Kishkindha Kanda, Sarga 30

Meaning

Sugrīva having retired into his palace and the sky being completely free from clouds, Śrī Rāma, who had halted on Mount Prasravaṇa for the rainy nights only, felt agonized through love for Sītā and grief caused by separation from her. (1)

Meaning

Sore afflicted to see the sky pale and the orb of the moon free from clouds and to perceive the autumnal night too illumined with moonlight and also to find Sugrīva leading a life of sensuality and Sītā (the daughter of Janaka) lost for ever and to perceive the time fixed for taking up the search for Sītā having already elapsed, Śrī Rāma felt perplexed. (2-3)

Meaning

Regaining his balance of mind after a while, the wise Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu), a protector of men, for his part, thought deeply of Sītā, even though she ever existed in his mind. (4)

Meaning

Nay, seeing the sky clear, free as it was from lightning and clouds, and resonant with the cries of cranes, Śrī Rāma lamented in plaintive tones. (5)

Meaning

Observing the autumnal sky, while seated on the top of the mountain, rendered picturesque with minerals of golden hue, Śrī Rāma mentally approached his darling, Sītā. (6)

Meaning

He said to himself : ‘In what way does that youthful lady of mine—whose voice resembles the notes of a crane, nay, who diverted herself in the hermitage with the cries of cranes uttered with the intention of calling their mates—divert herself now? (7)

Meaning

‘Beholding the Asana trees in blossom, which were bright as gold, but not seeing me, how does that youthful lady divert herself? (8)

Meaning

‘How does that lady of mine, who spoke in such sweet tones and was charming of every limb, and who used to wake up in the morning with the notes of swans, divert herself now? (9)

Meaning

‘How will that lady with eyes as big as a lotus feel on hearing the cry of Cakravāka birds (the red geese) moving about in pairs? (10)

Meaning

‘I derive no more joy while roaming about on the brink of lakes, rivers and tanks and over woodlands and groves without that fawn-eyed lady. (11)

Meaning

‘Constantly intensified by the beauties of autumn, the pangs of love are, I am afraid, cruelly tormenting that beloved lady due to her separation from me and due to her tenderness.’ (12)

Meaning

In this and many other ways did Śrī Rāma (son of a monarch), a veritable jewel among men, wail after the manner of a Cātaka bird seeking water from Indra, the ruler of gods. (13)

Meaning

Having duly returned after wandering hither and thither on the lovely mountain-peaks in quest of fruit, the charming Lakṣmaṇa presently saw his elder brother. (14)

Meaning

Perceiving him in a lonely spot, desolate, absent-minded and miserable, nay, overcome with anxiety, which was difficult to endure, the high-minded Lakṣmaṇa, son of Sumitrā, who felt extremely wretched due to his brother’s despondency, quickly submitted to him as follows : (15)

Meaning

“What will be gained by you if you belittle your own virility allowing yourself to be over-powered by love? The composure of your mind is hereby being disturbed by grief. Can’t all your agony yield to concentration of mind at this juncture, O noble brother? (16)

Meaning

“Remaining undepressed in spirit, O dear brother, perform your daily duties in their entirety, have peace of mind and devote all your time to concentration of mind and enlist the help of the strong and increase your own strength, which is the only way to develop your manhood, O dear brother ! (17)

Meaning

“Having her protector in you, O lord of Manu’s race, Sītā (daughter of Janaka) cannot be easily retained by another. Hugging a blazing flame none would escape being burnt, O hero worth being adored even by the foremost !” (18)

Meaning

Śrī Rāma addressed the following words, characteristic of his innate disposition, to Lakṣmaṇa, who was endowed with auspicious bodily marks and could not be (easily) overpowered : “What you have said, is useful and salutary and in consonance with propriety and full of consolation, justice and earthly good. (19)

Meaning

“The work in hand viz., the search for Sītā should undoubtedly be attended to, and special efforts too should be made in this behalf. The reward alone, however, of our potent action, which is fully intensified and difficult to counteract, should not be thought of, O prince !” (20)

Meaning

Recalling to mind Sītā (a princess of Mithilā), whose eyes resembled the petals of a lotus, Śrī Rāma with a withering face then spoke once more to Lakṣmaṇa as follows: (21)

Meaning

“Having saturated the earth with water and ripened the corns, Indra (the god with a thousand eyes) is now easy of mind, his task having been accomplished. (22)

Meaning

“Having discharged their water while sailing in front of mountains and trees with a prolonged and deep rumbling, the clouds are fully at rest now, O prince ! (23)

Meaning

“The clouds, which were till recently dark like the petals of a blue lotus and stood darkening all the ten directions, now look like elephants free from rut, their fury having abated. (24)

Meaning

“Having finished their round, O gentle brother, the rainy winds, which were laden with moisture and full of great fury, and which bore the fragrance of Kuṭaja and Arjuna flowers, have now ceased to blow, though fully prepared to march. (25)

Meaning

“The rumbling of clouds, the trumpeting of elephants, the cry of peacocks and the sound of waterfalls have become completely still all at once, O sinless one ! (26)

Meaning

“Having been washed on all sides by huge clouds and thus cleansed of their impurities, the mountains with their picturesque peaks shine forth as though illumined by the rays of the moon. (27)

Meaning

“Autumn has now set in, severally manifesting her grace (in the form of blossom) on the boughs of Saptachhada trees, through the light of the stars, the sun and the moon and through the frolicking sport of excellent elephants. (28)

Meaning

“With her diversified elegance manifested through various channels the goddess of loveliness, adorned with the beauties of autumn, spreads her charm in an extraordinary degree in the clusters of lotuses opened by the first rays of the sun. (29)

Meaning

“Bearing the fragrance of the blossom of Saptachhada trees, nay being celebrated in song by swarms of black bees, drying up the waters of the lakes and rivers etc., heightening the excitement of elephants in rut and thus following the ways of the wind-god, autumn is spreading its charm in a special degree. (30)

Meaning

“The swans are sporting with Cakravākas (a species of red geese), that have newly arrived from the Mānasarovara lake with them, are distinguished by their lovely distended wings and covered over with the pollen of lotuses, are fond of amorous sport and have come in contact with them on the sandy banks of big rivers. (31)

Meaning

“Loveliness appears reflected severally in elephants mad through rut, in herds of excited bulls as well as in streams with pellucid waters. (32)

Meaning

“Perceiving the sky wholly devoid of clouds, the peacocks in the woods—that had shed their decoration in the form of their tail and were no longer fond of their mates, whose grace had totally disappeared and whose joy had departed—became absorbed in the thought of clouds. (33)

Meaning

“The depths of the forests were lit up, as it were, with the presence of numerous Priyaka (Asana) trees emitting delightful fragrance, which were bright as gold and were highly pleasing to the eye, and the tips of whose branches were bent under the excessive weight of their blossom. (34)

Meaning

“The gait of the foremost of elephants—who are accompanied by their mates, are fond of lotus-ponds and the woods, who are out to enjoy the blossom of Saptachhada trees, are excited by passion and are full of ardent longing for sexual enjoyment, affected with rut as they are—has become slow now. (35)

Meaning

“The sky has clearly assumed the spotless hue of a sword sharpened on the whetstone, the waters of the rivers are flowing in a narrow stream, the winds are blowing cool due to contact with Kalhāra flowers and wafting their fragrance, while the quarters look bright, entirely free as they are from obscurity caused by clouds. (36)

Meaning

“All mud having disappeared due to contact of sunshine, the soil is now covered with thick layers of dust come to light after a long time. Now is the time for military endeavour on the part of kings (lit., rulers of men) actuated by enmity towards one another. (37)

Meaning

“Overjoyed bulls—whose graceful comeliness of form has been heightened by the bracing qualities of autumn, whose limbs are powdered with dust, nay, who are excited with passion and are now covetous of fighting with one another—are bellowing in the midst of cows. (38)

Meaning

“Affected with rut and as such full of passionate love, hence walking with a slow tread, the she-elephant of noble breed follows her mate—also affected with rut and ranging through the woods—encompassing him now and then. (39)

Meaning

“Shedding their excellent tails, which served as their natural adornment, peacocks arrived near the banks of rivers, come away distressed and disconsolate, as though being rebuffed by swarms of cranes. (40)

Meaning

“Scaring away Kāraṇḍavas and Cakravākas by their formidable cries, while standing in lakes adorned with open lotuses, lordly elephants with ichor exuding from their temples, drink their water after stirring it violently again and again. (41)

Meaning

“Swans full of joy descend into rivers from which mud has altogether disappeared, which are now fringed with sands, whose waters have become clear, which are frequented by herds of cows and flocked with cranes and are rendered noisy with their cries. (42)

Meaning

“The sound of the water flowing in rivers, the water discharged by clouds and the murmur of the water gushing from springs, the sound of furious winds, the cries of peacocks and the croaks of frogs, that are bereft of joy, have completely vanished now, to be sure. (43)

Meaning

“Serpents of many colours carrying terrible poison in their fangs, which remained shut up for a long time in holes for fear of rains ever since the time clouds newly made their appearance in the sky and which were all but dead, their means of sustenance having been completely cut off, are now emerging freely from their holes, tormented as they are with hunger. (44)

Meaning

“Full of passion in the form of roseate hue (in the western horizon) and the pupils of her eyes in the form of stars, brightened through joy at the touch of the hands of the charming moon in the form of moonbeams, the lady in the form of evening twilight automatically abandons herself the covering in the form of the sky. (45)

Meaning

“With her pleasing countenance in the form of the moon perceptible and her lovely eyes in the form of the hosts of stars opened and with her mantle of moonshine wrapped round her body, the night looks like a woman who has her limbs covered with a white cloth. (46)

Meaning

“Overjoyed to eat ears of fully ripe paddy and holding them in their beaks, a charming row of cranes takes its flight across the sky with a dashing speed like a knotted garland carried by the wind. (47)

Meaning

“Adorned with water-lilies, the water in the big pond with a solitary swan lying asleep on it, looks delightful like the sky completely bereft of clouds, nay, illumined by the full moon and spangled with a host of stars at night. (48)

Meaning

“The loveliness of the best of tanks with their broken girdle of swans scattered here and there and their wreaths of full-blown lotuses, and, therefore, looking like lovely women adorned with jewels, stands enhanced today. (49)

Meaning

“Blended with the music produced in the form of the whistling of bamboos and circulated by the breeze in the morning and, therefore, spread all round, the echo coming from the caves and the bellowing of the bulls supplement each other, as it were. (50)

Meaning

“The banks of rivers stand decorated with fresh bunches of Kāśa grass smiling joyfully in the form of their blossom, nay, being swung by a gentle breeze and shining brightly like strips of linen washed clean with water. (51)

Meaning

“Flying unhampered in the woods and adept in sucking honey, nay, drunk with honey in the woods and turned grey with the pollen of lotus and Asana flowers, the black bees accompanied by their loved ones and transported with joy follow the course of the wind. (52)

Meaning

“Pellucid water in the rivers, lakes etc., smiling joyfully in the form of lotus and other flowers and made noisy with the cries of cranes, fully ripe paddy-fields, nay, the gentle breeze and the cloudless moon betoken the time of passing away of the rains. (53)

Meaning

“The pace of matrons in the form of rivers with their girdles visible in the form of fishes is slow today like that of passionate women enjoyed (the previous night) by their beloved one and walking with a tardy gait at the time of sunrise. (54)

Meaning

“Full of Cakravāka birds (a species of red geese) and duck-weeds floating on them and covered with bunches of Kāśa grass as though with a piece of cloth, the faces of rivers resemble the faces of matrons severally painted with Gorocana (a yellow orpiment prepared from the bile of a cow) and decorated with lines or streaks drawn with musk and other fragrant substances. (55)

Meaning

“Wielding a fierce bow, the god of love, who is cruel in his violence started against the love-lorn with the bow grasped in his hand, has made his appearance today in woodlands adorned with Bāṇa and Asana trees in full blossom and rendered very noisy by highly delighted black bees. (56)

Meaning

“Having saturated the earth with abundant rainfall and filling the rivers and tanks, nay, having provided the earth with ripe corns and leaving the sky, the clouds have totally disappeared. (57)

Meaning

“The autumnal streams gradually reveal their banks in the same way as brides bashful in their first meeting with their spouse uncover their body by degrees. (58)

Meaning

“With their pellucid water, the lakes and ponds, which are made noisy by ospreys and crowded with swarms of Cakravāka birds (a species of red geese), look very charming, O gentle one ! (59)

Meaning

“The time has come for kings who have deep-seated animosity with one another and are thirsting for conquest to embark on their military campaigns, O gentle prince ! (60)

Meaning

“This is the occasion for kings to undertake their very first expedition for conquest after the monsoon, O prince ! I, however, neither see Sugrīva nor any endeavour of that kind on his part so far. (61)

Meaning

“Asana and Saptaparṇa as well as Kovidāra and Bandhujīva as also Tamāla trees are seen in blossom on the mountain-peaks. (62)

Meaning

“See, O Lakṣmaṇa, the sandy banks of rivers crowded with swans, cranes and Cakravākas as well as with ospreys on all sides. (63)

Meaning

“The four rainy months have well-nigh elapsed like a hundred years past me, tormented as I am with grief because I do not behold Sītā. (64)

Meaning

“The belle followed at my back to the forest of Daṇḍaka, which was hard to penetrate, even as a female Cakravāka would follow her mate to a garden. (65)

Meaning

“King Sugrīva, O Lakṣmaṇa, is not showing his goodwill to me, even though I am bereft of my darling, stricken with agony, deprived of my kingdom and exiled from my home. (66)

Meaning

“A scorcher of foes, as I am, I have been held in contempt by Sugrīva, the evil-minded king of monkeys, on the grounds that I am forlorn, have been deprived of my kingdom and outraged by Rāvaṇa, that I am miserable, far from my home and love-sick and have sought him for protection. (67-68)

Meaning

“Having fixed a limit of time for the search of Sītā and arrived at an understanding with me on this score, the perverted fellow does not give heed to it, his object having already been accomplished. (69)

Meaning

“Therefore, duly entering Kiṣkindhā, admonish in my name the foolish Sugrīva, the foremost of monkeys, who is attached to carnal pleasures, as follows: (70)

Meaning

‘The vilest among men in this world is he who, having pledged his word to grant the desire of suppliants, who are themselves endowed with strength etc., and have also rendered good offices to him in the past, fails to implement his promise. (71)

Meaning

‘He, on the other hand, who honours as inviolable his plighted word, be it productive of good or evil, is a hero and the best of men. (72)

Meaning

‘Even carnivore refuse to feed on the flesh of those ungrateful beings, when they are dead, who, though having achieved their own end, actually fail to be of any service to their beneficent friends whose object has not yet been accomplished. (73)

Meaning

‘Do you really wish to see the shining frame, resembling a series of lightning flashes, of my gold-backed bow stretched at full length by me in combat? (74)

Meaning

‘Do you long to hear once more at close quarters the terrible twang of my bowstring resembling the crash of a thunderbolt when I am angered on a field of battle?’ (75)

Meaning

“It is strange, O prince, that no anxious thought that I could as well slay Sugrīva, as I did Vālī, if he failed to implement his promise should cross the mind of Sugrīva even under such circumstances when my prowess is directly and fully known to him and especially when I have a helpful companion in you. (76)

Meaning

“Sugrīva (the lord of monkeys), whose object has been accomplished, no longer remembers the understanding which was arrived at with him by me relating to the purpose in the shape of conducting a search for Sītā for which this endeavour in the form of cultivating friendship with him and killing Vālī was made by me, O conqueror of hostile cities ! (77)

Meaning

“Having given his plighted word to the effect that the understanding arrived at with me will be honoured at the end of the monsoon, Sugrīva (the king of monkeys), who is busy diverting himself by enjoying the pleasures of sense is not aware of the four rainy months that have already well-nigh elapsed. (78)

Meaning

“Amusing himself alongwith his ministers and court, Sugrīva is only enjoying drink, and does not commiserate with us, who are distressed through grief. (79)

Meaning

“Go and let Sugrīva be apprised of the turn which my wrath may take, O valiant prince possessed of extraordinary might, and administer to him the following warning: (80)

Meaning

‘The route by which Vālī has departed on being killed by me on the field of battle has not been closed. Therefore, abide by the pledge given by you, pray, do not follow the path of Vālī. (81)

Meaning

‘Vālī alone was killed by me with an arrow while I will kill you with all your kinsfolk since you have deviated from truth.’ (82)

Meaning

“When the work of initiating a search for Sītā has been impeded in this way, pray, speak to Sugrīva whatever is good for him as well as for us, O jewel among men ! Make haste, O ornament of humanity ! Let there be no delay. (83)

Meaning

“Address in my name the following appeal to Sugrīva : ‘Recognizing it to be an everlasting virtue, O lord of monkeys, implement the pledge given to me. Hurled by my arrows to the other world, pray, do not see you Vālī in the abode of Death today.” (84)

Meaning

Perceiving his eldest brother, Śrī Rāma, babbling, distressed as he was, his anger having grown violent, Lakṣmaṇa, the promoter of the race of Manu (the progenitor of mankind), who was endowed with terrific energy, adopted a severe attitude towards Sugrīva, the ruler of monkeys. (85)