Sundara Kanda · Sarga 41 of 68 · 21 verses
Hanuman Wrecks the Grove
Leaving Sita, Hanuman reflects that little of his task remains: he has found her. Of the four means of policy, conciliation will not work on rakshasas, gifts mean nothing to the rich, and the proud cannot be divided; only force is left. A good agent, having done his main task, should accomplish more without harming it. He wants to measure the enemy’s strength before he goes, and to meet Ravana himself, see his ministers and army, and learn his mind.
So he decides to destroy Ravana’s beloved pleasure grove, lovely as Nandana. That will anger Ravana; he will send his army, and Hanuman will fight it and then return to Sugriva. Roused like the wind, he begins to hurl trees. Soon the grove, with its trees smashed, its pools broken and its hillocks crushed, its birds crying and its creepers trampled, looks like a forest after a wildfire. Having done this great wrong to the king, the monkey, blazing with splendour, perches on the gateway, ready to fight many alone.
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स च वाग्भिः प्रशस्ताभिर्गमिष्यन् पूजितस्तया । तस्माद् देशादपाक्रम्य चिन्तयामास वानरः ॥ १ ॥
Honoured by her with words of praise as he was leaving, the monkey went away from that place and thought:
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अल्पशेषमिदं कार्यं दृष्टेयमसितेक्षणा । त्रीनुपायानतिक्रम्य चतुर्थ इह दृश्यते ॥ २ ॥
“Little of this task remains: this dark-eyed lady has been seen. Passing over three means, the fourth is seen to fit here.
न साम रक्षःसु गुणाय कल्पते न दानमर्थोपचितेषु युज्यते । न भेदसाध्या बलदर्पिता जनाः पराक्रमस्त्वेष ममेह रोचते ॥ ३ ॥
“Conciliation does no good with rakshasas; gifts are no use with those rich in wealth; people proud of their strength are not to be won by division. Valour is what I like here.
न चास्य कार्यस्य पराक्रमादृते विनिश्चयः कश्चिदिहोपपद्यते । हतप्रवीराश्च रणे तु राक्षसाः कथंचिदीयुर्यदिहाद्य मार्दवम् ॥ ४ ॥
“Nor can any conclusion of this task be reached here without valour. With their heroes killed in battle, the rakshasas might somehow turn mild here today.
कार्ये कर्मणि निर्वृत्ते यो बहून्यपि साधयेत् । पूर्वकार्याविरोधेन स कार्यं कर्तुमर्हति ॥ ५ ॥
“One who, when the main task is done, can achieve many more without harming the first task, is fit to do the work.
न ह्येकः साधको हेतुः स्वल्पस्यापीह कर्मणः । यो ह्यर्थं बहुधा वेद स समर्थोऽर्थसाधने ॥ ६ ॥
“For no single means accomplishes even the smallest action here; he who knows a purpose in many ways is able to accomplish it.
इहैव तावत्कृतनिश्चयो ह्यहं व्रजेयमद्य प्लवगेश्वरालयम् । परात्मसम्मर्दविशेषतत्त्ववित् ततः कृतं स्यान्मम भर्तृशासनम् ॥ ७ ॥
“Having made my resolve right here, knowing the precise truth of the strength of the enemy and of our own side, I would go today to the home of the lord of monkeys; then my master’s command would be fully done.
कथं नु खल्वद्य भवेत् सुखागतं प्रसह्य युद्धं मम राक्षसैः सह । तथैव खल्वात्मबलं च सारवत् समानयेन्मां च रणे दशाननः ॥ ८ ॥
“How might a fight with the rakshasas by force come about easily for me today? And how might the ten-faced one bring his own real strength and me together in battle?
ततः समासाद्य रणे दशाननं समन्त्रिवर्गं सबलं सयायिनम् । हृदि स्थितं तस्य मतं बलं च सुखेन मत्वाहमितः पुनर्व्रजे ॥ ९ ॥
“Then, meeting the ten-faced one in battle, with his ministers, army and followers, and easily learning the mind and strength that lie in his heart, I will go back from here.
इदमस्य नृशंसस्य नन्दनोपममुत्तमम् । वनं नेत्रमनःकान्तं नानाद्रुमलतायुतम् ॥ १० ॥
“This cruel one’s fine grove, like Nandana, delighting eye and heart, full of many trees and creepers:
इदं विध्वंसयिष्यामि शुष्कं वनमिवानलः । अस्मिन् भग्ने ततः कोपं करिष्यति स रावणः ॥ ११ ॥
“this I will destroy, as fire destroys a dry forest. When it is broken, Ravana will be angry.
ततो महत्साश्वमहारथद्विपं बलं समानेष्यति राक्षसाधिपः । त्रिशूलकालायसपट्टिशायुधं ततो महद्युद्धमिदं भविष्यति ॥ १२ ॥
“Then the lord of the rakshasas will bring a great army with horses, great chariots and elephants, armed with tridents, iron clubs and spears; then there will be a great battle.
अहं च तैः संयति चण्डविक्रमैः समेत्य रक्षोभिरभङ्गविक्रमः । निहत्य तद् रावणचोदितं बलं सुखं गमिष्यामि हरीश्वरालयम् ॥ १३ ॥
“And I, of unbroken valour, meeting in battle those rakshasas of fierce valour, will kill that army sent by Ravana and go happily to the home of the lord of monkeys.”
ततो मारुतवत् क्रुद्धो मारुतिर्भीमविक्रमः । ऊरुवेगेन महता द्रुमान् क्षेप्तुमथारभत् ॥ १४ ॥
Then the son of the Wind, of terrible valour, angry like the Wind, began to hurl trees with the great force of his thighs.
ततस्तद्धनुमान् वीरो बभञ्ज प्रमदावनम् । मत्तद्विजसमाघुष्टं नानाद्रुमलतायुतम् ॥ १५ ॥
Then heroic Hanuman broke up that pleasure grove, loud with excited birds, full of many trees and creepers.
तद्वनं मथितैर्वृक्षैर्भिन्नैश्च सलिलाशयैः । चूर्णितैः पर्वताग्रैश्च बभूवाप्रियदर्शनम् ॥ १६ ॥
With its trees uprooted, its pools broken and its hilltops crushed to powder, that grove became ugly to see.
नानाशकुन्तविरुतैः प्रभिन्नसलिलाशयैः । ताम्रैः किसलयैः क्लान्तैः क्लान्तद्रुमलतायुतैः ॥ १७ ॥
With the cries of many birds, its pools broken, its copper shoots withered, full of wilted trees and creepers,
न बभौ तद् वनं तत्र दावानलहतं यथा । व्याकुलावरणा रेजुर्विह्वला इव ता लताः ॥ १८ ॥
that grove did not shine, like one struck by a forest fire; the creepers, their coverings torn, looked like distraught women.
लतागृहैश्चित्रगृहैश्च सादितै- र्व्यालैर्मृगैरार्तरवैश्च पक्षिभिः । शिलागृहैरुन्मथितैस्तथा गृहैः प्रणष्टरूपं तदभून्महद् वनम् ॥ १९ ॥
With its creeper-bowers and painted houses ruined, with beasts of prey, deer and birds crying in distress, with its stone houses and other houses torn down, that great grove lost its form.
सा विह्वलाशोकलताप्रताना वनस्थली शोकलताप्रताना । जाता दशास्यप्रमदावनस्य कपेर्बलाद्धि प्रमदावनस्य ॥ २० ॥
The grounds of the ten-faced one’s pleasure grove, whose ashoka creepers were thrown into disorder, became a place of spreading creepers of sorrow, through the monkey’s might.
ततः स कृत्वा जगतीपतेर्महान् महद् व्यलीकं मनसो महात्मनः । युयुत्सुरेको बहुभिर्महाबलैः श्रिया ज्वलंस्तोरणमाश्रितः कपिः ॥ २१ ॥
Then the great monkey, having done a great wrong to the mind of the great-souled lord of the world, eager to fight alone against many mighty ones, blazing with splendour, took his stand on the gateway.