Kishkindha Kanda, Sarga 52

Meaning

To all those leaders of monkey bands, when they had rested awhile after accepting her hospitality, the ascetic woman, who was engaged in practising virtue and had focussed her attention on that one object, now spoke the following words : (1)

Meaning

“If, O monkeys, your fatigue has been fully relieved by partaking of the fruits offered by me and if your story admits of being listened to by me, I long to hear that story.” (2)

Meaning

Hearing the aforesaid request of Swayamprabhā, Hanumān, son of the wind-god, proceeded with perfect candour to narrate his story correctly. (3)

Meaning

“The glorious son of Daśaratha, Śrī Rāma, the sovereign of the whole world and a compeer of the mighty Indra (the ruler of gods) and Varuṇa (the god of water), entered the Daṇḍaka forest alongwith his younger brother, Lakṣmaṇa, as well as with his spouse, Sītā (a princess of the Videha territory). His consort was forcibly carried away from Janasthāna by Rāvaṇa (while she was all alone in the cottage). (4-5)

Meaning

“A friend of the aforesaid sovereign is a valiant monkey, Sugrīva by name, the ruler of the foremost of monkeys, by whom we have been dispatched alongwith these leading monkeys, headed by Aṅgada, to the southern quarter, inhabited by Sage Agastya and protected by Yama (the god of retribution). And we have been commanded as follows : ‘Look out all of you together for the ogre, Rāvaṇa who is capable of changing his form at will, alongwith Sītā a princess of the Videha territory.’ (6—8)

Meaning

“Having scoured the entire forest in this area and eager to explore the ocean and the rest of the southern quarter we for our part all took shelter at the foot of a tree, hungry as we were. (9)

Meaning

“All pale-faced and all absorbed in thought, we were sunk in an ocean of anxiety whose end we did not perceive, O lady ! (10)

Meaning

“Casting our eyes all-round, we then beheld this extensive cave hidden by climbers and trees and totally enveloped in gloom. (11)

Meaning

“From this cave, however, flew out birds, viz., swans, ospreys and cranes too, wet with water, their wings dusted with the pollen of lotuses. (12)

Meaning

“ ‘We had better penetrate deep into it:’ so were the monkeys told by me. The idea that water existed inside the cave equally struck all of them as well. (13)

Meaning

“Full of hurry to accomplish our purpose we forthwith ventured into this cave one and all. Catching hold of one another by the hand, we then penetrated deep into it. (14)

Meaning

“In this way we precipitately forced our way into this cave enveloped in darkness. This is our purpose and with this motive we have come to this place. (15)

Meaning

“Nay, famished and wasted away we have all approached you. Sorely tried as we were by hunger, the roots and fruits too so kindly offered by you out of consideration for hospitality have been, partaken of by us. Since we have all been saved by you, dying as we were of starvation, pray, speak out what can the monkeys do to you in return for your invaluable service.” Spoken to in these words by those monkeys, the all-knowing Swayamprabhā for her part thereupon replied to all the monkey-leaders as follows : “I am highly pleased with you all, the monkeys, which are all heroic. (16—19)

Meaning

“Passing, as I am, my time with rightousness, no object of mine will be served by anyone here.” Spoken to in these noble words, conformable to righteousness, by the hermitess, Hanumān replied as follows to that lady of irreproachable eyes : “We have all really come for protection to you, who are engaged in practising virtue. The time-limit which was fixed for us by the high-souled Sugrīva clearly expired even while we were actually roaming about in the cave. (20—22)

Meaning

“Situated as you are, you ought therefore to help out of this cave us, who have violated the command of Sugrīva and are as such doomed. (23)

Meaning

“You ought to deliver us all, stricken as we are with fear of Sugrīva. Nay, a great task had to be accomplished by us, O lady engaged in practising virtue! While spending our time here even that work could not be executed by us.” Requested thus by Hanumān, the ascetic woman replied as follows : (24-25)

Meaning

“I consider it difficult for anyone once entered into this cave to return alive. I shall, however, enable the monkeys one and all to emerge from this cave by the superior power of my asceticism duly acquired through restraint of the mind. Pray, all close your eyes, O bulls among the monkeys ! For it will not be possible for those whose eyes remain unclosed to get out of the cave.” Having closed their eyes, all the monkeys then joyously covered them all at once with their hands, possessed of soft fingers, with the desire of going out of the cave. Their faces still remaining covered with their hands, the high souled monkeys were for their part transported by her out of the cave in the twinkling of an eye at that juncture. Asking them all to take courage when they had come out of the danger, the ascetic woman, who was engaged in practising virtue, spoke to them as follows on that occasion outside the cave : “On this side stands the glorious Vindhyan range covered with trees and climbers of every species and there rises the Prasravaṇa mountain; while in the opposite direction stretches the Indian ocean. May good fortune attend on you ! I shall now return to my abode, O jewels among the monkeys !” Saying so, Swayamprabhā penetrated deep into the aforesaid splendid cave. (26—32)