानां भीमानां भीमकर्मणाम् । विन्ध्याद् वानरकोटीनां सहस्राण्यपतन् द्रुतम् ॥ २४ ॥
Of terrible crores of monkeys of terrible deeds, like Mars, thousands rushed quickly from the Vindhya.
क्षीरोदवेलानिलयास्तमालवनवासिनः । नारिकेलाशनाश्चैव तेषां संख्या न विद्यते ॥ २५ ॥
Those dwelling on the shore of the ocean of milk, living in tamala forests, and coconut-eaters: of them there was no count.
वनेभ्यो गह्वरेभ्यश्च सरिद्भ्यश्च महाबलाः । आगच्छद् वानरी सेना पिबन्तीव दिवाकरम् ॥ २६ ॥
From forests and caves and rivers the very mighty monkey army came, as if drinking up the sun.
ये तु त्वरयितुं याता वानराः सर्ववानरान् । ते वीरा हिमवच्छैले ददृशुस्तं महाद्रुमम् ॥ २७ ॥
And the heroic monkeys who had gone to hurry all the monkeys saw on Mount Himavan that great tree.
तस्मिन् गिरिवरे पुण्ये यज्ञो माहेश्वरः पुरा । सर्वदेवमनस्तोषो बभूव सुमनोरमः ॥ २८ ॥
On that holy best of mountains, long ago, a sacrifice to Maheshvara took place, very lovely, delighting the minds of all the gods.
अन्ननिस्यन्दजातानि मूलानि च फलानि च । अमृतस्वादुकल्पानि ददृशुस्तत्र वानराः ॥ २९ ॥
Roots and fruits born from the overflow of food, like nectar in sweetness, the monkeys saw there.
तदन्नसम्भवं दिव्यं फलमूलं मनोहरम् । यः कश्चित् सकृदश्नाति मासं भवति तर्पितः ॥ ३० ॥
Whoever eats once that divine, charming fruit and root, born of that food, is satisfied for a month.
तानि मूलानि दिव्यानि फलानि च फलाशनाः । औषधानि च दिव्यानि जगृहुर्हरिपुंगवाः ॥ ३१ ॥
Those divine roots and fruits, and divine herbs, the fruit-eating bulls among monkeys took.
तस्माच्च यज्ञायतनात् पुष्पाणि सुरभीणि च । आनिन्युर्वानरा गत्वा सुग्रीवप्रियकारणात् ॥ ३२ ॥
And from that place of sacrifice the monkeys went and brought fragrant flowers for the sake of pleasing Sugriva.
ते तु सर्वे हरिवराः पृथिव्यां सर्ववानरान् । संचोदयित्वा त्वरितं यूथानां जग्मुरग्रतः ॥ ३३ ॥
And all those best of monkeys, having urged all the monkeys on earth, went quickly ahead of the troops.
ते तु तेन मुहूर्तेन कपयः शीघ्रचारिणः । किष्किन्धां त्वरया प्राप्ताः सुग्रीवो यत्र वानरः ॥ ३४ ॥
And those quick-moving monkeys, at that moment, reached Kishkindha in haste, where Sugriva the monkey was.
ते गृहीत्वौषधीः सर्वाः फलमूलं च वानराः । तं प्रतिग्राहयामासुर्वचनं चेदमब्रुवन् ॥ ३५ ॥
Those monkeys, taking all the herbs and fruits and roots, presented them to him and spoke these words:
सर्वे परिसृताः शैलाः सरितश्च वनानि च । पृथिव्यां वानराः सर्वे शासनादुपयान्ति ते ॥ ३६ ॥
“All mountains, rivers and forests have been covered. All the monkeys on earth are coming at your command.”
एवं श्रुत्वा ततो हृष्टः सुग्रीवः प्लवगाधिपः । प्रतिजग्राह च प्रीतस्तेषां सर्वमुपायनम् ॥ ३७ ॥
Hearing so, then Sugriva, lord of the leapers, delighted, pleased, accepted all their gifts.