Kishkindha Kanda, Sarga 35

Meaning

To Lakṣmaṇa, son of Sumitrā, who was speaking as aforesaid, and who was inflamed, as it were, with a fiery spirit, Tārā, whose countenance resembled the moon, replied as follows : (1)

Meaning

“Sugrīva, the lord of monkeys, ought not to be spoken to in this strain, O Lakṣmaṇa ! He does not deserve to hear harsh words, particularly from your lips.(2)

Meaning

“Sugrīva, the ruler of monkeys, is not at all ungrateful nor perfidious nor even hard-hearted nor again a liar nor crooked, O gallant prince ! (3)

Meaning

“Nor has this gallant monkey, Sugrīva, forgotten the service rendered to him by Śrī Rāma, which was difficult for others to render on the field of battle, O heroic prince ! (4)

Meaning

“Nay, through the goodwill of Śrī Rāma, O scourge of your enemies, Sugrīva regained his lost glory as well as the lasting rulership of monkeys as also his own spouse, Rumā, and myself too. (5)

Meaning

“Having secured this summit of happiness, Sugrīva, who had slept most uneasily in the past, did not, like Sage Viśwāmitra, recollect what was called for at a particular moment. (6)

Meaning

“Deeply attached to the celestial nymph, Ghṛtācī, O Lakṣmaṇa, the eminent sage, Viśwāmitra, whose mind was set on virtue, thought of, they say, a period of ten years as a day. (7)

Meaning

“Indeed the said Viśwāmitra, the foremost of those having a sense of time, who was possessed of great ardour, did not come to know of the time that had stolen over him, to say nothing of ordinary people. (8)

Meaning

“Śrī Rāma, O Lakṣmaṇa, ought to grant pardon to Sugrīva, who is subject to the peculiarities of a body (viz., hunger, sleep, fear and sexual appetite), is fully exhausted and is not sated with enjoyments. (9)

Meaning

“And without ascertaining the conclusive truth you ought not unconsciously to give way to anger like an ordinary man, O dear Lakṣmaṇa ! (10)

Meaning

“Indeed men who are endowed with goodness like you, O jewel among men, do not precipitately fall a prey to anger without due deliberation. (11)

Meaning

“I devoutly seek to propitiate you on behalf of Sugrīva, O knower of what is right ! Let this great excitement born of anger be given up. (12)

Meaning

“For the pleasure of Śrī Rāma, Sugrīva will renounce Rumā, myself, nay, even Aṅgada, his throne, fortune, stock of food-grain and cattle: such is my conviction.(13)

Meaning

“Having killed that vile ogre, Rāvaṇa, Sugrīva will be able to re-unite Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu) with Sītā, as one would re-unite the moon-god with Rohiṇī, his principal spouse. (14)

Meaning

“In Laṅkā, they say, there are a hundred thousand crore three lakh, ninety-nine thousand and six hundred ogres. (15)

Meaning

“Without getting rid of those aforesaid ogres, who are difficult to overcome and are capable of assuming any form, it is impossible to kill Rāvaṇa, by whom the celebrated princess of Mithilā has been borne away. (16)

Meaning

“They as well as Rāvaṇa of cruel deeds are incapable of being killed in an encounter by anyone, unaided, particularly by Sugrīva, O Lakṣmaṇa ! (17)

Meaning

“So did Vālī say; for the said lord of monkeys had versatile knowledge. How all this number of ogres came to Rāvaṇa is not, however, known to me. I speak only on the basis of what I had heard from him. (18)

Meaning

“For your knowledge the best of monkeys have been dispatched to all the four quarters to bring numerous monkeys, who are the foremost of their race in combat. (19)

Meaning

“Nay, awaiting the arrival of those valiant monkeys, who are possessed of extraordinary might, Sugrīva, the lord of monkeys, is not moving out for accomplishing the object of Śrī Rāma, a scion of Raghu. (20)

Meaning

“All those monkeys of extraordinary might must come today according to the time-limit already fixed for their welcome arrival by Sugrīva, O son of Sumitrā ! (21)

Meaning

“Thousands of crores of bears, hundreds of crores of baboons and many crores of monkeys of a fiery spirit will meet you today. Pray, get rid of your anger, O tamer of foes ! (22)

Meaning

“Observing this countenance of yours’ and further perceiving your eyes blood-red through anger, the wives of the foremost of monkeys do not find peace, apprehensive as they all are of a repetition of the danger which overtook them earlier (in the form of Vālī’s death).” (23)