Sundara Kanda · Sarga 61 of 68 · 24 verses
The Honey Grove
The monkeys accept Jambavan’s advice. Led by Hanuman, they leap from Mahendra, huge as mountains, covering the sky, glad, their purpose achieved, eager to tell the good news and to fight for Rama. On the way they reach Madhuvana, Sugriva’s own honey grove, lovely as Nandana, guarded always by the great hero Dadhimukha, Sugriva’s maternal uncle, and forbidden to all.
Elated, the honey-coloured monkeys ask Prince Angada for honey. With the elders’ consent, he gives them leave. They fall on the trees humming with bees, eat fragrant roots and fruits, and grow drunk with joy. Some sing, some laugh, some dance, some bow, some fall down, some wander, some leap, some babble; some lean on one another, some quarrel, some race from tree to tree or tumble from the treetops. One laughing goes up to one singing; one weeping goes up to one laughing. There is not one who is not drunk and wild. Seeing the grove being devoured and the trees stripped, Dadhimukha angrily tries to stop them; abused by them, he scolds some, slaps others, quarrels with some and coaxes others. But in their drunkenness they turn on him, scratching, biting, kicking and slapping, and lay the whole grove waste.
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ततो जाम्बवतो वाक्यमगृह्णन्त वनौकसः । अङ्गदप्रमुखा वीरा हनूमांश्च महाकपिः ॥ १ ॥
Then the forest-dwellers accepted Jambavan’s words: the heroes led by Angada, and Hanuman the great monkey.
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The Honey Grove 1 min read.
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प्रीतिमन्तस्ततः सर्वे वायुपुत्रपुरःसराः । महेन्द्राग्रात् समुत्पत्य पुप्लुवुः प्लवगर्षभाः ॥ २ ॥
Then all of them, delighted, the bulls among monkeys, with the son of the Wind in front, leapt up from the top of Mahendra and flew,
मेरुमन्दरसंकाशा मत्ता इव महागजाः । छादयन्त इवाकाशं महाकाया महाबलाः ॥ ३ ॥
like Meru and Mandara, like great rutting elephants, as if covering the sky, huge-bodied and mighty,
सभाज्यमानं भूतैस्तमात्मवन्तं महाबलम् । हनूमन्तं महावेगं वहन्त इव दृष्टिभिः ॥ ४ ॥
as if carrying with their eyes Hanuman, honoured by all beings, self-possessed, mighty, very swift,
राघवे चार्थनिर्वृत्तिं कर्तुं च परमं यशः । समाधाय समृद्धार्थाः कर्मसिद्धिभिरुन्नताः ॥ ५ ॥
resolved to accomplish their purpose for Raghava and to win the highest glory, their aim achieved, uplifted by the success of their task,
प्रियाख्यानोन्मुखाः सर्वे सर्वे युद्धाभिनन्दिनः । सर्वे रामप्रतीकारे निश्चितार्था मनस्विनः ॥ ६ ॥
all eager to tell the good news, all delighting in battle, all high-minded, resolved on retaliation for Rama.
प्लवमानाः खमाप्लुत्य ततस्ते काननौकसः । नन्दनोपममासेदुर्वनं द्रुमशतायुतम् ॥ ७ ॥
Leaping into the sky and flying on, those forest-dwellers came to a grove like Nandana, with hundreds of thousands of trees:
यत् तन्मधुवनं नाम सुग्रीवस्याभिरक्षितम् । अधृष्यं सर्वभूतानां सर्वभूतमनोहरम् ॥ ८ ॥
that grove named Madhuvana, guarded for Sugriva, unassailable by all beings, delighting all beings,
यद् रक्षति महावीरः सदा दधिमुखः कपिः । मातुलः कपिमुख्यस्य सुग्रीवस्य महात्मनः ॥ ९ ॥
which the great hero, the monkey Dadhimukha, always guards: the maternal uncle of great-souled Sugriva, chief of the monkeys.
ते तद् वनमुपागम्य बभूवुः परमोत्कटाः । वानरा वानरेन्द्रस्य मनःकान्तं महावनम् ॥ १० ॥
Coming to that grove, the monkeys became wildly excited at that great grove, beloved of the lord of monkeys.
ततस्ते वानरा हृष्टा दृष्ट्वा मधुवनं महत् । कुमारमभ्ययाचन्त मधूनि मधुपिङ्गलाः ॥ ११ ॥
Then the monkeys, delighted, honey-coloured, seeing that great honey grove, begged the prince for honey.
ततः कुमारस्तान् वृद्धाञ्जाम्बवत्प्रमुखान् कपीन् । अनुमान्य ददौ तेषां निसर्गं मधुभक्षणे ॥ १२ ॥
Then the prince, consulting the elder monkeys led by Jambavan, gave them leave to eat the honey.
ते निसृष्टाः कुमारेण धीमता वालिसूनुना । हरयः समपद्यन्त द्रुमान् मधुकराकुलान् ॥ १३ ॥
Given leave by the wise prince, Vali’s son, the monkeys went to the trees crowded with bees.
भक्षयन्तः सुगन्धीनि मूलानि च फलानि च । जग्मुः प्रहर्षं ते सर्वे बभूवुश्च मदोत्कटाः ॥ १४ ॥
Eating fragrant roots and fruits, they all felt great joy and became wildly drunk.
ततश्चानुमताः सर्वे सुसंहृष्टा वनौकसः । मुदिताश्च ततस्ते च प्रनृत्यन्ति ततस्ततः ॥ १५ ॥
Then, all given leave, the forest-dwellers, overjoyed and glad, danced here and there.
गायन्ति केचित् प्रहसन्ति केचि- न्नृत्यन्ति केचित् प्रणमन्ति केचित् । पतन्ति केचित् प्रचरन्ति केचित् प्लवन्ति केचित् प्रलपन्ति केचित् ॥ १६ ॥
Some sing, some laugh, some dance, some bow; some fall, some wander, some leap, some babble.
परस्परं केचिदुपाश्रयन्ति परस्परं केचिदतिब्रुवन्ति । द्रुमाद् द्रुमं केचिदभिद्रवन्ति क्षितौ नगाग्रान्निपतन्ति केचित् ॥ १७ ॥
Some lean on one another, some shout at one another; some run from tree to tree, some fall to the ground from the treetops.
महीतलात् केचिदुदीर्णवेगा महाद्रुमाग्राण्यभिसम्पतन्ति । गायन्तमन्यः प्रहसन्नुपैति हसन्तमन्यः प्ररुदन्नुपैति ॥ १८ ॥
Some, from the ground, with rising speed, fly up to the tops of great trees. One goes up laughing to one singing; another goes up weeping to one laughing;
तुदन्तमन्यः प्रणदन्नुपैति समाकुलं तत् कपिसैन्यमासीत् । न चात्र कश्चिन्न बभूव मत्तो न चात्र कश्चिन्न बभूव दृप्तः ॥ १९ ॥
another goes up roaring to one poking; that monkey army was in confusion. There was no one there who was not drunk, no one there who was not wild.
ततो वनं तत् परिभक्ष्यमाणं द्रुमांश्च विध्वंसितपत्रपुष्पान् । समीक्ष्य कोपाद् दधिवक्त्रनामा निवारयामास कपिः कपींस्तान् ॥ २० ॥
Then, seeing the grove being eaten up and the trees stripped of leaves and flowers, the monkey named Dadhivaktra angrily tried to stop those monkeys.
स तैः प्रवृद्धैः परिभर्त्स्यमानो वनस्य गोप्ता हरिवृद्धवीरः । चकार भूयो मतिमुग्रतेजा वनस्य रक्षां प्रति वानरेभ्यः ॥ २१ ॥
Abused by those wild ones, the guardian of the grove, the old hero among monkeys, of fierce energy, resolved again to protect the grove from the monkeys.
उवाच कांश्चित् परुषाण्यभीत- मसक्तमन्यांश्च तलैर्जघान । समेत्य कैश्चित् कलहं चकार तथैव साम्नोपजगाम कांश्चित् ॥ २२ ॥
He spoke harsh words fearlessly to some, struck others hard with his palms, quarrelled with some when he met them, and approached some with soothing words.
स तैर्मदादप्रतिवार्यवेगै- र्बलाच्च तेन प्रतिवार्यमाणैः । प्रधर्षणे त्यक्तभयैः समेत्य प्रकृष्यते चाप्यनवेक्ष्य दोषम् ॥ २३ ॥
Held back by him by force, and unstoppable in their onrush from drunkenness, they gathered and, without fear, dragged him about in their assault, heedless of the wrong.
नखैस्तुदन्तो दशनैर्दशन्त- स्तलैश्च पादैश्च समापयन्तः । मदात् कपिं ते कपयः समन्ता- न्महावनं निर्विषयं च चक्रुः ॥ २४ ॥
Scratching with their nails, biting with their teeth, pummelling with palms and feet, in their drunkenness the monkeys all round made the great grove a wasteland.