Sundara Kanda, Sarga 46

Meaning

Coming to know of his chief minister’s sons having been killed by the colossal monkey, Rāvaṇa, who had hypocritically concealed the expression of his face giving a clue to the disposition of his mind, made a crafty resolution to renew his efforts to tame the monkey. (1)

Meaning

That ten-headed monster commanded five leading generals of his army, viz., Virupākṣa and Yupākṣa as well as the ogre Dūrdhara, Praghaṣa and Bhāsakarṇa, who were valiant, nay, past masters in strategy and imperturbable and approached the speed of the wind on the field of battle, to take Hanumān captive. (2-3)

Meaning

“March you all, O generals, taking a large army with you and accompanied by horses, chariots and elephants and let that monkey be punished. (4)

Meaning

“Approaching that monkey, you must surely remain alert and action should be taken by you, which is not out of harmony with time and place. (5)

Meaning

“Judging him by his actions, I surely do not account him a monkey. At all events he must be some great being endowed with extraordinary might. (6)

Meaning

“My mind is surely not ready to believe that he is a monkey. I certainly do not account him a monkey as the story which is told about him shows. (7)

Meaning

“He may be some creature evolved for our annihilation by Indra, the ruler of gods, by virtue of his askesis. Gods, demons and eminent Ṛṣis alongwith Nāgas, Yakṣas and Gandharvas were utterly vanquished by you (the ogre army) under my command and standing by me. Something unpleasant to us need must be done by them. (8-9)

Meaning

“It is precisely some such being: there is no doubt about it. He must be taken captive by force. March you all, O generals, taking a large army with you and accompanied by horses, chariots and elephants. Let that monkey be chastised. Nay, the monkey, who is endowed with steady prowess, should not be disregarded by you. (10-11)

Meaning

“Monkeys of immense prowess have been actually seen by me in the past, viz., Vāli alongwith Sugrīva, as well as Jāmbavān, the bear, who is endowed with extraordinary might, as also General Nīla and others such as Dwivida. Their capacity to leap, however, is not so tremendous, nor energy, nor prowess, nor intellect, nor strength and vigour, nor ability to assume different forms at will. He should be concluded to be some mighty creature drawn up in the form of a monkey. (12—14)

Meaning

“Putting forth extraordinary effort, let him be taken captive. Even all the three worlds (heaven, earth and the intermediate region) including Indra, the ruler of the three worlds, as well as gods, demons and human beings are not able to stand before you on the field of battle. Nevertheless, one’s own self must at all events be zealously protected by one who knows how to behave prudently and seeks to triumph in combat; for success in battle is uncertain indeed.” Bowing to the command of their master, all the generals, who were endowed with extraordinary energy and agility and equipped with sharp weapons of every kind and followed by all kinds of forces, and who were effulgent as fire, sallied forth in chariots as well as on the back of elephants in rut and horses of extraordinary swiftness. Thereupon the heroes for their part caught sight of the great monkey, Hanumān, who was endowed with extraordinary agility, extraordinary courage, extraordinary strength, extraordinary intelligence, extraordinary ardour, a gigantic body and mighty-arms, and who was blazing like the rising sun, encircled as he was by the rays of his glory. Immediately on perceiving him, they all, who were stationed in all quarters, assailed him with their dreadful weapons of all descriptions from every side. Five sharp and white polished steel shafts with yellow (golden) tips were dug into his head by Dūrdhara and shone like petals of lilies causing no more pain to him than lilies. (15—22)

Meaning

Pierced in the head with those five arrows, the monkey leapt roaring in the sky, making all the ten directions resound thereby. (23)

Meaning

Thereupon the valiant Dūrdhara, who was endowed with extraordinary might, arrived near him in his chariot, with his bow duly drawn and covered him with many hundreds of shafts. (24)

Meaning

Continuing in the air, Hanumān kept back by means of his very roar Dūrdhara, who was raining arrows on him, even as the wind would keep back a rainy cloud at the end of the monsoon. (25)

Meaning

Being tormented by the aforesaid Dūrdhara, the powerful Hanumān emitted a roar once more and grew immensely in size. (26)

Meaning

Bounding high into the sky, Hanumān precipitately jumped with great impetuosity on the chariot of Dūrdhara like a mass of lightning on a mountain. (27)

Meaning

Having lost his chariot, whose axle and pole had been broken and all the eight horses mangled, Dūrdhara dropped down dead on the ground. (28)

Meaning

Enraged to see him fallen flat on the ground, the notorious Virupākṣa and Yupākṣa, who were difficult to overcome and were capable of taming the enemy, sprang up in the sky. (29)

Meaning

Stationed in the cloudless sky, the aforesaid mighty-armed Hanumān was struck by them in the chest all of a sudden with clubs even as they sprang up in the sky. (30)

Meaning

Having foiled the onrush of the aforesaid two generals, who were full of impetuosity, Hanumān, who was endowed with extraordinary might and full of vehemence, swooped down on the earth again like Garuḍa with beautiful feathers. (31)

Meaning

Reaching a sal tree and uprooting it, Hanumān, sprung from the loins of the wind-god, struck down with it both those valiant ogres. (32)

Meaning

Finding all those three killed by Hanumān, who was full of agility and laughing heartily, the mighty Praghasa, who was endowed with extraordinary swiftness, arrived next, as also the powerful Bhāsakarṇa, highly enraged, taking a dart in his hand. The two general stood on one side of the illustrious Hanumān, a tiger among monkeys. (33-34)

Meaning

Praghasa pierced Hanumān, an elephant among monkeys, with a sharp-pointed spear, while the ogre Bhāsakarṇa attacked him with a dart. (35)

Meaning

With his limbs lacerated by their blows and the coat of hair on his body smeared with blood, that monkey, Hanumān, who shone like the rising sun, waxed enraged. (36)

Meaning

Breaking off the peak of a mountain including its beasts, snakes and trees, the heroic Hanumān, a veritable elephant among monkeys, struck with it the two ogres. Utterly crushed under the mountain-peak, they were reduced to smithereens. (37)

Meaning

All those five generals having been killed, Hanumān now began to destroy the army which remained after them. (38)

Meaning

Like lndra (the thousand eyed god) exterminating the demons, Hanumān destroyed the horses by striking them with horses, the elephants with elephants, the warriors with warriors and the chariots with chariots. (39)

Meaning

The earth had its pathways on all sides completely blocked with the horses, elephants and swift-footed horses as well as with the ogres who had been killed and the big chariots that had their axles broken. (40)

Meaning

Having killed in combat those valiant generals alongwith their forces and vehicles destroyed and taking his stand likewise on the archway, the heroic Hanumān now stood biding his time for a further opportunity of showing his valour, like the Time-Spirit bent upon the destruction of created beings. (41)