|| om tat sat||

Sundarakanda
Tattvadipika
"नियतां अक्षताम् देवीं"
Sarga 64

"नियतां अक्षताम् देवीं"
"देवी" the divine lady
"नियतां" means "devoted to a disciplined way of life",
"अक्षताम्" means unblemished, unaffected.
"The divine lady, devoted to her way of life is safe."
These are the words of Hanuma addressed to Rama.
Hanuman's words are unambiguous.
Sita who retains her chastity is alive and well.

That is the most important point of this Sarga.
It is also the most important point of Sundarakanda.
Hanuma started on a search with "ततो रावण नीतायाः.".
The driving force was "रामकार्यार्थम्".

This statement,
"नियतां अक्षताम् देवीं"
is the completion of Rama's task.
Rama and Lakshmana have been waiting to hear this.

Hanuma conveying this to Rama achieved an eternal fame.
This word of Hanuma is "अमृतोपमं",
It is equivalent of life saving nectar.
Hearing those words Rama and Lakshman were happy.
Valmiki says
"बहुमानेन महता हनुमंतं अवैक्षता।"(64.39)
Rama looked at Hanuma,
with eyes filled with great pleasure and respect.

One more thing.
Hanuma bows in the direction of Sita,
before elaborating to rest of Vanaras about his adventure in Lanka.
Similarly, all those doing Parayana, do a mental bow, while reading
"नियतां आक्षतां देवीं राघवाय न्यवेदयत्"

Now we go through the lines of Valmiki,
to see how this comes about.

Having heard that Madhuvan has been destroyed by Vanaras,
who were returning from the South,
Sugriva realizes that the search for Sita was successful.
So, he tells Dadhimukha to tell the Vanaras to return to Kishkindha to report their findings.

The Sarga starts with the line
"सुग्रीवैणैवमुक्तस्तु हृष्टो दधिमुखः कपिः"(64.1)
Thus, told by Sugriva, Dadhimukha was pleased.

Then he bowed to Raghava, Lakshmana and Sugriva.
He offered salutations to Raghava and Lakshmana as well as Sugriva
and flew into the sky along with his followers.

Travelling the same path which he followed before,
he went quickly and landed on the ground and entered that grove.
He entered the Madhuvan and saw the Vanaras free from intoxication.
Having returned, he said with folded hands the following conciliatory words.

'Oh, gentle Prince!
Your companions were restrained out of our ignorance and anger.
Please do not be angry at this indiscretion'.

'Oh, mighty one! you are the prince and the Lord of this grove.
You can excuse this mistake done in foolishness.
Oh, sinless one! I went and told your uncle about the arrival of the Vanaras.
He, having heard about your arrival, was pleased'.

'Your uncle, Sugriva,
hearing about the destruction of the grove was not angry.
The king told me, " send all of them here quickly."

Hearing those conciliatory words of Dadhimukha,
Angada, the best of Vanaras,
who is expert in use of words, spoke to the Vanaras.

'Oh, scorchers of enemies!
This information has already been heard by Rama.
I think that with the task having been accomplished,
it is not proper for us to stay here'.

'Oh, forest dwellers! having drunk honey and rested, what is left?
We go to the place where our leader Sugriva is.
I will follow whatever you tell me to do as our duty.
Though I am the prince, I am reluctant to order you.
My ordering you who have accomplished the impossible task, is improper.

Hearing those words of Angada,
the forest dwellers, delighted at being told thus, said the following.

'Oh, bull among the Vanaras! Lord!
Who as a king will say like this?
Arrogant on account of prosperity kings think, "I am everything".
Your words are thus, proper not otherwise'.

'Your humbleness speaks good for bright future.
We are all ready to go to where our immortal Lord Sugriva is.
Oh, Best of Vanaras! Without your saying a word,
it is not possible for the Vanaras to move one step.
That is the truth.
We are telling you'.

When they said as above,
Angada said 'very good, let us go'.
Having said this the mighty ones flew into the sky.

All the Vanaras shot into the sky,
like the stones shot by machines from a mountain top.
Having risen to the sky,
the speedy fliers roared like the clouds driven by the wind.

Before the arrival of Angada and other Vanaras,
the king of Vanaras, Sugriva spoke to the lotus eyed lord stricken with grief.

'Oh Rama, please trust me,
fortuitous times are due.
The divine lady has been seen, without any doubt'.

'With the time limit having been crossed
the Vanaras cannot be coming here otherwise'.
Without completing the task,
the prince Angada, the best among fliers,
would not be coming near me'.

'Those who have not completed their task
will be with a piteous face and full of fear.
They surely will not be like this'.

'He would not have destroyed the Madhuvan,
which is a protected grove, from my father's and grandfather's time,
if he were not full of delight and enthusiasm'.

'Oh Rama, you are the fortune of Kausalya.
Sita, the divine lady has been seen by none other than Hanuman.
The reason for the achievement of this task is Hanuman'.

'The intelligent Hanuman with brilliance of the Sun,
certainly, has the intelligence, the effort,
the valor and the capacity to succeed'.

'Where Jambavan is the leader and
Hanuman and Angada are the guiding forces,
the result will not be otherwise.
Oh, valiant one, this is not the time to be worried'.

At that time the Vanaras arrived at Kishkindha roaring,
having successfully completed their task.
Being proud of Hanuman's success,
their happy chattering noises could be heard.

Then hearing the roar of the Vanaras
that chief of Vanaras was extremely happy.
He kept raising and shaking his long tail.
Desirous of seeing Rama then the Vanaras landed
with Angada and Hanuman in the front.

The heroes, Angada and others delighted and very happy,
landed near the king of Vanaras and Rama.
Hanuman the strong armed one, bowing with his head,
informed Rama that the divine lady with constant devotion is safe.

Hearing those words ' Divine lady is seen'
which are like nectar from Hanuman,
Rama along with Lakshmana was delighted.

Then Lakshmana surely looked at the son of wind god with affection,
and saw Sugriva with respect.

The Sarga ends with the line,
'बहुमानेन महता हनुमंतमवैक्षत'॥(64.39)

Raghava, the slayer of heroic enemies,
entered a state of delight and
glanced at Hanuman with unbounded affection.

Thus, ends the Sarga sixty-four of Sundarakanda in Ramayana

|| om tat sat||
|| This is what we understood from Tattva Dipika of Shri Bhashyam, Appalacharyulu garu"||
||om tat sat||