Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 27

Meaning

“I for my part shall describe in detail to you, who are keenly observant, the monkey-generals who, being ready to show their valour in the cause of Rāma (a scion of Raghu), do not care even for their lives. (1)

Meaning

“This monkey of terrible deeds is known by the name of Hara. The glossy hairs adhering to his long tail, which are coppery, yellow, brown and white and of great length, shine brightly like the sun’s rays, standing erect as they do, and, being thrown about, are dragged along the ground in his train. (2-3)

Meaning

“Lifting up trees and intent on storming Laṅkā, troop-commanders, numbering hundreds and thousands, who stand at the beck and call of Sugrīva (the king of monkeys), follow him close at hand. These warriors, again, whom you perceive ranging like huge sombre clouds, nay, who possess the hue of black collyrium and who are endowed with unfailing prowess on the field of battle, who cannot be numbered any more than the sands on the other seashore, much less mentioned by name, and who lived on mountains and some in plains, as also on river-banks, O king, are extremely ferocious bears, who are advancing towards you. (4—7)

Meaning

“This warrior of dreadful eyes and fearful aspect standing in their midst, who is surrounded on all sides by bears as Parjanya, the god of rain, is by clouds, and who dwells on Ṛkṣavān, the foremost of mountains, drinking the water of the Narmadā, is the suzerain lord of all bears and a commander of troops, Dhūmra by name. (8-9)

Meaning

“Again, there is a younger brother of Dhūmra, who, though like him in appearance, is decidedly superior in prowess. Look at him, resembling, as he does, a mountain. (10)

Meaning

“This warrior is Jāmbavān by name, a commander even of mighty generals. He is exceedingly placid, devoted to his elders and indignant in war. (11)

Meaning

“In the conflict between gods and demons, great assistance was actually rendered to Indra and numerous boons won by the intelligent Jāmbavān. (12)

Meaning

“Scaling mountain-heights, his troops—who are like ogres and fiends in ferocity, are shaggy and endowed with immense energy, and roam about in large numbers—hurl from them massive rocks, as big as huge clouds, and do not tremble in the face of death. (13-14)

Meaning

“This lord of monkeys—who is a commander of commanders, and at whom, whether he is leaping in fury or standing still, all the monkeys stand gazing, O king—is a commander of troops, Rambha by name, who, accompanied, as he is, by an army, ministers to Indra (the thousand-eyed god) with his army. (15-16)

Meaning

“He who, while moving about, touches with his flanks a mountain situated at a distance of one Yojana (or eight miles) and, reaching likewise an object one Yojana high, grasps it with his body itself, nay, a form bigger than whom does not exist among the quadrupeds, is reported to be the grandfather of the monkeys, Saṁnādana by name. (17-18)

Meaning

“Battle was once given by that intelligent monkey to Indra on a field of battle, but no defeat was sustained by him on that occasion. Such is that commander of commanders. (19)

Meaning

“This monkey—whose prowess, even as he marches for a combat, equals that of Indra (ruler of gods)—was begotten by the god of fire through a Gandharva maiden for the purpose of helping the gods (lit., the denizens of heaven) in the conflict between the gods and the demons. This glorious and mighty jewel among the monkeys, a commander of troops, Krathana by name, who is ever unboastful in wars, revels on a mountain (Kailāsa), which is the king of rulers of mountains, frequented by numerous Kinnaras, a class of demigods with a human figure and the head of a horse or with a horse’s body and the head of a man, nay, on which King Kubera (son of Sage Viśravā) takes his seat beneath a Jambū (a variety of rose-apple) tree, and which affords the delight of sport to your (said half-) brother, Kubera, O suzerain lord of ogres! (20—23)

Meaning

“Standing firm, surrounded by thousands of crores of monkeys, he too aspires to crush Laṅkā with his army.(24)

Meaning

“Thundering and uprooting trees, this commander and leader of monkeys—who, remembering, as he does, the old antagonism between elephants and monkeys, roams along the banks of the Gaṅgā, sowing terror among the leaders of herds of elephants, and dwells in mountain caves—obstructs thereby the passage of wild elephants. (25-26)

Meaning

“Taking up his abode now on Mount Uśīrabīja, along the bank of the Gaṅgā (having its source in the Himālayan range) and now on Mount Mandara, the foremost of mountains, the prince of monkeys, a leader of the simian troops, revels there as Indra, the ruler of gods, himself does in heaven. Ten crores of roaring monkeys proud of their virility and prowess and rich in strength of arms follow him; nay, he alone is the leader of these powerful monkeys. (27—29)

Meaning

“Difficult to resist, O king, is this celebrated general, Pramāthī by name, whom you see there, resembling a cloud propelled by the wind as also a furious band of agile monkeys, the smoke-coloured abundant dust raised by which is being repeatedly scattered in all directions by the wind. Here are formidable black-faced Golāṅgūlas (a species of large-tailed monkeys) endowed with extraordinary might and numbering a crore. Witnessing the construction of a bridge (across the sea), they stand surrounding the general, Gavākṣa by name, who is a Golāṅgūla himself and are roaring in their anxiety to demolish Laṅkā by dint of their might, O great king! The yonder general, Kesarī by name, the foremost of leading monkeys, revels, O king, on the lovely Sumeru (the golden mountain), the most excellent of all mountains, the trees on which, yielding fruit in every season, are frequented by bees; which, casting as it does a splendour similar to that of the sun itself, is circumambulated by the sun clockwise; by virtue of whose lustre beasts and birds inhabiting that mountain appear golden; whose peaks are never forsaken by eminent high-souled Ṛṣis; the trees on which, yielding as they do all one’s desired objects, are ever laden with fruit and on which highly valuable honeys of various varities can be had. There are sixty thousand mountains, which are all lovely mountains of gold. (30—38)

Meaning

“In their midst stands out the foremost of mountains (Sāvarṇi-Meru by name), as you do among all the ogres, O sinless one! On the last (the northernmost) of those sixty thousand mountains dwell some monkeys, brown, white, coppery-faced and yellow like honey, with pointed teeth and having claws for their weapons, four-toothed as lions and dangerous to approach, as tigers. (39-40)

Meaning

“They are all fire-like and resemble venomous serpents with flaming tongues. They have very long uplifted tails and look much like elephants in rut. (41)

Meaning

“Nay, they resemble huge mountains in size and thunder like big clouds. Having round, grey eyes, they create a most appalling uproar while marching. (42)

Meaning

“They all stand as though they would destroy your Laṅkā as soon as they gaze on it. Nay, here stands in their midst their valiant commander, widely known on earth, O king, by the name of Śatabali, who, clever as he is and desirous of victory, worships the sun-god every day. (43-44)

Meaning

“He too aspires to demolish Laṅkā with his army. Valiant, powerful and daring, he banks on his own valour. (45)

Meaning

“The monkey would not spare his life in order to please Rāma. Besides the above-named, there are Gaja, Gavākṣa, Gavaya, Nala and the monkey Nīla. (46)

Meaning

“Each one of them is surrounded by ten crores of warriors. Similarly, there are other leading monkeys inhabiting the Vindhyan range. Quick of gait, they cannot, however, be accounted due to their very large number. (47)

Meaning

“All the aforesaid monkeys are endowed with extraordinary might. All have bodies resembling big mountains and all are capable of levelling in a trice the earth with its mountains razed to the ground and scattered, O great king!” (48)