||Sundarakanda ||

|| Sarga 15||(Summary in English)

 

||om tat sat||
स वीक्षमाणस्तत्रस्थो मार्गमाणश्च मैथिलीम्।
अवैक्षमाणश्च महीं सर्वां तामन्ववेक्षत॥1||
स॥तत्रस्थः वीक्षमाणः मैथिलीं मार्गमाणः अवै क्षमाणःच सः हनुमान् तां सर्वां महीं अवेक्षत॥
Looking out from there Hanuman who was searching for Mythili surveyed all around that place.

Sundarakanda
Sarga 15

Looking out from there Hanuman who was searching for Mythili surveyed all around that place.

Hanuman saw that the Ashoka grove well decorated all around having splendid trees with creepers enriched with fine fragrance .

Resembling the Nandana grove of Indra, it is enchanting with variety of trees. It is filled with animals and birds. It is filled with sounds of cuckoos, and tall mansions. It has tanks with seating places having rich coverings, with many underground homes. Tanks have golden lilies and lotuses. It is with trees full of blossoms of all seasons. It is with trees full of fruits. It is delightful with blossoms of Ashoka tree. That grove thus glowing with the splendor of the rising Sun, was seen by Hanuman sitting on that tree.

With branches having no leaves, often falling flowers because of hundreds of birds flying off its branches, it was like a painting that was rendered. The Ashoka trees which can remove the grief, were full of flowers, with blossoms up to the base of the trees.

Loaded with heavy flowers, flowers were as if touching the ground. The grove was with blossoms, with fully bloomed Karnikaras flowers and Kimsukas. With their radiance all of that place was aflame with blooming Pannagas Saptaparnas, Champakas and Uddalakas.

There were thousands of Ashoka trees some of which shone like gold, some of which looked like flames of fire, some of which are like black collyrium.

With different types of gardens it was resembling Nandana forest of Indra. It was colorful like Chaitraratha gardens of Kubera. Surpassing the divine with the radiance of countless varieties of blossoms, it was delightful like another sky surrounded with luminaries. With hundreds of flowers looking like gems it was wonderful like a second Ocean. With flowers that bloom in all seasons, with honey scented trees, with flocks of birds and animals enchanting with various fragrances including divine fragrance, the grove was pleasing to the heart.

Not far from there, the best among Vanaras sitting in the middle of the highly fragrant Ashoka grove saw a big tall temple looking like another mount Gandhamadana with thousand pillars. It was white like mount Kailasa, having stairs paved with corals, having altars of bright molten gold, glowing with brilliance as if stealing the eyes, looking white due to its light and tall as if touching the sky.

There he saw a woman wearing soiled clothes, surrounded by Rakshasa women, emaciated due to fasting, looking pitiable, sighing again and again, white and thin like the crescent moon at the beginning of a bright fortnight.

She was faintly recognizable in appearance with bright radiance, looking like tip of fire engulfed in smoke, with a worn out body, wearing a single yellow cloth of superior quality unadorned looking like a dusty lotus pond bereft of lotuses. She was bashful looking tormented with agony, a woman of penance looking like Rohini troubled by the planet Mars.

Overwhelmed with sorrow and eyes filled with tears, she was looking dejected. She was looking emaciated by fasting. Always meditating in sorrow, not seeing her dear people, seeing only the Rakshasa women , she was like a female deer surrounded by a group of hounds.

With her black cobra like single braid touching her hips, she appeared like the earth with a range of trees at the end of a rainy season. Consumed by grief, not having experienced evil, she was like one who deserved to be happy.

Seeing that wide eyed, thin and very much emaciated lady, Hanuman started wondering if she is Sita. He said to himself, 'This lady is of the same form as the one taken away by force by that Rakshasa who can take any form'.

With full face like that of a Moon, with shapely eye brows, beautiful breasts, rendering bright in all directions with her radiance, the queen with black hair, red lips like Bimba fruit, with eyes like lotus and pleasing limbs, she was like Rati of Manmatha.

She was with the radiance of full moon, the favorite of the whole world. She was
austere like an ascetic sitting on the ground with lovely figure. Timid, continuously sighing like the hissing of the consort of the serpent Lord, she was looking gloomy caught in web of great grief.

She was like a flame of fire obscured by a cloud of smoke, like a text of Smriti of doubtful meaning, like a thrown away treasure.

She was like a lost faith, a hope obstructed, success inhibited, vitiated intellect. She is like a fame soiled by false allegation, troubled by not being able to meet Rama, emaciated on account being kidnapped by the Rakshasa.

Fawn eyed, with an unhappy face, with eyes full of tears, with black curved eyelashes, sighing again and again, she was anxiously looking here and there.

She was covered with dust, dejected, not adorned though deserved to be adorned. She was like the moon surrounded by black clouds.

She was like the Vedic knowledge that faded for want of recitation. Looking at her Hanuman's mind also wavered, Hanuman had difficulty in recognizing Sita devoid of decoration, like a word that lost it meaning for want of usage.

Seeing that blameless princess of wide eyes, by right signs and reasons Hanuman came to the conclusion that she is Sita.

Hanuman observed ornaments worn by Vaidehi adding grace to her limbs which Rama had described. He also observed well-crafted ear ornaments, properly fitting Svadamshtras and on hands wonderfully variegated corals and gems. The ornaments blackened due to constant use have left marks on her body

'Those that Rama has described are the same ones I think. Those dropped ornaments are not on her. The ones that are not dropped are these I have no doubt . That auspicious yellow upper cloth shining like gold, stuck to the trees is the one seen by the Vanaras. Those excellent choice ornaments that make jingling noises, which were thrown down on the ground by her were seen too".

'This cloth worn long thus, is looking crumpled. Even so its color is shining like another fresh cloth. This lady of golden complexion, Rama's beloved queen even though lost being carried away does not disappear from his mind'.

'She is the one for whom Rama is tormented in four ways by pity, compassion, sorrow and passion. Pity because of a woman in distress. Compassion because of her being dependent on him. Sorrow because of having lost his wife. Passion because of being his love.'

'The black eyed Sita and her divine charming body with perfect limbs are a match for Ramos's form too. Her divine mind is fixed on Rama . His mind is fixed on her. For this reason she and righteous Rama are able to survive till this moment'.

'Lord Ram has accomplished a difficult task in sustaining himself, without allowing himself to sink and perish during separation from her. Without Sita, a lady of intoxicating luster, that he is able to live even for a moment is a difficult task accomplished by heroic Rama'.

The son of wind god seeing Sita , delighted , reached Rama in his mind thus and praised him.

||Thus ends the fifteenth Sarga of Sundarakanda in Ramayan the first ever poem in Sanskrit written by venerable Valmiki||
||om tat sat||
एवं सीता तदा दृष्ट्वा हृष्टः पवन संभवः।
जगाम मनसा रामं प्रशशंस च तं प्रभुम्॥55||
स॥ पवनसंभवः तदा सीतां दृष्ट्वा एवं हृष्टः मनसा रामं जगाम तां प्रभुं प्रशशंस च॥

The son of wind god seeing Sita , delighted , reached Rama in his mind thus and praised him.
||om tat sat||