Kishkindha Kanda · Sarga 48 of 67 · 24 verses
The Southern Party in the Cursed Forest
With Tara and Angada, the monkey Hanuman quickly begins to go to the region Sugriva assigned. Having gone a long way with all those best of monkeys, they search the caves and thickets of the Vindhya, mountain tops, river strongholds, lakes, great trees, groves of many kinds, mountains and forest trees. Searching on every side, all those heroic monkeys do not see Sita, Maithili, Janaka’s daughter. Eating roots and fruits of many kinds, the invincible ones live here and there as they search. That region is hard to search, vast, full of caves and thickets, waterless, empty of people, desolate, dense and terrible to look at. Having searched such forests too, deeply distressed, all the leaders of monkey troops leave that vast, hard region and, fearing nothing, enter another, hard to approach, where the trees bear no fruit, have no flowers and no leaves, where the rivers have no water and roots are very hard to find, where there are no buffaloes, no deer, no elephants, no tigers, no birds, nor any other forest creatures, no trees, no herbs, no creepers, no shrubs; where lotus pools on the ground, with glossy leaves and blooming lotuses, lovely to see and fragrant, are empty of bees. A very fortunate sage named Kandu, truthful, rich in austerity, a great seer of supreme anger, unassailable through his vows, lost his ten-year-old son in that forest, who died there. Angered by that, the great sage, righteous as he was, cursed that whole great forest, making it no refuge, unapproachable, empty of beasts and birds. They search its woodland edges, its mountain caves and the springs of its rivers, with full attention; but even there the great-souled ones, eager to please Sugriva, do not see Janaka’s daughter or Ravana who took her. Entering a terrible place covered with creepers and bushes, they see an asura of terrible deeds who does not fear the gods. Seeing that terrible asura standing like a mountain, the monkeys all gird themselves tight. The mighty one says to all the monkeys, “You are lost!” and rushes at them in fury, raising his clenched fist. As he rushes at them, Angada, Valin’s son, thinking “This is Ravana,” strikes him with the palm of his hand. Struck by Valin’s son, vomiting blood from his mouth, the asura falls to the ground like an overturned mountain. When he has stopped breathing, the monkeys, flushed with victory, search almost the whole mountain cave. When all of it has been searched, all those forest-dwellers enter another terrible mountain cave. Having searched it too, weary, they come out together and, sick at heart, sit down in a lonely place at the foot of a tree.
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सह ताराङ्गदाभ्यां तु सहसा हनुमान् कपिः । सुग्रीवेण यथोद्दिष्टं गन्तुं देशं प्रचक्रमे ॥ १ ॥
With Tara and Angada, the monkey Hanuman quickly began to go to the region as directed by Sugriva.
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The Southern Party in the Cursed Forest 1 min read.
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स तु दूरमुपागम्य सर्वैस्तैः कपिसत्तमैः । ततो विचित्य विन्ध्यस्य गुहाश्च गहनानि च ॥ २ ॥
Having gone a long way with all those best of monkeys, then, having searched the caves and thickets of the Vindhya,
पर्वताग्रनदीदुर्गान् सरांसि विपुलद्रुमान् । वृक्षषण्डांश्च विविधान् पर्वतान् वनपादपान् ॥ ३ ॥
mountain tops and river strongholds, lakes and great trees, and groves of trees of many kinds, mountains and forest trees,
अन्वेषमाणास्ते सर्वे वानराः सर्वतो दिशम् । न सीतां ददृशुर्वीरा मैथिलीं जनकात्मजाम् ॥ ४ ॥
searching in every direction on all sides, all those heroic monkeys did not see Sita, Maithili, Janaka’s daughter.
ते भक्षयन्तो मूलानि फलानि विविधान्यपि । अन्वेषमाणा दुर्धर्षा न्यवसंस्तत्र तत्र ह ॥ ५ ॥
Eating roots and fruits of many kinds too, searching, the invincible ones lived here and there.
स तु देशो दुरन्वेषो गुहागहनवान् महान् । निर्जलं निर्जनं शून्यं गहनं घोरदर्शनम् ॥ ६ ॥
That region was hard to search, vast, with caves and thickets, waterless, empty of people, desolate, dense, terrible to look at.
तादृशान्यप्यरण्यानि विचित्य भृशपीडिताः । स देशश्च दुरन्वेष्यो गुहागहनवान् महान् ॥ ७ ॥
Having searched even such forests, greatly afflicted, that region being hard to search, vast, with caves and thickets,
त्यक्त्वा तु तं ततो देशं सर्वे वै हरियूथपाः । देशमन्यं दुराधर्षं विविशुश्चाकुतोभयाः ॥ ८ ॥
leaving that region then, all the leaders of monkey troops entered another region, hard to approach, without fear from anywhere,
यत्र वन्ध्यफला वृक्षा विपुष्पाः पर्णवर्जिताः । निस्तोयाः सरितो यत्र मूलं यत्र सुदुर्लभम् ॥ ९ ॥
where the trees were barren of fruit, without flowers, without leaves; where the rivers were without water; where roots were very hard to get;
न सन्ति महिषा यत्र न मृगा न च हस्तिनः । शार्दूलाः पक्षिणो वापि ये चान्ये वनगोचराः ॥ १० ॥
where there were no buffaloes, no deer, no elephants, no tigers or birds, nor others that roam the forest;
न चात्र वृक्षा नौषध्यो न वल्ल्यो नापि वीरुधः । स्निग्धपत्राः स्थले यत्र पद्मिन्यः फुल्लपङ्कजाः ॥ ११ ॥
and here no trees, no herbs, no creepers, no shrubs; where on the ground were lotus pools with glossy leaves and blooming lotuses,
प्रेक्षणीयाः सुगन्धाश्च भ्रमरैश्च विवर्जिताः । कण्डुर्नाम महाभागः सत्यवादी तपोधनः ॥ १२ ॥
lovely to look at and fragrant, and empty of bees. A very fortunate one named Kandu, truthful, rich in austerity,
महर्षिः परमामर्षी नियमैर्दुष्प्रधर्षणः । तस्य तस्मिन् वने पुत्रो बालको दशवार्षिकः ॥ १३ ॥
a great seer of supreme indignation, unassailable through his vows: his son in that forest, a boy ten years old,
प्रणष्टो जीवितान्ताय क्रुद्धस्तेन महामुनिः । तेन धर्मात्मना शप्तं कृत्स्नं तत्र महद्वनम् ॥ १४ ॥
was lost, to the end of his life. Angered by that, the great sage, that righteous one, cursed the whole great forest there,
अशरण्यं दुराधर्षं मृगपक्षिविवर्जितम् । तस्य ते काननान्तांस्तु गिरीणां कन्दराणि च ॥ १५ ॥
without refuge, unapproachable, devoid of beasts and birds. Its woodland edges and the caves of the mountains,
प्रभवाणि नदीनां च विचिन्वन्ति समाहिताः । तत्र चापि महात्मानो नापश्यञ्जनकात्मजाम् ॥ १६ ॥
and the sources of the rivers, they searched, attentive. And even there the great-souled ones did not see Janaka’s daughter,
हर्तारं रावणं वापि सुग्रीवप्रियकारिणः । ते प्रविश्य तु तं भीमं लतागुल्मसमावृतम् ॥ १७ ॥
nor Ravana the abductor, doers of what pleased Sugriva. And entering that terrible place, covered with creepers and bushes,
ददृशुर्भीमकर्माणमसुरं सुरनिर्भयम् । तं दृष्ट्वा वानरा घोरं स्थितं शैलमिवासुरम् ॥ १८ ॥
they saw an asura of terrible deeds, without fear of the gods. Seeing that terrible asura standing like a mountain,
गाढं परिहिताः सर्वे दृष्ट्वा तं पर्वतोपमम् । सोऽपि तान् वानरान् सर्वान् नष्टाः स्थेत्यब्रवीद् बली ॥ १९ ॥
all the monkeys girded themselves tightly, seeing him like a mountain. And he, the mighty one, said to all those monkeys, “You are lost!”
अभ्यधावत संक्रुद्धो मुष्टिमुद्यम्य संगतम् । तमापतन्तं सहसा वालिपुत्रोऽङ्गदस्तदा ॥ २० ॥
He rushed at them, enraged, raising his clenched fist. As he rushed suddenly at them, then Angada, son of Valin,
रावणोऽयमिति ज्ञात्वा तलेनाभिजघान ह । स वालिपुत्राभिहतो वक्त्राच्छोणितमुद्वमन् ॥ २१ ॥
knowing, “This is Ravana,” struck him with his palm. He, struck by Valin’s son, vomiting blood from his mouth,
असुरो न्यपतद् भूमौ पर्यस्त इव पर्वतः । ते तु तस्मिन् निरुच्छ्वासे वानरा जितकाशिनः ॥ २२ ॥
the asura fell on the ground like an overturned mountain. And when he was breathless, the monkeys, flushed with victory,
व्यचिन्वन् प्रायशस्तत्र सर्वं ते गिरिगह्वरम् । विचितं तु ततः सर्वं सर्वे ते काननौकसः ॥ २३ ॥
searched almost all of the mountain cave there. Then, when all was searched, all those forest-dwellers
अन्यदेवापरं घोरं विविशुर्गिरिगह्वरम् । ते विचित्य पुनः खिन्ना विनिष्पत्य समागताः । एकान्ते वृक्षमूले तु निषेदुर्दीनमानसाः ॥ २४ ॥
entered another, terrible mountain cave. Having searched it, weary again, they came out together and sat down in a lonely place at the foot of a tree, sick at heart.