Chapter [Sarga] 57

Book IV : Kishkindha Kanda - The Empire of Holy Monkeys

Chapter [Sarga] 57

Introduction

Angada informs Sampaati of their plight in searching for Seetha. As a part of it, he also details the plight of Rama. He explains that Seetha is unseen even after their meticulous search, thereof they transgressed the order of Sugreeva, thereby they did not return to Kishkindha, and therefore they resorted to fast-unto-death.

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shokaat bhraSTa svaram api shrutvaa te hari yuuthapaaH |
shraddadhuH na eva tat vaakyam karmaNaa tasya shankitaaH || 4-57-1

1. hari yuuthapaaH= monkey, commanders; shokaat bhraSTa svaram api= by sadness, spoiled [husky,] voiced, though; tat vaakyam shrutvaa= that, word [of Sampaati,] on hearing; but; tasya karmaNaa shankitaaH= by his [Sampaati's,] deed - fact [as a powerful eagle,] doubting; na eva shraddadhuH= not, even, believed - disbelieved Sampaati.

Though Sampaati's voice is turned husky by his sadness for the demise of his brother Jataayu, the monkey commanders doubtingly disbelieved neither him nor even his words by the fact of his being an eagle intending to kill and eat up all the monkeys. [4-57-1]

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te praayam upaviSTaaH tu dR^iSTvaa gR^idhram plava.mgamaaH |
cakruH buddhim tadaa raudraam sarvaan naH bhakSayiSyati || 4-57-2

2. praayam upaviSTaaH= for fast-unto-death, those who sat on; te plavamgamaaH= those, fly-jumpers; gR^idhram dR^iSTvaa= eagle, on seeing; tadaa= then; naH sarvaan bhakSayiSyati= us, all of us, it wishes to eat; thinking so; raudraam buddhim cakruH =furious, thinking, they made - they are furious at eagle.

On seeing the eagle those fly-jumpers who sat for fast-unto-death have become furious at the eagle thinking that, "that eagle wishes to eat up all of us..." Thus, the monkeys deliberated the eagle's words. [4-57-2]

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sarvathaa praayam aasiinaan yadi naH bhakSayiSyati |
kR^ita kR^ityaa bhaviSyaamaH kSipram siddhim ito gataaH || 4-57-3

3. praayam aasiinaan= for fast-unto-death, we who sit with; naH bhakSayiSyati yadi= us, it wishes to eat, if; itaH kSipram siddhim gataaH= from here, quickly, deliverance, on going into - on getting; sarvathaa kR^ita kR^ityaa bhaviSyaamaH= anywise, achieved, with achievement, we will be - our ends will be achieved.

"We are sitting for fast-unto-death and if that eagle wishes eat us let it be so... then our deliverance will be achieved in anyway and we will go to heaven from here..." Thus, some other monkeys gave thought to lower that eagle down. [4-57-3]

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etaam buddhim tataH cakruH sarve te hari yuuthapaaH |
avataarya gireH shR^i.ngaat gR^idhram aaha a.ngadaH tadaa || 4-57-4

4. tataH= then; te sarve hari yuuthapaaH= they, all, monkey, chiefs; etaam buddhim cakruH= this kind of, thinking, they made; gR^idhram gireH shR^ingaat= eagle from mountain's, top; avataarya= brought down; tadaa angadaH= then, Angada; aaha= spoke to it.

When all of the monkey chiefs made up their mind in this way, then some of them on going to the mountaintop brought that eagle down, and then Angada spoke to the eagle. [4-57-4]

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babhuuvuH R^ikSarajo naama vaanarendraH prataapavaan |
mama aaryaH paarthivaH pakSin dhaarmikau tasya ca aatmajau || 4-57-5
sugriivaH caiva valii ca putrau ghana balau ubhau |
loke vishruta karmaa abhuut raajaa vaalii pitaa mama || 4-57-6

5, 6: pakSin= oh, bird; prataapavaan= valorous one; vaanarendraH= among monkeys, outstanding one; mama aaryaH= to me, noble [my grandfather]; R^ikSarajaH naama= Rikshaja, known as; paarthivaH babhuuvuH= king, was there; ghana balau= greatly, mighty ones; ubhau= both; sugriivaH caiva valii ca= Sugreeva, also thus, Vali, also; tasya= his; dhaarmikau= generous ones; aatmajau putrau= own, sons; mama pitaa vaalii= my, father, Vali; loke vishruta karma= in world, highly renowned, [bold] acts; raajaa abhuut= king, he became.

"Oh, bird, my noble grandfather is known as Rikshaja who was a valorous and an outstanding monkey among all monkeys, was the king of monkeys. He has two generous and great mighty sons namely Vali and Sugreeva. My father Vali was highly renowned in the world for his bold acts, and he became the king later to my grandfather... [4-57-5, 6]

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raajaa kR^itsnasya jagataH ikSvaakuuNaam mahaarathaH |
raamo daasharathiH shriimaan praviSTo daNDakaa vanam || 4-57-7
lakSmaNena saha bhraatraa vaidehyaa ca api bhaaryayaa |
pituH nidesha nirato dharmam panthaanam aashritaH || 4-57-8

7, 8: ikSvaakuuNaam= among Ikshvaku-s; mahaarathaH= great-charioteer; kR^itsnasya jagataH raajaa= for entire, world, king; shriimaan= peerless person; daasharathiH= Dasharatha's, son; raamaH= Rama; pituH nidesha nirataH= father's, directives, abides by; dharmam panthaanam aashritaH= righteous, course of conduct, opting for; bhraatraa lakSmaNena saha= brother, Lakshmana, along with; bhaaryayaa vaidehyaa ca api= wife, Vaidehi, also, even; daNDakaa vanam praviSTaH= Dandaka, forest, moved into.

"Among Ikshvaku-s there is a great-charioteer, a king for the entire world, a peerless person, and he is the son of Dasharatha, namely Rama, and abiding by his father's directives and opting for righteous course of conduct, he moved into Dandaka forests along with his brother Lakshmana and even with his wife Vaidehi... [4-57-7, 8]

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tasya bhaaryaa janasthaanaat raavaNena hR^itaa balaat |
raamasya ca pituH mitram jaTaayuH naama gR^idhra raaT || 4-57-9
dadarsha siitaam vaidehiim hriyamaaNaam vihaayasaa |

9, 10a: tasya bhaaryaa= his, wife; janasthaanaat raavaNena= from Janasthaana, by Ravana; balaat hR^itaa= forcibly, is abducted; raamasya pituH mitram= Rama's, father's, friend; jaTaayuH naama gR^idhra raaT= Jataayu, named, eagle, king; vihaayasaa= by skyway; hriyamaaNaam vaidehiim siitaam= being abducted, princess from Videha kingdom; at Seetha; dadarsha= saw.

"Ravana forcibly abducted his wife from Janasthaana, namely Seetha, the princess from Videha kingdom, and a kingly eagle named Jataayu, who is a friend of Rama's father Dasharatha, has seen her while she was being abducted by skyway. [4-57-9, 10a]

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raavaNam viratham kR^itvaa sthaapayitvaa ca maithiliim |
parishraantaH ca vR^iddhaH ca raavaNena hato raNe || 4-57-10

10b, c. raavaNam vi ratham kR^itvaa= Ravana is, without [defective,] chariot, on making; sthaapayitvaa ca maithiliim= on holding over, even, Maithili [from abduction]; pari shraantaH ca= overly, tired, also; vR^iddhaH ca= being old; raNe raavaNena hataH= in confrontation, by Ravana, killed.

"Jatayu is overly tired when he made Ravana's chariot defective and withheld Maithili from abduction as he is senescent, then Ravana killed him in that conflict... [4-57-10b, c]

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evam gR^idhro hataH tena raavaNena baliiyasaa |
sa.nskR^itaH ca api raameNa gataH ca gatim uttamaam || 4-57-11

11. gR^idhraH= eagle; evam= in this way; baliiyasaa tena raavaNena hataH= by mighty, by him, by Ravana, is killed; raameNa sanskR^itaH ca api= by Rama, solemnised by [performed], obsequies, also, even; uttamaam gatim gataH= sublime, on avenue, he departed.

"Thus that eagle was killed by that mighty Ravana, but solemnised by the obsequies performed by Rama, he departed on a sublime avenue to heavens... [4-57-11]

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tato mama pitR^ivyeNa sugriiveNa mahaatmanaa |
cakaara raaghavaH sakhyam saH avadhiit pitaram mama || 4-57-12
mama pitraa viruddho hi sugriivaH sacivaiH saha |
nihatya vaalinam raamaH tataH tam abhiSecayat || 4-57-13

12, 13. tataH raaghavaH mama pitR^ivyeNa= then, Raghava, with my, paternal uncle; mahaa aatmanaa sugriiveNa sakhyam cakaara= with great-souled [intellectual autocrat,] with Sugreeva, made, friendship; saH mama pitaram avadhiit= he [Sugreeva,] my, father, got killed; sugriivaH sacivaiH saha= Sugreeva, ministers, along with; mama pitraa viruddhaH= with my, father, antagonised; so my father interdicted them; raamaH vaalinam nihatya= Rama, Vali, on killing; tataH tam abhiSecayat- then, him [Sugreeva,] is anointed.

"Then Raghava made friendship with my paternal uncle Sugreeva, an intellectual autocrat, and Sugreeva got my father killed. Since Sugreeva antagonised my father, my father interdicted him along with his ministers, and Rama killed my father Vali and anointed Sugreeva... [4-57-12, 13]

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sa raajye sthaapitaH tena sugriivo vaanareshvaraH |
raajaa vaanara mukhyaanaam tena prasthaapitaa vayam || 4-57-14

14. tena raajye sthaapitaH= by him [by Rama,] in kingdom, established [enthroned]; vaanara iishvaraH saH sugriivaH= vanara-s', ruler, he, that Sugreeva; vaanara mukhyaanaam raajaa= of [all] vanara, chiefs, he is the king; tena vayam prasthaapitaa= by him, we all are, expedited.

"Rama enthroned Sugreeva as the ruler of all vanara-s and that king of all vanara chiefs expedited all of us... [4-57-14]

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evam raama prayuktaaH tu maargamaaNaaH tataH tataH |
vaidehiim na adhigacChaamo raatrau suurya prabhaam iva || 4-57-15

15. evam raama prayuktaaH tu= thus, by Rama, spearheaded, though; tataH tataH maargamaaNaaH= there, there, while searching; raatrau suurya prabhaam iva= in night, sun, shine, as with; vaidehiim na adhigacChaamaH= at Vaidehi, not, we attained.

"Though we are spearheaded by Rama and though we searched thereabouts for Vaidehi at the behest of Sugreeva, as with a nightly sunshine Vaidehi is unattainable for us... [4-57-15]

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te vayam daNdakaaraNyam vicitya susamaahitaaH |
aj~naanaat tu praviSTaaH sma dharaNyaa vivR^itam bilam || 4-57-16

16. te vayam= they, we were - such as we were; su samaahitaaH= very, meticulously; daNdaka araNyam= Dandaka forest; vicitya= having searched, a + j~naanaat tu= without, knowledge [unwittingly,] but; dharaNyaa vivR^itam bilam= earth's, wide-opened, hole [Black Hole]; praviSTaaH sma= entered, we have.

"Such as we were we searched Dandaka forest very meticulously, but we unwittingly entered into a wide-opened Black Hole of the earth... [4-57-16]

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mayasya maayaa vihitam tat bilam ca vicinvataam |
vyatiitaH tatra naH maasaH yaH raaj~naa samayaH kR^itaH || 4-57-17

17. mayasya maayaa vihitam= by demon Maya's, with wizardary, crafted; tat bilam vicinvataam= that, hole, while searching; naH= for us; yaH raaj~naa samayaH kR^itaH= which, by king, time, framed; maasaH= month; tatra vyatiitaH= in there, elapsed.

"During our search in that Black Hole, which was crafted by the wizardry of demon Maya, the month fixed by our king for our return has been elapsed... [4-57-17]

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te vayam kapi raajasya sarve vacana kaariNaH |
kR^itaam sa.msthaam atikraantaa bhayaat praayam upaasitaaH || 4-57-18

18. kapi raajasya vacana kaariNaH= monkey, king's, word [order,] executives [bound]; sarve te vayam= all, such as, we are; kR^itaam samsthaam ati kraantaa= made [established,] norm, over, stepped; bhayaat praayam upaasitaaH= owing to fear [from Sugreeva,] fast-unto-death, we sat down.

"We who are all supposed to execute the order of our king, we have exceeded the established norm of timeframe, and for fear of fury from our king Sugreeva we sat down for fast-unto-death... [4-57-18]

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kruddhe tasmin tu kaakutsthe sugriive ca sa lakSmaNe |
gataanaam api sarveSaam tatra naH na asti jiivitam || 4-57-19

19. tasmin kaakutsthe= that, Kakutstha Rama; sa lakSmaNe= with, Lakshmana; sugriive ca= with Sugreeva, also; kruddhe= while becoming infuriated; tatra= there [to Kishkindha]; gataanaam api= on going, even; naH sarveSaam jiivitam na asti= for us, all, survival, not, will be there.

"When Rama along with Lakshmana, and even Sugreeva will be infuriated by our infringement of time, and even on our going to Kishkindha, as infringers there will be no survival for all of us..." Thus Angada narrated their plight to Sampaati. [4-57-19]

iti vaalmiiki raamaayaNe aadi kaavye kiSkindha kaaNDe sapta pa.ncaashaH sargaH

Thus, this is the 57th chapter in Kishkindha Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India.