Sundara Kãnda: Hanuman's Odyssey, BS Murthy [classic book list txt] 📗

to come.
 
Sighted then I Ravan there
With his queens ’n keeps in tow. 
 
Seetha who sat in sorrow
Changed her posture to cover more.
 
Neared as Ravan her in lust
Cowered all the more then Seetha.
 
In his bid to gain her love
Fell then Ravan at her feet.
 
Snubbed by Seetha even then 
Gave her Ravan two more months
For her to choose from him or death.
 
At that Seetha seethed in rage
Spoke she to him with disdain.

 How thou fail to know Ravan 
Spouse am I of godly Ram?
 
Snared as crooked way by thee
Don’t I know how coward are thou?
 
What if thou are Lankan king
Measure thou none to Ram’s valet.
 
Slighted as by Rama’s wife
Burned in anger Ravan then.

Having thus lost his bearing
Moved Ravan to throttle her.
 
Stopped him in his tracks his queen
With these words that pleased him well.

 

Measure as thou to Lord Indra

Makes she no patch ever on me.
 
Why run after Seetha then
With me at thy side for fun?

 

Won’t thou have in thy harem
Women ever eager to please thee?
 
Having massaged ego his
Led she back him to harem.
Turned guards all then too hostile
To Rama’s spouse who snubbed Ravan.
 
Though they scolded her loudly
Paid them deaf ear then Seetha.
 
Seeing Seetha unmoved thus
Ran some then to brief Ravan.
 
Rest of them in exhaustion 
Fell asleep all one by one.
 
In spite of that sans respite
Wept then Seetha for her man.
 
Woke up in trance Trijata then
From their ranks to address them.
 
Dream I had that bodes all ill
To Lanka ’n our Lord as well
Of course owing to this dame.
 
Better we make up with her now
So that she would save our lives. 

For the suffering women like her
Dreams such as those portend well.
 
Better we seek now her mercy
So that we could come out clean.
 
Having heard what Trijata said
Assured Rama’s spouse them help.
 
Seeing her in such a plight 
Felt I wretched for her sake.

 

Contrived I then to be heard
By her as I praised her man.
 
Having heard me tell her tale
Moved as she then spoke to me.

O little vanar who art thou
Who did send thee to Lanka?
 
Got as thee so close to Ram
Tell me how thou met my Lord?
 
Then I said to soothe her thus:
Made Lord Rama friend my Lord
Sugreev king of vanar world.
 
Hanuman am I sent by Ram
In search of thee in Ravan’s land. 
 
Gave me Rama to show thee
Ring this he wears ever on him. 
 
At thy beck and call am now
Bid me to take thee to Ram?
 
Such was Seetha’s perspective
Thought it would be fit for Ram 
If he were to slay Ravan
And then take her back with him.
 
Wanted then I from Seetha
Something dear to both of them
So that I could show that Rama.
 
Thus she gave me this diadem
That she said would please her man.
 
Then she told me that episode
Wherein a crow turned eager
All to savour Seetha’s charms
That too when she was with Ram!

She was not to let me go
Wished as I to take her leave.
 
Wanted Seetha I tell Ram
Suffering hers for want of him.  

 

Bid me she to fetch her man
Soon with Lakshman ’n Sugreev. 

 

Were thou fail to bring Rama
And the rest in just two months
Live I not a day longer.

 

Spoke as she in such despair
Seized I was with burning rage.
 
Then and there I turned a fiend
Ravaged the grove that held her.
 
Cowered all beasts there so varied
Woke up in fright Seetha’s guards.
 
Seeing me thus in fury
Ran they all to tell Ravan.
 
Pictured they then to Ravan
Havoc I wrought in garden.
 
Were Ravan to give orders
Boasted they would make me pay.
 
In his bid to subdue me
Sent Ravan then his kinkars.
 
Eighty thousand strong they were 
Slew I them all to last man.
 
‘Lost Lanka its vast army’,
Told Ravan his spies on prowl. 
 
Chose I then their funeral place
Slew its guards with just one stroke.
 
With huge force to capture me
Sent then Ravan Prahastha’s son. 
 
Spared I not then one even
Broke their backs with iron latch. 
 
With the death of Prahastha’s son
Dispatched Ravan ministers’ sons.
 
One by one to hell all them 
With that latch I then dispatched.

 Not the one to give up soon
Sent Ravan his five Generals.

 

As I made them bite the dust
Chose Ravan to send his son.
 
Akshay though of tender age
Astute was he in warfare.

 

Yet I caught him by his legs
Flung him thus to Ravan’s court.

 

Enraged Ravan by all that
Sent his first born to battle.
 
That he subdued Lord Indra
Knows him world as Indrajit.
 
All his valour came to naught
When it came to me subdue.
 
Realizing I matched him well
Stunned me he with Brahmastra. 
 
At his behest his flock then
Tied me with all sorts of ropes.
As they took me to Ravan
Fumed at me then he in rage.
 
Wanted he to find out then
Why thus I played spoilsport.
 
Him I told for Seetha’s sake
Caused I all that destruction.
 
Moreso made it clear to him
Sent I was by Lord Rama.
 
Gave thee counsel I told him
Lord Sugreev too for thy good.
 
Sent Sugreev thee his greetings
Words these with to caution thee. 
 
In my exile I met Ram
Vow  I took to stand by him.
 
Ram then wanted me to help
Him to fight who snared Seetha.

Thereby had I that barter
Whereby he would slay Vali
Stole who my wife unfairly.

 

To his vow to kill Vali
Made Ram Lakshman bear witness. 

 

With that single arrow Ram
Brought an end to Vali’s reign.
 
Made as he me vanar king
Owe him I to stand by him.
 
‘Send back Seetha to Lord Ram’
Advice this mine to thee now
Come would Hanuman to deliver.
 
That thou know the vanar force
Could well conquer all three worlds
Hope thee heed this advice mine. 
 
Slighted as he by these words
Lost his cool then Lankan king.
 
Gave he go by to dharma
Ordered I be put to death. 

 

Spoke then sibling of Ravan
Revere all there as Vibhishan. 
 
Goes thy diktat O my Lord
Not with grain of thy dharma. 
 
In the annals of state craft
Sent are men to mend fences
Ill behoves the recipient king
Kills if he the one thus sent.
 
Punish if we must this vanar
Sever we could a limb or two.
 
At that Ravan gave orders
Tail mine be then set on fire.
 
Having hit my tail with sticks
Tied it they with jute and all.
 
Poured they tons of oil then
Set they thus my tail on fire.
 
So to slight me all the way
Taken was I round the streets. 
 
That they could make fun of me
Led I was then to Main Square. 

 

Vanar then I turned tiny
Slipped out of the ropes they tied.
 
Grew I then to touch the skies
Slew them all there at one go.
 
Set I fire to buildings all
There in Lanka one by one.
 
Burnt as Lanka to the core
Worried I was for Seetha.
 
Took I Seetha’s death for sure
Sank in sorrow to my knees.
 
Cried then as I unceasing
Heard I Yakshas talk in skies.
 
From their talk I learnt for sure
Came no harm to Rama’s spouse. 
 
Felt it’s all but grace of hers
Gave that respite to my tail.
 
Reached I then the Lankan beach
Quenched there well my burning tail.
 Went I straight to Seetha then
Took her leave to fly back home. 
 
Took-off then I from Lanka
To head home to see thee all. 

 

There in high skies I flew past
Sun with trillion stars ’n moon. 
 
With the blessings of Rama
And the wishes of our folk
Bring I could thee good tidings.
 
In brief that’s all what happened
Much is left for us to do.

 

Canto 59

Pep Talk to Peers

 

Having told the main story
Fillips these then gave Hanuman. 
 
Heartened that I found Seetha
Glued I then to Rama’s thought. 

 

Lays who store on spouse like her
Woman there none so ever like her.
 
Ravan is no common man
For he survived Seetha’s ire.
 
Can turn Seetha to ashes
With her looks the gods even
Should they come ever coveting her,
But Ravan who laid on her
Hands his as he kidnapped her
Came out unscathed from her wrath.
 
How I wish that I could have
Brought her back to meet her man.
 
On my own then I could have
Killed all Lankans with Ravan.
 
Land as we all in Lanka
What would Ravan’s fate be then?
 
For me to slay all of them
Could have taken day or two,
So to bring them to their knees
Need we but an hour at most.

 
But then Ravan’s eldest son  
By no means a pushover,
Dared he as well subdued too
None the less than Lord Indra, 
Shy as gods all from him thus
Hails him world as Indrajit.
 
How I wish to fly back now
So to make him bite the dust.
 
With thy blessings on my own
Conquer could I all three worlds. 
 
Were Jambavan to confront him
Where would Ravan hide his head?

 Won’t our Angad on his own
Give a run to demons there all.
 
We’ve Neel ’n Panasa too
Need but fists to smash mountains.
 
None there ever in angels too
Match who might well Manduni.

What to speak of Dwividu then
Comes when it to fighting foes. 
 
These two of the Aswin clan
Ever eager to fight such wars.
 
Come not to grief they in wars
Blessed are thus by Lord Brahma. 
 
Partook both they nectar then
Subdued when they angels all.
 
Having them at our forefront
For us on the Lankan shores 
Figure it would make but picnic. 
 
Fire as I set to Lanka
Prayed all Lankans to Lord Ram. 
 
Ram ’n Lakshman I extolled  
Besides vanar Lord Sugreev.
 
Wondered as they who I was  
Gave them that I’m Vayu’s son.
 
As I reached her to take leave
Found Seetha in great distress.
 
Amidst the guards who circled her
Seemed she full moon sunk in clouds.
 
Confined as thus by Ravan
Lost she none the sight of Ram.
 
Thinks she none of another man
Breathes she air that sounds Rama.
 
Wore she saree same old one
That which she had on her then
Snared when Ravan so long back.

 

Plaited she seems not her hair
Ever since she was thus confined.
 
Wont it’s her to chant Rama
Threaten her as and when her guards.
 
Pester ever as her captors
Rama’s wife is tired of life.
 
Felt all glad as Seetha learned
Her man made our Lord his friend.

 

Doomed as Ravan by her curse
Bound to get killed by her man.
 
Slim as Seetha by nature
Got she slimmer in despair. 

Left it’s now to us vanars

How to see her out of woods. 

 

Canto 60

Angad on Rebound

 

Spoke thus Angad Vali’s son:
Found as Hanuman Seetha now
Why not we fetch her to Ram? 
 
How it feels if we tell him
Found though we failed to fetch her.
 
Know we all could fly