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Vaidehi heard that account of Rama from the bull among the apes. She replied in words that were gentle and sweet. ‘How did you come into contact with Rama? How did you get to know Lakshmana? How did this meeting between apes and men take place? O ape! What are the signs on Rama and Lakshmana? If you again tell me these, I will not be immersed in sorrow. Where was he? What is Rama’s form like? How were his thighs? How were his arms? Tell me about Lakshmana.’
Hanumat, the son of the wind god, was addressed by Vaidehi in this way. At this, he started to recount the truth about Rama. ‘O Vaidehi! O lotus-eyed one! You know this. But it is good fortune that you are asking me about your husband’s appearance and that of Lakshmana. O large-eyed one! I will tell you about the marks and signs Rama and Lakshmana possess. Listen. Rama’s eyes are like the petals of a lotus. All creatures find him to be pleasant. O Janaka’s daughter! He was born with beauty and accomplishments. He is like the sun in energy, like the earth in forgiveness, like Brihaspati in his intelligence and like Vasava in his fame. He protects the world of the living. He protects his own people. The scorcher of enemies protects his own conduct and dharma. O beautiful one! In the world, Rama is the protector of the four varnas. He is the one who ensures that ordinances are observed in this world. He is radiant. He is worshipped. He is exceedingly devoted to the vow of brahmacharya. He does good deeds for the virtuous. He knows how to implement tasks. He knows about royal skills. He is humble. He is revered by the brahmanas. He is learned and possesses good conduct. The scorcher of enemies is modest. He knows about the Yajur Veda. He is humble. He knows the rites of the Vedas. He is greatly worshipped. He is knowledgeable about dhanurveda, the Vedas and the Vedangas. The mighty-armed one possesses broad shoulders. His neck is like a conch shell and his face is auspicious. His collarbone is hidden. His eyes are coppery red. O queen! Rama is famous among people. His voice is like the sound of a kettledrum. The powerful one’s complexion is soothing. His limbs are symmetric and well proportioned. His complexion is dark. He is firm in three places.168 He is long in three places.169 He is even in three places.170 He is tall in three places.171 He has three lines.172 There are three spots that are depressed.173 There are four parts that aren’t too long.174 There are three twirls in his hair. He has four lines.175 He has four lines.176 He is four cubits tall.177 He is symmetric in four parts.178 There are fourteen parts that are symmetric.179 He possesses four teeth.180 He possesses four kinds of gait.181 His lips, cheekbones and nose are large. He is smooth in five parts.182 He has excellent joints in eight places.183 He has ten lotuses.184 Ten parts are large.185 He is extensive in three ways.186 He is pure in two ways.187 Six parts of the body are high. He is fine in nine places.188 Raghava obtains three things.189 He is devoted to the dharma of truth. He is prosperous. He accumulates and dispenses favours. He knows about the time and the place. He speaks pleasantly to everyone. His stepbrother, Soumitri, cannot be defeated. He is like him in affection, form and qualities. Those two roamed around the earth, searching for your trail. They saw the lord of the animals,190 who had been dislodged by his elder brother. He was on the slope of Rishyamuka, in a region that was full of many trees. Sugriva, pleasant to behold, was seated there, terrified of his brother. We are the ones who serve Sugriva, the king of the apes who is devoted to the truth. His elder brother had dislodged him from the kingdom. Those two, supreme among those who wield bows and attired in bark, came to the beautiful region in Mount Rishyamuka. The bull among apes saw the two tigers among men, wielding bows. His fear confused him and he leapt down from the summit of the mountain. Stationed on the summit, the Indra among the apes soon sent me to those two. Because of the command of the lord Sugriva, I went to those two tigers among men, who possess beauty and the signs. I joined my hands in salutation and stood there. Ascertaining the nature of the truth, those two were delighted with me. Taking those two tigers among men on my back, I went to that spot.191 I told the great-souled Sugriva the truth. They spoke to each other and a great affection resulted. Those two lords among men, accomplished in their deeds, and the lord of the apes comforted each other and recounted what had happened earlier. At this, Lakshmana’s elder brother assured Sugriva, who had been restrained by his brother, Vali, fierce in his energy, because of a woman. Lakshmana told Sugriva, the Indra among the apes, about the sorrow that Rama, the performer of unblemished deeds, was suffering from, because of your disappearance. Hearing the words that Lakshmana had spoken, the Indra among the apes sat down. He lost his radiance, like the sun when it has been grasped by a planet.192 There were ornaments that had adorned your body. When you were being abducted by the rakshasa, the mass of ornaments had fallen down on the ground. The leaders of the apes brought all those to Rama. Cheerfully, they showed him these. But they had no idea about your route. I gave Rama the jingling ornaments that I had collected and he lost his consciousness. He was like a god. He displayed those ornaments on his lap and lamented like a god. He looked at them and wept repeatedly. They ignited a fire of grief in Dasharatha’s son. Afflicted by grief, the great-souled one lay down for a long time. Using many kinds of words, with a great deal of difficulty, I made him get up again. With Soumitri, Raghava repeatedly looked at those extremely expensive ornaments and then showed them to Sugriva. O noble one! Because he could not see you, Raghava was tormented. He was incessantly consumed by a fire, like the fire that rages inside a mountain.193 Because of you, Raghava suffered from lack of sleep, grief and worries. They tormented the great-souled one, like a fire to a house in flames. Because of the sorrow at not being able to see you, Raghava trembled. It was like a large pile of boulders trembling because of a huge earthquake. O daughter of a king! Though he roamed around in extremely beautiful groves, rivers and waterfalls, because he could not see you, he found no pleasure in these. O Janaka’s daughter! Raghava, tiger among men, will soon kill Ravana, with his friends and relatives, and get you back. Rama and Sugriva contracted an agreement with each other, about the slaying of Vali and about searching you out. The spirited Rama killed Vali in an encounter. In an assembly of all the bears and the apes, he made Sugriva their lord. O queen! The unity between Rama and Sugriva was generated in this way. Know me as Hanumat and I have come here as their messenger. When he got his kingdom back, Sugriva summoned the great apes. For your sake, he despatched those extremely strong ones in the ten directions. They were commanded by Sugriva, the extremely energetic Indra among the apes. Resembling the king of the mountains, they left towards different parts of the earth. The prosperous and extremely strong Angada is Vali’s son. Surrounded by one-third of the forces, this tiger among apes left. We lost our way in Vindhya, supreme among mountains. We were overcome by great grief and many days and nights passed. The designated time passed and we lost all hope of accomplishing our task. Terrified of the king of the apes, we were ready to give up our lives. O queen! We searched forests, impenetrable areas in the mountains and mountainous waterfalls. But we could not find you and were ready to give up our lives. O Vaidehi! We were immersed in a severe ocean of grief and lamented with Angada about your loss, Vali’s death, our engaging in praya and Jatayu’s death. We had not been able to follow the command of our master. We had lost hope and were about to die. As if to accomplish the task, a large and valiant bird arrived there. This was the brother of the king of the eagles.194 His name was Sampati and he was a king of the eagles. Hearing about his brother’s death, he angrily spoke these words. “Why has my younger brother been killed? Who has destroyed him? O supreme among the apes! I wish to hear this from you.” Angada told him the exact truth about the great destruction in Janasthana, wrought by the rakshasa who was terrible in form. Hearing about Jatayu’s death, Aruna’s son was saddened. O beautiful one! He informed us about your residing in Ravana’s abode. We heard Sampati’s words, which enhanced our delight. With Angada at the forefront, all of us left that spot. The bulls among the apes were content and happy. They were anxious to see you. When the army of the apes saw the oce
an, they were depressed. However, I dispelled their terrible fear and leapt across the one hundred yojanas. I entered Lanka, filled with rakshasas, in the night. I saw Ravana, and you suffering from grief. O unblemished one! I have told you everything, just as it occurred. O queen! I am the messenger of Dasharatha’s son. Speak to me. Rama made the effort because of you and I have come here because of you. O queen! Know me to be the son of the wind god, Sugriva’s adviser. Kakutstha, supreme among those who wield all kinds of weapons, is well. Lakshmana, who possesses all the excellent signs, is engaged in serving his senior. O queen! I am engaged in ensuring the welfare of your valiant husband. Following Sugriva’s words, I am the only one who has come here. I have come without any help. I can roam around, assuming any form at will. Desiring to search out your trail, I have crossed over the southern direction. I will dispel the grief of the army of the apes. I will remove their torment. I will tell them that, through good fortune, I have been able to meet you. O queen! It is through good fortune that my leaping across the ocean has not been futile. It is through good fortune that I have come here. Catching sight of you will bring me fame. The immensely valorous Raghava will soon kill Ravana, the lord of the rakshasas, with his friends and relatives, and get you back. O Vaidehi! There is an excellent mountain named Kouraja.195 From there, the ape Kesari went to Gokarna. My father, the great ape, was commanded by the gods and the rishis. At the sacred tirtha that was near the lord of the rivers, he killed Shambasadana.196 O Maithilee! Hence, I was born in the ape’s field, through the wind god. Because of my own deeds, I am famous in the worlds as Hanumat. O Vaidehi! So that you trust me, I have recounted your husband’s qualities.’
Sita was afflicted because of her grief. However, because of the indications he had given, she trusted him and accepted him as a messenger. Janakee obtained great joy and delight. From her eyes, with those curved eyelashes, tears of joy started to flow. Her face was beautiful and her large eyes were coppery red and white. The large-eyed one became as radiant as the lord of the stars, when it is freed from Rahu. She thought it obvious that Hanumat was an ape and nothing else. After this, Hanumat spoke to the one who was beautiful to behold. ‘Urged by the maharshis, the foremost among the apes killed the asura Shambasadana in a battle. O Maithilee! I have been born from Vayu and in my power, I am the equal of that ape.’197
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To inspire confidence in Sita, the immensely energetic Hanumat, the son of the wind god, again spoke these words of assurance. ‘O immensely fortunate one! I am an ape who is the intelligent Rama’s messenger. O queen! Look at this ring. It bears the mark of Rama’s name. O fortunate one! Because of this, your grief should be diminished. Take it and look at it. It used to be an ornament on your husband’s hand. O Janakee! I got it from your husband. You should be delighted.’
Her face was beautiful. Her large eyes were coppery red and white. She was filled with great joy, like the lord of the stars when freed from Rahu. The young one was delighted at news of her husband and also felt shy. Content at news about her beloved, she praised the great ape. ‘O supreme ape. You are valiant. You are capable. You are wise. Single-handedly, you have penetrated this spot, full of rakshasas. The ocean extends for one hundred yojanas and is the abode of makaras. Using your praiseworthy valour, you have crossed it, as if it was a puddle.198 O bull among the apes! I do not think that you are an ordinary ape. You have no fear and respect for Ravana. O best among the apes! If you have been sent by Rama, who knows about his soul, you are worthy of being addressed by me. The invincible Rama sent you without testing you, in particular, to me. He did not know about your valour. It is good fortune that the accomplished Rama has dharma in his soul and is devoted to dharma, just as the immensely energetic Lakshmana, the extender of Sumitra’s delight, is. If Kakutstha is well, why is he not igniting his great rage, like the fire that arises at the end of a yuga, and burning up the girdle of the ocean? Those two are capable of restraining even the gods. But I think I must suffer this misery and calamity. Is Rama not distressed? Is he not tormented? Is Purushottama engaged in the task that must be undertaken next? Is he miserable and scared? Is the task confusing him? Is the son of the king engaged in the tasks that a man must undertake? Is he resorting to the two or three modes?199 Has the scorcher of enemies won over well-wishers and friends? Has he obtained friends and have friends approached him? Does he have good friends? Do the friends show him respect? Does the son of the king hope for the favours of the gods? Will he obtain manliness and good fortune? With me away, I hope Raghava has not lost his affection for me. O ape! Will he free me from this hardship? He always deserves happiness. He does not deserve unhappiness. Having faced this great misery, I hope that Rama is not despondent. How are Kousalya and Sumitra? Have you heard anything about whether Bharata is well? Raghava deserves respect. Is he grieving because of me? Is Rama distracted because of something else? Will he save me? Bharata is devoted to his brother. For my sake, will he send a terrible akshouhini,200 protected by standards and ministers? For my sake, will the handsome Sugriva, the lord of the apes, give him brave apes who use teeth and nails as weapons? Will the brave Lakshmana who knows about weapons, the extender of Sumitra’s delight, use his net of arrows to devastate the rakshasas? In a short while, will I see Ravana and his well-wishers destroyed in a battle by Rama, using his terrible weapons? His face has the complexion of gold. His face is as fragrant as a lotus. Without me, has it dried up and become sorrowful and miserable, like a lotus bereft of water and scorched by the sun? He gave up his kingdom because of his devotion to dharma and took me to the forest on foot. He was not distressed, nor scared. He did not grieve. Does he still bear that kind of fortitude in his heart? In his affection, he does not differentiate between his mother, his father, or anyone else. I am as equal as anyone else. O messenger! I wish to remain alive only as long as I am inclined to hear about my beloved.’ The queen spoke these words, full of deep meaning and full of sweet meaning, to the Indra among the apes. The beautiful one ceased, wishing to hear those beautiful words, full of Rama, again.
Hearing Sita’s words, the son of the wind god, terrible in valour, joined his hands in salutation above his head. He again spoke these words in reply. ‘O lotus-eyed one! Rama does not know that you are here. Hearing my words, Raghava will swiftly arrive here. He will bring a large army consisting of large numbers of apes and bears. He will stupefy and agitate Varuna’s abode with his torrent of arrows. Kakutstha will pacify the rakshasas in the city of Lanka. If the goddess of death is stationed in his path, with gods and asuras, Rama will kill them too. Because he cannot see you, the noble one is overcome by sorrow. Like an elephant afflicted by a lion, Rama cannot find any peace. O queen! I swear to you on the mountains Dardara,201 Malaya, Vindhya, Meru, Mandara and roots and fruits. You will see Rama’s handsome face, with excellent eyes, lips like the bimba fruit and with beautiful earrings, like the full moon when it rises. O Vaidehi! You will soon see Rama seated on the top of Mount Prasravana, like Shatakratu in the vault of heaven. Raghava does not consume any flesh. He does not partake of any liquor. He does not eat the well-prepared forest fare every day, but only on every fifth day. His inner soul is completely immersed in you. Therefore, Raghava does not drive away the gnats, mosquitoes, insects and reptiles from his body. Rama is always thinking. Rama is always overcome by sorrow. He is overcome by desire for you and does not think of anyone else. In general, Rama does not sleep. Even if that excellent man sleeps, he speaks the sweet words, “This is Sita”, and awakens. If he sees a fruit or a flower or anything else that pleases the mind of a woman, he sighs several times and addresses you, “Alas, beloved!” O queen! He is ever tormented. He addresses you, “O, Sita!” The great-souled son of the king is firm in his vows. He is making efforts to get you back.’
She was grieving just as much as Rama was grieving. On hearing this account of Rama, her sorrow was dispelled. Videha’s daughter was like the moon on a night at the beginning of autumn, when the clouds have gone away.
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Sita, with a face like the full moon, heard his words. She spoke these words, which were full of dharma and artha, to Hanumat. ‘O ape! Rama’s mind is not on anyone else and he is overcome by sorrow—the words uttered by you are like amrita mixed with poison. Death202 seems to tie up a man with a noose and drag him towards prosperity or extremely pervasive and extremely terrible adversity. O supreme among apes! Indeed, living creatures cannot resist destiny. Look at Soumitri, Rama and me being confused by this adversity. How will Raghava reach the other shore of this ocean of grief? He is like an exhausted person swimming in the ocean when the boat has been destroyed. Having destroyed the rakshasas, slain Ravana and uprooted Lanka, when will my husband see me? He should be told to hurry, before this year is over. I will only remain alive till the end of this year. O ape! This is the tenth month of the year and two months remain. That is the time the cruel Ravana has earmarked for me. Even when his brother, Vibhishana, has entreated with him not to oppress me, his mind is not inclined to do so. The idea of returning me does not appeal to Ravana. Ravana has come under the subjugation of destiny and death stands in his path. O ape! Vibhishana’s eldest daughter is a maiden named Anala. Her mother sent her to me and she is the one who herself told me about this. There is an intelligent bull among the rakshasas named Avindhya. He is patient, good in conduct, aged and extremely revered by Ravana. For the sake of being saved from Rama, he also told the rakshasa this. But the evil-souled one did not listen to his beneficial words.203 O best among the apes! I hope that my husband will soon get me back. After all, my inner soul is pure and he possesses many qualities. O ape! Enterprise, manliness, spirit, non-violence, gratitude, valour and power exist in Raghava. Without his brother, he slew fourteen thousand rakshasas in Janasthana. Which enemy will not be terrified of him? Hardship is incapable of disturbing that bull among men. I know about him, just as Puloma’s daughter204 knows about Shakra. O ape! The brave Rama’s net of arrows is like the rays of the sun. The rakshasa’s enemies are like water and will be dried up, just as the water is dried up.’ Afflicted by grief, she conversed about Rama in this fashion. Her face was full of tears.
The Valmiki Ramayana Page 81