Sundara Kanda · Sarga 4 of 68 · 30 verses
Through the Streets of Lanka
Having conquered Lanka, that excellent city who takes any form at will, by his valour, Hanuman of great splendour, best of monkeys, very mighty, leaps over the wall where there is no gate and enters Lanka at night. Entering the city, the one who works for the good of the king of the monkeys sets his left foot on the head of his enemies. Entering at night, full of courage, the son of the wind takes the great road, bright with scattered flowers, and goes toward that lovely city. With roars of laughter and loud cries, preceded by the sound of instruments, with houses like clouds, shaped like thunderbolts and goads and adorned with diamond lattices, the lovely city shines like the sky with clouds. Lanka blazes with the lovely houses of the rakshasas, like white clouds, many-coloured, built in the shapes of the lotus and the svastika, and vardhamana houses well adorned everywhere. Moving on Raghava’s business, the glorious one sees the city with its many-coloured garlands and ornaments and rejoices. Going from house to house, the elephant among monkeys sees mansions of every shape and form here and there. He hears lovely singing, adorned with notes from the three registers, of women pierced by love, like apsarases in heaven; he hears the jingle of girdles and the tinkling of anklets, the sound of steps on stairs in the houses of the great, and the slapping of arms and shouts here and there. He hears mantras being muttered in the rakshasas’ houses and sees yatudhanas devoted to Vedic study, and rakshasas roaring with praises of Ravana. He sees a great host of rakshasas blocking the royal road, and in the central guard-post many of the rakshasa’s spies: consecrated ones, with matted hair or shaven heads, wearing cowhide or naked, armed with fistfuls of darbha grass, with fire-pits as weapons, carrying hammers and clubs and staves; one-eyed and many-coloured, with hanging bellies and breasts, gaping, with crooked faces, monstrous, dwarfish; with bows, swords, hundred-killers and pestles, with fine iron bars in their hands, shining with many-coloured armour; neither too fat nor too thin, too tall nor too short, too fair nor too dark, too hunched nor dwarfish; ugly, many-formed, handsome and splendid; with banners and flags and weapons of every kind; with spears and trees as weapons, carrying axes and thunderbolts, with slings and nooses in their hands; garlanded, anointed, adorned with fine ornaments, in many kinds of dress, many of them roaming as they please; with sharp tridents and thunderbolts, very mighty. The monkey sees a calm guard of a hundred thousand in the middle, posted by the lord of the rakshasas in front of the inner apartments. Then the great monkey sees that famous house of the king of the rakshasas, with great golden gateways, set on the top of the mountain, surrounded by moats adorned with white lotuses, closely enclosed by walls, divine like heaven, resounding with divine sounds, echoing with the neighing of horses and the jingle of ornaments; with chariots, carriages and celestial cars, with fine horses and elephants, with four-tusked elephants like masses of white cloud, adorned, its gates lovely, with maddened beasts and birds; guarded by thousands of very mighty yatudhanas. The monkey enters the guarded house of the lord of the rakshasas. He enters Ravana’s inner apartments, ringed with gold and refined gold, adorned within with costly pearls and gems, fragrant with costly black aloe and sandal.
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स निर्जित्य पुरीं लंकां श्रेष्ठां तां कामरूपिणीम् । विक्रमेण महातेजा हनूमान् कपिसत्तमः ॥ १ ॥
Having conquered by valour that excellent city Lanka, who takes forms at will, Hanuman of great splendour, best of monkeys,
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Through the Streets of Lanka 1 min read.
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अद्वारेण महावीर्यः प्राकारमवपुप्लुवे । निशि लंकां महासत्त्वो विवेश कपिकुञ्जरः ॥ २ ॥
the very mighty one leapt over the wall where there was no gate. At night the elephant among monkeys of great spirit entered Lanka.
प्रविश्य नगरीं लंकां कपिराजहितंकरः । चक्रेऽथ पादं सव्यं च शत्रूणां स तु मूर्धनि ॥ ३ ॥
Having entered the city Lanka, the one who does good to the king of the monkeys then set his left foot on the head of his enemies.
प्रविष्टः सत्त्वसम्पन्नो निशायां मारुतात्मजः । स महापथमास्थाय मुक्तपुष्पविराजितम् ॥ ४ ॥
Having entered at night, endowed with spirit, the son of the wind, taking to the great road, bright with released flowers,
ततस्तु तां पुरीं लंकां रम्यामभिययौ कपिः । हसितोत्कृष्टनिनदैस्तूर्यघोषपुरस्कृतैः ॥ ५ ॥
then the monkey went toward that lovely city Lanka. With laughter and loud cries, preceded by the sound of instruments,
वज्राङ्कुशनिकाशैश्च वज्रजालविभूषितैः । गृहमेघैः पुरी रम्या बभासे द्यौरिवाम्बुदैः ॥ ६ ॥
and with house-clouds like thunderbolts and goads, adorned with diamond lattices, the lovely city shone like the sky with clouds.
प्रजज्वाल तदा लंका रक्षोगणगृहैः शुभैः । सिताभ्रसदृशैश्चित्रैः पद्मस्वस्तिकसंस्थितैः ॥ ७ ॥
Lanka then blazed with the lovely houses of the hosts of rakshasas, like white clouds, many-coloured, set in lotus and svastika shapes,
वर्धमानगृहैश्चापि सर्वतः सुविभूषितैः । तां चित्रमाल्याभरणां कपिराजहितंकरः ॥ ८ ॥
and with vardhamana houses too, well adorned on every side. That one with many-coloured garlands and ornaments, the one who does good to the king of the monkeys,
राघवार्थे चरन् श्रीमान् ददर्श च ननन्द च । भवनाद् भवनं गच्छन् ददर्श कपिकुञ्जरः ॥ ९ ॥
moving for Raghava’s sake, the glorious one saw and rejoiced. Going from house to house, the elephant among monkeys saw
विविधाकृतिरूपाणि भवनानि ततस्ततः । शुश्राव रुचिरं गीतं त्रिस्थानस्वरभूषितम् ॥ १० ॥
houses here and there of many shapes and forms. He heard lovely singing, adorned with the notes of the three registers,
स्त्रीणां मदनविद्धानां दिवि चाप्सरसामिव । शुश्राव काञ्चीनिनदं नूपुराणां च निःस्वनम् ॥ ११ ॥
of women pierced by love, like apsarases in heaven. He heard the sound of girdles and the tinkling of anklets,
सोपाननिनदांश्चापि भवनेषु महात्मनाम् । आस्फोटितनिनादांश्च क्ष्वेडितांश्च ततस्ततः ॥ १२ ॥
and the sounds of stairs in the houses of the great-souled, and the sounds of arm-slapping and shouts here and there.
शुश्राव जपतां तत्र मन्त्रान् रक्षोगृहेषु वै । स्वाध्यायनिरतांश्चैव यातुधानान् ददर्श सः ॥ १३ ॥
He heard there, in the rakshasas’ houses, those muttering mantras; and he saw yatudhanas devoted to Vedic study,
रावणस्तवसंयुक्तान् गर्जतो राक्षसानपि । राजमार्गं समावृत्य स्थितं रक्षोगणं महत् ॥ १४ ॥
and rakshasas roaring, joined with praises of Ravana. A great host of rakshasas, standing blocking the royal road,
ददर्श मध्यमे गुल्मे राक्षसस्य चरान् बहून् । दीक्षिताञ्जटिलान् मुण्डान् गोजिनाम्बरवाससः ॥ १५ ॥
he saw in the middle guard-post, many spies of the rakshasa: consecrated ones, with matted hair, shaven, wearing cowhide or naked,
दर्भमुष्टिप्रहरणानग्निकुण्डायुधांस्तथा । कूटमुद्गरपाणींश्च दण्डायुधधरानपि ॥ १६ ॥
with fistfuls of darbha as weapons, likewise with fire-pits as weapons, with hammers and clubs in hand, and bearing staves as weapons,
एकाक्षानेकवर्णांश्च लंबोदरपयोधरान् । करालान् भुग्नवक्त्रांश्च विकटान् वामनांस्तथा ॥ १७ ॥
one-eyed and many-coloured, with hanging bellies and breasts, gaping and crooked-faced, monstrous and dwarfish too,
धन्विनः खड्गिनश्चैव शतघ्नीमुसलायुधान् । परिघोत्तमहस्तांश्च विचित्रकवचोज्ज्वलान् ॥ १८ ॥
with bows and with swords, with hundred-killers and pestles as weapons, with the best iron bars in hand, shining with many-coloured armour,
नातिस्थूलान् नातिकृशान् नातिदीर्घातिह्रस्वकान् । नातिगौरान् नातिकृष्णान्नातिकुब्जान्न वामनान् ॥ १९ ॥
not too fat, not too thin, not too tall or too short, not too fair, not too dark, not too hunched, not dwarfish,
विरूपान् बहुरूपांश्च सुरूपांश्च सुवर्चसः । ध्वजिनः पताकिनश्चैव ददर्श विविधायुधान् ॥ २० ॥
ugly and many-formed, and handsome, very splendid, with banners and with flags: he saw them with weapons of many kinds,
शक्तिवृक्षायुधांश्चैव पट्टिशाशनिधारिणः । क्षेपणीपाशहस्तांश्च ददर्श स महाकपिः ॥ २१ ॥
with spears and trees as weapons, bearing pikes and thunderbolts, with slings and nooses in hand: the great monkey saw them,
स्रग्विणस्त्वनुलिप्तांश्च वराभरणभूषितान् । नानावेषसमायुक्तान् यथास्वैरचरान् बहून् ॥ २२ ॥
garlanded and anointed, adorned with fine ornaments, joined with many kinds of dress, many roaming as they pleased,
तीक्ष्णशूलधरांश्चैव वज्रिणश्च महाबलान् । शतसाहस्रमव्यग्रमारक्षं मध्यमं कपिः ॥ २३ ॥
bearing sharp tridents, and with thunderbolts, very mighty: a calm middle guard of a hundred thousand the monkey
रक्षोऽधिपतिनिर्दिष्टं ददर्शान्तःपुराग्रतः । स तदा तद् गृहं दृष्ट्वा महाहाटकतोरणम् ॥ २४ ॥
saw, posted by the lord of the rakshasas in front of the inner apartments. He then, seeing that house with great golden gateways,
राक्षसेन्द्रस्य विख्यातमद्रिमूर्ध्नि प्रतिष्ठितम् । पुण्डरीकावतंसाभिः परिखाभिः समावृतम् ॥ २५ ॥
the famous one of the king of the rakshasas, set on the top of the mountain, surrounded by moats with white lotus ornaments,
प्राकारावृतमत्यन्तं ददर्श स महाकपिः । त्रिविष्टपनिभं दिव्यं दिव्यनादविनादितम् ॥ २६ ॥
closely surrounded by walls, the great monkey saw: like heaven, divine, resounding with divine sounds,
वाजिह्रेषितसंघुष्टं नादितं भूषणैस्तथा । रथैर्यानैर्विमानैश्च तथा हयगजैः शुभैः ॥ २७ ॥
echoing with the neighing of horses, and resounding with ornaments, with chariots, carriages and celestial cars, and with fine horses and elephants,
वारणैश्च चतुर्दन्तैः श्वेताभ्रनिचयोपमैः । भूषितै रुचिरद्वारं मत्तैश्च मृगपक्षिभिः ॥ २८ ॥
and with four-tusked elephants like masses of white cloud, adorned, with lovely gates, with maddened beasts and birds,
रक्षितं सुमहावीर्यैर्यातुधानैः सहस्रशः । राक्षसाधिपतेर्गुप्तमाविवेश गृहं कपिः ॥ २९ ॥
guarded by thousands of very mighty yatudhanas: the guarded house of the lord of the rakshasas the monkey entered.
स हेमजाम्बूनदचक्रवालं महार्हमुक्तामणि भूषितान्तम् । परार्घ्यकालागुरुचन्दनार्हं स रावणान्तःपुरमाविवेश ॥ ३० ॥
He entered Ravana’s inner apartments, ringed with gold and refined gold, adorned within with costly pearls and gems, worthy of costly black aloe and sandal.