Kishkindha Kanda · Sarga 6 of 67 · 27 verses
Sita’s Ornaments
Pleased, Sugriva speaks again to Raghava, delight of the Raghus: “My minister Hanuman, best of counsellors, has told me why you came to this lonely forest: while you lived in the forest with your brother Lakshmana, your wife Maithili, Janaka’s daughter, was carried off by a rakshasa, weeping, separated from you and from wise Lakshmana. Watching for his chance, that rakshasa killed the vulture Jatayu and brought on you the pain of losing your wife. You will soon be freed from that pain. I will bring her back like the lost Vedic revelation. Whether she is in the underworld or in the sky, I will bring back your wife and give her to you, tamer of foes. Know that my words are true, Raghava. Your wife cannot be digested even by the gods and asuras with Indra, mighty-armed, like poisoned food. Give up grief; I will bring back your beloved. I know by inference that it was surely Maithili whom I saw being carried off by the rakshasa of cruel deeds, crying ‘Rama, Rama!’ and ‘Lakshmana!’ in a broken voice, writhing in Ravana’s lap like the wife of a serpent king. Seeing me with four others standing on the mountain plateau, she dropped her upper garment and her lovely ornaments. We took them and kept them, Raghava. I will bring them; you should recognise them.” Rama says to the kind-speaking Sugriva: “Bring them quickly, friend; why do you delay?” Told this, Sugriva quickly enters a deep cave in the mountain, wishing to please Raghava. Taking the upper garment and the ornaments, the monkey shows them to Rama: “Look at this.” Taking the cloth and the lovely ornaments, Rama becomes choked with tears, like the moon veiled by mist. Overcome by tears flowing from his love for Sita, crying “Ah, beloved!”, he loses his composure and falls to the ground. Pressing that fine jewellery again and again to his heart, he sighs heavily, like an angry snake in its hole. His tears flowing unbroken, seeing Saumitri beside him, Rama begins to lament piteously: “See, Lakshmana: this upper garment and these ornaments from her body were thrown down by Vaidehi as she was carried off. Surely Sita, as she was carried off, dropped these ornaments on grassy ground; their condition shows it.” Lakshmana says: “I do not know the armlets; I do not know the earrings. But I know the anklets, from always bowing at her feet.” Then Raghava says to Sugriva: “Tell me, Sugriva, toward what region did you see her being carried? My beloved, dear as my life, has been carried off by the rakshasa of terrible form. Where does that rakshasa live, who has brought me great calamity, for whose sake I will destroy all the rakshasas? By carrying off Maithili and angering me, he has surely opened the door of death to end his own life. Tell me about that enemy of mine, lord of the leapers, the night-ranger who carried off my dearest from the forest by force; today I will lead him into Yama’s presence.”
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पुनरेवाब्रवीत् प्रीतो राघवं रघुनन्दनम् । अयमाख्याति ते राम सचिवो मन्त्रिसत्तमः ॥ १ ॥
Pleased, he spoke again to Raghava, delight of the Raghus: “This minister of mine, best of counsellors, Hanuman, tells you,
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हनुमान् यन्निमित्तं त्वं निर्जनं वनमागतः । लक्ष्मणेन सह भ्रात्रा वसतश्च वने तव ॥ २ ॥
“for what reason you have come to the lonely forest: while you were living in the forest with your brother Lakshmana,
रक्षसापहृता भार्या मैथिली जनकात्मजा । त्वया वियुक्ता रुदती लक्ष्मणेन च धीमता ॥ ३ ॥
“your wife Maithili, Janaka’s daughter, was carried off by a rakshasa, weeping, separated from you and from wise Lakshmana.
अन्तरं प्रेप्सुना तेन हत्वा गृध्रं जटायुषम् । भार्यावियोगजं दुःखं प्रापितस्तेन रक्षसा ॥ ४ ॥
“By that rakshasa, seeking an opening, having killed the vulture Jatayu, you were brought the pain born of separation from your wife.
भार्यावियोगजं दुःखं नचिरात् त्वं विमोक्ष्यसे । अहं तामानयिष्यामि नष्टां वेदश्रुतीमिव ॥ ५ ॥
“You will be freed before long from the pain born of separation from your wife. I will bring her back, like the lost Vedic revelation.
रसातले वा वर्तन्तीं वर्तन्तीं वा नभस्तले । अहमानीय दास्यामि तव भार्यामरिंदम ॥ ६ ॥
“Whether she is in the underworld, or whether she is in the sky, I will bring back and give you your wife, tamer of foes.
इदं तथ्यं मम वचस्त्वमवेहि च राघव । न शक्या सा जरयितुमपि सेन्द्रैः सुरासुरैः ॥ ७ ॥
“Know these words of mine as true, Raghava. She cannot be digested even by gods and asuras with Indra,
तव भार्या महाबाहो भक्ष्यं विषकृतं यथा । त्यज शोकं महाबाहो तां कान्तामानयामि ते ॥ ८ ॥
“your wife, mighty-armed, like food made poisonous. Give up grief, mighty-armed; I will bring that beloved back to you.
अनुमानात् तु जानामि मैथिली सा न संशयः । ह्रियमाणा मया दृष्टा रक्षसा रौद्रकर्मणा ॥ ९ ॥
“By inference I know that she was Maithili, no doubt. She was seen by me being carried off by the rakshasa of cruel deeds,
क्रोशन्ती रामरामेति लक्ष्मणेति च विस्वरम् । स्फुरन्ती रावणस्याङ्के पन्नगेन्द्रवधूर्यथा ॥ १० ॥
“crying ‘Rama, Rama!’ and ‘Lakshmana!’ in a broken voice, writhing in Ravana’s lap like the wife of a serpent king.
आत्मना पञ्चमं मां हि दृष्ट्वा शैलतले स्थितम् । उत्तरीयं तया त्यक्तं शुभान्याभरणानि च ॥ ११ ॥
“Seeing me, with myself the fifth, standing on the mountain plateau, her upper garment was thrown down by her, and her lovely ornaments.
तान्यस्माभिर्गृहीतानि निहितानि च राघव । आनयिष्याम्यहं तानि प्रत्यभिज्ञातुमर्हसि ॥ १२ ॥
“Those were taken and kept by us, Raghava. I will bring them; you should recognise them.”
तमब्रवीत् ततो रामः सुग्रीवं प्रियवादिनम् । आनयस्व सखे शीघ्रं किमर्थं प्रविलम्बसे ॥ १३ ॥
Then Rama said to him, to kind-speaking Sugriva: “Bring them quickly, friend; why do you delay?”
एवमुक्तस्तु सुग्रीवः शैलस्य गहनां गुहाम् । प्रविवेश ततः शीघ्रं राघवप्रियकाम्यया ॥ १४ ॥
Spoken to so, Sugriva then quickly entered the deep cave of the mountain, out of wish to please Raghava.
उत्तरीयं गृहीत्वा तु स तान्याभरणानि च । इदं पश्येति रामाय दर्शयामास वानरः ॥ १५ ॥
Taking the upper garment and those ornaments, the monkey showed them to Rama: “Look at this.”
ततो गृहीत्वा वासस्तु शुभान्याभरणानि च । अभवद् बाष्पसंरुद्धो नीहारेणेव चन्द्रमाः ॥ १६ ॥
Then, taking the cloth and the lovely ornaments, he became choked with tears, like the moon with mist.
सीतास्नेहप्रवृत्तेन स तु बाष्पेण दूषितः । हा प्रियेति रुदन् धैर्यमुत्सृज्य न्यपतत् क्षितौ ॥ १७ ॥
Overcome by tears flowing from love for Sita, weeping “Ah, beloved!”, letting go of composure, he fell to the ground.
हृदि कृत्वा स बहुशस्तमलंकारमुत्तमम् । निशश्वास भृशं सर्पो बिलस्थ इव रोषितः ॥ १८ ॥
Putting that fine jewellery to his heart many times, he sighed greatly, like an angered snake in its hole.
अविच्छिन्नाश्रुवेगस्तु सौमित्रिं प्रेक्ष्य पार्श्वतः । परिदेवयितुं दीनं रामः समुपचक्रमे ॥ १९ ॥
His rush of tears unbroken, seeing Saumitri at his side, Rama began to lament piteously:
पश्य लक्ष्मण वैदेह्या संत्यक्तं ह्रियमाणया । उत्तरीयमिदं भूमौ शरीराद् भूषणानि च ॥ २० ॥
“See, Lakshmana: this upper garment, and the ornaments from her body, thrown on the ground by Vaidehi as she was carried off.
शाद्वलिन्यां ध्रुवं भूम्यां सीतया ह्रियमाणया । उत्सृष्टं भूषणमिदं तथा रूपं हि दृश्यते ॥ २१ ॥
“Surely on grassy ground these ornaments were dropped by Sita as she was carried off; for such is their appearance.”
एवमुक्तस्तु रामेण लक्ष्मणो वाक्यमब्रवीत् । नाहं जानामि केयूरे नाहं जानामि कुण्डले ॥ २२ ॥
Spoken to so by Rama, Lakshmana said these words: “I do not know the armlets; I do not know the earrings.
नूपुरे त्वभिजानामि नित्यं पादाभिवन्दनात् । ततस्तु राघवो वाक्यं सुग्रीवमिदमब्रवीत् ॥ २३ ॥
“But I recognise the anklets, from always bowing at her feet.” Then Raghava said these words to Sugriva:
ब्रूहि सुग्रीव कं देशं ह्रियन्ती लक्षिता त्वया । रक्षसा रौद्ररूपेण मम प्राणप्रिया हृता ॥ २४ ॥
“Tell me, Sugriva, toward what region was she seen by you being carried? My beloved, dear as life, was carried off by the rakshasa of terrible form.
क्व वा वसति तद् रक्षो महद् व्यसनदं मम । यन्निमित्तमहं सर्वान् नाशयिष्यामि राक्षसान् ॥ २५ ॥
“Or where does that rakshasa live, giver of great calamity to me, on whose account I will destroy all the rakshasas?
हरता मैथिलीं येन मां च रोषयता ध्रुवम् । आत्मनो जीवितान्ताय मृत्युद्वारमपावृतम् ॥ २६ ॥
“By him, carrying off Maithili and angering me, the door of death has surely been opened for the end of his own life.
मम दयिततमा हृता वनाद् रजनिचरेण विमथ्य येन सा । कथय मम रिपुं तमद्य वै प्लवगपते यमसंनिधिं नयामि ॥ २७ ॥
“Tell me about that enemy of mine, lord of the leapers, the night-ranger by whom my dearest was carried off from the forest by force. Today I will lead him into Yama’s presence.”