Kishkindha Kanda, Sarga 39

Meaning

Folding tightly in his arms Sugrīva, who was submitting as aforesaid with folded hands, Śrī Rāma, the foremost of those upholding the cause of righteousness, replied as follows : (1)

Meaning

“It will not be strange if Indra, the god of rain, pours a shower during the rains, if the yonder sun with its countless rays rids the sky of its darkness, if the moon, O gentle one, makes the night clear by its brilliance or if an individual like you affords delight to his friends through good offices rendered to them in return for their past services, O scourge of your foes ! (2-3)

Meaning

“Even so, the noble virtue of rendering good offices to your friends which exists in you, is not at all strange, O gentle one; for I know you to be constantly in the habit of speaking kind words to others, O Sugrīva ! (4)

Meaning

“With you as my helpful companion, O friend, I shall be able to conquer all enemies in combat. You alone are my benevolent friend and fit to render help to me. (5)

Meaning

“For his own destruction Rāvaṇa, the disgrace of ogres, bore away Sītā (a princess of Mithilā) by practising fraud against her in the same way as Anuhlāda (a son of the demon Hiraṇyakaśipu, and a real brother of the celebrated devotee Prahlāda) for his part took away Śacī, daughter of the demon Pulomā (who was sought after by Indra).(6)

Meaning

“I shall before long kill the said Rāvaṇa with my sharp arrows even as Indra (who is said to have performed a hundred horse-sacrifices in his previous birth as a condition precedent for attaining this position), the destroyer of his foes, killed the arrogant Pulomā (father of Śacī, who played into the hands of Anuhlāda and countenanced her abduction by Anuhlāda).” (7)

Meaning

In the meantime there rose a cloud of dust veiling the fiery and scorching brilliance of the sun with its numberless rays in the sky. (8)

Meaning

The quarters were obscured and enveloped by the darkness occasioned by that dust and the entire earth shook with its mountains, forests and woodlands. (9)

Meaning

Thereupon the whole earth was thickly covered with innumerable monkeys possessed of extraordinary might and sharp teeth and looking like lordly mountains. (10)

Meaning

In the mere twinkling of an eye after that the earth was overrun by celebrated leaders of Vānara hordes followed by hundreds of crores of monkeys, nay, capable of changing their form at will and possessed of extraordinary might and living on river banks, mountains and seashores and was further overrun by other monkeys dwelling in forests and thundering like clouds. (11-12)

Meaning

Their colour resembled in some cases the hue of the rising sun; others were yellowish as the moon; still others possessed the hue of the filaments of a lotus and others were white and had taken up their abode on the Hema mountain. (13)

Meaning

Presently there appeared a glorious and gallant monkey, Śatabali by name, followed by ten thousand crores of monkeys. (14)

Meaning

Next came to view the powerful father of Tārā (Suṣeṇa by name), looking like a golden mountain and followed by many myriads of monkeys. (15)

Meaning

Accompanied by another thousand crores, again, arrived Tāra, the mighty father of Rumā and father-in-law of Sugrīva. (16)

Meaning

Also accompanied by many thousands of monkeys there appeared the wise and glorious father of Hanumān, Kesarī, a jewel among the monkeys, nay, the foremost of all monkeys, who resembled in hue the filaments of a lotus and whose countenance shone like the rising sun. (17-18)

Meaning

Surrounded by a thousand crore monkeys, came to view the suzerain lord of baboons, Gavākṣa, possessed of redoubtable prowess. (19)

Meaning

Accompanied by two thousand crores of bears of terrible speed, turned up Dhūmra, the exterminator of his foes. (20)

Meaning

Surrounded by dreadful monkeys looking like huge mountains and numbering three crores, there came the troop-leader Panasa by name. (21)

Meaning

Accompanied by ten crore monkeys appeared next the troop-commander, Nīla by name, who was possessed of a gigantic form and looked like a heap of antimony.(22)

Meaning

Then came the troop-leader named Gavaya, who shone like a mountain of gold, was possessed of extraordinary prowess and who was surrounded by five crores of monkeys. (23)

Meaning

Then arrived the mighty troop-leader Darīmukha and stood in the presence of Sugrīva with a thousand crore monkeys. (24)

Meaning

There also appeared Mainda and Dwivida, both sons of the Aświnīkumāras (the twin-born physicians of gods), and possessed of extraordinary strength, with one thousand crore monkeys, each. (25)

Meaning

Accompanied by three crores of monkeys, the mighty hero, Gaja, too, who was endowed with great vital power, sought the presence of Sugrīva. (26)

Meaning

The king of bears, Jāmbavān by name, who was possessed of great energy, came surrounded, they say, by ten crores of bears and stood at the disposal of Sugrīva. (27)

Meaning

Surrounded by valiant monkeys, the mighty and glorious monkey, named Rumaṇa (Rumaṇwān), came hurriedly, followed by hundreds of crores of Vānaras. (28)

Meaning

Then arrived Gandhamādana followed at his back by a billion monkeys. (29)

Meaning

Then arrived the Prince Regent, Aṅgada, who equalled his father, Vālī, in prowess, accompanied by one thousand Padma and a hundred Śaṅku monkeys. (30)

Meaning

Then came to view from a distance the monkey, Tāra of terrible prowess, who possessed the brilliance of a star, followed by five crores of monkeys. (31)

Meaning

There also was to be seen the wise and gallant troop-leader, Indrajānu (or Indrabhānu), the ruler of eleven crore monkeys, and duly followed by them all. (32)

Meaning

Next arrived Rambha, who for his part shone like the rising sun, surrounded by eleven thousand and one hundred monkeys. (33)

Meaning

Then appeared the valiant and mighty troop-leader, a monkey named Durmukha, accompanied by two crore monkeys. (34)

Meaning

There was to be seen Hanumān, too, surrounded by a thousand crore monkeys of redoubtable prowess and resembling so many peaks of the Kailāsa mountain. (35)

Meaning

There arrived Nala, too, possessed of great virility and surrounded by a hundred crore and one lakh monkeys dwelling on trees. (36)

Meaning

Then arrived thundering in the presence of the aforesaid high-minded Sugrīva, the glorious Dadhimukha, accompanied by ten crore monkeys. (37)

Meaning

Even so, Śarabha, Kumuda, Vahni and the monkey Raṁha too—these and many other monkey troop-leaders, who were capable of changing form at will and whose number could not be ascertained, duly turned up, covering the entire globe as well as the mountains and forests. (38-39)

Meaning

Nay, all the monkeys which came up there sat down on the earth. Leaping from one tree to another and from one bough to another and growling, the monkeys surrounded Sugrīva as masses of clouds would encompass the sun. (40)

Meaning

Raising many a cry, the foremost monkeys, distinguished for their mighty arms, reported themselves from a distance to Sugrīva, the king of monkeys, with their bent heads, too shy as they were to force their way through the invulnerable crowds to his presence. (41)

Meaning

Going near and submitting what was called for at the moment, other jewels among the monkeys departed; while others having met with Sugrīva stood with folded hands where they were at the moment. (42)

Meaning

Having announced to Śrī Rāma all the aforesaid monkeys, who were in a hurry to settle down and take rest, and standing with folded hands before Śrī Rāma, Sugrīva, who was full of alacrity and knew of the duties of a king, spoke as follows to the monkey chiefs : (43)

Meaning

“Having duly stationed the forces according to their convenience by the side of mountain rills in all the woods, O monkey chiefs, the general who knows their strength should be able to ascertain their exact number.” (44)