Hanumat, the son of the wind god, was best among those who were accomplished in the use of words. Hearing Rama’s words, he again addressed him in these words. ‘Listen to everything—the forts, the preparations, the arrangements, the manner in which the city of Lanka is guarded and the soldiers. Lanka is supremely prosperous and the ocean is terrible. The large number of soldiers are divided into formations and the mounts have been instructed. Lanka is happy and full of joy. It is full of crazy elephants. It is full of large chariots and large numbers of rakshasas. The firm gates are closed and sealed with large beams. There are large gates and four extremely large ones. There are large and extremely strong machines.5 When enemy soldiers arrive, they are rebuffed by these. Large numbers of brave rakshasas have fashioned hundreds of terrible shataghnis6 and the gates are protected exceedingly well with these. They are sharp and made out of black iron. There is a giant rampart made out of gold and it is extremely difficult to penetrate. At intervals, this is decorated with gems, coral, lapis lazuli and pearls. There are extremely terrible moats everywhere. These are fathomless and are filled with extremely auspicious and cool water. They are also filled with crocodiles and fish. Along the gates, there are four extensive drawbridges. These have firm fortifications and many machines are placed atop these. In every direction, the moats are covered with machines. When invading enemy soldiers escape, these are used to fling them away. One of these drawbridges is strong and cannot be shaken. It is extremely firm. It is decorated with many golden pillars and platforms. O Rama! Ravana is naturally inclined to fight. He is ready and not distracted. He is powerful and ready to command. The city of Lanka is like a fort of the gods and is impregnable. It generates fear. It has four kinds of fortifications—water, mountains, forests and artificial ones. O Raghava! It is located on the distant other shore of the ocean. There is no approach in any direction and it cannot be reached by a boat either. The fortification has been constructed on the summit of a mountain and it is like a fortification of the gods. Lanka is extremely difficult to conquer and is full of horses and elephants. There are trenches, shataghnis and many kinds of machines. The city of Lanka, which belongs to the evil-souled Ravana, is radiant. There are ten thousand rakshasas along the western gate. All those unassailable ones wield spears in their hands. They are the best among warriors who fight with swords. There are one hundred thousand rakshasas along the southern gate. Those excellent warriors possess four kinds of forces.7 There are one million8 rakshasas along the eastern gate. All of them are skilled in the use of all weapons and wield swords and shields. There are one hundred million rakshasas along the northern gate. They are extremely revered and are the sons of noble lineages. They are on chariots, or have horses as their mounts. There are hundreds of thousands in battle formations in the middle. There are more than one crore rakshasas, yatudhanas9 who are invincible. I shattered the drawbridges and filled up the moats. I burnt the city of Lanka and demolished the ramparts. Through whatever means possible, we must cross Varuna’s abode. Once that is done, it is certain that the apes will destroy the city of Lanka. With Angada, Dvivida, Mainda, Jambavat, Panasa, Nala and the commander Nila, why will you need the rest of the army? We will leap and go to Ravana’s great city. We will destroy the ramparts and residences and bring Maithilee back. Therefore, quickly command all the forces to be gathered. We will be delighted to leave in a short while.’
Chapter 6(4)
In due order, Hanumat described it, exactly as it was. Hearing his words, the immensely energetic Rama, with truth as his valour, said, ‘You have described the city of Lanka, belonging to the terrible rakshasas. I am telling you truthfully that I will quickly destroy it. O Sugriva! The idea of leaving immediately appeals to me. The sun has reached midday and this is an auspicious moment for victory. The nakshatra10 is Uttara Phalguni today and tomorrow, there will be a conjunction with Hasta. O Sugriva! Surrounded by all the soldiers, let us leave. Auspicious portents are manifesting themselves before me. I will slay Ravana and bring back Sita Janakee. This upper eyelid of mine is twitching. It seems to be telling me that my desire of obtaining victory will be fulfilled. Examining the path, let Nila proceed ahead of the army. Let him be surrounded by one hundred thousand spirited apes. O Nila! O commander! Quickly lead the army along a path that is full of honey, with roots, fruits, cool groves and water. You must always be ready to protect yourself against the rakshasas. Along the path, those evil-souled ones will seek to destroy the roots, fruits and water. Let the residents of the forest leap into low grounds, fortifications in the forests, and forests to check if the soldiers of the enemy are hidden there. Let immensely strong ones be ahead of the terrible army, which will have the complexion of waves in the ocean. Let it be led by hundreds and thousands of lions among apes. Gaja is like a mountain. Gavaya is immensely strong. Let them and Gavaksha proceed in front, like proud bulls in front of a herd of cows. As the army of apes advances, let the ape Rishabha, bull among apes and a lord of the apes, protect the right flank. Gandhamadana is as spirited and invincible as an elephant in musth. As the army of the apes advances, let him be stationed along the left flank. I will proceed in the middle of the army, delighting the flood of soldiers. I will be astride Hanumat, like the lord11 on Airavata. Let Lakshmana, who is like Death, be astride Angada, like the lord of creatures and the lord of riches astride Sarvabhouma.12 Jambavat, the great spirited lord of the bears, Sushena and the ape named Vegadarshi—let these three protect the rear.’ Hearing Raghava’s words, Sugriva, the lord of the army and the immensely brave bull among apes, commanded the apes.
Desiring to fight, all the large numbers of apes leapt up. They quickly jumped from the caves and the summits. Rama, with dharma in his soul, and Lakshmana were worshipped by the king of the apes and proceeded in a southern direction, with the soldiers. As they proceeded, they were surrounded by hundreds, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands and crores of apes that possessed the complexion of elephants. The large army of apes followed them. All of them were protected by Sugriva and were delighted and happy. Those apes jumped, leapt and roared. They sported and played on musical instruments, proceeding southwards. They devoured extremely fragrant honey and fruits. They carried large trees that were full of many clusters of flowers and buds. Proud, they suddenly carried each other and flung each other down. They leapt down and leapt up. Others flung down others. In Raghava’s presence, the apes roared, ‘Ravana and all the roamers in the night deserve to be killed by us.’ With many apes, Rishabha, the brave Nila and Kumuda cleared the path in front. King Sugriva, Rama and Lakshmana were in the middle. Those destroyers of enemies were surrounded by many strong and terrible ones. The brave ape, Shatabali, was surrounded by tens of crores. Single-handedly, he protected the entire army of apes. Surrounded by one hundred crores, Kesari, Panasa, Gaja and the extremely strong Arka protected one flank. With Sugriva in the front, Sushena and Jambavat, surrounded by many bears, protected the rear. The brave Nila, the commander, was a bull among apes. He was best among those who could leap, and protected the army. Darimukha, Prajangha, Jambha and the ape Rabhasa proceeded, urging the brave apes on all sides to hurry. In this way, proud of their strength, the tigers among apes proceeded. They saw Sahya, best among mountains and full of trees and creepers. That large and terrible army of apes was like waves in the ocean. They marched with a great roar, like the terrible force of the ocean. Those brave elephants among apes were alongside Dasharatha’s son. Swiftly, all of them leapt forward, like well-trained horses when they are goaded. Borne aloft by those two apes,13 those two bulls among men were radiant. They were like the moon and the sun, when they touch the two large planets.14
The learned and talented Lakshmana, astride Angada, addressed Rama in auspicious words that were full of meaning. ‘We will swiftly kill Ravana and get back Vaidehi, who has been abducted. Successful in your objective, you will return to Ayodhya, which is full of prosperity. O Raghava! I can see great portents in the sky and on the ground. I see all these auspicious omens
, indicating success in your objective. An auspicious and favourable wind is blowing, gentle, beneficial and pleasing to the soldiers. The animals and birds are speaking in full and gentle tones. All the directions are clear and the sun is sparkling. Ushanas,15 descended from Bhrigu, is following you, with a pleasing light. The sacred and supreme rishis, born in a pure way from Brahma, are all circling around Dhruva, manifesting their rays.16 The royal sage Trishanku, our supreme and great-souled grandfather from the lineage of the Ikshvakus is radiant and sparkling, with his priest.17 The nakshatra Vishakha is sparkling, without anything to mar it. This is the supreme nakshatra for the great-souled Ikshvakus. The terrible nakshatra of the nairittas18 is suffering. This is Mula and its foundation has been touched and is suffering from a comet. All this has presented itself for the destruction of the rakshasas. It is time and, suffering from the planet,19 it is as if their nakshatra has been seized by death. The tasty waters are pleasant and the forests are full of fruit. An extremely fragrant breeze is blowing. There are seasonal flowers on the trees. O lord! Arrayed in battle formations, the soldiers of the apes seem to be even more resplendent. They are like the soldiers of the gods at the time of the tarakamaya battle.20 O noble one! Look at all this. You should be delighted.’ Happy, Soumitri spoke to his brother, comforting him in this way.
The giant army proceeded, covering the entire earth. It was full of tigers among bears and apes, using nails and teeth as weapons. With the tips of their hands and the tips of their feet, the apes raised a terrible dust that entered inside the world and took away the sun’s radiance. Through night and day, the great army of apes marched. Protected by Sugriva, the soldiers were happy and cheerful. All the spirited apes marched, delighted at the prospect of war. Desiring to free Sita, they did not tarry even for an instant. They reached Mount Sahya and Mount Malaya, full of trees and populated by many animals. There were wonderful groves, rivers and waterfalls. Rama also went and saw Sahya and Malaya. The apes enjoyed themselves, among the champaka, tilaka, mango, ashoka, sinduvaraka,21 karavira and timisha trees. Intoxicated in their strength, the apes enjoyed fruits that tasted like amrita, roots and flowers from the trees. Cheerfully, honey-brown in complexion, they drank honey from long honeycombs that were one drona22 in size and proceeded. They broke the trees and pulled out the creepers. As they proceeded, the bulls among apes flung away excellent boulders. Insolent because of the honey, some apes roared among the trees. Some reached out to the trees. Others leapt down. The entire earth was full with those bulls among apes, just as when the earth is full of ripened paddy.
The lotus-eyed Rama reached Mahendra. The mighty-armed one ascended the summit, which was ornamented with trees. Having ascended the summit, Rama, Dasharatha’s son, saw the abode of the waters, filled with turtles and fish. They progressively crossed over the giant mountain of Malaya and reached the ocean, which roared terribly. Rama, supreme among those who cause pleasure, with Sugriva and Lakshmana, descended quickly to the excellent forest along the shore. There were rocks underneath and it was washed with waves of water that suddenly arose. Having reached the extensive shoreline, Rama spoke these words. ‘O Sugriva! We have reached Varuna’s abode. We must now think about what we pondered earlier.23 The other shore of the ocean, the lord of the rivers, cannot be discerned. Without a proper means, we are incapable of crossing this ocean. Therefore, let us reside here while we have consultations about how this army of apes can cross over to the other shore.’ The mighty-armed one was afflicted because of Sita’s abduction. Having reached the ocean, Rama instructed that they should camp there. ‘The time for consultations about how we should cross the ocean has arrived. Let no one leave his battalion and go off anywhere else. However, let the brave apes proceed and ascertain whether there is any danger for us.’
Hearing Rama’s words, Sugriva and Lakshmana made the soldiers set up camp on the extensive shore of the ocean, filled with trees. Near the ocean, that army was radiant. It looked like a beautiful second ocean, filled with water that had a honey-brown complexion. The bulls among apes reached the forest along the shore. They settled down there, desiring to cross over to the other shore of the great ocean. Having reached the great ocean, the army of the apes was delighted. They looked at the great ocean, turbulent because of the force of the wind. The distant other shore was populated by large numbers of rakshasas. The leaders among the apes sat down and looked at Varuna’s abode. At the end of the day and the beginning of the night, it was terrible, filled with horrible crocodiles and alligators. When the moon arose, it turned turbulent and reflected the moon’s image. There were giant crocodiles that were as terrible as the wind. It was populated with whales and timingilas.24 Varuna’s abode was filled with blazing serpents and snakes. There were gigantic creatures and many kinds of mountains in the deep. It was extremely difficult to cross. It was impenetrable. It was impassable. It was fathomless and was the abode of asuras. The impenetrable depths was agitated by the wind and were filled with makaras,25 serpents and snakes. Large torrents of water rose and fell. There were radiant and large serpents in the water, speckled with dots that seemed to be made out of fire. The ocean reached down to the region of patala,26 the dominion of the enemies of the gods. The ocean was like the sky. The sky was like the ocean. No distinction could be seen between the ocean and the sky. The water mixed with the sky and the sky mixed with the water. With stars in the sky and jewels in the water, both seemed to be the same. One was filled with rising clouds and the other was filled with rising waves. There was no particular distinction between the two, the ocean and the sky. Each making its own terrible noise, they seemed to clash against each other. The waves of the king of the rivers and the great clouds seemed to be engaged in a battle. In the grip of the wind, the jewels and waves in the water roared. Filled with a large number of creatures, it seemed to angrily rise up. The great-souled ones saw the abode of the waters, lashed by the wind. A wind arose in the sky and the waves seemed to be conversing with it. Waves roared and whirled around in the water, as if the ocean was intoxicated.
Chapter 6(5)
Self-controlled, Nila protected the virtuous army in the proper way and it camped itself on the northern shore of the ocean. Mainda and Dvivida, bulls among apes, roamed around in all the directions, protecting the soldiers.
When the army had settled down along the shore of the lord of the male and female rivers, Rama saw that Lakshmana was by his side and addressed him in these words. ‘Indeed, as time passes, my sorrow is becoming less. However, the grief at not being able to see my beloved is increasing from one day to the next day. I am not distressed that my beloved is far away. Nor am I distressed that she has been abducted. I am grieving that her age is passing. O wind! Blow where my beloved is. Touch her and touch me. It is through you that I can touch her body. It is through the moon that our eyes meet. As she was being abducted, my beloved must have spoken to me. “Alas, lord!” That thought is scorching my body, as if I have imbibed some poison. Night and day, the fire of desire is consuming my body. It is acting as kindling to the great flames of my thoughts. O Soumitri! Without you, I will immerse myself in the ocean and sleep. When I sleep in this way, perhaps the water will somehow quench my blazing desire. Burnt by this desire, I am capable of remaining alive only because I and the one with the beautiful thighs are located on the same earth. A paddy field without water survives by imbibing water from an adjacent paddy field that is full of water. In that way, I am alive by being sprinkled, having heard that she is alive. When will I defeat the enemies and see the beautiful-hipped and lotus-eyed Sita, extensive in her prosperity? Her beautiful lips are like the bimba fruit. Her face is like a lotus. When will she raise it slightly and I drink from it, like a diseased person drinking medicine? Her thick breasts are close together, they are like palm fruit. They are delightful. When will they tremble and press against me? The dark-eyed one has left and is in the midst of the rakshasas. I am her protector. But she is without a protector and cannot find anyone to save her. In the au
tumn, the moon’s outline drives away dark clouds. Like that, when will she appear, driving away and agitating the rakshasas? Sita is naturally slender. Because of sorrow, fasting and the adversity faced from the time and the place, she has become even more slender. When will I strike the Indra among rakshasas with arrows in his chest and bring Sita back, thereby dispelling the sorrow in my heart? When will the virtuous and anxious Sita, who is like a daughter of the immortals, cling to my neck and release tears of joy? When will I suddenly free myself from this terrible sorrow that has resulted from the separation with Maithilee, like one casts away a soiled garment?’ In this way, the intelligent Rama lamented there. At the end of the day, the sun’s form diminished and sunset arrived. Remembering the lotus-eyed one, he was overwhelmed with grief. However, comforted by Lakshmana, Rama worshipped the sandhya.27
Chapter 6(6)
The Indra among rakshasas was like the great-souled Shakra. Having seen the terrible deeds, which caused fear, wrought by Hanumat in Lanka, he lowered his face and a bit ashamed, spoke to all the rakshasas. ‘The city of Lanka is impossible to assail. But he entered and destroyed it, despite being only an ape. He saw Sita Janakee. He destroyed the palace and the chaitya.28 The best among rakshasas were killed. Hanumat agitated the entire city of Lanka. O fortunate ones! What should be done? What is our subsequent task? Speak about what we are capable of doing, so that we can take appropriate action. Spirited and noble ones have said that consultations are the foundation of victory. O immensely strong ones! Therefore, the idea of consulting about Rama appeals to me. There are three types of people in the world—superior, inferior and mediocre. Let me tell you about the qualities and bad traits they possess. A supreme man is said to be one who consults capable ministers and undertakes beneficial acts after the advice, doing the same with friends who have a similar objective and relatives who are favourably inclined. He performs an act after such collective consultations, paying due attention to destiny. A man is said to be mediocre if he determines an objective alone, uses only his mind to decide what constitutes dharma and undertakes the task alone. If a man does not distinguish between the good and the bad, depending on destiny alone, and decides that he will undertake an act, such a man is said to be inferior. Just as men are always classified into superior, inferior and mediocre, advice is also known to be superior, inferior and mediocre. Superior advice is said to be that discussed and arrived at by ministers through unanimity, in conformity with the foresight of the sacred texts. When seeking the objective, the ministers have many kinds of views and one finally has to be chosen through consensus, this is said to be mediocre advice. When they debate with each other and discuss different points of view, without being able to arrive at a consensus, that advice is said to be inferior. O supreme among ministers! You are virtuous. Consult well and decide on the course of action. I will undertake that. Rama is surrounded by thousands of brave apes. He is approaching the city of Lanka and will lay siege to us. It is evident that the spirited Raghava will easily cross the ocean, with his younger brother, his soldiers and his followers. Our enmity with the apes has commenced. Therefore, consult and tell me what is beneficial for the city and the soldiers.’
The Valmiki Ramayana Page 91
