Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 66 of 128 · 33 verses
Angada Rallies the Monkeys
Kumbhakarna, huge as a mountain peak, strides out of the city, roaring so that the sea echoes, as if outdoing thunder and scattering mountains. Seeing him, whom neither Indra, Yama nor Varuna could kill, the monkeys flee. Prince Angada calls to Nala, Nila, Gavaksha and Kumuda: where are you running in terror, like common monkeys, forgetting your valour and your lineage? Turn back; why save your lives? This rakshasa is not fit for battle; he is a great bugbear; we will scatter this terror with valour. With difficulty the monkeys gather, take up trees and return; they strike Kumbhakarna like rutting elephants with tall mountain peaks, rocks and flowering trees, but he does not tremble; the rocks shatter on his limbs and the trees break and fall. Enraged, he crushes the monkey armies like a forest fire; many bulls among monkeys lie red with blood like trees with copper flowers. Fleeing, the monkeys leap without looking; some fall into the sea, some take to the sky; some run back along the bridge; some hide in the lowlands, bears climb trees, some take to the mountains, some sink in the sea, some hide in caves, some fall and lie as if dead.
Angada calls again: stand, let us fight! Turn back! I see no place on this earth for you if you break. Your wives will laugh at you if you run unarmed; that is death to those who live with honour. You were born in great families; where are you going in fear like common monkeys? It is ignoble to throw away your valour and run. Where are your boasts in the assembly? We hear the reproaches cast on a coward who lives on despised; follow the path of the good and give up fear. Either we lie dead on the earth and reach Brahma’s world, which bad fighters cannot reach, or we win fame by killing the enemy; dead, we will enjoy the wealth of the heroes’ world. Kumbhakarna will not leave alive once he meets Kakutstha, like a moth meeting a blazing fire. If we save our lives by running, our glory will be lost, many broken by one. The fleeing monkeys answer with words heroes despise: Kumbhakarna has made a terrible slaughter of us; this is not the time to stand; life is dear to us. And they scatter. But Angada, with gentle words and reasons, turns them all back and fills them with fresh courage, and the troop leaders stand awaiting orders; Rishabha, Sharabha, Mainda, Dhumra, Nila, Kumuda, Sushena, Gavaksha, Rambha, Tara, Dvivida, Panasa and Hanuman lead the charge back into battle.
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स लङ्घयित्वा प्राकारं गिरिकूटोपमो महान् । निर्ययौ नगरात् तूर्णं कुम्भकर्णो महाबलः ॥ १ ॥
Having stepped over the wall, huge, like a mountain peak, mighty Kumbhakarna went quickly out of the city.
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ननाद च महानादं समुद्रमभिनादयन् । विजयन्निव निर्घातान् विधमन्निव पर्वतान् ॥ २ ॥
He roared a great roar, making the sea echo, as if overcoming thunderclaps, as if scattering mountains.
तमवध्यं मघवता यमेन वरुणेन वा । प्रेक्ष्य भीमाक्षमायान्तं वानरा विप्रदुद्रुवुः ॥ ३ ॥
Seeing him coming, terrible-eyed, who could not be killed by Maghavan, Yama or Varuna, the monkeys fled.
तांस्तु विप्रद्रुतान् दृष्ट्वा राजपुत्रोऽङ्गदोऽब्रवीत् । नलं नीलं गवाक्षं च कुमुदं च महाबलम् ॥ ४ ॥
Seeing them fleeing, Prince Angada said to Nala, Nila, Gavaksha and mighty Kumuda:
आत्मनस्तानि विस्मृत्य वीर्याण्यभिजनानि च । क्व गच्छत भयत्रस्ताः प्राकृता हरयो यथा ॥ ५ ॥
“Forgetting your own valour and your lineage, where are you going, terrified by fear, like common monkeys?
साधु सौम्या निवर्तध्वं किं प्राणान् परिरक्षथ । नालं युद्धाय वै रक्षो महतीयं विभीषिका ॥ ६ ॥
“Come back, gentle ones; why do you guard your lives? This rakshasa is not fit for battle; this is a great bugbear.
महतीमुत्थितामेनां राक्षसानां विभीषिकाम् । विक्रमाद् विधमिष्यामो निवर्तध्वं प्लवङ्गमाः ॥ ७ ॥
“This great bugbear of the rakshasas that has arisen we will scatter by valour; turn back, leapers.”
कृच्छ्रेण तु समाश्वस्य संगम्य च ततस्ततः । वृक्षान् गृहीत्वा हरयः सम्प्रतस्थू रणाजिरे ॥ ८ ॥
Comforting themselves with difficulty and gathering from here and there, the monkeys took trees and set out for the battlefield.
ते निवर्त्य तु संरब्धाः कुम्भकर्णं वनौकसः । निजघ्नुः परमक्रुद्धाः समदा इव कुञ्जराः ॥ ९ ॥
Having turned back, the forest-dwellers, furious, in the height of anger, struck Kumbhakarna like rutting elephants.
प्रांशुभिर्गिरिशृङ्गैश्च शिलाभिश्च महाबलाः । पादपैः पुष्पिताग्रैश्च हन्यमानो न कम्पते ॥ १० ॥
With tall mountain peaks, with rocks, with trees with flowering tops, the mighty ones struck; yet, being struck, he did not tremble.
तस्य गात्रेषु पतिता भिद्यन्ते बहवः शिलाः । पादपाः पुष्पिताग्राश्च भग्नाः पेतुर्महीतले ॥ ११ ॥
Many rocks falling on his limbs were shattered; the trees with flowering tops broke and fell on the ground.
सोऽपि सैन्यानि संक्रुद्धौ वानराणां महौजसाम् । ममन्थ परमायत्तो वनान्यग्निरिवोत्थितः ॥ १२ ॥
He too, enraged, in the greatest effort, crushed the armies of the monkeys of great energy, like a fire risen in the woods.
लोहितार्द्रास्तु बहवः शेरते वानरर्षभाः । निरस्ताः पतिता भूमौ ताम्रपुष्पा इव द्रुमाः ॥ १३ ॥
Many bulls among monkeys, wet with blood, lie thrown down, fallen on the ground, like trees with copper flowers.
लङ्घयन्तः प्रधावन्तो वानरा नावलोकयन् । केचित् समुद्रे पतिताः केचिद् गगनमास्थिताः ॥ १४ ॥
Leaping and running, the monkeys did not look about; some fell into the ocean, some took to the sky.
वध्यमानास्तु ते वीरा राक्षसेन च लीलया । सागरं येन ते तीर्णाः पथा तेनैव दुद्रुवुः ॥ १५ ॥
Being killed by the rakshasa as if in play, those heroes ran back along the same path by which they had crossed the ocean.
ते स्थलानि तदा निम्नं विवर्णवदना भयात् । ऋक्षा वृक्षान् समारूढाः केचित् पर्वतमाश्रिताः ॥ १६ ॥
They, their faces pale with fear, to the low ground; the bears climbed trees, some took to the mountain.
ममज्जुरर्णवे केचिद् गुहाः केचित् समाश्रिताः । निपेतुः केचिदपरे केचिन्नैवावतस्थिरे । केचिद् भूमौ निपतिताः केचित् सुप्ता मृता इव ॥ १७ ॥
Some sank in the ocean, some took refuge in caves; others fell; some did not stand at all; some fell on the ground, some lay as if asleep or dead.
तान् समीक्ष्याङ्गदो भग्नान् वानरानिदमब्रवीत् । अवतिष्ठत युध्यामो निवर्तध्वं प्लवंगमाः ॥ १८ ॥
Seeing those monkeys broken, Angada said this: “Stand! Let us fight! Turn back, leapers!
भग्नानां वो न पश्यामि परिक्रम्य महीमिमाम् । स्थानं सर्वे निवर्तध्वं किं प्राणान् परिरक्षथ ॥ १९ ॥
“Even if you go round this whole earth, I see no place for you who have broken; turn back, all of you; why do you guard your lives?
निरायुधानां क्रमतामसङ्गगतिपौरुषाः । दारा ह्युपहसिष्यन्ति स वै घातः सुजीवताम् ॥ २० ॥
“Your wives will laugh at you, running without weapons, you of unhindered course and manliness; that is death to those who live well.
कुलेषु जाताः सर्वेऽस्मिन् विस्तीर्णेषु महत्सु च । क्व गच्छत भयत्रस्ताः प्राकृता हरयो यथा । अनार्याः खलु यद्भीतास्त्यक्त्वा वीर्यं प्रधावत ॥ २१ ॥
“You were all born in great, wide families; where are you going, terrified with fear, like common monkeys? Surely it is ignoble that, frightened, giving up your valour, you run.
विकत्थनानि वो यानि भवद्भिर्जनसंसदि । तानि वः क्व नु यातानि सोदग्राणि हितानि च ॥ २२ ॥
“Where have they gone, the boasts you made in the assembly of people, those lofty, good words of yours?
भीरोः प्रवादाः श्रूयन्ते यस्तु जीवति धिक्कृतः । मार्गः सत्पुरुषैर्जुष्टः सेव्यतां त्यज्यतां भयम् ॥ २३ ॥
“The reproaches against the coward are heard, who lives despised. Let the path followed by good men be followed; let fear be abandoned.
शयामहे वा निहताः पृथिव्यामल्पजीविताः । प्राप्नुयामो ब्रह्मलोकं दुष्प्रापं च कुयोधिभिः ॥ २४ ॥
“Either we lie on the earth, killed, our lives short, and reach Brahma’s world, so hard to reach for bad fighters;
अवाप्नुयामः कीर्तिं वा निहत्वा शत्रुमाहवे । निहता वीरलोकस्य भोक्ष्यामो वसु वानराः ॥ २५ ॥
“or we win fame by killing the enemy in battle; killed, monkeys, we will enjoy the wealth of the heroes’ world.
न कुम्भकर्णः काकुत्स्थं दृष्ट्वा जीवन् गमिष्यति । दीप्यमानमिवासाद्य पतङ्गो ज्वलनं यथा ॥ २६ ॥
“Kumbhakarna will not go away alive, having seen Kakutstha, like a moth coming to a blazing fire.
पलायनेन चोद्दिष्टाः प्राणान् रक्षामहे वयम् । एकेन बहवो भग्ना यशो नाशं गमिष्यति ॥ २७ ॥
“If we save our lives by running away, many broken by one, our glory will be destroyed.”
एवं ब्रुवाणं तं शूरमङ्गदं कनकाङ्गदम् । द्रवमाणास्ततो वाक्यमूचुः शूरविगर्हितम् ॥ २८ ॥
To heroic Angada with golden armlets, speaking so, the fleeing ones then spoke words despised by heroes:
कृतं नः कदनं घोरं कुम्भकर्णेन रक्षसा । न स्थानकालो गच्छामो दयितं जीवितं हि नः ॥ २९ ॥
“A terrible slaughter of us has been made by the rakshasa Kumbhakarna; it is not the place or time to stand; we are going, for life is dear to us.”
एतावदुक्त्वा वचनं सर्वे ते भेजिरे दिशः । भीमं भीमाक्षमायान्तं दृष्ट्वा वानरयूथपाः ॥ ३० ॥
Having said this much, all those leaders of the monkey troops took to the directions, seeing the terrible, terrible-eyed one coming.
द्रवमाणास्तु ते वीरा अङ्गदेन बलीमुखाः । सान्त्वनैश्चानुमानैश्च ततः सर्वे निवर्तिताः ॥ ३१ ॥
But those fleeing heroes, the monkeys, were all turned back by Angada with soothing words and reasoning.
प्रहर्षमुपनीताश्च वालिपुत्रेण धीमता । आज्ञाप्रतीक्षास्तस्थुश्च सर्वे वानरयूथपाः ॥ ३२ ॥
Brought to joy by wise Vali’s son, all the leaders of the monkey troops stood awaiting orders.
ऋषभशरभमैन्दधूम्रनीलाः कुमुदसुषेणगवाक्षरम्भताराः । द्विविदपनसवायुपुत्रमुख्या- स्त्वरिततराभिमुखं रणं प्रयाताः ॥ ३३ ॥
Rishabha, Sharabha, Mainda, Dhumra and Nila, Kumuda, Sushena, Gavaksha, Rambha and Tara, Dvivida and Panasa, led by the son of the Wind, went very quickly toward the battle.