||Sundarakanda ||

|| Sarga 9||(Summary in English)

 

(PS: This is a true translation of the Sanskrit epic which tends to have long descriptive sentences which are retained as they are)||om tat sat||

||om tat sat||
तत्र दिव्योपमंमुख्यं स्फाटिकं रत्नभूषितम्।
अवेक्षमाणो हनुमान् ददर्श शयनासनम्॥1||
स॥तत्र अवेक्षमाणो हनुमान् स्फाटिकं रत्न भूषितम् दिव्योपमम् मुख्यं शयनासनम् ददर्श॥
There while looking around Hanuman saw a fine heavenly looking excellent couch made with crystals and encrusted with gems.

Sundarakanda
Sarga 10

There while looking around in the palace of Ravana , Hanuman saw a fine heavenly looking excellent couch made with crystals and encrusted with gems. That couch was inlaid with colorful ivory and gold as well as Vaidhuryas. It was rich with fine coverings.

Hanuman also saw in one corner of the couch a white umbrella decorated with best of garlands looking like the Moon among the stars. The exquisite couch was made of gold, shining like Sun decorated with Ashoka flowers. He saw women holding fans made of the hair of Chamari deer. It was full of excellent fragrances spreading all over. It was covered with best of bedspreads. It was covered with soft sheep skin. It was delightful looking with garlands of strings strung all over.

On that exquisite couch Hanuman saw a Rakshasa with red eyes and flashing earrings who was looking like a cloud with great arms adorned in robes of silver texture. That was Ravana.

He saw Ravana sleeping on that couch with limbs smeared with fragrant red colored Sandal paste, wearing wonderful ornaments looking like twilight streaked with lightning. He is of wonderful form, capable of changing his form at will looking like Mandara mountain with thick trees and bushes.

Having enjoyed during the night , wearing choicest ornaments, he was the darling of Rakshasa maidens who brings joy. Hanuman saw the heroic king of Rakshasas, sleeping on that glittering couch relaxing after drinking. The bull among the Vanaras having reached a place near Ravana who was breathing like a hissing serpent, was frightened looking at him and stepped back.

Then the great Vanara climbed the stairs reaching another altar, and then looked at the king of Rakshasas from a distance.

The King of Rakshasas sleeping on that best of couches looked like an elephant in rut on the Prasravana hill. The two arms of the king of Rakshasas adorned with golden straps looked like a pair of flagstaffs of Indra. He saw the arms which were torn by the Airavata the Indra's mount in the battles and having scars of injury. He saw the arms which were with scars caused by the thunder bolt of Indra, They were the arms which were wounded by Vishnu's discus too. The two arms which are fleshy, tough, strong and well built , were with shapely thumb nails on shapely fingers. The two arms well fixed rounded like iron crow bars and resembled the tusks of an elephant. They looked like a two five hooded serpents.

The two arms were besmeared with cool fragrant red sandal paste of excellent quality which looked red like hare's blood. Massaged by the best of women and anointed by best of fragrances, those arms could make Yaksha, Kinnara Gandharvas, Devas , and Danavas cry in fear on sight. The Vanara saw the two arms resting on the couch like two angry serpents asleep in the caves of Mount Mandara. The king of Rakshasas with the fully developed arms looked like Mandara mountain with two lofty peaks.

While he was sleeping , from the mouth of that lion of the Rakshasas came breath that carried the fragrance of Punnaga and Mango blossoms mixed with the fragrance of best Bakula flowers and also the aroma of food and drinks. It was pervading through the whole palace. Hanuman saw Ravana with the crown made of gold studded with pearls and gems set aside and his face was shining with ear rings.

His fleshy and broad chest smeared with bright sandal paste was shining with a very splendid necklace which is slightly out of place. With blood red eyes, he was wearing a white silken cloth which is slightly of its of place, and is covered with a very expensive yellow upper garment. He was resembling a heap of black beans. Sighing heavily like a hissing serpent, he was looking like an elephant sleeping on the banks of river Ganges.

With four golden lamps glowing on the four sides of the bed, all four directions were illuminated. With all limbs lit up he looked like a black cloud with streaks of lightning. The Vanara saw the king of Rakshasas in that palace with his dear wives who were resting at his feet.

The Vanara saw the wives of Ravana whose faces were bright as the moon adorned with beautiful ear rings and fresh floral garlands. He saw women resting on his shoulders. They were proficient in dancing and playing instruments. They were wearing best of ornaments . He saw women with earrings encrusted with diamonds and Vaidhuryas, golden armlets as well as bracelets worn on the upper part of the arm. There the beautiful moon like faces of the women were illumined by the lovely earrings on the exceptional bed which looked like the sky with resplendent stars.

Exhausted by drinking and other exercises, the wives of Ravana, who were of slender waist, slept here and there after having their dalliances. Another women of extremely beautiful complexion experienced in dancing with delicate rhythmic dance movements, held her hands in a dancing posture and slept. One woman slept hugging her Veena. She shone like a lotus plant clinging on to a boat floating in a large river. Another woman slept with Madduka drum held under her arms pits like loving mother holding her baby. A charming lady of beautiful breasts lay hugging her Tambourine, like a lady having obtained her lover after a long time. Another lotus eyed woman slept embracing lute as if she were a lovelorn lady holding her lover.

Another lady who was an expert in dancing, over taken by sleep while holding a seven stringed lute looked as though she was sleeping with her lover. Another woman of golden complexion and delightful limbs with drunken eyes and a soft bosom slept holding a drum. Another woman of flawless slender stomach exhausted by drunkenness slept with Tabor pressed in her armpits to her bosom . Another one holding a drum slept, holding the drum in the same position as though she was holding a child. Another one deluded with passion with eyes like that of a lotus slept holding an instrument called Adambaram. Another lady slept pushing aside a vessel filled with water like a garland of variety of flowers set aside. Another woman overcome with sleep slept with her hands pressing her own golden goblet like breasts. Another woman with lotus eyes with face like a full moon slept, embracing another woman of beautiful hips who was drowsy having been drunk. Charming ladies slept embracing wonderful instruments pressing them against their bosoms, as though they were embracing their loved ones.

Then the Vanara saw some women endowed with beauty sleeping separately on excellent beds.

He saw Mandodari the chief queen of the harem sleeping there. She was very beautiful with golden complexion wearing ornaments embedded with pearls and gems as if lighting the mansion with her own splendor. Vanara, the son of wind god, seeing her decorated with the wealth of beauty and riches thought, 'This is Sita'. Thinking that he saw Sita the chief of Vanaras rejoiced with joy.

He rejoiced clapping his palms, kissed his tail , sang songs , went about in joy jumped up and down the pillars. Thus he exhibited his natural exuberance as a Vanara.

Thus ends the tenth Sarga of Sundarakanda in Ramayan , the first ever poem in Sanskrit written by Valmiki||

||om tat sat||

अस्फोटयामास चुचुंब पुच्छं
ननंद चिक्रीड जगौ जगाम।
स्तंभान् आरोहान् निपपात भूमौ
निदर्शयन् स्वां प्रकृतिं कपीनां॥55||
स॥ आस्फोटयामास पुच्छम् चुचुंब चिक्रीड जगौ जगाम स्वाम् कपीणां प्रकृतीं निदर्शयन् स्तंभान् आरोहन् निपपात॥

He rejoiced clapping his palms, kissed his tail , sang songs , went about in joy jumped up and down the pillars. Thus he exhibited his natural exuberance as a Vanara.
||om tat sat||