[Advaita-l] saMkShepa rAmAyaNa 7 - sundarakANDam

[jaldhar at braincells.com]

॥ सुन्दरकाण्डम् ॥

ततो गृध्रस्य वचनात्संपातेर्हनुमान्बली ।
शतयोजनविस्तीर्णं पुप्लुवे लवणार्णवम् ॥७२॥
तत्र लङ्कां समासाद्य पुरीं रावणपालिताम् ।
ददर्श सीतां ध्यायन्तीमशोकवनिकां गताम् ॥७३॥

“On the advice of the vulture saMpati[1] mighty hanumAn leapt a 100 
yojanas over the salt ocean and arrived at Lanka[2], the city ruled by 
rAvaNa and found sItA meditating[3] in the ashoka garden[4].”(72-73)

[1] the brother of jaTAyu (see shlokas 52-55)
[2] the modern nation of shrI lankA is of course named after it.
[3] Owing to her yogic powers, rAvaNa was unable to seduce sItA so he kept 
her prisoner in the ashokavana guarded by rAkShasIs.
[4] although vanika typically means wood, park or garden is more 
appropriate in this case.


निवेदयित्वाभिज्ञानं प्रवृत्तिं च निवेद्य च ।
समाश्वास्य च वैदेहीं मर्दयामास तोरणम् ॥७४॥

“hanumAn presented rAma's ring to vaidehi[1] as a token of recognition[2], 
related the whole story and consoled her. He then crushed the arch[3] 
before leaving.”(74)

[1] i.e. sItA
[2] Because sItA suspected this was another trick by rAvaNa.
[2] of the outer gate of the garden.

पञ्च सेनाग्रगान्हत्वा सप्त मन्त्रिसुतानपि ।
शूरमक्षं च निष्पिष्य ग्रहणं समुपागमत् ॥७५॥

“After killing five generals, and seven sons of ministers, and flattening 
the brave akSha[1], Hanuman allowed himself to be captured.”(75)

[1] or akShaya, a son of rAvaNa.

अस्त्रेणोन्मुक्तमात्मानं ज्ञात्वा पैतामहाद्वरात् ।
मर्षयन्राक्षसान्वीरो यन्त्रिणस्तान्यदृच्छया ॥७६॥

“Knowing he could free himself from the magic weapon given[1] by brahma, 
that hero nonchalantly allowed himself to be tied up in ropes by those 
rAkShasas[2].”(76)

[1] to rAvaNa.  The rAkShasas believed that only by deploying it could 
hanuMan be captured.   They did not know that actually he knew how to 
evade it.
[2] with the expectation that they would take him to rAvaNa.

ततो दग्ध्वा पुरीम् लङ्कामृते सीतां च मैथिलीम् ।
रामाय प्रियमाख्यातुं पुनरायान्महाकपिः ॥७७॥

“Then he burnt the whole of Lanka[1] except the place where maithilI sItA 
was and then the great monkey returned to deliver the good news to 
Rama.”(77)

[1] rAvaNa ordered that he should be executed by having his tail set on 
fire.  hanumAn chose that moment to escape and with his burning tail went 
from rooftop to rooftop setting all the houses on fire.

सोऽभिगम्य महात्मानं कृत्वा रामं प्रदक्षिणम् ।
न्यवेदयदमेयात्मा दृष्टा सीतेति तत्त्वतः ॥७८॥

“Reaching him, the great hanumAn circumambulated rAma and the wise one 
truthfully reported to him that he had seen SItA.”(78)


-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>