Sundara Kanda · Sarga 40 of 68 · 25 verses
Sita’s Last Message
Sita tells Hanuman that the sight of him gladdens her as rain gladdens a half-grown crop. She adds a second private token for Rama: once, when the tilaka on her forehead had rubbed off, he drew a new one with red arsenic on her cheek; let him remember it. And she adds a message in her own voice: how can one as mighty as Mahendra and Varuna let his wife live among rakshasas? She has guarded this crest-jewel carefully and found comfort in it as if in him; now she has sent it away, and she cannot live long. For his sake she endures unbearable sorrows, heartbreaking words and life among rakshasas. She will keep her life one month; after that, without him, she will not live.
Hanuman again swears by the truth that Rama has turned from everything else in his grief, and asks for one more token that will bring Rama joy. Sita says the jewel is the best token: seeing that ornament, Rama will believe his words. He takes it, bows, and begins to grow for his leap. With tears, she sends her greetings once more to Rama, Lakshmana, Sugriva and the ministers, and asks him to tell Rama of her grief and of the rakshasis’ threats. “May your road be safe, hero among monkeys.” With her message in hand, his task nearly done, Hanuman turns his mind north.
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श्रुत्वा तु वचनं तस्य वायुसूनोर्महात्मनः । उवाचात्महितं वाक्यं सीता सुरसुतोपमा ॥ १ ॥
Hearing the words of that great-souled son of the Wind, Sita, like a daughter of the gods, spoke words for her own good:
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त्वां दृष्ट्वा प्रियवक्तारं सम्प्रहृष्यामि वानर । अर्धसंजातसस्येव वृष्टिं प्राप्य वसुंधरा ॥ २ ॥
“Seeing you, monkey, speaker of welcome words, I rejoice like the earth with its crops half grown on getting rain.
यथा तं पुरुषव्याघ्रं गात्रैः शोकाभिकर्शितैः । संस्पृशेयं सकामाहं तथा कुरु दयां मयि ॥ ३ ॥
“Have compassion on me, so that I may in my longing touch that tiger among men with my limbs worn thin by grief.
अभिज्ञानं च रामस्य दद्या हरिगणोत्तम । क्षिप्तामिषीकां काकस्य कोपादेकाक्षिशातनीम् ॥ ४ ॥
“And give Rama this token, best of the monkey hosts: the reed you threw at the crow in anger, which destroyed one of its eyes.
मनःशिलायास्तिलको गण्डपार्श्वे निवेशितः । त्वया प्रणष्टे तिलके तं किल स्मर्तुमर्हसि ॥ ५ ॥
“’And a tilaka of red arsenic was set on the side of my cheek by you when my tilaka had rubbed off; you must remember that.
स वीर्यवान् कथं सीतां हृतां समनुमन्यसे । वसन्तीं रक्षसां मध्ये महेन्द्रवरुणोपम ॥ ६ ॥
“’Mighty one, how can you allow Sita, carried off, to live among rakshasas, you who are like Mahendra and Varuna?
एष चूडामणिर्दिव्यो मया सुपरिरक्षितः । एतं दृष्ट्वा प्रहृष्यामि व्यसने त्वामिवानघ ॥ ७ ॥
“’This heavenly crest-jewel I have guarded carefully; looking at it in my misfortune I rejoiced as if seeing you, sinless one.
एष निर्यातितः श्रीमान् मया ते वारिसम्भवः । अतः परं न शक्ष्यामि जीवितुं शोकलालसा ॥ ८ ॥
“’This splendid jewel, born of the waters, I now send back to you; after this, longing in grief, I will not be able to live.
असह्यानि च दुःखानि वाचश्च हृदयच्छिदः । राक्षसैः सह संवासं त्वत्कृते मर्षयाम्यहम् ॥ ९ ॥
“’Unbearable sorrows, words that cut the heart, living with the rakshasas: I endure them for your sake.
धारयिष्यामि मासं तु जीवितं शत्रुसूदन । मासादूर्ध्वं न जीविष्ये त्वया हीना नृपात्मज ॥ १० ॥
“’I will keep my life one month, slayer of enemies; after a month I will not live without you, prince.
घोरो राक्षसराजोऽयं दृष्टिश्च न सुखा मयि । त्वां च श्रुत्वा विषज्जन्तं न जीवेयमपि क्षणम् ॥ ११ ॥
“’This king of the rakshasas is terrible, and his gaze on me is not kind; if I heard that you were delaying, I would not live a moment.’”
वैदेह्या वचनं श्रुत्वा करुणं साश्रुभाषितम् । अथाब्रवीन्महातेजा हनूमान् मारुतात्मजः ॥ १२ ॥
Hearing Vaidehi’s piteous words, spoken in tears, radiant Hanuman, son of the Wind, said:
त्वच्छोकविमुखो रामो देवि सत्येन ते शपे । रामे शोकाभिभूते तु लक्ष्मणः परितप्यते ॥ १३ ॥
“Rama has turned away from everything in grief for you, goddess; I swear it to you by the truth. And while Rama is overcome with grief, Lakshmana suffers.
दृष्टा कथंचिद् भवती न कालः परिदेवितुम् । इमं मुहूर्तं दुःखानामन्तं द्रक्ष्यसि भामिनि ॥ १४ ॥
“Somehow you have been found; this is no time for lament. In this very hour you will see the end of your sorrows, lovely one.
तावुभौ पुरुषव्याघ्रौ राजपुत्रावनिन्दितौ । त्वद्दर्शनकृतोत्साहौ लङ्कां भस्मीकरिष्यतः ॥ १५ ॥
“Those two tigers among men, the blameless princes, roused by the hope of seeing you, will turn Lanka to ash.
हत्वा तु समरे रक्षो रावणं सहबान्धवैः । राघवौ त्वां विशालाक्षि स्वां पुरीं प्रति नेष्यतः ॥ १६ ॥
“Having killed the rakshasa Ravana in battle with his kin, the two Raghavas will take you to their own city, large-eyed one.
यत्तु रामो विजानीयादभिज्ञानमनिन्दिते । प्रीतिसंजननं भूयस्तस्य त्वं दातुमर्हसि ॥ १७ ॥
“But give me again some token that Rama would recognise, blameless one, something that will bring him joy.”
साब्रवीद् दत्तमेवाहो मयाभिज्ञानमुत्तमम् । एतदेव हि रामस्य दृष्ट्वा यत्नेन भूषणम् ॥ १८ ॥
She said: “Ah, I have already given the best token. Seeing this very ornament, carefully kept,
श्रद्धेयं हनुमन् वाक्यं तव वीर भविष्यति । स तं मणिवरं गृह्य श्रीमान् प्लवगसत्तमः ॥ १९ ॥
“your words will be believed by Rama, heroic Hanuman.” Taking that fine jewel, the glorious best of leapers
प्रणम्य शिरसा देवीं गमनायोपचक्रमे । तमुत्पातकृतोत्साहमवेक्ष्य हरियूथपम् ॥ २० ॥
bowed his head to the goddess and began to set out. Seeing that leader of monkey troops eager to leap up,
वर्धमानं महावेगमुवाच जनकात्मजा । अश्रुपूर्णमुखी दीना बाष्पगद्गदया गिरा ॥ २१ ॥
growing, of great speed, the daughter of Janaka, her face full of tears, wretched, said in a voice choked with weeping:
हनूमन् सिंहसंकाशौ भ्रातरौ रामलक्ष्मणौ । सुग्रीवं च सहामात्यं सर्वान् ब्रूया अनामयम् ॥ २२ ॥
“Hanuman, tell the two brothers like lions, Rama and Lakshmana, and Sugriva with his ministers, and all, that I am well.
यथा च स महाबाहुर्मां तारयति राघवः । अस्माद् दुःखाम्बुसंरोधात् त्वं समाधातुमर्हसि ॥ २३ ॥
“And you must arrange it so that mighty-armed Raghava rescues me from this flood of sorrow.
इदं च तीव्रं मम शोकवेगं रक्षोभिरेभिः परिभर्त्सनं च । ब्रूयास्तु रामस्य गतः समीपं शिवश्च तेऽध्वास्तु हरिप्रवीर ॥ २४ ॥
“Tell Rama, when you have reached him, of this fierce rush of my grief and of these rakshasis’ threats. May your road be safe, hero among monkeys.”
स राजपुत्र्या प्रतिवेदितार्थः कपिः कृतार्थः परिहृष्टचेताः । तदल्पशेषं प्रसमीक्ष्य कार्यं दिशं ह्युदीचीं मनसा जगाम ॥ २५ ॥
Having had his purpose made known by the princess, the monkey, his aim achieved, his heart full of joy, seeing that only a little of the task remained, went in his mind to the northern quarter.