September 24 - Sargas 41 and 42 of Ksihkindha Kanda.
Now Sugriva selects his ablest lieutenants (वानरान् अभिलक्षितान्), under the leadership of Angada and despatches them to the south. His choice of the vanaras indicates that he is certain they will return with success.
नीलमग्निसुतं चैव हनूमन्तं च वानरम् ।
पितामहसुतं चैव जाम्बवन्तं महौजसम् ॥
तेषामग्रेसरं चैव बृहद्बलमथाङ्गदम् ।
विधाय हरिवीराणामादिशद् दक्षिणां दिशम् ॥
"Sugriva now called out Nila, son of Agni, the glorious Hanuman, the mighty Jambavan, son of Brahma, and in fact also Suhotra, Sarari, Saragulma, Gaja, Gavaksha, Gavaya, Sushena, Vrishabha, Mainda, Dvivida, Vijaya, Gandhamadana, Ulka, and Asanga, and under the leadership of the ablest, Angada, of great strength, directed these powerful vanaras to proceed southward. "
What follows is a description of the Indian peninsula. It appears that the south team had the largest variety of lands to cover, and Sugriva shows that he is confident that they will meet with success in discovering where Sita has been stowed away by Ravana.
Starting with the Vindhyas, the Narmada river, Dandakaranya, and so on, Sugriva mentions that the vanaras will be crossing Godavari, Krishna(veni), Mahanadi, Varada, and Mahabhaga rivers...They will pass countries like Mekhala, Utkala (Odisha), Dasarna, Asvavanti and Avanti...Vidarbha, Rishika, the beautiful country of Mashaka, Vanga, Kalinga, Kaushika... Andhra, Pundra, Chola, Pandya and even Kerala. All these are mentioned by Sugriva by name. He says there is an iron deposit-rich mountain Ayomukha (now Kudremukh with its iron ore mines!), the great peak (now Doddabetta!), and lots of sandal wood forests (Karnataka).
ततस्तामापगां दिव्यां प्रसन्नसलिलां शिवाम् ।
तत्र द्रक्ष्यथ कावेरीं विहितामप्सरोगणैः ॥
"Then you will set your eyes on the sacred river Cauvery with pure and auspicious waters, where celestial nymphs sport."
He mentions the hermitage of the sage Agastya, resplendent like the sun, on top of the Malaya mountain. Sugriva pointedly tells the vanaras to seek Agastya's blessings.
Then they will cross the Tamraparni river full of alligators, which they should cross with the sage's permission.
Sugriva says they will then come to the seashore, where the rivers meet the ocean like a woman meeting her lover. He gives a detailed description of the Pandya kingdom with the city of pearl gates.
At the edge of the ocean, on Mahendra peak, they should stop and decide their future course.
There is an island of a hundred yojanas, difficult to reach, in the ocean.
तत्र सर्वात्मना सीता मार्गितव्या विशेषतः ।
स हि देशस्तु वध्यस्य रावणस्य दुरात्मनः ॥
"In that island, search for Sita thoroughly, all of you! For that island is the kingdom of the evil rakshasa Ravana, who deserves to be killed for his misdeed."
Sugriva describes more sights and places, mountains, and kingdoms, legendary female monsters who catch their victims by swallowing their shadows. Terrible ogres and even the afterworld of the departed ruled by Yama, which shall not be entered into.
Sugriva tells this south-bound team of heroes to return with cries of victory, "दृष्टा सीता" within a month, and whoever hero meets with success will be rewarded very generously and will be forgiven for any of his past misdeeds.
There is some consternation among commentators who wonder why Sugriva has described so many places north of Kishkindha (present-day Hampi). I have an explanation. I think the so-called South team had so much area to cover and they had to begin their advance from north of Vindhyas. Otherwise, the incongruity is inexplicable.
***
Now Sugriva orders his own father-in-law, Sushena, a senior vanara chief and father of queen Tara, to lead the search party going west. Sushena has many brilliant vanara warriors with divine powers in his party.
The western region of Saurashtra, Bahlika and so on, with forests of rare trees, cactus-filled deserts and the meeting point of Sindhu river with the ocean, as well as fantastic mountains with valleys on top, immeasurable fortunes in Gandharva-ruled lands which are impregnable, are all mentioned. Whales, alligators, sharks, are all mentioned. Sugriva mentions that there is land's end there when they reach the horizon, beyond which there will be no sun.
The abode of Varuna, god of the seas, may well be where Sita has been taken by Ravana. So every place has to be thoroughly searched in the western direction.
Sugriva repeats his ultimatum of 30 days and the death penalty for delays, adding that this applies despite the fact that Sushena is himself leading the search party. But he is confident that under Sushena's mature leadership, nothing untoward will come to pass.
***
॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
