Kishkindha Kanda · Sarga 57 of 67 · 19 verses
Angada Tells Sampati the Story
Though they hear his voice broken by grief, the monkey troop-leaders do not believe his words, suspicious because of his intent. Sitting in their fast and seeing the vulture, the leapers form a grim thought: “He will eat us all. If he eats us while we sit fasting, in any case we will have done our duty and quickly reached our end from here.” Having formed this thought, all the leaders of monkey troops bring the vulture down from the mountain peak, and then Angada says to him: “There was a powerful lord of monkeys named Riksharajas, my noble grandfather, a king, bird, and he had two righteous sons, Sugriva and Valin, both of great strength. King Valin, famous in the world for his deeds, was my father. The king of the whole world, great chariot-warrior of the Ikshvakus, glorious Rama, son of Dasharatha, entered the Dandaka forest with his brother Lakshmana and his wife Vaidehi, devoted to his father’s command, keeping to the path of dharma. His wife was carried off by force from Janasthana by Ravana. The friend of Rama’s father, the king of the vultures named Jatayu, saw Sita Vaidehi being carried off through the air. He made Ravana chariotless and set Maithili down, but, tired and old, he was killed by Ravana in battle. So the vulture was killed by the stronger Ravana, and, given funeral rites by Rama, he went to the highest state. Then Raghava made friends with my uncle, great-souled Sugriva, and he killed my father. For Sugriva and his ministers had been shut out by my father. Having killed Valin, Rama consecrated him. Established in the kingdom by him, Sugriva, lord of the monkeys, king of the chief monkeys, has sent us out. So, directed by Rama, searching here and there, we do not find Vaidehi, like the light of the sun at night. Having searched the Dandaka forest very attentively, we entered in ignorance a hole opened in the earth. While we searched that cave made by Maya’s magic, the month the king fixed for us passed there. We, all doers of the king of the monkeys’ word, have overstepped the agreement made and, from fear, have sat down to fast to death. With Kakutstha angry, and Sugriva with Lakshmana, even if we all go there, there is no life for us.”
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शोकाद् भ्रष्टस्वरमपि श्रुत्वा वानरयूथपाः । श्रद्दधुर्नैव तद्वाक्यं कर्मणा तस्य शङ्किताः ॥ १ ॥
Though hearing his voice broken by grief, the monkey troop-leaders did not believe his words, suspicious because of his intent.
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Angada Tells Sampati the Story 1 min read.
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ते प्रायमुपविष्टास्तु दृष्ट्वा गृध्रं प्लवंगमाः । चक्रुर्बुद्धिं तदा रौद्रां सर्वान् नो भक्षयिष्यति ॥ २ ॥
Those leapers sitting in fast, seeing the vulture, formed then a grim thought: “He will eat all of us.
सर्वथा प्रायमासीनान् यदि नो भक्षयिष्यति । कृतकृत्या भविष्यामः क्षिप्रं सिद्धिमितो गताः ॥ ३ ॥
“If he eats us in any case, sitting in fast, we will have done our duty, having quickly gone from here to our end.”
एतां बुद्धिं ततश्चक्रुः सर्वे ते हरियूथपाः । अवतार्य गिरेः शृङ्गाद् गृध्रमाहाङ्गदस्तदा ॥ ४ ॥
Then all those leaders of monkey troops formed this thought. Having brought the vulture down from the mountain peak, Angada then said:
बभूवर्क्षरजो नाम वानरेन्द्रः प्रतापवान् । ममार्यः पार्थिवः पक्षिन् धार्मिकौ तस्य चात्मजौ ॥ ५ ॥
“There was a powerful lord of monkeys named Riksharajas, my grandfather, a king, bird; and his two sons were righteous,
सुग्रीवश्चैव वाली च पुत्रौ घनबलावुभौ । लोके विश्रुतकर्माभूद् राजा वाली पिता मम ॥ ६ ॥
“Sugriva and Valin, both sons of great strength. King Valin, famed in the world for his deeds, was my father.
राजा कृत्स्नस्य जगत इक्ष्वाकूणां महारथः । रामो दाशरथिः श्रीमान् प्रविष्टो दण्डकावनम् ॥ ७ ॥
“The king of the whole world, great chariot-warrior of the Ikshvakus, glorious Rama, son of Dasharatha, entered the Dandaka forest,
लक्ष्मणेन सह भ्रात्रा वैदेह्या सह भार्यया । पितुर्निदेशनिरतो धर्मं पन्थानमाश्रितः ॥ ८ ॥
“with his brother Lakshmana and his wife Vaidehi, devoted to his father’s command, keeping to the path of dharma.
तस्य भार्या जनस्थानाद् रावणेन हृता बलात् । रामस्य तु पितुर्मित्रं जटायुर्नाम गृध्रराट् ॥ ९ ॥
“His wife was carried off by force from Janasthana by Ravana. And the friend of Rama’s father, the king of the vultures named Jatayu,
ददर्श सीतां वैदेहीं ह्रियमाणां विहायसा । रावणं विरथं कृत्वा स्थापयित्वा च मैथिलीम् । परिश्रान्तश्च वृद्धश्च रावणेन हतो रणे ॥ १० ॥
“saw Sita Vaidehi being carried off through the sky. Having made Ravana chariotless and set Maithili down, tired and old, he was killed by Ravana in battle.
एवं गृध्रो हतस्तेन रावणेन बलीयसा । संस्कृतश्चापि रामेण जगाम गतिमुत्तमाम् ॥ ११ ॥
“So the vulture was killed by that stronger Ravana; and given rites by Rama, he went to the highest state.
ततो मम पितृव्येण सुग्रीवेण महात्मना । चकार राघवः सख्यं सोऽवधीत् पितरं मम ॥ १२ ॥
“Then Raghava made friendship with my uncle, great-souled Sugriva; he killed my father.
मम पित्रा निरुद्धो हि सुग्रीवः सचिवैः सह । निहत्य वालिनं रामस्ततस्तमभिषेचयत् ॥ १३ ॥
“For Sugriva with his ministers had been shut out by my father. Having killed Valin, Rama then consecrated him.
स राज्ये स्थापितस्तेन सुग्रीवो वानरेश्वरः । राजा वानरमुख्यानां तेन प्रस्थापिता वयम् ॥ १४ ॥
“Established by him in the kingdom, Sugriva, lord of the monkeys, king of the chief monkeys: by him we have been sent out.
एवं रामप्रयुक्तास्तु मार्गमाणास्ततस्ततः । वैदेहीं नाधिगच्छामो रात्रौ सूर्यप्रभामिव ॥ १५ ॥
“So, directed by Rama, searching here and there, we do not find Vaidehi, like the radiance of the sun at night.
ते वयं दण्डकारण्यं विचित्य सुसमाहिताः । अज्ञानात् तु प्रविष्टाः स्म धरण्या विवृतं बिलम् ॥ १६ ॥
“We, having searched the Dandaka forest very attentively, entered through ignorance a hole opened in the earth.
मयस्य मायाविहितं तद् बिलं च विचिन्वताम् । व्यतीतस्तत्र नो मासो यो राज्ञा समयः कृतः ॥ १७ ॥
“And while we searched that cave made by Maya’s magic, the month passed for us there that had been made the agreement by the king.
ते वयं कपिराजस्य सर्वे वचनकारिणः । कृतां संस्थामतिक्रान्ता भयात् प्रायमुपासिताः ॥ १८ ॥
“We, all doers of the king of the monkeys’ word, having overstepped the arrangement made, have sat to fast from fear.
क्रुद्धे तस्मिंस्तु काकुत्स्थे सुग्रीवे च सलक्ष्मणे । गतानामपि सर्वेषां तत्र नो नास्ति जीवितम् ॥ १९ ॥
“With that Kakutstha angry, and Sugriva with Lakshmana, even if we all go, there is no life for us there.”