||Sundarakanda ||
|| Sarga 4||( Summary in English)
Sarga Summary in English, Sanskrit and Telugu
||om tat sat||
स निर्जित्य पुरीं श्रेष्ठां लंकां तां कामरूपिणी।
विक्रमेण महातेजा हनुमान् कपिसत्तमः॥1||
अद्वारेण महाबाहुः प्राकारमभिपुप्लुवे ।
स॥ कपिसत्तमः महाबाहुः हनुमान् तां लंकां कामरूपिणीं विक्रमेण निर्जित्य सः अद्वारेण श्रेष्ठां पुरीं प्राकारमभिपुप्लुवे ॥
The mighty Hanuman with his prowess having overcome the demoness Lanka, who can assume any form leapt, over the rear entrance of the great city Lanka.Sundarakanda
Sarga 4
Mighty Hanuman who is the best of Vanaras with his prowess having overcome the demoness Lanka who can assume any form then leapt over the rear entrance of the great city Lanka. The Hindu military tradition is that one wishing to conquer an enemy should not penetrate through the main gate. Hanuman following the same dictum jumped over the rear ramparts. The well wisher of the king of Vanaras having entered Lanka first placed his left foot in the city as though placing his foot on the the forehead of the enemy foretelling their defeat. Placing the left foot first into an enemy dwelling with a wish to conquer is yet another such tradition.
The son of wind god endowed with great strength having made way into the city entered the main streets set with flowers of pearls. Then he went about that beautiful city in search of Sita.
Filled with sounds of laughter , reverberating with sounds of musical instruments, with houses as though they were in clouds and decorated with windows adorned with diamonds, the city of Lanka resembled the celestial sky shining in the clouds.
Resembling the white clouds, the well decorated houses of the Rakshasas all over the city of Lanka were glittering with auspicious marks of swastika as well as paintings. The houses are with no doors in the southern direction following the traditional belief for the accumulation of wealth. In search of Sita the well wisher of the chief of Vanaras going about that city of colorful garlands was happy with the sights of Lanka.
Going from one building to another, the son of wind god saw mansions of wide variety of shapes and sizes. He heard melodious songs of intoxicated women singing like the Apsarasas (damsels) in the heaven with tunes set to three pitches the high , low and medium. He heard the sounds of bells worn on the waists, sounds of anklets worn on the ankles, sounds of climbing steps and sounds of clapping and joking here and there from the houses of great people. He heard sacred chanting from the houses of Rakshasas. He saw Rakshasas engaged in the study of Vedas, as well as those engaged in the loud eulogy of Ravana.
He saw army of Rakshasas and Ravan's spies gathered on the main streets in the center of the city.
He saw householders, forest dwellers , mendicants wearing hide of cows, holding darbha grass , and tools for fire sacrifices.
He saw Rakshasas holding iron mallets and hammers, holding staffs and arms. He saw Rakshasas with one eye , with one ear , with huge stomachs, with heavy breasts. He saw Rakshasa with frightful faces. He also saw dwarfs as also those with distorted forms.
He saw those armed with swords, bows as well as iron clubs or pestles. He saw Rakshasas with hands which are like iron bolts holding wonderful shields.
He saw Rakshasas not too fat , not too thin, not too tall or short. He saw Rakshasas not very fair, not very dark, neither too short nor too hideous. He saw good looking Rakshasas holding flagstaffs with flags and variety of arms. That great Vanara saw Rakshasas who were holding powerful trees as weapons. He saw Rakshasas who were holding spears and arrows. He saw Rakshasas who were holding slings from which missiles are thrown.
He saw Rakshasas wearing garlands, smeared with unguents, adorned with excellent ornaments. He saw many Rakshasas dressed in variety of dresses and moving about freely. He saw very many powerful Rakshasas holding tridents armed with thunderbolt like weapons.
The Vanara saw hundred thousand vigilant army soldiers stationed in front of the harem. The great Vanara saw the palace of the renowned Rakshasa king on the peak of the mountain as if touching the sky with a huge archway made of gold, surrounded by a well decorated compound wall having moats with white lotuses appearing like ear ornaments.
That great Vanara entered the Rakshasa king's mansion which is resembling the heaven. The wonderful mansion is filled with sounds of neighing horses with jingling ornaments. It was filled with chariots, carriages and some flying chariots. It is also filled with auspicious elephants and horses appearing like heap of white clouds, four tusked ornamented intoxicated elephants and also with beasts and birds. The palace is with a beautiful entrance guarded by thousands of Rakshasas of great valor.
Then he entered the harem of the Rakshasa king which has walls of polished gold decorated with strings of pearls and sprinkled with best fragrance of sandal.
Thus ends the fourth Sarga of Sundarakanda in Ramayana, the first ever poem composed by Maharshi Valmiki.
||om tat sat||
सहेमजांबूनदचक्रवाळम्
महार्हमुक्तामणिभूषितांतम्।
परार्थ्यकालागरुचंदनाक्तम्
स रावणांतःपुरम् आविवेश॥29||
स॥सः सहेम जाम्बूनद चक्रवाळम् महार्हमणिभूषितांतम् परार्थ्यकालागरुचन्दनाक्तम् रावणांतः पुरं आविवेश॥
Then he entered the harem of the Rakshasa king with walls of polished gold decorated with strings of pearls and sprinkled with best fragrance of sandal.
||om tat sat||