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

shoulder. 

It was Rama’s ancestor
Helped who seas all to expand 
That’s why grateful Lord of Seas
Sent me to help thee take rest.   

 

Well it’s adage that so old 
Help we must all those us help 
Sees thus Sagar as favour
Rest  if thou on my shoulder. 

Wants me Sagar make thou feel
At home on my peak utmost. 

 

Pray thee break now on my back
Non-stop flight leagues eight hundred. 

Might as well thou savour now
Smell-well fruits of rarest taste. 

Have as we such ties us bind  
Consent thou to strengthen them. 

Cross as thou sea Concord like
Proud are all of us of thee. 

Make as thee our V.I.P
Guests all we give due respect.

Amongst demigods rank thee high    
Speed thine no less than thy dad. 

 

Let if am I to serve thee
Feel I served thy dad as well 
Hold I whom in special esteem. 

Had all mountains wings in yore
Hovered thus they all three worlds. 

 

Scared all angels and sages  
Mischance could well cause us crash. 

It’s thus Indra clipped our wings
With the diamond sword of his. 

Came in time as my own turn  
Unsheathed Indra diamond sword,
Spiriting me off with gale wind
It’s thy dad that saved my wings. 

 

Owing to thy parent’s grace 
Wings mine escaped Indra’s wrath. 

See in this I golden chance
Debt to repay benefactor. 

Pray thee give a chance to us
Redeem that we age old debt.  

 

Now thou consent O great soul  
Rest have thee as our dear guest. 

Hanuman at that told Mainak:
Words though thine me move no end
Precedence takes now Rama’s cause.      

Stop if I now in mid-flight   
How am I to meet deadline? 

 

Token then as of his love 
Caressed Hanuman Mainak’s head. 

Moved were Sagar ’n Mainak
At the way thus Hanuman placed
Lord’s his interest above all else.  

Bidding adieu to them both
Picked up Hanuman height in flight. 

While on course in skies Hanuman
Looked at them both in reverence.   

Well in awe at what they saw
Praised all angels Hanuman then. 

 

Standing ovation gave Indra  
With other gods to Mainaka. 

Heartened then by his gesture
Addressed Indra Mainak thus: 
Pleased as gods all Mainaka
Feel at ease as I leave thee free. 

In spite of the threat I posed
Came out thou to aid Hanuman. 

In thy bid to help Hanuman 
Tried thee to aid Rama’s cause. 

Indra as thus assured him 
Breathed then easy that mountain. 

Cherished as Mainak his freedom
Sped past Hanuman by him then. 

Thought it fit then gods to put
Hanuman to test in his quest 
Spoke they thus to mother of snakes:  

Well O Surasa see Hanuman 
Flies he how to find Seetha
Sea this across to Lanka!  

Pray posit thyself in his way 
Obstruct him with ogress frame. 

Test we must the mettle in him 
Moves on or he beats retreat. 

 

Egged on thus by gods themselves
Surasa came to confront him. 

 

With its ogress look Surasa
Addressed Hanuman in mid-air. 

Gods all destined thy large frame
Serves as sumptuous meal for me. 

Without a twitch of his eyelids 
Addressed Hanuman that ogress.  

Let me tell thee what happened
To Ram ’n Seetha as they stayed
With Lakshman in tow in Dandak. 

 

Sent evil Ravan Maareecha
Decoy as to lure Rama 
And snared his spouse to Lanka. 

 

Set as I on Seetha’s trial
And live as thou by Rama’s grace
Pray thee not put stop to that. 

Eye me if thou as thy prey
As soon as I finish my task
Return I would to oblige thee. 

Surasa made him then privy  
Boon which Brahma gave to her
That none can ever pass her by
Until and unless she lets go.  

Having ignored Surasa’s threat
Kept as Hanuman his own course  
To test him thus she engaged him.

None there is an escape route
Settled it all that Brahma’s boon, 
As and when I come in way  
Pass all through but mine own mouth. 

Enraged Hanuman dared Surasa
See if she could swallow him. 

Neared as she with hill like mouth  
Outgrew Hanuman mountain like.  

Stretched she jaws then undaunted  
Tides that took and clouds in stride. 

Stalling Surasa’s great swallow
Assumed Himalayan size Hanuman.

Stretched she into troposphere  
Touched he then the stratosphere. 

 

None less was the mother serpent
Mouth she widened enough for him.

Hanuman to thwart her for all
Raised himself to heaven itself. 

Snarled then she her mouth awful
Enough to engulf heaven and earth. 

With his presence of mind Hanuman
Turned then simian with thin tail.

 

Before she could drop her jaws
Traversed Hanuman through her mouth.

Gaped as Surasa spoke Hanuman:
Came out as I from thy mouth
Boon of Brahma thus fulfilled
Feel I am a free bird now. 

Seemed he then to Surasa’s eyes
Like the moon that’s past eclipse. 

Spoke thus Surasa to Hanuman:
Go on with no hindrance now  
And bring Seetha back to Ram. 

Looked all worlds in wonderment 
Hanuman’s feat that third in row.

Having tricked that Surasa thus 
Then in high skies flew Hanuman.

Celestial singers there he saw
Stable of Airavat as well.
With features of earth’s wildlife
Saw he flying beasts in skies. 

With their aura of angels
Lived all righteous people there.  

Went he near to sun ’n moon
Saw he Agni conduits who
Oblations to gods all there.

It’s the region that ruled by
Visvavas the king that fair
Live where angels ’n such like
Besides good souls after death.

Entered he then that region
Serves as canopy of three worlds,   
Path there sun ’n moon doth share
With Indra’s stable of white elephants. 

 

Saw them he all in their turn 
Martyrs all of great battles. 

Clouds of myriad colours in skies
Scattered were by Hanuman’s thrust. 

Clouds with playing hide and seek 
In skies then he shone like moon. 

 

Flying non-stop in high skies 
Looked he like a winged mountain. 

Seeing Hanuman thus speeding 
Fiendish Simhik turned greedy.   

Was there ever a prey like this?
What a sumptuous meal it makes! 

Gripped she then him by shadow  
Cast which Hanuman coast to coast. 

Ship in sail as up the wind 
Slowed down Hanuman in his course. 

At last as he looked for clue
Found his shadow in fiend’s grip. 

Recalled he in dismay then 
What Sugreev said at outset
That one fiend had aptitude
To grip its prey by mere shadow.

 

Stuck as he got in spite of
Effort his great to speed up well
Realized that he was its prey. 

Grew he then to fill the skies
Cast his shadow on all earth. 

At that Simhik came jumping   
At him with her cave-like mouth.   

Sensed as he then her intent
Hanuman thought then better of it. 

As with Surasa so with her
Turned he simian in no time
And thus entered her wide mouth. 

Seen in awe by all angels 
It was as if moon eclipsed. 

Into Simhik as he went
Vitals her tore with his nails. 

 

Moaned as she then in great pain
Opened she wide mouth her large,
Came out as he from her then
Stopped she moaning as she died. 
                
Torso as her sank in seas 
Flight he resumed in those skies. 

 

Saw all demigods his great deed 
Showered they praises then on him. 

Blessed him angels nonetheless
Wished him well on his errand. 

Felt all Hanuman’s great passion  
Search for  Seetha, Rama’s spouse
Worth it was for Hall of Fame. 

Flew as he leagues eight-hundred 
Saw he yonder some island. 

On that horizon came to sight
Found he tree-lines touching skies.

Landed he soon on high peak
Of the Malaya mountain range.  

Like a mountain on the move
Sauntered Hanuman on that high. 

Felt he then that his giant size
Won’t make spying his easy.

It’s thus Hanuman thought it fit
Better he assumed simian shape. 

It was akin to Vishnu
Becoming pygmean to push down
Bali into depths of earth. 

Before he turned a small fry then
Looked he at his huge frame though. 

Climbed he Lamba Mountain then
Had which countless coconut crowns. 

For the close up of the town 
Jumped onto ground then Hanuman.

  

Sea across that miles and miles
In the end then thus Hanuman
Made his way to Ravan’s land. 

 

Canto 2

City in Clouds 
 
On the landmass of Lanka 
Chitrakoot was the king mountain 
Kissed its peaks all clouds in skies
Reigned Ravan from peak foremost.

 

Climbed as Hanuman that mountain 
Rained all trees then flowers on him.

 

Such was stamina of Hanuman 
Fresh he looked from that short rest.

 

Felt he had still left in him 
Strength to circle earth itself. 

 

Flying wonder that Hanuman 
Powerful soldier none the less. 

 

Green all yonder found Hanuman 
Reached as he that mountain range.

 

Valleys all of that hill range 
Had thick trees ’n wide gardens.

 

Had he thus a full measure of 
Land of Ravan that was green.

 

Bore all trees there fruits varied 
Besides date palms and santras. 

 

Thick were bushes on those hills 
Fragrant flowers all bloomed therein.

 

Birds well nestled on trees all there
Rustled leaves were by southern breeze.

 

Graced flowers lotus tanks all those
Swans in them swam with rare grace.

 

Grew fruits well in all seasons
Well-grown farms in scores there lay.

 

Itching to search Ravan’s town
Hanuman in time reached its gates.

 

Lest Rama should sneak in there 
On high alert were Ravan’s troops.

 

Bricks of gold made Lanka’s wall  
Kissed its castles clouds in skies.

 

Mansions it had in millions
Wide ’n well laid were there roads.

 

Climbed creepers green gold arches 
Looked like Lanka heaven on earth.

 

Seemed as Lanka city in clouds
Lay dwellings on mountain peaks.

 

Built it was by gods’ builder 
Earned it fame in Ravan’s reign. 

 

Lankan fort in that sea then
Seemed like saree clad maiden, 
Compound wall its laid in gold   
Looked like virgin’s narrow waist, 
Long-range guns its plaits parted
Seemed as gables gold ear-rings.

 

Moved as Hanuman languidly
Thought he thus in wonderment:

Sky scrappers these of Lanka
Won’t they lead to heaven itself!

 

None but Kubera owned it once
But vile Ravan grabbed from him.

 

Demons then came to own this place  
Teeth that protrude seem them fiends.

Such as reside in Lanka
Circled by seas as it were  
Foe to fear made king Ravan.

 

Came as cropper demigods all
Of what avail Rama’s vanar force!

 

Maginot line that Ravan built
Find would Rama hard to breach.

 

Rich as Lankans ’n powerful
Bribe ’n bravery might not work.

 

But for Angad, Neel ’n Sugreev 
Rest might get stuck at these gates.

 

Place why horse before the cart
Makes it sense to strive my best.

 

So felt Hanuman it’s proper
Handled he better task on hand. 

 

With my normal simian form
Won’t I hoodwink Ravan’s men?

 

Big and powerful they are all
How to throw wool in their eyes!

 

Why not I turn tinier
And wait till the sun goes down.

 

Lying in wait Hanuman then 
Weighed all options on his hand.

 

Not by letting Ravan’s men
Smell a rat of my spying  
How am I to find Seetha!

 

Without muddling my errand
How to find here Seetha soon? 

 

Towel in throws as night at dawn 
Confronted by unforeseen
Mid-course dullards leave their jobs.

 

Mission one’s awry goes for sure 
Meddles if one in half knowledge.

 

Thus for having come so far
Why not carry Seetha’s word
For the waiting ears of Ram. 

 

Stop me if these in my tracks 
Derailed gets then Seetha’s search.

 

How to look for Rama’s spouse
Unseen by these guards in scores!

 

Given the strength of their network
None the disguise might well work.

 

Were I to surface as it were 
Might I as well get captured.

 

Makes it eminent if I move 
With darkness to aid me well.

 

It’s night that makes conducive
To search Ravan’s own premises.

 

Having worked out his plan thus 
Waited Hanuman moon to come.

 

When the sun went out of scene 
Cat-like instinct