The Search Party Sent West

Having sent the monkeys to the south, King Sugriva approaches the monkey named Sushena, like a cloud, Tara’s father and his own father-in-law, of terrible valour, bows to him and speaks with joined palms. And he directs to the west the great monkey Maricha, son of a great seer, radiant, surrounded by brave best of monkeys, with splendour like great Indra’s, endowed with understanding and valour, with radiance like Vainateya’s, and the sons of Marichi, the mighty Marichas wearing garlands of light, all those sons of seers: “With two hundred thousand monkeys, best of monkeys, led by Sushena, search for Vaidehi. Search, bulls among monkeys, the Saurashtras with the Bahlikas and the Candracitras, the thriving, lovely countries and the great cities, Kukshi, dense with punnaga, crowded with bakula and uddalaka, and the ketaka groves; the west-flowing rivers with cool, auspicious water; the forests of ascetics and the wild mountains. There the ground is mostly desert, with very high, cold rocks. Having searched the hard western region covered with networks of mountains, go further west and you should see the ocean; going there you will see, monkeys, its waters crowded with timi whales and crocodiles. Then the monkeys will roam in the ketaka groves, the dense tamala forests and the coconut woods. There search for Sita and Ravana’s dwelling, in the mountains and forests set along the shore, in the lovely town of Muravi and in Jatapura, in Avanti and Angalepa and the forest Alakshita, and the broad kingdoms and towns here and there. At the meeting of the Sindhu and the ocean there is a great mountain named Somagiri, with a hundred peaks and great trees. On its lovely plateaus live winged lions, who carry timi whales, fish and elephants up to their nests. In those nests of the lions on the mountain peaks, and in this wide, water-filled place, proud, sated elephants roam all round, trumpeting like thunder. Its golden peak, touching heaven, with many-coloured trees, must all be quickly searched by the monkeys who take any form at will. Going there, monkeys, you will see the golden, hard-to-see peak of Pariyatra, a hundred yojanas, at the ocean’s edge. There live twenty-four crores of swift gandharvas, like fire, terrible, taking any form at will, like flames of fire, gathered on every side. The monkeys of terrible valour must not come too near them, nor take any fruit from that place, for those heroes are hard to approach, strong and very mighty; of terrible valour, they guard the fruits and roots there. Effort must be made there and Janaki searched for; there is no danger from them if you keep to your monkey nature. There is a great mountain named Vajra, coloured like beryl, shaped like a diamond, covered with many trees and creepers, glorious, rising a full hundred yojanas; its caves must be searched carefully, leapers. In the fourth part of the ocean is a mountain named Chakravan, where a thousand-spoked discus was made by Vishvakarman. There the best of beings killed Panchajana and the danava Hayagriva and took the discus and the conch. On its lovely ridges and in its wide caves, search everywhere for Ravana with Vaidehi. Sixty-four yojanas off, in the unfathomable home of Varuna, is a very great mountain named Varaha with golden peaks. There is a golden city called Pragjyotisha, in which lives a wicked danava named Naraka. On its lovely ridges and in its wide caves, search everywhere for Ravana with Vaidehi. Beyond that king of mountains, golden within, is an all-golden mountain with streams and cascades. Elephants, boars, lions and tigers roar at it from every side, made proud by its echo. It is the mountain named Megha, on which glorious great Indra, chastiser of Paka, with his tawny horses, was consecrated king by the gods. Passing that king of mountains guarded by great Indra, you will come to sixty thousand golden mountains, coloured like the young sun, shining all round, adorned with golden trees in full flower. In their midst stands Meru, king of mountains, the supreme mountain, to whom the sun, when pleased, gave a boon long ago. Thus he spoke to the king of mountains: ‘All that rely on you will be golden day and night by my grace; and the gods, gandharvas and danavas who live on you will be devoted to me and shine with golden radiance.’ The Vishvedevas, the Vasus, the Maruts and the dwellers in heaven come at the western twilight to Meru, best of mountains, and attend on the sun; worshipped by them, the sun, invisible to all beings, goes to the mountain of setting. The sun covers those ten thousand yojanas swiftly in half a muhurta to reach that mountain. On its peak is a great, divine dwelling like the sun, crowded with palaces, built by Vishvakarman, adorned with wonderful trees full of many birds: the house of great-souled Varuna, noose in hand. Between Meru and the setting mountain is a great, glorious, ten-headed golden palm tree with a wonderful altar. In all those strongholds, lakes and rivers, search everywhere for Ravana with Vaidehi. There lives the knower of dharma made great by his own austerity, famous as Merusavarni, equal to Brahma. Bowing your heads to the ground, ask that great seer Merusavarni, like the sun, for news of Maithili. This far, at the end of night, the sun, having freed the whole living world from darkness, goes to the mountain of setting. Only so far can monkeys go, bulls among monkeys; beyond, sunless and boundless, we do not know. Having found Vaidehi and Ravana’s dwelling, reach the setting mountain and return when the month is full. You must not stay beyond a month; one who stays will be put to death by me. My heroic father-in-law will go with you. You, doing as you are told, must hear all he says; this mighty-armed one is my elder, my father-in-law, very mighty. You too are valiant and all of you are authorities; but making him your authority, look over the western direction. When the wife of the king of boundless splendour has been found, we will have done our duty by repaying what was done for us. And whatever else would further this work, decide it yourselves, joined with place, time and purpose.” Then the leapers led by Sushena, hearing Sugriva’s skilful words, all take leave of the lord of the leapers and go to that direction guarded by Varuna.

Press › to begin with verse 1.

अथ प्रस्थाप्य स हरीन् सुग्रीवो दक्षिणां दिशम् ।अब्रवीन्मेघसंकाशं सुषेणं नाम वानरम् ॥ १ ॥

Then, having sent the monkeys to the southern direction, Sugriva spoke to the monkey named Sushena, like a cloud.

The western party is led by Sushena, Tara’s father and Sugriva’s father-in-law, an elder whom Sugriva honours with a bow. The route passes from Saurashtra and the deserts of the west to the coast, then to marvels: winged lions nesting on Somagiri, carrying whales and elephants to their eyries; the mountain Chakravan, where Vishnu won his discus and conch; Naraka’s city of Pragjyotisha; and finally golden Meru and the mountain of sunset with the palace of Varuna.

Sugriva’s instruction to keep “to your monkey nature” near the fierce gandharvas of Pariyatra is a nice touch: monkeys there will be ignored as harmless, so long as they do not touch the fruit.

Sources. Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kanda, sarga 42 (southern recension, Gita Press numbering). Commentary by Vani Darshan, not scripture.