by Tulsidas
Again and again the monkey bowed his head at her feet,
And then, folding his hands, he said,
‘I have now accomplished all my purpose, Mother,
For your blessing never fails, as everyone knows.
But listen, Mother, I am feeling very hungry
At the sight of those trees laden with delicious fruit.’
‘Son, this grove is guarded
By the most mighty demon warriors.’
‘I am not afraid of them, Mother,
If you approve.’
Knowing the monkey to be wise and strong,
Janaki said, ‘Go then, my son—
Holding Raghupati’s feet in your heart,
Eat and enjoy the sweet fruits.’
(17)
He bowed his head to Sita, and entered the orchard,
And after eating the fruit, he began breaking the trees.
Many warriors had been placed there as guards—
Some he killed, some ran to call for help.
‘Lord, an enormous monkey has come
And laid waste the ashok grove!
He has eaten the fruits, uprooted the trees,
And, beating and pounding the guards, he has hurled them to the ground!’
Hearing this, Ravan sent several mighty warriors—
Seeing them, Hanuman roared like thunder.
The monkey killed all the demons,
Except a few who, half-dead, fled back, shrieking.
Ravan then sent his eldest son, Prince Aksh,
Who took with him an immense number of his best warriors.
Seeing him approach, Hanuman seized a tree,
And killed Aksh with a tremendous roar.
Some he killed, some he crushed to pulp
And some he ground into the dust.
Some escaped and returned, crying,
‘Lord, the monkey is much too strong!’
(18)
When he heard of his son’s killing, the king of Lanka was furious,
And sent the strong and powerful Meghnad.
‘Don’t kill him, my son, but bind him.
Let us see this monkey and find out from where it has come.’
Indrajit, that matchless warrior, set forth,
Full of fury at his brother’s death.
The monkey saw a fearsome warrior approach—
Gnashing his teeth, he rushed to meet him with a roar.
He uprooted an enormous tree,
And smashed the prince of Lanka’s chariot.
As for the great warriors with him,
The monkey seized them one by one and crushed them against his body.
After killing them, he turned to battle Meghnad—
They clashed like two king elephants.
Striking him with a fist, Hanuman ran up a tree,
And, for an instant, Meghnad lost consciousness.
He rose up again and tried many delusive tricks,
But the son of the Wind could not be vanquished.
When Meghnad readied Brahma’s weapon,
The monkey thought to himself,
‘If I do not yield to Brahma’s arrow,
Its infinite glory will be destroyed.’
(19)
Brahma’s arrow struck the monkey,
But even as he fell, he killed a legion.
Meghnad saw that the monkey had become unconscious,
And, binding him with Varun’s serpent snare,7 carried him off.
Now consider, Bhavani—he, by repeating whose name,
Discerning men cut the bonds of this existence—
Can his messenger ever be bound?
It was for the Lord’s purpose that the monkey allowed himself to be tied up!
Hearing that the monkey had been caught and bound, the demons rushed
To see the spectacle and came crowding into the court.
The monkey arrived and beheld ten-headed Ravan’s court,
So magnificent that it cannot be described,
Where even the gods and guardians of the eight quarters stood humbly with folded hands,
All fearfully watching the play of his brows.
But even at this sight of Ravan’s power, the monkey’s heart knew no fear,
And he remained as undismayed as Garud amongst a nest of snakes.
Seeing the monkey,
Dashanan laughed and cursed,
But then he remembered the killing of his son,
And his heart grew sad.
(20)
Said the king of Lanka, ‘Who are you, monkey,
And by whose might did you destroy and lay waste my grove?
What, have you not heard of me,
That I see you standing there, fool, utterly unafraid?
For what offence did you kill the demons?
Tell me, fool, are you not afraid to die?’
‘Hear me then, Ravan,’ replied Hanuman. ‘He, by whose might
Maya brings forth countless universes,
By whose might, O ten-headed one, Viranchi, Hari and Ish
Create, preserve and destroy them,8
By whose might the thousand-headed serpent, Shesh, bears upon his head
The whole world with its mountains and forests,
Who assumes diverse forms to protect the gods
And to teach rogues like you a lesson,
Who broke Har’s unbending bow,
And with it the pride of the assembled kings,
Who slew Khar, Dushan, Trishira and Baali,
All of immeasurable strength,
He, by the tiniest trace of whose might
You vanquished all creation, moving and unmoving,
And whose beloved wife you have stolen away—
I am his messenger.
(21)
I know all about your great power—
You fought Sahasrabahu,
And in your battle with Baali you won great renown!’9
Ravan heard the monkey’s words but, laughing uneasily, brushed them away.
‘I ate the fruits, lord, because I was hungry,
And because I am a monkey and it is my nature, I began breaking boughs.
Everybody loves their own life more than anything else, master—
Yet those wicked fellows began beating me up.
Those who hit me, I hit them back,
And then your son tied me up!
But I am not ashamed of being tied up,
For I only want to accomplish my Lord’s purpose.
I beseech you with folded hands, Ravan,
Abandon your pride and listen to my advice.
Have some consideration for your own family,
And, abandoning delusion, worship him who removes the fear of his devotees.
He who terrifies death itself,
That devourer of gods and demons and all creation, moving or unmoving,
Never fight him.
Listen to me and return Janaki to him.
Raghunayak, slayer of Khar,
Is the protector of suppliants and an ocean of compassion—
Go to him for shelter, and he will protect you,
Forgetting your transgressions.
(22)
Hold Ram’s lotus feet in your heart,
And rule unhindered in Lanka.
Rishi Pulastya’s fame is a spotless moon—
Do not be the blemish on that moon.
Speech lacks all beauty without Ram’s name—
Think, and see this for yourself, abandoning pride and attachment.
A beautiful woman, O enemy of the gods, though adorned with every jewel,
Lacks all charm without clothes.
With hostility to Ram, wealth and power
Eventually disappear, their acquisition as if they had never been acquired.
Rivers that have no perennial source of water,
Dry up the instant the rains cease.
Listen, O ten-headed one, I solemnly swear,
There is none to
protect one hostile to Ram.
Even a thousand Shankars, Vishnus and Brahmas
Cannot save you, Ram’s enemy.
Abandon the darkness that is arrogance—
It is rooted in delusion, and gives much pain—
And worship Ram, lord of the Raghu clan,
Ocean of compassion, supreme God.’
(23)
Though the monkey spoke words that were for his good,
Of devotion, wisdom, dispassion and prudence,
That most arrogant Ravan laughed disdainfully and said,
‘What a wise guru I have found in this monkey!
Your death is close at hand, villain,
Yet you try to instruct me, scoundrel!’
‘I can clearly see this is your mind’s delusion,
For just the reverse will happen,’ replied Hanuman.
Hearing the monkey’s words, Ravan flew into a rage,
And roared, ‘Someone, quickly, put an end to this fool’s life!’
At this, the demons rushed to kill him,
But at that very moment, Vibhishan arrived with his counsellors.
Bowing his head, he humbly entreated,
‘It is against all morality—do not kill an envoy.
Give him some other punishment, lord.’
‘This is sound counsel, friends,’ said all.
At this, Dashkandhar laughed and said,
‘All right, let’s break his limbs and send the monkey back!
A monkey is most attached to its tail—
I tell you this with authority—
So bind his tail in oil-soaked rags,
And then set it on fire!
(24)
The tail-less monkey will return,
And then the fool will bring his master back with him,
Whom he has praised so much—
I will see his master’s power then!
Hearing his words, the monkey smiled to himself,
‘I believe Sharada has helped me by playing with his mind!’
But the stupid demons, hearing Ravan’s words,
Began to prepare the rags.
There remained not a piece of cloth in the city, nor a drop of ghee or oil,
For the monkey had playfully made his tail very long.
The citizens came flocking to see the show,
And kicked him and laughed and jeered at him.
Beating their drums and clapping their hands,
They led him through the city, and then set his tail alight.
Seeing the burning flames, Hanumant
Immediately assumed his tiny form—
Slipping out of his bonds, he sprang onto the golden roofs,
Terrifying the demon women.
At that very moment, impelled by Hari,
The forty-nine winds began to blow.10
The monkey roared with laughter,
And grew so he touched the sky.
(25)
His body, though enormous, was exceedingly light and nimble.
He ran and sprang from house to house,
Till the whole city was ablaze and its people distraught.
A million fierce flames leapt up,
And cries and shouts were heard everywhere,
‘Ah Father! O Mother! Who will save us now?
Did we not say this was no monkey,
But some god in monkey’s guise?
Such is the fruit of insulting the good—
The city burns like it has no master.’
He burnt down the city in the blink of an eye,
Except only Vibhishan’s house.
Hanuman was the messenger of the one who created fire,
That is why he himself did not burn, Girija.
He turned all Lanka upside down and reduced it to ashes,
And then jumped into the middle of the ocean.
He put out his burning tail and recovered from his fatigue,
And then once more assuming his tiny form,
He went and stood in front of Janak’s daughter
With folded hands.
(26)
‘Mother, give me some token,
Like Raghunayak had given me.’
So Sita unfastened the jewel she wore in her hair and gave it to him,
And the Wind’s son received it with joy.
‘Convey my obeisance to him, dear son, and say,
“My Lord, you lack for nothing and are fulfilled in every way,
Yet remembering your vow of kindness to the afflicted,
Take away my great distress, master.”
Dear child, repeat to him the incident with Indra’s son,
And remind him of the might of his arrows.
If my Lord doesn’t come here within a month,
He will not find me alive.
Tell me, monkey, how do I stay alive?
You too, dear son, now speak of leaving.
Seeing you, my heart had been soothed,
Now I face again those days, those nights.’
Reassuring Janak’s daughter,
And doing all he could to give her courage,
The monkey bowed his head at her lotus feet,
And set forth to rejoin Ram.
(27)
As he left, he gave a thunderous roar,
So that the demon women miscarried.
Leaping across the ocean he arrived on this shore,
And greeted the other monkeys with a cry of joy.
The monkeys all rejoiced to see Hanuman,
And felt as though they had been reborn.
His face was joyous, his body radiant,
So that they knew he had accomplished Ramchandra’s work.
They greeted him with great delight,
Like floundering fishes restored to water.
Rejoicing, they set out to rejoin Raghunayak,
Talking, as they went, of the latest events.
When they reached Madhuvan, Sugriv’s forbidden orchard, they entered
And, together with Angad, began eating the sweet fruit.
When the guards tried to stop them,
They beat them with their fists till they fled.
The guards ran to Sugriv and cried,
‘Prince Angad has laid waste your entire orchard!’
Hearing this, Sugriv rejoiced,
‘My monkeys return, having accomplished the Lord’s work!
(28)
Had they not found news of Sita,
Would they have dared eat the fruits from my orchard?’
The king was thus reflecting to himself
When Hanuman and the monkeys arrived.
They came and all bowed their heads at his feet,
And the king of the monkeys embraced them all with great affection,
And asked after their well-being. ‘We are well, now that we have seen your feet,’ they replied.
‘With Ram’s grace, our task has been completed very successfully.
Master, it is Hanuman who fulfilled the mission,
And saved the lives of all the monkeys.’
Hearing this, Sugriv embraced Hanuman again,
And went with all the monkeys to Raghupati.
When Ram saw the monkeys approaching,
Their mission accomplished, his heart filled with joy.
The two brothers were seated upon a crystal rock,
And all the monkeys went and fell at their feet.
Raghupati, that accumulation of compassion,
Embraced them all with affection,
And asked after their well-being. ‘Lord,
All is well, now that we have seen your lotus feet.’
(29)
Jamvant said, ‘Listen, Raghurai,
He upon whom, Lord, you bestow your mercy,
Is always blessed and forever fortunate,
And gods, men and munis ever pleased with him.
He alone is victorious, modest and an ocean of virtue,
And his bright renown illuminates the three
worlds.
By the Lord’s grace, all has been accomplished,
And our birth has been made fruitful today.
Master, what the Wind’s son has done,
Even a thousand tongues cannot describe.’
Then Jamvant related to Raghupati
The glorious deeds of the Wind god’s son.
Hearing of his doings, the treasure-house of compassion was greatly pleased,
And once more clasped Hanuman to his heart.
‘Tell me, dear son, how does Janaki
Endure her days and stay alive?’
‘Your name guards her day and night,
Her contemplation of you is a door, closed tight,
Her eyes, fixed on her own feet, are the fetters—
So by what path can her life’s breath flee?
(30)
As I was leaving, she gave me the jewel from her hair—’
Raghupati took it from him and held it to his heart.
‘Lord, her two eyes were full of tears
As Janak’s daughters spoke these words:
“Clasp the feet of the Lord and his brother,
Saying to him, ‘O friend of the lowly, remover of the suppliant’s distress,
In heart, word and deed I am devoted to your feet.
For what offence, Lord, have you abandoned me?
Yes, I have one fault, I admit—
That my life’s breath did not leave the moment I was separated from you.
But this, my Lord, is the fault of my eyes,
That do not let my life depart.
In this fire of separation, fanned by the wind of my sighs,
My body is a heap of cotton fibres that could burn in an instant.
But my eyes, in their selfish interest to see you again, rain such a flood of tears
That my body burns not even in this fire of separation.’”
The immensity of Sita’s grief is overwhelming,
And is best not told, merciful one.
Each and every instant, abode of compassion,
Passes like an aeon for her.
Go quickly, Lord, and bring her back,
Vanquishing that evil horde by the might of your arms.’
(31)
Hearing of Sita’s anguish, the lotus eyes of the Lord,
That abode of bliss, filled with tears,
‘Can one who depends completely on me, in speech, body and mind,
Ever know suffering even in dream?’
Said Hanuman, ‘Lord, suffering is