The Ramayana

by Valmiki

  Sugrīva, the king of the monkeys, had a great many resources at his disposal. He said to Rāma, the tormentor of his enemies, ‘All these powerful monkeys live under my jurisdiction and they can all change their shapes at will. Fierce monkey chiefs have come here with their troops whose courageous exploits have made them feared for their valour. Famous for their strength, they never tire. They can move through mountains and forests and waters with equal facility. Countless in number, they are all at your service. They are loyal and enthusiastic and devoted to the well-being of their master. They will do anything you ask, Rāma! The time has come for us to set out on our expedition. This army is under your command. instruct it as you wish. I know well what has to be done now, but it is for you to issue orders!’

  Rāma embraced Sugrīva and said, ‘My dear friend, let them find out if Sītā is alive and let them locate the place where Rāvaṇa lives. When they have done that, I will confer with you and decide what should be done next. But it is not for either Lakṣmaṇa or me to direct this enterprise, you should be the one to do it, king of the monkeys! You know what needs to be done, you are my well-wisher and friend. You are devoted to our cause, you are brave and wise and know the appropriate time to act.’

  Sugrīva summoned the monkey chief named Vinata and in the presence of Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, addressed him in a voice like thunder. ‘Take with you the monkeys that resemble the sun and the moon in their splendour, the ones who know what is suitable for time and place and those who are expedient at completing a task. Take hundreds of thousands of these swift monkeys and go to the hills, forests and rivers of the eastern regions and look for Sītā and for Rāvaṇa’s home there.

  ‘Go to the lovely rivers Bhāgīrathī, Sarayū and Kauśikī, to the Yamunā and the mountains in which it rises, to the Sarasvatī, the Sindhu, the Soṇā with its water that sparkles like jewels, to the Mahī and the Kālamahī with their hilly and wooded banks. Search in the kingdoms of Brahmamālā, Mālava, Kosalā, Kāśi, in Magadha’s great villages, and in Puṇḍra and Anga. Look in the regions where the silk worm is bred and where silver is mined.

  ‘Look in the hills of Mandara, where there are people with ears that cover their bodies, and people with ears that hang below their lips, and people whose faces seem to be made of iron, people who move quickly on one leg and people who eat the flesh of men. Look where the beautiful golden-skinned hunters with ornaments in their ears live, and where the island people who hunt and eat raw fish live. And among those who live under water and are known as human tigers. Search the hills and the forests there.

  ‘Go to the places that can only be reached by jumping over hills and seas, until you come to the island of Yavadvīpa with its seven kingdoms, where gold and silver is mined. Go beyond Yavadvīpa until you come to the winter mountain Śiśira, whose peaks touch the heavens. Gods and dānavas live there. Look among its inaccessible peaks and forests.

  ‘Look for Rāvaṇa and Sītā among the terrifying islands of the ocean. There are enormous asuras there who have been hungry for centuries. They catch creatures by their shadows and eat them, for Brahma has allowed them to do so. Then you will come to the shores of a mighty ocean whose waters are dark as clouds and which rumble like thunder. It is filled with sea serpents. After that, you will see the blood-red waters of the ocean called Lohita. There, you will find Garuḍa’s home, studded with jewels, large as Mount Kailāsa, that was built by Viśvakarmā.

  ‘You will see the fierce rākṣasas called Mandehas who are as huge as boulders and have many frightening forms, hanging upside down from mountain peaks. Burned by the heat of the sun, every day they fall into the ocean and then they hang upside down again. Then you will see an uncrossable ocean, white as a cloud, known a as the Ocean of Milk, its waves like a garland of pearls. In the middle of it, you will find the mountain Ṛṣabha surrounded by trees that flower with a celestial fragrance. After that, you will see lake Sudarśana, covered with gleaming lotuses which have gold filaments, where swans come to play. Cāraṇas, yakṣas, kinnaras and hosts of apsarases come to that lotus lake to enjoy themselves.

  ‘And when you have passed beyond the Ocean of Milk, you will come to the greatest ocean of them all, the ocean of pure water, that inspires dread in the hearts of all beings. It is there that the fiery creature, the horse-faced child of anger, was placed. It is said that those swift waters and all moving and unmoving things will be consumed by that fire at the end of time. The sound you hear there is the wailing of the creatures of the deep, for they cannot bear to look upon that horse-faced being.

  ‘On the far side of the ocean, at a distance of thirty yojanās, there is a golden mountain called Jātarūpa. Sitting on its summit, is a serpent with a thousand heads. The god Ananta, honoured by all beings, sits on it. A golden, triple-headed palm tree, the flagstaff of the deity, rests on the crest of the mountain. Beyond that is the mountain of the rising sun. Its summit ridge touches the heavens and is more than a hundred yojanās long. Made of pure gold, it dazzles the eyes. There are all kinds of trees on it, golden and as bright as the sun itself.

  ‘There is a golden peak on that ridge, one yojanā high and ten yojanās long, called Saumanasa. It was there that Viṣṇu took his first step in his dwarf incarnation, before he took his second step by placing his foot on the top of Mount Meru. The sun travels along the northern edge of Jambūdvīpa and is visible to the people who live there in all its glory. The great ṛṣis, the Vālakhilyas and the Vaikhānasas live here, blazing like the sun and practising their austerities.

  ‘Look carefully for Rāvaṇa and Sītā among those peaks and forests. Look there and in all the places I have not mentioned. Nobody can go further east than that, because beyond is the region where the gods live. Because there is no sun and moon there, the region is covered in darkness. Monkeys can go no further than this because there is neither the sun nor anything familiar, and we do not know what lies ahead.

  ‘Go and find Sītā, and Rāvaṇa’s home, and having reached the mountain of the rising sun, return here within a month!’

  Sugrīva prepared a band of monkey to go south. Nīla, the son of Agni, Hanumān, the mighty Jāmbavān, son of Brahmā, and several others were placed under the command of valiant Angada.

  ‘Go to the thousand-peaked Vindhya mountain, covered with different kinds of trees, and search in the river Narmadā which is hard to cross and is filled with water serpents, and in the beautiful Godāvarī and the long and winding Kṛṣṇaveṇī. Look through Mekhalā and Utkalā and the cities of Darśana, Aśvavantī and Avantī. Search Vidarbhā, Ṛṣika and the pleasant Māhiṣaka and Banga, Kalinga and Kauśika thoroughly.

  ‘Then scour the Daṇḍaka forest with its hills and rivers and caves. And then the regions of Andhra, Puṇḍra, Chola and Kerala until you come to the Ayomukha mountain that abounds in ore. It is a glorious mountain with its flowering trees and sandalwood groves. Search it thoroughly. Then you shall come upon the celestial stream, the beautiful, clear Kāverī, where the apsarases love to play. On top of the Malaya mountain, you will find the ṛṣi Agastya, blazing like the morning sun. With his blessings and permission, you can go further and cross the river Tāmraparṇī, filled with crocodiles. The river is hidden by a belt of sandalwood trees and is dotted with islands. It makes its way to the sea like a young girl rushing to her lover.

  ‘Then you will come to the golden walls that guard the Pāṇḍya kingdom, decorated with pearls and other gems. When you reach the ocean, you shall have to decide what to do next. Mount Mahendra, golden and made beautiful by its trees and forests, is on those shores, placed there by Agastya. It has every kind of tree and creeper and the gods, ṛṣis, yakṣas, and apsarases like to spend time there. Indra comes there at every new moon and the siddhas and cāraṇas also enjoy it immensely.

  ‘On the far shore of the ocean there is a bright and shining island that is closed to mortals. You must search there very carefully for Sītā. That is where the wicked rākṣasa Rāvaṇ
a, who deserves to die, lives, equal to Indra in his splendour. And in the middle of that southern ocean lives a rākṣas ī named Angārakā who grabs the shadows of her prey and then eats them.

  ‘One hundred yojanās beyond that, further out into the ocean, lies the mountain Puṣpitaka where the siddhas and cāraṇas come. Bright as the sun and the moon, surrounded by the ocean on all sides, its lofty peaks seem to touch the sky. The sun shines on one of its peaks turning it gold and the moon shines on the other, turning it silver. The cruel, the ungrateful and the non-believers cannot see it, but you should honour it by bowing before it, monkeys!

  ‘Fourteen yojanās beyond that, on a path that is rough and inaccessible, is the Suryavān mountain. And when you have crossed that, you will find Mount Vaidyuta, where the trees flower in all seasons and you can find any fruit that you could wish for. Eat your fill there of those excellent roots and fruits and drink that honey before you go on your way.

  ‘Then you will come to Mount Kunjara, which delights the mind and the eye. Viśvakarmā built a home there for Agastya, which is one yojanā wide and ten yojanās long, made of gold and adorned with celestial jewels. Go to the city of Bhogavatī, home of the mighty serpents. It is surrounded on all sides by fierce and poisonous snakes with sharp fangs and so it is hard to reach. Search carefully in that city which is ruled by the king of the serpents, Vāsuki.

  ‘When you pass beyond Bhogavatī, you will come to a huge mountain shaped like a bull called Mount Ṛṣabha, studded with jewels. Sandal trees that provide pastes of all colours, yellow, red and dark brown, grow there. If you see them, do not touch them, for those forests are guarded by the fierce gandharva Rohita. Five gandharva kings live there and each of them is as bright as the sun.

  ‘Beyond that lies an inaccessible path that leads to the realm of those enlightened beings who have won a life in heaven. And beyond that, still further, is the realm of the ancestors, the capital city of Yama, the god of death, shrouded in impenetrable darkness. You can go no further than that, monkeys. Explore all the places I have mentioned and any others that you see. Bring back information about Sītā. Whichever one of you returns within a month and says, “I have seen Sītā!” shall get riches equal to my own and will be able to live in comfort. He will be my dearest friend, dearer even than my own life, even if he has harmed me in the past.

  ‘You are all immeasurably strong and brave. You are nobly born and virtuous. Spare no effort in your search for Sītā!’

  Sugrīva summoned Suṣeṇa, the mighty monkey chief who was Tārā’s father. He joined his palms and bowed to him and addressed him with respect.

  ‘With two hundred thousand monkeys, my dear, go and search the western regions.

  ‘Go to Surāṣṭra, Bāhlika, Sura and Bhīma. Search in the delightful countryside and in the big cities, in all the forests and the groves, in the cool and swiftly-flowing streams, in the forests where the ascetics live and in the wooded hills. When you have searched the western region that is circled by mountains, you will come to the western ocean which is filled with fish and other water creatures. The monkeys will be happy when they find themselves in groves of coconut and date palms.

  ‘Look for Sītā and for Rāvaṇa’s home in Marīcipaṭṭanam and in the pleasant Jātipura, in Avantī and Angalopā in the dense forests, the kingdoms and the coastal cities. At the point where the river Sindhu flows into the sea, there is an enormous mountain with a hundred peaks, covered with trees. It is called Hemagiri. There are winged lions that live on its slopes and they carry off fish and other water creatures and elephants to their nests. The monkeys who can take any form at will should search this sky-touching mountain with its varied trees carefully.

  ‘The monkeys will see the peaks of the golden mountain Pāriyātra, which is not normally visible, standing out from the ocean. Hundreds of thousands of gandharvas live there. They are fierce and as bright as the fire, and they can take any form they choose. The monkeys, even though they are strong and brave, should not go too close to them, nor should they take any fruit from this region. The gandharvas are very powerful and courageous and they guard their roots and fruits zealously. Make every effort to find Sītā there and you will have nothing to fear from the gandharvas if you behave like monkeys.

  ‘Mount Cakravān occupies about a quarter of that ocean and that is where Viśvakarmā made the disc with a thousand spokes. Viṣṇu killed Pancajana and the dānava Hayagrīva there and took the disc and the conch shell from them. Look for Sītā and Rāvaṇa on the broad slopes and deep caves of that mountain.

  ‘In that immeasurably deep ocean stands Mount Varāha, sixty-four yojanās high with golden peaks. There is a golden city there called Prāgjyotiśa and the wicked dānava Naraka lives there. Look for Sītā and Rāvaṇa on the broad slopes and deep caves of that mountain.

  ‘When you have passed that, you will see a mountain made entirely of gold. Even the insides of its caves and the water that flows from them is gold. Lions and tigers and elephants and boar roar and bellow all the time, taking pride in their own voices. Indra, whose horses are black, was crowned king by the gods on that mountain and it is called Meghavān.

  ‘When you have passed that mountain which is protected by Indra, go to the sixty thousand golden hills that shine like the rising sun and are covered with flowering trees that glow golden. In the middle of them is the king, the best of all mountains, Mount Meru. Long ago, the sun god was pleased with the mountain and gave it a boon. “Whoever comes to you, by day or night, shall be turned into gold by my grace. The gods and the gandharvas and dānavas that live here shall glow golden and shall be devoted to me!” The gods go to Mount Meru every evening to worship the sun and the sun, after he has received their worship, goes to the mountain behind which he sets and becomes invisible to all creatures. The sun travels ten thousand yojanās in half an hour and reaches the top of the mountain.

  ‘There is a huge, shining mansion on its peak that was built by Viśvakarmā. It is surrounded by trees and birds of all kinds gather there. That is the home of the great-souled Varuṇa, who carries the noose. Look for Sītā and Rāvaṇa in those lakes and rivers that are hard to access. The great sage Merusavarṇi lives there. This righteous sage is Brahmā’s equal and he glows with his own splendour. Prostrate yourselves before him and ask him where Sītā is.

  ‘When the night is over, the sun lights up the world of living beings by passing from the mountain of the rising sun to the mountain where it sets. Beyond this, it is not possible to go, best of monkeys. Beyond this there is no sun and nothing familiar. Go up to the mountain of the setting sun to look for Sītā and for Rāvaṇa’s home and return here within a month. If you do not, I will have to punish you.

  ‘My valiant father-in-law, Suṣeṇa, is going with you. Listen to what he says and obey him at all times. This mighty one is my teacher and mentor. I know that you are all brave and strong and capable of acting by yourselves. But you must search the western region under his direction. When you have found Rāma’s wife, we shall have repaid our debt for the favour that he did us.’

  Sugrīva then summoned the powerful chief Śatabali. ‘Take hundreds of thousands of monkeys who are your equals in valour and your ministers and explore the northern region which has Mount Himavān as its crest. Look there for Rāma’s blameless wife. When we have accomplished this task, we shall have done what Rāma wants and in doing so, we will have freed ourselves from debt and will have achieved our dearest goal.

  ‘Search the regions of the Mlecchas, of the Pulindas and Sūrasena, the countries of the Prasthalas, the Bharatas, the Kurus, the Madras, the Kambhojas and the Yavanas. Search the coastal lands of the Śākas, the kingdoms of the Bāhlikas, Ṛṣikas, Pauravas and the Ṭankaṇas. Look in China and the regions beyond China, in Nihāra, Daradā and in the Himālayas, among the forests and groves.

  ‘Go to Somāśrama, where the gods and gandharvas play and then on to the golden-peaked Mount Kāla. Look for Sītā in the caves and c
revices of that mountain. Crossing over that, you will come to Mount Sudarśana whose insides consist entirely of gold. Look in those forests and streams and caves for Sītā and Rāvaṇa. One hundred yojanās from there is a barren waste, with no mountains, trees or rivers and no form of life. Pass through that awful place quickly and make for the white Mount Kailāsa which will bring you great happiness. Kubera’s home, white as a cloud and decorated with gold, is situated there. Viśvakarmā built it for him. There is a beautiful pool in his gardens, filled with lotuses and lilies, where hordes of lovely apsarases come to play. Kubera, the god of wealth and the king of the yakṣas lives there happily with his guhyakas, honoured by all beings. Look for Rāvaṇa and Sītā in those moonlit hills, forests and caves.

  ‘Go carefully into the caves of Mount Kraunca, for they are hard to access and entry into them is not easy. Great celestial sages who shine like the sun live there and even the gods worship them. Search through the peaks and valleys and slopes and caves of this mountain. Look especially carefully on the main peak of the Kraunca mountain as well as on the next mountain which is treeless and on Mount Mānasa, the home of the birds. No beings, not even the gods, dānavas and rākṣasas can go there, but you should explore the area carefully.

  ‘After you have crossed Mount Kraunca, you will come to the mountain named Mainaka where the asura Maya lives, in a home that he built himself. Search on the slopes of the mountain and in its caves and in the homes of the horse-faced women who live there, wherever those homes may be. Beyond that lies the region in which the siddhas and the Vālakhilyas and the Vaikhānasas live in their hermitages, practising austerities. Honour them, for their austerities have made them pure and given them magical powers. Ask them for news of Sītā. Lake Vaikhānasas is covered with lotuses and sun-bright swans play in its waters. The elephant Sarvabhauma, Kubera’s mount, wanders in that region with his mates.