Hearing the tale of Rama from that best of monkeys, Vaidehi, spoke in
sweet accents, soft and low,--"Where didst thou meet Rama, how didst
thou come to know Lakshmana? How did the monkeys and men meet on terms
of brotherhood? Do thou again relate unto me, O monkey, the regal signs
that deck the persons of Rama and Lakshmana-- and I shall then
relinquish all grief. Do thou relate unto me the form and grace of Rama,
his thighs and arms and as well as those of Lakshmana." Being thus
addressed by Vaidehi, Hanuman, the Wind-god's son, began to give an
exact description of Rama. "If dost thou, by my good luck, O Vaidehi, O
thou having eyes like lotus-petals, knowing me (as his messenger) ask me
to describe thy lord's person as well as that of Lakshmana, I shall
relate them unto thee. Do thou hear, O large-eyed dame, what regal signs
I have marked on the persons of Rama and Lakshmana. O daughter of
Janaka, Rama has eyes like lotus-petals and a countenance resembling the
full-moon and is gifted with great beauty and goodness. In effulgence he
is like the Sun, in patience like the earth, in intellect like
Vrihaspati[352] and in fame like Vasava.[353] He is the protector of the
world of creation and his own kinsmen. He follows right in all his ways
and never swerves from his royal duties and is the slayer of foes. O
dame, he upholds the dignity of the people of four-castes-- he confers
honors on the people and preserves them. He is worshipped by all like
the Sun, observes ascetic vows, knoweth well the time when the saints
should be honored and is conversant with the nature and procedure of
actions. He is well acquainted with royal duties and abideth by the
commandments of the Brahmanas--is wise, gifted with a good character,
humble and the slayer of foes. He is the master of _Yayur_ Vedas and is
adored by those who are well-versed in Vedas--is proficient in the
science of bended bow, Vedas and _Vedangas_.[354] He is
broad-shouldered, large-armed, has a conch-like neck and a beautiful
countenance. His throat is plump and his eyes are red--and he is famed
all over the world under the name of Rama. He has the voice of a bugle,
is of a cool hue and highly powerful, has equally proportioned limbs and
a green colour. His three limbs (thigh, fist and wrist) are hard and
three others (brow arms and scrotum) are long; and three (tops of the
hairs, scrotums and knee-joints) equal and three (navel, abdomen and
breast) high. And three (the angles of the eyes, nails and palms) are
copper-colored-- three are cool and three (voice, navel and gait) are
grave. His belly and throat have three folds of skin. The sole of the
foot, the lines thereon and the nipples are equally bended. His neck,
eyes and back are short. He has three locks of hair on his head. He has
four lines on his thumb indicating his proficiency in the four Vedas.
His body is four hands tall; arms, thighs and cheeks are plump;
eye-brows, the hollows of the nose, eyes, ears, lips, nipples; wrists,
knee-joints, scrotums, hips, hands, feet are all equally proportioned.
Four teeth by the side of each row, are gifted with auspicious marks of
the _Sastras_. His gaits are like those of a lion, tiger, elephant or a
bull. His lips and jaws are fleshy and elevated. His nose is long;
words, countenance, nails, down and skin are all cool; his two arms, two
little fingers, two thighs and two legs are long; his face, eyes, mouth
tongue, lips; palate, nipples, nails and feet are like lotuses, his
breast, forehead, neck, arms, navel feet, back and ears are spacious. He
is gifted with grace, fame and effulgence. His paternal and maternal
race are pure. His armpit, belly, breast, nose, shoulders and forehead
are high; his fingers, hairs, down, nails, skin, beard, eye-sight and
intellect are thin and sharp. Raghava, with a due division of his time
is engaged in acquiring piety, wealth emancipation and desires. He is
truthful and graceful, amasses wealth and thereby protects his subjects.
He is cognizant of the divisions of time and country and dear unto all.
His stepbrother Saumitri is gifted with incomparable prowess and is his
equal in attachment, beauty and accomplishments. The person of that
graceful one is gold-hued whereas that of the highly famous Rama is
green. And those two lions among men had no other delight but seeing
thee. And they ransacking the whole world in quest of thee met us in the
forest. And ranging the earth for thee they beheld Sugriva, of comely
presence, the lord of monkeys, at the foot of the mount Rishvamuka
covered with trees, banished by his elder brother and resorting there in
his fear. And we were serving that truthful Sugriva, the lord of
monkeys, driven from the kingdom by his elder brother. And beholding
those two best of men, wearing bark and with bows in their hands, that
best of monkeys, stricken with fear, leaped above and stationed himself
on the crest of the hill. He then sent me to them. And thereupon by
Sugriva's decree I, approached with joined palms, those two foremost of
men gifted with beauty and royal marks. And they were pleased by me,
being informed of the real facts. And then placing those two best of men
on my back I arrived at the top of the hill and communicated the truth
unto the high-souled Sugriva. And conversing with each other those two
lords of men and monkeys attained great delight. And they consoled each
other narrating their respective misfortunes. And Rama then consoled
Sugriva, driven away by his greatly powerful elder brother Vali on his
wife's account. Thereupon Lakshmana related unto Sugriva, the lord of
monkeys, the grief, of Rama of unwearied actions, in consequence of thy
being borne away (by Ravana). And hearing Lakshmana's words, the lord of
monkeys became pale, like unto the radiant Sun possessed by Rahu. And
collecting all those ornaments which were thrown off by thee on the
earth, when thou wert borne away, the leaders of the monkey hosts,
delighted brought them before Rama. But they could not make out thy
whereabouts. And all those ornaments, which were handed over to Rama,
were collected by me when they fell tinkling on the ground, Rama being
beside himself with grief. And placing them on his lap, the god-like
Rama bewailed in various accents. And they inflamed the more
Dacarathee's[355] grief. And being overwhelmed with grief that
high-souled one laid himself low on the ground. And consoling him in
various words, I raised him up again. And looking again and again with
Saumitri, at those costly ornaments, Raghava handed them over to
Sugriva. Raghava burns in grief, O worshipful dame, in thy absence, like
unto a volcanic mountain burning with a perpetual fire. For thee,
sleeplessness, grief and anxiety are distressing Raghava like unto three
fires[356] burning down the fire temple. Raghava is moved by thy
separation like unto a huge mountain shaken by a terrible earth-quake. O
daughter of a king, he is ranging at large in many a beautiful forest,
river and fountain--but he finds delight nowhere. O daughter of the king
Janaka, bringing about the destruction of Ravana, with all his kith and
kin, Raghava, the foremost of men, shall soon regain thee. And thus Rama
and Sugriva entered into a friendly covenant, to encompass Vali's
destruction and to institute enquiries about thee. And thereupon
returning to Kishkindha with those two heroic princes, the lord of
monkeys killed Vali in battle. And destroying Vali by his prowess in
battle, Rama made Sugriva king over all monkeys and bears. And in this
way, O dame, the alliance between Rama and Sugriva was made. And know me
as Hanuman, their messenger who hath come to thee. Regaining his own
kingdom, Sugriva summoned all the mighty monkeys and despatched them in
various quarters in quest of thee. And the highly powerful monkeys,
resembling mountains, commanded by that lord of monkeys, proceeded to
all the regions of the earth. And terrified by Sugriva's decrees, those
monkeys, since then, have been ransacking the whole earth for thee. And
I am one of them. And the beautiful and mighty son of Vali, by name
Angada, hath proceeded with three armies under him. And many were the
days and nights that we spent, overwhelmed with grief and having lost
our way on that best of mountains _Vindhya_. We gave up all our hopes
for the accomplishment of our end and our appointed time was well-nigh
spent. And in fear of that lord of monkeys we addressed ourselves to put
an end to our lives. Ranging the mountain strongholds, rivers and
fountains and not finding thy reverence, we were ready to do away with
our existence. And on the crest of that hill we took to fasting. And
beholding those foremost of monkeys engaged in fasting Angada, sunk in
grief, bewailed, O Vaidehi, mentioning thy rape, the destruction of Vali
in that way, our fastings and _Yatayu's_ death. While we were thus
waiting, ready for death and giving up all hopes for the fulfillment of
our master's behest, there appeared,as if the cause of our success, the
mighty and powerful vulture,the brother of _Yatayu_, by name Sampati.
And hearing of the destruction of his brother, he in wrath, said--'By
whom and where hath my younger brother been killed? I wish to hear this
from you, the foremost of monkeys.' And Angada related unto him verily
_Yatayu's_ destruction at Janasthana, for thee, by that grim-visaged
Rakshasa. And hearing of _Yatayu's_ death, Aruna's son became afflicted
with sorrow and informed us, O thou exquisitely fine damsel, of thy stay
in the abode of Ravana. And hearing those words of Sampati, enhancing
our delight, we all, headed by Angada, left that place. And leaping from
the crest of Vindhya mountain we reached the excellent brink of the
Ocean. Being greatly anxious to behold thee and delighted, those plump
monkeys headed by Angada, arrived at the banks of the main. And worked
up with a strong desire to see thee, they again engaged in anxious
thought. And beholding the ocean, the monkey hosts lost their heart. And
removing their fear, I leaped a hundred leagues across the deep and
entered Lanka, at night, infested with demons. I have seen Ravana, and
thee stricken with grief. O thou of a blameless person, I have related
all unto thee in regular order. Do thou speak to me, O worshipful dame,
I am Dacarathee's messenger. Do thou know me as the Wind-god's son, the
counsellor of Sugriva, who am engaged in Rama's service and have come
here for thee. It is all well with thy Kakuthstha, the foremost of those
using weapons, as well as with Lakshmana, O worshipful dame, gifted with
auspicious marks, engaged in the worship of his superiors and in the
well being of thy lord. By Sugriva's decree, I alone have reached here.
And I, ranging alone and wearing shapes at will, have come to this
southern quarter, to find out thy whereabouts. By my good luck I shall
be able, with thy news, to remove the grief of those monkey hosts who
are lamenting for thee. By my good fortune, my crossing over the main,
hath not become fruitless. I shall be praised there, O worshiful dame,
for I have been able to see thee. And the highly powerful Raghava shall
soon regain thee, destroying, with all his sons and friends, Ravana the
king of Rakshasas. There is a hill, O Vaidehi, named Malyabana, the
foremost of all the mountains. There lives my father, the great monkey
_Kesari_. Being commanded by the celestial ascetics, he once repaired
thence to the mount _Gokarna_ and at the holy watering place of the lord
of the rivers he brought about the destruction of (the Asura)
_Samvasadana_. O Vaidehi, I was born, on the field, of that monkey. And
I am known all over the world as Hanuman by my own actions. To create
thy confidence, O Vaidehi, I have related thy lord's accomplishments.
And forsooth, thou shall soon be taken, O worshipful dame, by Raghava."
Having her confidence formed by these reasonings and various marks,
Sita, worn with grief, took him for Rama's messenger. And Janaki
attained an excess of delight and shed tears of joy from her eyes having
curling eye-lashes. And the beautiful countenance of that large-eyed
dame, having spacious eyes, appeared like the Moon released from the
hold of Rahu. She then took him for a real monkey and none else.
Thereupon Hanuman again spoke unto her, having a comely presence,--"I
have related unto thee all this. Do thou be consoled, O Maithilee! Tell
me now, what am I to do and what dost thou like. I shall soon repair
hence. When the Asura _Samvasadana_ was destroyed in conflict by that
best of monkeys at the desire of the celestial ascetics, I was born of
the Wind, O Maithilee. I look like a monkey but am his equal in
prowess."
[352] The god of wisdom.--T.
[353] The lord of celestials.--T.
[354] A sacred science considered as subordinate to and in some sense a
part of the Vedas--six sciences come under this
denomination--_Siksha_ (pronounciation); _Kalpa_ (religious rite)
_Vyakarana_ (grammar) _Chandas_ (prosody) _Jyotish_ (astronomy)
and _Nirukti_ or explanation of difficult words.--T.
[355] Son of Dacaratha--Rama.--T.
[356] The aggregate of the three fires maintained by the Brahman
householder.--T.