Sundara Kanda, Sarga 56

Meaning

Greeting the daughter of Janaka ensconced at the foot of the Śiṁśapā tree, Hanumān for his part said to her, “Luckily I find you unscathed at this moment.” (1)

Meaning

Gazing again and again on Hanumān, who had made ready to depart, Sītā, who was full of affection for her lord, spoke as follows to him: (2)

Meaning

“If at all you deem fit, O dear son, halt for a day here, O sinless one ! Having rested in some fully covered place, you may leave on the morrow. (3)

Meaning

“Besides, due to your proximity, O Hanumān, there will be an end of my grief, which cannot be measured, unfortunate as I am, at least for a while. (4)

Meaning

“For, if once you are gone, O tiger among monkeys, there is uncertainty of your return to this place, and there is no surety of my survival either, O bull among monkeys! (5)

Meaning

“Nay, your disappearance from my presence, O hero, will further torment me, fallen that I am out of frying-pan into the fire and emaciated through sadness and grief. (6)

Meaning

“Nay, this doubt ever stands before me, as it were, about your very mighty associate monkeys and bears, O hero, as to how on earth Sugrīva (who is endowed with extraordinary might) or those hordes of monkeys and bears or those two princes will actually be able to cross over the sea, which is so difficult to accomplish. (7-8)

Meaning

“The capacity to cross the sea exists in three created beings only, viz., Garuḍa (son of Vinatā), the wind-god and yourself. (9)

Meaning

“When this obstacle, which is so difficult to manoeuvere, in the way of accomplishing the task has duly come up in hand, what means do you perceive for the execution of this work, since you are skilled in action? (10)

Meaning

“Although you are yourself equal to the accomplishment of this task of rescuing me single-handed, O destroyer of hostile warriors, the attainment of success will redound to your glory rather than to that of Śrī Rāma. (11)

Meaning

“If, having overrun Laṅkā with his forces, Śrī Rāma, a scion of Kakutstha, the scourge of hostile forces, for his part, takes me back from Laṅkā, that alone would be worthy of him. (12)

Meaning

“Therefore, act you in such a way that the exalted soul, valiant in combat, may exhibit prowess worthy of him.” (13)

Meaning

Hearing the aforesaid speech of Sītā, which was full of significance, polite and logical, the heroic Hanumān made the following final reply : (14)

Meaning

“The ruler of the monkey and bear hordes, Sugrīva, the foremost of monkeys, who is richly endowed with energy, is determined to liberate you, O godlike lady ! (15)

Meaning

“Surrounded by crores and crores of monkeys, O princess of the Videha territory, the said Sugrīva, the suzerain lord of monkeys, will make his appearance soon. (16)

Meaning

“Nay, arriving together, those two heroic jewels among men will destroy Laṅkā with their shafts. (17)

Meaning

“Having made short work of the ogre, Rāvaṇa, with his hordes, Śrī Rāma, the delight of the Raghus, will return before long to his own city, Ayodhyā, taking you with him, O lady of excellent limbs ! (18)

Meaning

“Be fully restored to confidence and bide your time. May good betide you ! You shall soon be able to see Rāvaṇa killed in combat by Śrī Rāma. (19)

Meaning

“When Rāvaṇa, the lord of ogres, is slain along with his sons, ministers and kinsfolk, you shall be united with Śrī Rāma as Rohiṇī (a consort of the moon-god presiding over a constellation of the same name) is with the moon-god. (20)

Meaning

“Accompanied by eminent leaders of monkeys and bears, Śrī Rāma (a scion of Kakutstha)—who, having fully conquered his enemies in combat, will thoroughly dispel your grief—will make his appearance soon.” (21)

Meaning

Having comforted Sītā, a princess of the Videha territory, as above, and making up his mind to depart, Hanumān (sprung from the loins of the wind-god) greeted Sītā. (22)

Meaning

Having killed distinguished ogres and thus exhibiting his surpassing strength, Hanumān created a stir in Laṅkā, befooled Rāvaṇa and displayed his terrific might and thus made his name widely known. Having fully consoled and greeted Sītā, Hanumān made up his mind once more to return across the sea. Then that tiger among the monkeys, the destroyer of his foes, eager as he was to see his master, Śrī Rāma, ascended the Arista mountain, the foremost of mountains, which was clothed, as it were, with dark groves, embellished with tall Padmaka trees, and was covered with clouds hanging between its summits as with an upper garment; which was being awakened, as it were, with love by the bright rays of the sun, resembling so many hands; which was staring as it were with so many eyes in the form of metals scattered here and there; which appeared to have started reciting the Vedas on every side in the form of the deep sound of running streams; which had commenced singing, as it were, at a high pitch very distinctly in the form of the murmuring of various cascades; which stood, as it were, with uplifted arms in the form of towering deodars; which had started crying loudly, as it were, on all sides in the form of the sound of its waterfalls and seemed to quake in the form of its waving dark clusters of autumnal reeds; which was piping, as it were, in the form of hollow bamboos tossed about by the wind and whistling, and was hissing as it were, in indignation in the form of its terrible and most poisonous serpents; which sat absorbed in meditation, as it were, in the form of its caves obscured by mist and had set about moving on all sides, as it were, with its offshoots looking like so many rising clouds, which with its peaks enveloped in clouds seemed to stretch its limbs in the air; which bristled with a number of peaks and was adorned with numerous caves; and which was hemmed in with many sal, palmyra, Karṇa and bamboo trees and was graced with extensive canopies of creepers laden with blossom; which was crowded with herds of deer of every species and decked with streams of molten metals; which was rich in numerous cascades and thick with accumulations of rocks; which was frequented by eminent Ṛṣis, yakṣas, Gandharvas, Kinnaras and Nāgas, was impenetrable on account of creepers and trees and whose caves were occupied by lions; which was infested with tigers and other carnivorous beasts and abounded in luscious roots and trees yielding delicious fruits. Impelled by excessive joy on having successfully completed his mission and impatience to see Śrī Rāma, Hanumān, son of the wind-god, the foremost of monkeys, thus ascended the aforesaid mountain. Pressed under his soles and crushed by his weight, rocks on the lovely peaks of the mountain now fell to pieces with a noise. Ascending that lord of mountains and seeking to bound to the northern shore from the southern shore of the brackish sea, that mighty Hanumān grew in size. Having ascended the mountain, the heroic Hanumān, sprung from the loins of the wind-god, then beheld the formidable sea infested with dreadful serpents. Like the wind rushing through airspace, Hanumān, a veritable tiger among the monkeys, set out from the southern to the northern quarter. Pressed at that moment by Hanumān, Arista, the foremost of mountains, shrieked under his weight and sank into the bowels of the earth with its various living beings and shaking summits amid toppling trees. (23—43)

Meaning

Violently shaken and broken by the impetus of his thighs, trees charming with blossom fell to the ground as though struck by Indra’s thunderbolt. (44)

Meaning

The terrible roar of lions endowed with great vigour, dwelling in the interior of caves and subjected to pressure was heard rending the skies, as it were. (45)

Meaning

Vidyādhara women rose all of a sudden from the mountain, their raiment in disorder through fear and ornaments fallen off. (46)

Meaning

Large mighty snakes, immense in size and highly poisonous, with flaming tongues, their hoods and necks severely pressed, lay coiled. (47)

Meaning

Deserting that jewel among mountains, subjected to extraordinary pressure, Kinnaras, Nāgas, Gandharvas, Yakṣas and Vidyādharas took their stand in the airspace. (48)

Meaning

Nay, pressed by the mighty Hanumān, that glorious mountain, conspicuous with its peaks crowned with trees, sank into the bowels of the earth. (49)

Meaning

Ten Yojanas (or eighty miles) in extent and thirty Yojanas (or two hundred and forty miles) in height, the aforesaid mountain got level with the earth. (50)

Meaning

Eager to leap sportingly across the formidable salty sea, whose shores were being lashed by its waves, the said monkey, Hanumān, sprang in the airspace. (51)