September 26 - Sargas 45 and 46 of Kishkindha Kanda.
Every vanara chief assigned to the big mission of searching for Sita in one of the four directions is filled with extraordinary enthusiasm and zestful zeal. They all make a huge noise, as is, Valmiki says, natural for vanaras.
नन्दन्तश्चोन्नदन्तश्च गर्जन्तश्च प्लवङ्गमाः ।
क्ष्वेडन्तो धावमानाश्च विनन्दन्तो महाबलाः ॥
अहमेको वधिष्यामि प्राप्तं रावणमाहवे ।
ततश्चोन्मथ्य सहसा हरिष्ये जनकात्मजाम् ॥
"The mighty vanaras then raised a tumult of noise, shouting war-like slogans of valour and leaping about in the air.
" Every one of them claimed that he would strive with every effort to fulfill the mission, dealing with every mountain and forest hurdle with ease and terrorising any enemies.
" I will single-handedly kill Ravana when he meets me in battle. Then, I will churn the enemy army and bring back Sita, the daughter of Janaka!"
Such great roars of enthusiasm filled the air as the parties departed, leaving Sugriva very pleased.
Sri Rama and Lakshmana went back to their cave on Prasravana, to wait out the month optimistically.
***
After the search parties departed, Sri Rama asked a very pertinent question to Sugriva.
"Oh, king, from where did you get this encyclopaedic knowledge of the world, with so much detail of geographies and peoples? This is simply incredible!"
Sugriva reverentially replied.
"Oh noble Sri Rama, when Vali went into the cave to engage Dundubhi rakshasa who had called for battle taking the form of a buffalo, Vali remained inside that cave for a whole year. I waited patiently outside at its mouth, hearing war cries. After a year, the sounds died out and blood gushed out of the mouth of the cave. Distressed beyond imagination at Vali's plausible death and Dundubhi's impending attack, I sealed the cave with a huge rock and returned to Kishkindha. "
" Imagine my utter surprise and joy when Vali returned. But alas! He took my coronation in the interim to have been sheer treachery and came to kill me and my lieutenants. I had to flee for my life. "
ततोऽहं वालिना तेन सोऽनुबद्धः प्रधावितः ।
नदीश्च विविधाः पश्यन् वनानि नगराणि च ॥
आदर्शतलसंकाशा ततो वै पृथिवी मया ।
अलातचक्रप्रतिमा दृष्टा गोष्पदवत् कृता ॥
"Therefore, Sri Rama, I had to flee, pursued by the violent Vali, everywhere, seeing so many rivers and forests and cities, without respite.
" You might say that the whole world was seen by me as if in a (rearview!?) mirror in a rapid motion view, indeed looking like a ring of fire that I was fleeing constantly. In fact the whole earth was reduced in my mind to a small hoof-mark of a cow, so much of the earth did I cover so fast. "
Himalayas to the seas, so many lands and peoples, from Vindhyas to sandal forests in the south... All passed Sugriva repeatedly in a flash.
After this thrilling description of a relentless chase and escapades, Sugriva says that Hanuman, his brilliant minister, one day said:
"Oh Sugriva! I just remembered something! There is one place Vali cannot catch you in!
मतङ्गेन तदा शप्तो ह्यस्मिन्नाश्रममण्डले ।
प्रविशेद् यदि वै वाली मूर्धास्य शतधा भवेत् ॥
" As a consequence of Vali's defiling the Matanga Ashrama in Rishyamuka, the sage Matanga pronounced a curse on Vali that if he ever dared enter that ashrama region, his head would split into a thousand pieces!"
"Thus, did I, Sri Rama, along with my close counsellors, land up in Rishyamuka as a safe haven where you met me. I stopped running away from Vali. True enough, as Hanuman had said, Vali dared not come there to attack me."
***
॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
