Sundara Kanda · Sarga 17 of 68 · 32 verses
The Rakshasi Guards
The moon rises, clear as a swan on dark water, and its light seems to keep Hanuman company. By it he sees Sita clearly, sunk under her sorrows like a boat under its load, and around her the guards Ravana has set on her: rakshasis of every grotesque shape, one-eyed and one-eared, earless, with ears like cloaks or stakes, with heads of boars, deer, tigers, buffaloes, goats and jackals, with the feet of elephants and horses, armed with iron spears, clubs and hammers, always drinking and eating flesh, their bodies smeared with blood.
Under the tree sits the princess, without lustre, her hair matted with dirt, like a star fallen from the sky when its merit is spent: unadorned except by her love for her husband, like a she-elephant cut off from her herd and held by a lion, like a vina left unplayed. She is soiled yet beautiful, like a lotus stalk smeared with mud, shining and not shining. Seeing her, guarded by her own virtue, Hanuman weeps for joy and bows to Rama and Lakshmana.
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ततः कुमुदखण्डाभो निर्मलं निर्मलोदयः । प्रजगाम नभश्चन्द्रो हंसो नीलमिवोदकम् ॥ १ ॥
Then the moon, like a cluster of white lilies, of spotless rising, climbed the spotless sky, like a swan on blue water.
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साचिव्यमिव कुर्वन् स प्रभया निर्मलप्रभः । चन्द्रमा रश्मिभिः शीतैः सिषेवे पवनात्मजम् ॥ २ ॥
As if doing him a friend’s service with its light, the moon of spotless radiance attended on the son of the Wind with its cool rays.
स ददर्श ततः सीतां पूर्णचन्द्रनिभाननाम् । शोकभारैरिव न्यस्तां भारैर्नावमिवाम्भसि ॥ ३ ॥
Then he saw Sita, her face like the full moon, sunk under her loads of sorrow like a boat under its loads in the water.
दिदृक्षमाणो वैदेहीं हनूमान् मारुतात्मजः । स ददर्शाविदूरस्था राक्षसीर्घोरदर्शनाः ॥ ४ ॥
Hanuman, son of the Wind, eager to see Vaidehi, saw not far away the rakshasis, terrible to look at:
एकाक्षीमेककर्णां च कर्णप्रावरणां तथा । अकर्णां शङ्कुकर्णां च मस्तकोच्छ्वासनासिकाम् ॥ ५ ॥
one with one eye, one with one ear, one covered by her ears, one earless, one with ears like stakes, one with nostrils breathing on top of her head,
अतिकायोत्तमांगीं च तनुदीर्घशिरोधराम् । ध्वस्तकेशीं तथाकेशीं केशकम्बलधारिणीम् ॥ ६ ॥
one with a huge body and head, one with a thin long neck, one with dishevelled hair, one hairless, one wearing a blanket of her own hair,
लम्बकर्णललाटां च लम्बोदरपयोधराम् । लम्बोष्ठीं चिबुकोष्ठीं च लम्बास्यां लम्बजानुकाम् ॥ ७ ॥
one with hanging ears and forehead, one with hanging belly and breasts, one with hanging lips, one with lips on her chin, one with a hanging face, one with hanging knees;
ह्रस्वां दीर्घां च कुब्जां च विकटां वामनां तथा । करालां भुग्नवक्त्रां च पिंगाक्षीं विकृताननाम् ॥ ८ ॥
short, tall, hunchbacked, misshapen, dwarfish, hideous, with crooked mouths, yellow eyes, deformed faces;
विकृताः पिंगलाः कालीः क्रोधनाः कलहप्रियाः । कालायसमहाशूलकूटमुद्गरधारिणीः ॥ ९ ॥
deformed, tawny, black, angry, quarrelsome, carrying great iron spears, hammers and maces;
वराहमृगशार्दूलमहिषाजशिवामुखाः । गजोष्ट्रहयपादाश्च निखातशिरसोऽपराः ॥ १० ॥
with the faces of boars, deer, tigers, buffaloes, goats and jackals; with the feet of elephants, camels and horses; others with heads sunk into their bodies;
एकहस्तैकपादाश्च खरकर्ण्यश्वकर्णिकाः । गोकर्णीर्हस्तिकर्णीश्च हरिकर्णीस्तथापराः ॥ ११ ॥
with one hand and one foot, with ears of asses and horses, of cows and elephants, and others with monkeys’ ears;
अतिनासाश्च काश्चिच्च तिर्यङ्नासा अनासिकाः । गजसंनिभनासाश्च ललाटोच्छ्वासनासिकाः ॥ १२ ॥
some with huge noses, some with crosswise noses, some noseless, some with noses like elephants, some with nostrils breathing on their foreheads;
हस्तिपादा महापादा गोपादाः पादचूलिकाः । अतिमात्रशिरोग्रीवा अतिमात्रकुचोदरीः ॥ १३ ॥
with elephant feet, huge feet, cow feet, tufted feet, with heads and necks out of all measure, with breasts and bellies out of all measure,
अतिमात्रास्यनेत्राश्च दीर्घजिह्वाननास्तथा । अजामुखीर्हस्तिमुखीर्गोमुखीः सूकरीमुखीः ॥ १४ ॥
with mouths and eyes out of all measure, with long tongues and faces, with the faces of goats, elephants, cows and swine,
हयोष्ट्रखरवक्त्राश्च राक्षसीर्घोरदर्शनाः । शूलमुद्गरहस्ताश्च क्रोधनाः कलहप्रियाः ॥ १५ ॥
with the faces of horses, camels and asses, rakshasis terrible to see, spears and hammers in hand, angry and quarrelsome,
कराला धूम्रकेशिन्यो राक्षसीर्विकृताननाः । पिबन्ति सततं पानं सुरामांससदाप्रियाः ॥ १६ ॥
hideous, with smoky hair, deformed faces, always drinking liquor, always fond of wine and flesh,
मांसशोणितदिग्धांगीर्मांसशोणितभोजनाः । ता ददर्श कपिश्रेष्ठो रोमहर्षणदर्शनाः ॥ १७ ॥
their bodies smeared with flesh and blood, feeding on flesh and blood: the best of monkeys saw them, a sight to make the hair stand on end,
स्कन्धवन्तमुपासीनाः परिवार्य वनस्पतिम् । तस्याधस्ताच्च तां देवीं राजपुत्रीमनिन्दिताम् ॥ १८ ॥
sitting around the tree with its great trunk. And below it the goddess, the blameless princess,
लक्षयामास लक्ष्मीवान् हनूमाञ्जनकात्मजाम् । निष्प्रभां शोकसंतप्तां मलसंकुलमूर्धजाम् ॥ १९ ॥
glorious Hanuman marked, Janaka’s daughter, without lustre, burning with grief, her hair matted with dirt,
क्षीणपुण्यां च्युतां भूमौ तारां निपतितामिव । चारित्रव्यपदेशाढ्यां भर्तृदर्शनदुर्गताम् ॥ २० ॥
like a star fallen to earth when its merit is spent, rich in the fame of her conduct, wretched for want of seeing her husband,
भूषणैरुत्तमैर्हीनां भर्तृवात्सल्यभूषिताम् । राक्षसाधिपसंरुद्धां बन्धुभिश्च विनाकृताम् ॥ २१ ॥
without her fine ornaments, adorned by love for her husband, held captive by the rakshasa lord, deprived of her kin,
वियूथां सिंहसंरुद्धां बद्धां गजवधूमिव । चन्द्ररेखां पयोदान्ते शारदाभ्रैरिवावृताम् ॥ २२ ॥
like a she-elephant separated from her herd and held by a lion, like the line of the moon at the end of the rains covered by autumn clouds,
क्लिष्टरूपामसंस्पर्शादयुक्तामिव वल्लकीम् । स तां भर्तृहिते युक्तामयुक्तां रक्षसां वशे ॥ २३ ॥
her form pinched from lack of touch, like a vina left unplayed; devoted to her husband’s good, unfit for the rakshasas’ power,
अशोकवनिकामध्ये शोकसागरमाप्लुताम् । ताभिः परिवृतां तत्र सग्रहामिव रोहिणीम् ॥ २४ ॥
in the middle of the Ashoka grove, drowned in an ocean of sorrow, surrounded by them there like Rohini with an evil planet:
ददर्श हनुमांस्तत्र लतामकुसुमामिव । सा मलेन च दिग्धांगी वपुषा चाप्यलंकृता । मृणाली पङ्कदिग्धेव विभाति च न भाति च ॥ २५ ॥
Hanuman saw her there like a creeper without flowers; her limbs smeared with dirt and yet adorned by her beauty, she shone and did not shine, like a lotus stalk smeared with mud.
मलिनेन तु वस्त्रेण परिक्लिष्टेन भामिनीम् । संवृतां मृगशावाक्षीं ददर्श हनुमान् कपिः ॥ २६ ॥
Hanuman the monkey saw the lovely, fawn-eyed lady wrapped in a soiled and worn garment:
तां देवीं दीनवदनामदीनां भर्तृतेजसा । रक्षितां स्वेन शीलेन सीतामसितलोचनाम् ॥ २७ ॥
that goddess, her face sad, yet not cast down, through her husband’s glory; guarded by her own virtue: Sita of the dark eyes.
तां दृष्ट्वा हनुमान् सीतां मृगशावनिभेक्षणाम् । मृगकन्यामिव त्रस्तां वीक्षमाणां समन्ततः ॥ २८ ॥
Seeing Sita, her eyes like a fawn’s, frightened like a young deer, looking about on every side,
दहन्तीमिव निःश्वासैर्वृक्षान् पल्लवधारिणः । संघातमिव शोकानां दुःखस्योर्मिमिवोत्थिताम् ॥ २९ ॥
as if burning the leafy trees with her sighs, like a mass of sorrows, like a wave of grief risen up,
तां क्षमां सुविभक्तांगीं विनाभरणशोभिनीम् । प्रहर्षमतुलं लेभे मारुतिः प्रेक्ष्य मैथिलीम् ॥ ३० ॥
patient as the earth, with well-formed limbs, beautiful without ornaments: seeing Maithili, the son of the Wind felt joy beyond measure.
हर्षजानि च सोऽश्रूणि तां दृष्ट्वा मदिरेक्षणाम् । मुमोच हनुमांस्तत्र नमश्चक्रे च राघवम् ॥ ३१ ॥
Seeing her with her intoxicating eyes, Hanuman shed tears of joy there and bowed to Raghava.
नमस्कृत्वाथ रामाय लक्ष्मणाय च वीर्यवान् । सीतादर्शनसंहृष्टो हनुमान् संवृतोऽभवत् ॥ ३२ ॥
Having bowed to Rama and to Lakshmana, mighty Hanuman, glad at seeing Sita, stayed hidden.