Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 38 of 128 · 20 verses
Night on Mount Suvela
Having decided to climb Suvela, Rama says to Sugriva and to righteous, loyal Vibhishana, skilled in counsel: let us all climb this lord of mountains, rich with a hundred minerals, and spend the night here, and look at Lanka, the home of that rakshasa who carried off my wife to his own death, who knew neither dharma nor good conduct nor family, and did that despicable deed with his low rakshasa mind. My anger rises at the very mention of that vilest of rakshasas, for whose crime I will see the rakshasas slaughtered. One man, caught in the noose of Time, does evil, and by his own low misconduct his whole family perishes.
Still angry at Ravana, Rama climbs Suvela with its colourful slopes; Lakshmana follows, alert, bow and arrow raised; then Sugriva with his ministers and Vibhishana, Hanuman, Angada, Nila, Mainda, Dvivida, Gaja, Gavaksha, Gavaya, Sharabha, Gandhamadana, Panasa, Kumuda, Hara, Rambha, Jambavan, Sushena, Rishabha, Durmukha, Shatabali and many more, swift as the wind, climbing by the hundred. From its summit they see Lanka as if hanging in the sky, lovely, with fine gates and walls, full of rakshasas; dark rakshasas stand on the ramparts like another wall. Seeing the rakshasas eager for battle, the monkeys raise all kinds of cries before Rama. The sun sets, reddened by twilight, and the night comes, bright with the full moon. Welcomed and honoured by Vibhishana, Rama, lord of the monkey army, with Lakshmana and the troop leaders, spends the night comfortably on Suvela’s summit.
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स तु कृत्वा सुवेलस्य मतिमारोहणं प्रति । लक्ष्मणानुगतो रामः सुग्रीवमिदमब्रवीत् ॥ १ ॥
Having decided to climb Suvela, Rama, followed by Lakshmana, said to Sugriva
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विभीषणं च धर्मज्ञमनुरक्तं निशाचरम् । मन्त्रज्ञं च विधिज्ञं च श्लक्ष्णया परया गिरा ॥ २ ॥
and to Vibhishana, the righteous, devoted night-wanderer, who knew counsel and procedure, in a gentle and excellent voice:
सुवेलं साधु शैलेन्द्रमिमं धातुशतैश्चितम् । अध्यारोहामहे सर्वे वत्स्यामोऽत्र निशामिमाम् ॥ ३ ॥
“Let us all climb this lord of mountains, Suvela, filled with hundreds of minerals; we will spend this night here.
लङ्कां चालोकयिष्यामो निलयं तस्य रक्षसः । येन मे मरणान्ताय हृता भार्या दुरात्मना ॥ ४ ॥
“And we will look at Lanka, the dwelling of that rakshasa by whom, evil-souled, my wife was carried off to bring about his death:
येन धर्मो न विज्ञातो न वृत्तं न कुलं तथा । राक्षस्या नीचया बुद्ध्या येन तद् गर्हितं कृतम् ॥ ५ ॥
“by whom dharma was not known, nor good conduct, nor family; by whom that despicable deed was done with a low rakshasa mind.
तस्मिन् मे वर्तते रोषः कीर्तिते राक्षसाधमे । यस्यापराधान्नीचस्य वधं द्रक्ष्यामि रक्षसाम् ॥ ६ ॥
“Anger rises in me at the very mention of that vilest of rakshasas, through whose crime, the low one, I will see the slaughter of the rakshasas.
एको हि कुरुते पापं कालपाशवशं गतः । नीचेनात्मापचारेण कुलं तेन विनश्यति ॥ ७ ॥
“One man, fallen under the power of Time’s noose, does evil; by his low misconduct his family perishes.”
एवं सम्मन्त्रयन् नेव सक्रोधो रावणं प्रति । रामः सुवेलं वासाय चित्रसानुमुपारुहत् ॥ ८ ॥
Taking counsel so, still angry at Ravana, Rama climbed Suvela, with its colourful slopes, to stay there.
पृष्ठतो लक्ष्मणश्चैनमन्वगच्छत् समाहितः । सशरं चापमुद्यम्य सुमहद्विक्रमे रतः ॥ ९ ॥
Behind him Lakshmana followed, attentive, raising his bow with an arrow, devoted to very great valour.
तमन्वारोहत् सुग्रीवः सामात्यः सविभीषणः । हनुमानङ्गदो नीलो मैन्दो द्विविद एव च ॥ १० ॥
After him climbed Sugriva with his ministers and with Vibhishana, Hanuman, Angada, Nila, Mainda and Dvivida,
गजो गवाक्षो गवयः शरभो गन्धमादनः । पनसः कुमुदश्चैव हरो रम्भश्च यूथपः ॥ ११ ॥
Gaja, Gavaksha, Gavaya, Sharabha, Gandhamadana, Panasa and Kumuda, Hara and the troop leader Rambha,
जाम्बवांश्च सुषेणश्च ऋषभश्च महामतिः । दुर्मुखश्च महातेजास्तथा शतवलिः कपिः ॥ १२ ॥
Jambavan, Sushena and very wise Rishabha, radiant Durmukha, and the monkey Shatabali.
एते चान्ये च बहवो वानराः शीघ्रगामिनः । ते वायुवेगप्रवणास्तं गिरिं गिरिचारिणः ॥ १३ ॥
These and many other monkeys, swift-moving, inclined to the speed of the wind, mountain-roamers,
अध्यारोहन्त शतशः सुवेलं यत्र राघवः । ते त्वदीर्घेण कालेन गिरिमारुह्य सर्वतः ॥ १४ ॥
climbed by hundreds that mountain Suvela where Raghava was. Having climbed the mountain in no long time, on every side
ददृशुः शिखरे तस्य विषक्तामिव खे पुरीम् । तां शुभां प्रवरद्वारां प्राकारवरशोभिताम् ॥ १५ ॥
they saw on its summit a city as if hanging in the sky. That lovely city with its fine gates, beautiful with its excellent walls,
लङ्कां राक्षससम्पूर्णां ददृशुर्हरियूथपाः । प्राकारवरसंस्थैश्च तथा नीलैश्च राक्षसैः ॥ १६ ॥
Lanka, full of rakshasas, the leaders of the monkey troops saw. And with dark rakshasas stationed on the fine walls,
ददृशुस्ते हरिश्रेष्ठाः प्राकारमपरं कृतम् ॥ १७ ॥
those best of monkeys saw another wall formed.
ते दृष्ट्वा वानराः सर्वे राक्षसान् युद्धकाङ्क्षिणः । मुमुचुर्विविधान् नादांस्तस्य रामस्य पश्यतः ॥ १८ ॥
Seeing the rakshasas eager for battle, all those monkeys let out many kinds of cries as Rama looked on.
ततोऽस्तमगमत् सूर्यः संध्यया प्रतिरञ्जितः । पूर्णचन्द्रप्रदीप्ता च क्षपा समतिवर्तत ॥ १९ ॥
Then the sun set, reddened by the twilight, and the night came on, bright with the full moon.
ततः स रामो हरिवाहिनीपति- र्विभीषणेन प्रतिनन्द्य सत्कृतः । सलक्ष्मणो यूथपयूथसंयुतः सुवेलपृष्ठे न्यवसद् यथासुखम् ॥ २० ॥
Then Rama, lord of the monkey army, welcomed and honoured by Vibhishana, with Lakshmana, joined by the troops of the troop leaders, stayed at his ease on the top of Suvela.