The messenger and a fragile trust

तस्यास्तद् वचनं श्रुत्वा हनूमान् हरिपुंगवः ।

tasyāstad vacanaṃ śrutvā hanūmān haripuṃgavaḥ |

Hearing the words of one overwhelmed by sorrow upon sorrow,

दुःखाद् दुःखाभिभूतायाः सान्त्वमुत्तरमब्रवीत् ॥

duḥkhād duḥkhābhibhūtāyāḥ sāntvamuttaramabravīt ||

Hanuman, foremost vanara, gave a comforting reply.

अहं रामस्य संदेशाद् देवि दूतस्तवागतः ।

ahaṃ rāmasya saṃdeśād devi dūtastavāgataḥ |

“Lady, I have come to you as Rama’s messenger, at his command.

वैदेहि कुशली रामः स त्वां कौशलमब्रवीत् ॥

vaidehi kuśalī rāmaḥ sa tvāṃ kauśalamabravīt ||

Vaidehi, Rama is well, and he asks about your welfare.

यो ब्राह्ममस्त्रं वेदांश्च वेद वेदविदां वरः ।

yo brāhmamastraṃ vedāṃśca veda vedavidāṃ varaḥ |

Rama, Dasharatha’s son, foremost among knowers of the Vedas,

स त्वां दाशरथी रामो देवि कौशलमब्रवीत् ॥

sa tvāṃ dāśarathī rāmo devi kauśalamabravīt ||

who knows the Brahma weapon and the Vedas, asks about your welfare.

लक्ष्मणश्च महातेजा भर्तुस्तेऽनुचरः प्रियः ।

lakṣmaṇaśca mahātejā bhartuste’nucaraḥ priyaḥ |

Glorious Lakshmana, your husband’s dear companion,

कृतवाञ्छोकसंतप्तः शिरसा तेऽभिवादनम् ॥

kṛtavāñchokasaṃtaptaḥ śirasā te’bhivādanam ||

tormented by sorrow, bows his head in reverence to you.”

सा तयोः कुशलं देवी निशम्य नरसिंहयोः ।

sā tayoḥ kuśalaṃ devī niśamya narasiṃhayoḥ |

Hearing that the two lion-like men were well,

प्रतिसंहृष्टसर्वांगी हनूमन्तमथाब्रवीत् ॥

pratisaṃhṛṣṭasarvāṃgī hanūmantamathābravīt ||

the lady thrilled with joy throughout her body and addressed Hanuman.

कल्याणी बत गाथेयं लौकिकी प्रतिभाति मा ।

kalyāṇī bata gātheyaṃ laukikī pratibhāti mā |

“How auspicious this familiar saying now seems to me:

एति जीवन्तमानन्दो नरं वर्षशतादपि ॥

eti jīvantamānando naraṃ varṣaśatādapi ||

joy comes to one who remains alive, even after a hundred years.”

तयोः समागमे तस्मिन् प्रीतिरुत्पादिताद्भुता ।

tayoḥ samāgame tasmin prītirutpāditādbhutā |

Wonderful affection arose in that meeting,

परस्परेण चालापं विश्वस्तौ तौ प्रचक्रतुः ॥

paraspareṇa cālāpaṃ viśvastau tau pracakratuḥ ||

and, trusting one another, they began to converse.

तस्यास्तद् वचनं श्रुत्वा हनूमान् मारुतात्मजः ।

tasyāstad vacanaṃ śrutvā hanūmān mārutātmajaḥ |

Hearing her words, Hanuman, the Wind’s son,

सीतायाः शोकतप्तायाः समीपमुपचक्रमे ॥

sītāyāḥ śokataptāyāḥ samīpamupacakrame ||

moved closer to Sita, who was scorched by sorrow.

यथा यथा समीपं स हनूमानुपसर्पति ।

yathā yathā samīpaṃ sa hanūmānupasarpati |

But the nearer Hanuman came,

तथा तथा रावणं सा तं सीता परिशङ्कते ॥

tathā tathā rāvaṇaṃ sā taṃ sītā pariśaṅkate ||

the more Sita suspected that he was Ravana.

अहो धिग् धिक्कृतमिदं कथितं हि यदस्य मे ।

aho dhig dhikkṛtamidaṃ kathitaṃ hi yadasya me |

“Alas, what have I done, telling him all this!

रूपान्तरमुपागम्य स एवायं हि रावणः ॥

rūpāntaramupāgamya sa evāyaṃ hi rāvaṇaḥ ||

This must be Ravana himself, having assumed another form.”

तामशोकस्य शाखां तु विमुक्त्वा शोककर्शिता ।

tāmaśokasya śākhāṃ tu vimuktvā śokakarśitā |

Releasing the ashoka branch, worn thin by sorrow,

तस्यामेवानवद्याङ्गी धरण्यां समुपाविशत् ॥

tasyāmevānavadyāṅgī dharaṇyāṃ samupāviśat ||

the blameless lady sat down upon the ground.

अवन्दत महाबाहुस्ततस्तां जनकात्मजाम् ।

avandata mahābāhustatastāṃ janakātmajām |

Then the long-armed one bowed to Janaka’s daughter;

सा चैनं भयसंत्रस्ता भूयो नैनमुदैक्षत ॥

sā cainaṃ bhayasaṃtrastā bhūyo nainamudaikṣata ||

but, terrified, she would not look at him again.

तं दृष्ट्वा वन्दमानं च सीता शशिनिभानना ।

taṃ dṛṣṭvā vandamānaṃ ca sītā śaśinibhānanā |

Seeing him bow, moon-faced Sita sighed deeply

अब्रवीद् दीर्घमुच्छ्वस्य वानरं मधुरस्वरा ॥

abravīd dīrghamucchvasya vānaraṃ madhurasvarā ||

and spoke to the vanara in her gentle voice.

मायां प्रविष्टो मायावी यदि त्वं रावणः स्वयम् ।

māyāṃ praviṣṭo māyāvī yadi tvaṃ rāvaṇaḥ svayam |

“If you are Ravana himself, a magician resorting to illusion,

उत्पादयसि मे भूयः संतापं तन्न शोभनम् ॥

utpādayasi me bhūyaḥ saṃtāpaṃ tanna śobhanam ||

it is wrong of you to cause me fresh anguish.

स्वं परित्यज्य रूपं यः परिव्राजकरूपवान् ।

svaṃ parityajya rūpaṃ yaḥ parivrājakarūpavān |

You are that same Ravana whom I saw in Janasthana,

जनस्थाने मया दृष्टस्त्वं स एव हि रावणः ॥

janasthāne mayā dṛṣṭastvaṃ sa eva hi rāvaṇaḥ ||

abandoning your own form and wearing an ascetic’s guise.

उपवासकृशां दीनां कामरूप निशाचर ।

upavāsakṛśāṃ dīnāṃ kāmarūpa niśācara |

Shape-changing night-roamer, I am helpless and wasted by fasting;

संतापयसि मां भूयः संतापं तन्न शोभनम् ॥

saṃtāpayasi māṃ bhūyaḥ saṃtāpaṃ tanna śobhanam ||

it is wrong to torment me again in my suffering.

अथवा नैतदेवं हि यन्मया परिशङ्कितम् ।

athavā naitadevaṃ hi yanmayā pariśaṅkitam |

Or perhaps what I suspect is not so;

मनसो हि मम प्रीतिरुत्पन्ना तव दर्शनात् ॥

manaso hi mama prītirutpannā tava darśanāt ||

for joy arose in my heart at seeing you.

यदि रामस्य दूतस्त्वमागतो भद्रमस्तु ते ।

yadi rāmasya dūtastvamāgato bhadramastu te |

If you have come as Rama’s messenger, may good attend you.

पृच्छामि त्वां हरिश्रेष्ठ प्रिया रामकथा हि मे ॥

pṛcchāmi tvāṃ hariśreṣṭha priyā rāmakathā hi me ||

I ask you, foremost vanara, for Rama’s story is dear to me.

गुणान् रामस्य कथय प्रियस्य मम वानर ।

guṇān rāmasya kathaya priyasya mama vānara |

Tell me the virtues of my beloved Rama, vanara.

चित्तं हरसि मे सौम्य नदीकूलं यथा रयः ॥

cittaṃ harasi me saumya nadīkūlaṃ yathā rayaḥ ||

Gentle one, you draw my heart as a current carries away a riverbank.

अहो स्वप्नस्य सुखता याहमेव चिराहृता ।

aho svapnasya sukhatā yāhameva cirāhṛtā |

Ah, how pleasant a dream this is, that I, abducted so long ago,

प्रेषितं नाम पश्यामि राघवेण वनौकसम् ॥

preṣitaṃ nāma paśyāmi rāghaveṇa vanaukasam ||

should see a forest-dweller supposedly sent by Raghava!

स्वप्नेऽपि यद्यहं वीरं राघवं सहलक्ष्मणम् ।

svapne’pi yadyahaṃ vīraṃ rāghavaṃ sahalakṣmaṇam |

If even in a dream I saw heroic Raghava with Lakshmana,

पश्येयं नावसीदेयं स्वप्नोऽपि मम मत्सरी ॥

paśyeyaṃ nāvasīdeyaṃ svapno’pi mama matsarī ||

I would not despair; but even dreams begrudge me that.

नाहं स्वप्नमिमं मन्ये स्वप्ने दृष्ट्वा हि वानरम् ।

nāhaṃ svapnamimaṃ manye svapne dṛṣṭvā hi vānaram |

Yet I do not think this a dream: seeing a vanara in dreams

न शक्योऽभ्युदयः प्राप्तुं प्राप्तश्चाभ्युदयो मम ॥

na śakyo’bhyudayaḥ prāptuṃ prāptaścābhyudayo mama ||

is said not to bring good fortune, while good fortune has come to me.

किं नु स्याच्चित्तमोहोऽयं भवेद् वातगतिस्त्वियम् ।

kiṃ nu syāccittamoho’yaṃ bhaved vātagatistviyam |

Could this be confusion of mind, a disturbance of the bodily wind,

उन्मादजो विकारो वा स्यादयं मृगतृष्णिका ॥

unmādajo vikāro vā syādayaṃ mṛgatṛṣṇikā ||

a disorder born of madness, or a mirage?

अथवा नायमुन्मादो मोहोऽप्युन्मादलक्षणः ।

athavā nāyamunmādo moho’pyunmādalakṣaṇaḥ |

Yet this is neither madness nor a confusion like madness;

सम्बुध्ये चाहमात्मानमिमं चापि वनौकसम् ॥

sambudhye cāhamātmānamimaṃ cāpi vanaukasam ||

I am aware both of myself and of this forest-dweller.”

इत्येवं बहुधा सीता सम्प्रधार्य बलाबलम् ।

ityevaṃ bahudhā sītā sampradhārya balābalam |

Thus Sita weighed the strengths and weaknesses of many explanations;

रक्षसां कामरूपत्वान्मेने तं राक्षसाधिपम् ॥

rakṣasāṃ kāmarūpatvānmene taṃ rākṣasādhipam ||

because rakshasas can change shape, she still judged him the rakshasa king.

एतां बुद्धिं तदा कृत्वा सीता सा तनुमध्यमा ।

etāṃ buddhiṃ tadā kṛtvā sītā sā tanumadhyamā |

Having reached that conclusion, slender-waisted Sita,

न प्रतिव्याजहाराथ वानरं जनकात्मजा ॥

na prativyājahārātha vānaraṃ janakātmajā ||

Janaka’s daughter, gave the vanara no further answer.

सीताया निश्चितं बुद्‍ध्वा हनूमान् मारुतात्मजः ।

sītāyā niścitaṃ buddhvā hanūmān mārutātmajaḥ |

Understanding Sita’s conclusion, Hanuman, the Wind’s son,

श्रोत्रानुकूलैर्वचनैस्तदा तां सम्प्रहर्षयन् ॥

śrotrānukūlairvacanaistadā tāṃ sampraharṣayan ||

gladdened her with words agreeable to the ear:

आदित्य इव तेजस्वी लोककान्तः शशी यथा ।

āditya iva tejasvī lokakāntaḥ śaśī yathā |

“Radiant as the sun, beloved of the world like the moon,

राजा सर्वस्य लोकस्य देवो वैश्रवणो यथा ॥

rājā sarvasya lokasya devo vaiśravaṇo yathā ||

a sovereign over all like the divine Vaishravana,

विक्रमेणोपपन्नश्च यथा विष्णुर्महायशाः ।

vikrameṇopapannaśca yathā viṣṇurmahāyaśāḥ |

renowned and endowed with prowess like Vishnu,

सत्यवादी मधुरवाग् देवो वाचस्पतिर्यथा ॥

satyavādī madhuravāg devo vācaspatiryathā ||

truthful and gentle in speech like the divine lord of eloquence,

रूपवान् सुभगः श्रीमान् कंदर्प इव मूर्तिमान् ।

rūpavān subhagaḥ śrīmān kaṃdarpa iva mūrtimān |

handsome, gracious and splendid, like Love embodied,

स्थानक्रोधे प्रहर्ता च श्रेष्ठो लोके महारथः ॥

sthānakrodhe prahartā ca śreṣṭho loke mahārathaḥ ||

striking only when anger is justified, he is the world’s foremost great warrior.

बाहुच्छायामवष्टब्धो यस्य लोको महात्मनः ।

bāhucchāyāmavaṣṭabdho yasya loko mahātmanaḥ |

The world rests beneath the protective shade of that great soul’s arms.

अपक्रम्याश्रमपदान्मृगरूपेण राघवम् ॥

apakramyāśramapadānmṛgarūpeṇa rāghavam ||

The one who drew Raghava away from the hermitage by a deer’s illusion

शून्ये येनापनीतासि तस्य द्रक्ष्यसि तत्फलम् ।

śūnye yenāpanītāsi tasya drakṣyasi tatphalam |

and carried you away when it stood empty—you will see the consequence for him.

अचिराद् रावणं संख्ये यो वधिष्यति वीर्यवान् ॥

acirād rāvaṇaṃ saṃkhye yo vadhiṣyati vīryavān ||

That mighty hero will soon kill Ravana in battle

क्रोधप्रमुक्तैरिषुभिर्ज्वलद्भिरिव पावकैः ।

krodhapramuktairiṣubhirjvaladbhiriva pāvakaiḥ |

with arrows released in anger, blazing like fires.

तेनाहं प्रेषितो दूतस्त्वत्सकाशमिहागतः ॥

tenāhaṃ preṣito dūtastvatsakāśamihāgataḥ ||

Sent by him as messenger, I have come here to you.

त्वद्वियोगेन दुःखार्तः स त्वां कौशलमब्रवीत् ।

tvadviyogena duḥkhārtaḥ sa tvāṃ kauśalamabravīt |

Suffering in separation from you, he asks after your welfare.

लक्ष्मणश्च महातेजाः सुमित्रानन्दवर्धनः ॥

lakṣmaṇaśca mahātejāḥ sumitrānandavardhanaḥ ||

And glorious Lakshmana, who increases Sumitra’s joy,

अभिवाद्य महाबाहुः स त्वां कौशलमब्रवीत् ।

abhivādya mahābāhuḥ sa tvāṃ kauśalamabravīt |

that long-armed hero bows to you and asks after your welfare.

रामस्य च सखा देवि सुग्रीवो नाम वानरः ॥

rāmasya ca sakhā devi sugrīvo nāma vānaraḥ ||

And, lady, Rama’s friend, a vanara named Sugriva,

राजा वानरमुख्यानां स त्वां कौशलमब्रवीत् ।

rājā vānaramukhyānāṃ sa tvāṃ kauśalamabravīt |

king of the foremost vanaras, asks after your welfare.

नित्यं स्मरति ते रामः ससुग्रीवः सलक्ष्मणः ॥

nityaṃ smarati te rāmaḥ sasugrīvaḥ salakṣmaṇaḥ ||

Rama, together with Sugriva and Lakshmana, remembers you constantly.

दिष्ट्या जीवसि वैदेहि राक्षसीवशमागता ।

diṣṭyā jīvasi vaidehi rākṣasīvaśamāgatā |

Fortunately you live, Vaidehi, though under the rakshasis’ power.

नचिराद् द्रक्ष्यसे रामं लक्ष्मणं च महारथम् ॥

nacirād drakṣyase rāmaṃ lakṣmaṇaṃ ca mahāratham ||

Before long you will see Rama and the great warrior Lakshmana,

मध्ये वानरकोटीनां सुग्रीवं चामितौजसम् ।

madhye vānarakoṭīnāṃ sugrīvaṃ cāmitaujasam |

and Sugriva of boundless strength amid countless vanaras.

अहं सुग्रीवसचिवो हनूमान् नाम वानरः ॥

ahaṃ sugrīvasacivo hanūmān nāma vānaraḥ ||

I am Sugriva’s minister, a vanara named Hanuman.

प्रविष्टो नगरीं लङ्कां लङ्घयित्वा महोदधिम् ।

praviṣṭo nagarīṃ laṅkāṃ laṅghayitvā mahodadhim |

I entered Lanka after crossing the great ocean,

कृत्वा मूर्ध्नि पदन्यासं रावणस्य दुरात्मनः ॥

kṛtvā mūrdhni padanyāsaṃ rāvaṇasya durātmanaḥ ||

placing my foot, as it were, upon wicked Ravana’s head.

त्वां द्रष्टुमुपयातोऽहं समाश्रित्य पराक्रमम् ।

tvāṃ draṣṭumupayāto’haṃ samāśritya parākramam |

Relying upon my courage, I have come to see you.

नाहमस्मि तथा देवि यथा मामवगच्छसि ।

nāhamasmi tathā devi yathā māmavagacchasi |

Lady, I am not what you suspect me to be.

विशङ्का त्यज्यतामेषा श्रद्धत्स्व वदतो मम ॥

viśaṅkā tyajyatāmeṣā śraddhatsva vadato mama ||

Let this doubt go; trust the words I speak.”