Kishkindha Kanda · Sarga 65 of 67 · 35 verses
Each Monkey States His Leap
Hearing Angada, all the bulls among monkeys state in turn their power of going. Gaja, Gavaksha, Gavaya, Sharabha, Gandhamadana, Mainda, Dvivida, Sushena and Jambavan are there. Gaja says, “I can leap ten yojanas.” Gavaksha says, “I will go twenty.” The monkey Sharabha says to the monkeys, “I will go thirty, leapers.” The monkey Rishabha says, “I will go forty, no doubt.” Gandhamadana of great splendour says, “I will go fifty, no doubt.” Mainda says, “I can leap sixty and more.” Dvivida of great splendour replies, “I will go seventy, no doubt.” Sushena, best of monkeys, full of strength, says, “I promise eighty yojanas in valour.” As they speak, the eldest of them, Jambavan, honouring them all, says: “Long ago I too had some power of going; now we have reached the far end of our age. But in such a state this task cannot be neglected, for which the king of the monkeys and Rama have made their resolve. Hear what my power of going is now: I will go ninety yojanas, no doubt. My valour in going was not only this much. At Bali’s sacrifice, long ago, I walked around the eternal, mighty Vishnu as he strode his three steps. Now I am old and slow in leaping; but in my youth my strength was unequalled and supreme. Today I can go only so far by myself; and with only this much, this task will not succeed.” Then wise Angada, the great monkey, honouring Jambavan, gives a noble reply: “I will go this great hundred yojanas; but whether I have the power to return is not certain.” Jambavan, skilled in speech, says to the best of monkeys: “Your power of going is known, best of monkeys and bears. You can surely go a hundred thousand yojanas and come back. But this is not the rule: a master who sends is never himself to be sent, dear one; all these people are to be sent by you, best of leapers. You are our wife, so to speak, standing in the place of master; the master is the army’s wife; this is the way, scorcher of foes. And you are the root of this task, tamer of foes; so you must always be protected like a wife, dear one. Guard the root of the matter; this is the policy of those who know affairs. When the root remains, all the qualities that bring fruit succeed. So you are the instrument of this task, true in valour; endowed with understanding and valour, you are its cause. You are our elder and our elder’s son, best of monkeys; relying on you, we are able to accomplish our aim.” To very wise Jambavan, who has spoken, the great monkey Angada, Valin’s son, replies: “If I do not go, and no other bull among monkeys does, then we must again sit fasting to death. Without doing the wise lord of the monkeys’ command, even if we go there I see no saving of our lives. For the monkey is master both in great favour and in great anger; having overstepped his command, our going would mean destruction. So there is no other course for this task. You, who see the matter, should think it through.” Answered so by Angada, the hero Jambavan, bull among leapers, speaks excellent words to Angada: “Nothing of this task of yours will fail, hero. I will now urge the one who will accomplish it.” Then the foremost monkey hero urges Hanuman, the foremost monkey hero, best of leapers, who sits apart at ease, confident.
Press › to begin with verse 1.
अथाङ्गदवचः श्रुत्वा ते सर्वे वानरर्षभाः । स्वं स्वं गतौ समुत्साहमूचुस्तत्र यथाक्रमम् ॥ १ ॥
Then, hearing Angada’s words, all those bulls among monkeys spoke there in order of their own eagerness in going:
Commentary on the whole sarga
Each Monkey States His Leap 1 min read.
Read the commentary
गजो गवाक्षो गवयः शरभो गन्धमादनः । मैन्दश्च द्विविदश्चैव सुषेणो जाम्बवांस्तथा ॥ २ ॥
Gaja, Gavaksha, Gavaya, Sharabha, Gandhamadana, Mainda and Dvivida, Sushena and Jambavan too.
आबभाषे गजस्तत्र प्लवेयं दशयोजनम् । गवाक्षो योजनान्याह गमिष्यामीति विंशतिम् ॥ ३ ॥
Gaja spoke there: “I could leap ten yojanas.” Gavaksha said, “I will go twenty yojanas.”
शरभो वानरस्तत्र वानरांस्तानुवाच ह । त्रिंशतं तु गमिष्यामि योजनानां प्लवङ्गमाः ॥ ४ ॥
The monkey Sharabha there said to those monkeys: “But I will go thirty yojanas, leapers.”
ऋषभो वानरस्तत्र वानरांस्तानुवाच ह । चत्वारिंशद् गमिष्यामि योजनानां न संशयः ॥ ५ ॥
The monkey Rishabha there said to those monkeys: “I will go forty yojanas; there is no doubt.”
वानरांस्तु महातेजा अब्रवीद् गन्धमादनः । योजनानां गमिष्यामि पञ्चाशत्तु न संशयः ॥ ६ ॥
But Gandhamadana of great splendour said to the monkeys: “I will go fifty yojanas; there is no doubt.”
मैन्दस्तु वानरस्तत्र वानरांस्तानुवाच ह । योजनानां परं षष्टिमहं प्लवितुमुत्सहे ॥ ७ ॥
But the monkey Mainda there said to those monkeys: “I am able to leap beyond sixty yojanas.”
ततस्तत्र महातेजा द्विविदः प्रत्यभाषत । गमिष्यामि न संदेहः सप्ततिं योजनान्यहम् ॥ ८ ॥
Then Dvivida of great splendour there replied: “I will go, no doubt, seventy yojanas.”
सुषेणस्तु महातेजाः सत्त्ववान् कपिसत्तमः । अशीतिं प्रतिजानेऽहं योजनानां पराक्रमे ॥ ९ ॥
But Sushena of great splendour, full of strength, best of monkeys: “I promise eighty yojanas in valour.”
तेषां कथयतां तत्र सर्वांस्ताननुमान्य च । ततो वृद्धतमस्तेषां जाम्बवान् प्रत्यभाषत ॥ १० ॥
As they were speaking there, honouring them all, then the eldest of them, Jambavan, replied:
पूर्वमस्माकमप्यासीत् कश्चिद् गतिपराक्रमः । ते वयं वयसः पारमनुप्राप्ताः स्म साम्प्रतम् ॥ ११ ॥
“Before, we too had some valour in going. We have now reached the far shore of age.
किं तु नैवं गते शक्यमिदं कार्यमुपेक्षितुम् । यदर्थं कपिराजश्च रामश्च कृतनिश्चयौ ॥ १२ ॥
“But it is not possible, things being so, to neglect this task, for which the king of the monkeys and Rama have made their resolve.
साम्प्रतं कालमस्माकं या गतिस्तां निबोधत । नवतिं योजनानां तु गमिष्यामि न संशयः ॥ १३ ॥
“Hear what is our going at the present time: I will go ninety yojanas; there is no doubt.”
तांश्च सर्वान् हरिश्रेष्ठाञ्जाम्बवानिदमब्रवीत् । न खल्वेतावदेवासीद् गमने मे पराक्रमः ॥ १४ ॥
And Jambavan said this to all those best of monkeys: “Surely my valour in going was not only this much.
मया वैरोचने यज्ञे प्रभविष्णुः सनातनः । प्रदक्षिणीकृतः पूर्वं क्रममाणस्त्रिविक्रमम् ॥ १५ ॥
“By me, at Bali’s sacrifice, the mighty, eternal one was circumambulated long ago, as he strode the three strides.
स इदानीमहं वृद्धः प्लवने मन्दविक्रमः । यौवने च तदासीन्मे बलमप्रतिमं परम् ॥ १६ ॥
“That I am now old, slow in valour in leaping; and in youth then my strength was unequalled, supreme.
सम्प्रत्येतावदेवाद्य शक्यं मे गमने स्वतः । नैतावता च संसिद्धिः कार्यस्यास्य भविष्यति ॥ १७ ॥
“Now, today, only so much is possible for me in going by myself; and by only this much there will be no success of this task.”
अथोत्तरमुदारार्थमब्रवीदङ्गदस्तदा । अनुमान्य तदा प्राज्ञो जाम्बवन्तं महाकपिः ॥ १८ ॥
Then the wise Angada, the great monkey, honouring Jambavan, then spoke a reply of noble meaning:
अहमेतद् गमिष्यामि योजनानां शतं महत् । निवर्तने तु मे शक्तिः स्यान्न वेति न निश्चितम् ॥ १९ ॥
“I will go this great hundred of yojanas. But whether I would have the power in returning or not is not certain.”
तमुवाच हरिश्रेष्ठं जाम्बवान् वाक्यकोविदः । ज्ञायते गमने शक्तिस्तव हर्यृक्षसत्तम ॥ २० ॥
Jambavan, skilled in speech, said to that best of monkeys: “Your power in going is known, best of monkeys and bears.
कामं शतसहस्रं वा नह्येष विधिरुच्यते । योजनानां भवान् शक्तो गन्तुं प्रतिनिवर्तितुम् ॥ २१ ॥
“Surely you are able to go a hundred thousand yojanas and come back; but this is not said to be the rule.
नहि प्रेषयिता तात स्वामी प्रेष्यः कथंचन । भवतायं जनः सर्वः प्रेष्यः प्लवगसत्तम ॥ २२ ॥
“For the master who sends is in no way to be sent, dear one. All these people are to be sent by you, best of leapers.
भवान् कलत्रमस्माकं स्वामिभावे व्यवस्थितः । स्वामी कलत्रं सैन्यस्य गतिरेषा परंतप ॥ २३ ॥
“You are our wife, established in the state of master. The master is the wife of the army; this is the way, scorcher of foes.
अपि वै तस्य कार्यस्य भवान् मूलमरिंदम । तस्मात् कलत्रवत् तात प्रतिपाल्यः सदा भवान् ॥ २४ ॥
“And you are the root of this task, tamer of foes. So, dear one, you are always to be protected like a wife.
मूलमर्थस्य संरक्ष्यमेष कार्यविदां नयः । मूले हि सति सिध्यन्ति गुणाः सर्वे फलोदयाः ॥ २५ ॥
“The root of the matter is to be guarded; this is the policy of those who know affairs. For when the root is present, all the qualities bearing fruit succeed.
तद् भवानस्य कार्यस्य साधनं सत्यविक्रम । वुद्धिविक्रमसम्पन्नो हेतुरत्र परंतप ॥ २६ ॥
“So you are the means of this task, true in valour; endowed with understanding and valour, you are the cause here, scorcher of foes.
गुरुश्च गुरुपुत्रश्च त्वं हि नः कपिसत्तम । भवन्तमाश्रित्य वयं समर्था ह्यर्थसाधने ॥ २७ ॥
“For you are our elder and the elder’s son, best of monkeys. Relying on you, we are able in accomplishing the aim.”
उक्तवाक्यं महाप्राज्ञं जाम्बवन्तं महाकपिः । प्रत्युवाचोत्तरं वाक्यं वालिसूनुरथाङ्गदः ॥ २८ ॥
To that very wise Jambavan, who had spoken, the great monkey Angada, Valin’s son, then gave a reply:
यदि नाहं गमिष्यामि नान्यो वानरपुङ्गवः । पुनः खल्विदमस्माभिः कार्यं प्रायोपवेशनम् ॥ २९ ॥
“If I do not go, nor another bull among monkeys, again surely this fasting to death is to be done by us.
नह्यकृत्वा हरिपतेः संदेशं तस्य धीमतः । तत्रापि गत्वा प्राणानां न पश्ये परिरक्षणम् ॥ ३० ॥
“For not having done the command of that wise lord of the monkeys, even having gone there, I do not see the protection of our lives.
स हि प्रसादे चात्यर्थकोपे च हरिरीश्वरः । अतीत्य तस्य संदेशं विनाशो गमने भवेत् ॥ ३१ ॥
“For he, the monkey, is master both in great favour and in anger. Having overstepped his command, there would be destruction on going.
तत्तथा ह्यस्य कार्यस्य न भवत्यन्यथा गतिः । तद् भवानेव दृष्टार्थः संचिन्तयितुमर्हति ॥ ३२ ॥
“So, as it is, there is no other course for this task. You, who have seen the matter, should think it through.”
सोऽङ्गदेन तदा वीरः प्रत्युक्तः प्लवगर्षभः । जाम्बवानुत्तमं वाक्यं प्रोवाचेदं ततोऽङ्गदम् ॥ ३३ ॥
Replied to so by Angada, the hero, bull among leapers, Jambavan then spoke these excellent words to Angada:
तस्य ते वीर कार्यस्य न किंचित् परिहास्यते । एष संचोदयाम्येनं यः कार्यं साधयिष्यति ॥ ३४ ॥
“Nothing of that task of yours will be lost, hero. Here, I urge this one who will accomplish the task.”
ततः प्रतीतं प्लवतां वरिष्ठ- मेकान्तमाश्रित्य सुखोपविष्टम् । संचोदयामास हरिप्रवीरो हरिप्रवीरं हनुमन्तमेव ॥ ३५ ॥
Then the foremost monkey hero urged the foremost monkey hero, Hanuman himself, best of leapers, confident, sitting at ease, resorting to a lonely place.