Sundara Kanda · Sarga 34 of 68 · 40 verses
Sita’s Suspicion
Hanuman answers gently: he is Rama’s messenger. Rama, master of the Vedas and of the Brahma weapon, is well and asks after her; Lakshmana, burning with grief, bows his head to her. Sita thrills all over: the old saying is true, joy comes to the living even after a hundred years.
But as Hanuman comes closer, her suspicion returns: this must be Ravana in another form. She lets go of the branch and sits on the ground; he bows, and she will not look at him. If you are Ravana, she says, the magician who came to me as a mendicant in Janasthana, it is not right to torment a woman already worn thin with fasting. Yet her heart rejoices at the sight of him; if he is truly Rama’s messenger, let him tell her of Rama’s virtues, which carry her mind away as a current carries a riverbank. She wonders whether this is madness or a mirage, decides she is awake, and then, remembering that rakshasas can take any form, falls silent, taking him for Ravana.
Hanuman, reading her doubt, speaks words pleasing to her ear. Rama is radiant as the sun, lovely as the moon, valiant as Vishnu, truthful and sweet-spoken as Brihaspati, handsome as Kama; the world shelters under the shadow of his arm. He will soon kill Ravana with arrows like fire. Rama, Lakshmana and Sugriva all send their greetings and think of her constantly. “I am Hanuman, Sugriva’s minister. I leapt the ocean and set my foot on Ravana’s head to see you. I am not what you take me for. Put aside your doubt and believe me.”
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तस्यास्तद् वचनं श्रुत्वा हनूमान् हरिपुंगवः । दुःखाद् दुःखाभिभूतायाः सान्त्वमुत्तरमब्रवीत् ॥ १ ॥
Hearing her words, Hanuman, bull among monkeys, gave a soothing answer to her, overwhelmed by sorrow upon sorrow:
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अहं रामस्य संदेशाद् देवि दूतस्तवागतः । वैदेहि कुशली रामः स त्वां कौशलमब्रवीत् ॥ २ ॥
“I have come to you, goddess, as a messenger at Rama’s command. Vaidehi, Rama is well, and he asks after your welfare.
यो ब्राह्ममस्त्रं वेदांश्च वेद वेदविदां वरः । स त्वां दाशरथी रामो देवि कौशलमब्रवीत् ॥ ३ ॥
“He who knows the Brahma weapon and the Vedas, the best of those who know the Vedas, Rama, son of Dasharatha, asks after your welfare, goddess.
लक्ष्मणश्च महातेजा भर्तुस्तेऽनुचरः प्रियः । कृतवाञ्छोकसंतप्तः शिरसा तेऽभिवादनम् ॥ ४ ॥
“And radiant Lakshmana, your husband’s dear follower, burning with grief, bows his head to you.”
सा तयोः कुशलं देवी निशम्य नरसिंहयोः । प्रतिसंहृष्टसर्वांगी हनूमन्तमथाब्रवीत् ॥ ५ ॥
Hearing of the welfare of those two lions among men, the goddess, thrilled in every limb, said to Hanuman:
कल्याणी बत गाथेयं लौकिकी प्रतिभाति मा । एति जीवन्तमानन्दो नरं वर्षशतादपि ॥ ६ ॥
“How true seems to me this happy popular saying: joy comes to a living man even after a hundred years.”
तयोः समागमे तस्मिन् प्रीतिरुत्पादिताद्भुता । परस्परेण चालापं विश्वस्तौ तौ प्रचक्रतुः ॥ ७ ॥
In that meeting a wonderful affection arose between them, and trusting each other they began to talk together.
तस्यास्तद् वचनं श्रुत्वा हनूमान् मारुतात्मजः । सीतायाः शोकतप्तायाः समीपमुपचक्रमे ॥ ८ ॥
Hearing her words, Hanuman, son of the Wind, began to come closer to Sita, burning with grief.
यथा यथा समीपं स हनूमानुपसर्पति । तथा तथा रावणं सा तं सीता परिशङ्कते ॥ ९ ॥
But the closer Hanuman came, the more Sita suspected him of being Ravana.
अहो धिग् धिक्कृतमिदं कथितं हि यदस्य मे । रूपान्तरमुपागम्य स एवायं हि रावणः ॥ १० ॥
“Ah, shame! What I have done is shameful, telling him this. This is surely Ravana himself, having taken another form.”
तामशोकस्य शाखां तु विमुक्त्वा शोककर्शिता । तस्यामेवानवद्याङ्गी धरण्यां समुपाविशत् ॥ ११ ॥
Letting go of that branch of the ashoka, worn by grief, the flawless-limbed one sat down on the ground right there.
अवन्दत महाबाहुस्ततस्तां जनकात्मजाम् । सा चैनं भयसंत्रस्ता भूयो नैनमुदैक्षत ॥ १२ ॥
Then the mighty-armed one bowed to Janaka’s daughter, but she, frightened, would not look at him again.
तं दृष्ट्वा वन्दमानं च सीता शशिनिभानना । अब्रवीद् दीर्घमुच्छ्वस्य वानरं मधुरस्वरा ॥ १३ ॥
Seeing him bowing, moon-faced Sita sighed deeply and said to the monkey in a sweet voice:
मायां प्रविष्टो मायावी यदि त्वं रावणः स्वयम् । उत्पादयसि मे भूयः संतापं तन्न शोभनम् ॥ १४ ॥
“If you are Ravana himself, the magician, entered into a magic form, and you cause me pain again, that is not right.
स्वं परित्यज्य रूपं यः परिव्राजकरूपवान् । जनस्थाने मया दृष्टस्त्वं स एव हि रावणः ॥ १५ ॥
“You who left your own form and took the form of a wandering ascetic, whom I saw in Janasthana: you are surely that Ravana.
उपवासकृशां दीनां कामरूप निशाचर । संतापयसि मां भूयः संतापं तन्न शोभनम् ॥ १६ ॥
“Night-wanderer who takes any form you like, you torment me again, thin from fasting and wretched; that torment is not right.
अथवा नैतदेवं हि यन्मया परिशङ्कितम् । मनसो हि मम प्रीतिरुत्पन्ना तव दर्शनात् ॥ १७ ॥
“Or perhaps what I suspect is not so; for joy has arisen in my heart at the sight of you.
यदि रामस्य दूतस्त्वमागतो भद्रमस्तु ते । पृच्छामि त्वां हरिश्रेष्ठ प्रिया रामकथा हि मे ॥ १८ ॥
“If you have come as Rama’s messenger, blessings on you. I ask you, best of monkeys, for talk of Rama is dear to me.
गुणान् रामस्य कथय प्रियस्य मम वानर । चित्तं हरसि मे सौम्य नदीकूलं यथा रयः ॥ १९ ॥
“Tell me the virtues of my beloved Rama, monkey. You carry my heart away, gentle one, as a current carries off a riverbank.
अहो स्वप्नस्य सुखता याहमेव चिराहृता । प्रेषितं नाम पश्यामि राघवेण वनौकसम् ॥ २० ॥
“Ah, how sweet a dream, that I, carried off long ago, should see a forest-dweller sent by Raghava!
स्वप्नेऽपि यद्यहं वीरं राघवं सहलक्ष्मणम् । पश्येयं नावसीदेयं स्वप्नोऽपि मम मत्सरी ॥ २१ ॥
“If even in a dream I could see the hero Raghava with Lakshmana, I would not sink; but even dreams begrudge me.
नाहं स्वप्नमिमं मन्ये स्वप्ने दृष्ट्वा हि वानरम् । न शक्योऽभ्युदयः प्राप्तुं प्राप्तश्चाभ्युदयो मम ॥ २२ ॥
“I do not think this a dream, for after seeing a monkey in a dream good fortune cannot come, and good fortune has come to me.
किं नु स्याच्चित्तमोहोऽयं भवेद् वातगतिस्त्वियम् । उन्मादजो विकारो वा स्यादयं मृगतृष्णिका ॥ २३ ॥
“Can this be a confusion of mind? Could it be a disorder of the humours, or a change born of madness, or a mirage?
अथवा नायमुन्मादो मोहोऽप्युन्मादलक्षणः । सम्बुध्ये चाहमात्मानमिमं चापि वनौकसम् ॥ २४ ॥
“Or this is no madness, nor the delusion that marks madness, for I am aware of myself and of this forest-dweller.”
इत्येवं बहुधा सीता सम्प्रधार्य बलाबलम् । रक्षसां कामरूपत्वान्मेने तं राक्षसाधिपम् ॥ २५ ॥
Weighing the strength and weakness of it in many ways like this, Sita, because rakshasas can take any form, took him for the king of the rakshasas.
एतां बुद्धिं तदा कृत्वा सीता सा तनुमध्यमा । न प्रतिव्याजहाराथ वानरं जनकात्मजा ॥ २६ ॥
Having made up her mind so, slender-waisted Sita, Janaka’s daughter, gave the monkey no answer.
सीताया निश्चितं बुद्ध्वा हनूमान् मारुतात्मजः । श्रोत्रानुकूलैर्वचनैस्तदा तां सम्प्रहर्षयन् ॥ २७ ॥
Understanding Sita’s conclusion, Hanuman, son of the Wind, then delighted her with words pleasant to her ears:
आदित्य इव तेजस्वी लोककान्तः शशी यथा । राजा सर्वस्य लोकस्य देवो वैश्रवणो यथा ॥ २८ ॥
“Radiant like the sun, beloved of the world like the moon, king of the whole world like the god Vaishravana,
विक्रमेणोपपन्नश्च यथा विष्णुर्महायशाः । सत्यवादी मधुरवाग् देवो वाचस्पतिर्यथा ॥ २९ ॥
“endowed with valour like greatly glorious Vishnu, truthful, sweet of speech like the god Vachaspati,
रूपवान् सुभगः श्रीमान् कंदर्प इव मूर्तिमान् । स्थानक्रोधे प्रहर्ता च श्रेष्ठो लोके महारथः ॥ ३० ॥
“handsome, charming, splendid, like Kandarpa in bodily form, striking where anger is deserved, the finest great chariot-warrior in the world,
बाहुच्छायामवष्टब्धो यस्य लोको महात्मनः । अपक्रम्याश्रमपदान्मृगरूपेण राघवम् ॥ ३१ ॥
“the great soul on the shadow of whose arms the world leans: he whom you were lured away from, Raghava, taken from the hermitage by one in the form of a deer,
शून्ये येनापनीतासि तस्य द्रक्ष्यसि तत्फलम् । अचिराद् रावणं संख्ये यो वधिष्यति वीर्यवान् ॥ ३२ ॥
“when it was empty, you will see the fruit of that. Before long the valiant one will kill Ravana in battle
क्रोधप्रमुक्तैरिषुभिर्ज्वलद्भिरिव पावकैः । तेनाहं प्रेषितो दूतस्त्वत्सकाशमिहागतः ॥ ३३ ॥
“with arrows loosed in anger, blazing like fires. Sent by him as his messenger, I have come here to you.
त्वद्वियोगेन दुःखार्तः स त्वां कौशलमब्रवीत् । लक्ष्मणश्च महातेजाः सुमित्रानन्दवर्धनः ॥ ३४ ॥
“Stricken with sorrow at separation from you, he asks after your welfare. And radiant Lakshmana, who increases Sumitra’s joy,
अभिवाद्य महाबाहुः स त्वां कौशलमब्रवीत् । रामस्य च सखा देवि सुग्रीवो नाम वानरः ॥ ३५ ॥
“the mighty-armed one, salutes you and asks after your welfare. And Rama’s friend, goddess, the monkey named Sugriva,
राजा वानरमुख्यानां स त्वां कौशलमब्रवीत् । नित्यं स्मरति ते रामः ससुग्रीवः सलक्ष्मणः ॥ ३६ ॥
“king of the chief monkeys, asks after your welfare. Rama always remembers you, with Sugriva and Lakshmana.
दिष्ट्या जीवसि वैदेहि राक्षसीवशमागता । नचिराद् द्रक्ष्यसे रामं लक्ष्मणं च महारथम् ॥ ३७ ॥
“By good fortune you are alive, Vaidehi, fallen into the power of rakshasis. Before long you will see Rama and Lakshmana, the great chariot-warrior,
मध्ये वानरकोटीनां सुग्रीवं चामितौजसम् । अहं सुग्रीवसचिवो हनूमान् नाम वानरः ॥ ३८ ॥
“and Sugriva of boundless might among tens of millions of monkeys. I am Sugriva’s minister, a monkey named Hanuman.
प्रविष्टो नगरीं लङ्कां लङ्घयित्वा महोदधिम् । कृत्वा मूर्ध्नि पदन्यासं रावणस्य दुरात्मनः ॥ ३९ ॥
“I have entered the city of Lanka, having leapt across the great ocean, setting my foot on the head of the evil-souled Ravana;
त्वां द्रष्टुमुपयातोऽहं समाश्रित्य पराक्रमम् । नाहमस्मि तथा देवि यथा मामवगच्छसि । विशङ्का त्यज्यतामेषा श्रद्धत्स्व वदतो मम ॥ ४० ॥
“relying on my own valour, I have come to see you. I am not what you take me for, goddess. Let this doubt be given up; believe what I tell you.”