Kishkindha Kanda, Sarga 60

ततः कृतोदकं स्नातं तं गृध्रं हरियूथपाः। उपविष्टा गिरौ रम्ये परिवार्य समन्ततः।।4.60.1।।

tataḥ kṛtodakaṃ snātaṃ taṃ gṛdhraṃ hariyūthapāḥ| upaviṣṭā girau ramye parivārya samantataḥ

Sampati bathed and offered libations to Jatayu. Then all the monkeys sat round him on the beautiful mountain.

तमङ्गदमुपासीनं तैस्सर्वैर्हरिभिर्वृतम्। जनितप्रत्ययो हर्षात्सम्पातिः पुनरब्रवीत्।।4.60.2।।

tamaṅgadamupāsīnaṃ taissarvairharibhirvṛtam| janitapratyayo harṣātsampātiḥ punarabravīt

Angada sat near Sampati surrounded by all monkeys. Sampati who had gained confidence spoke to Angada once again joyously.

कृत्वा निश्शब्दमेकाग्रा श्श्रुण्वन्तु हरयो मम। तत्वं सङ्कीर्तयिष्यामि यथा जानामि मैथिलीम्।।4.60.3।।

kṛtvā niśśabdamekāgrā śśruṇvantu harayo mama| tatvaṃ saṅkīrtayiṣyāmi yathā jānāmi maithilīm

'O monkeys I shall tell you in detail how I came to know the princess from Mithila. Listen quietly with rapt attention:

अस्य विन्ध्यस्य शिखरे पतितोऽस्मि पुरावने। सूर्यतपपरीताङ्गो निर्दग्धस्सूर्यरश्मिभिः।।4.60.4।।

asya vindhyasya śikhare patito'smi purāvane| sūryatapaparītāṅgo nirdagdhassūryaraśmibhiḥ

Scorched by the rays of the Sun, I was burnt totally and fell on the peak of this mount Vindhya years ago.

लब्धसंज्ञस्तु षड्रात्राद्विवशो विह्वलन्निव। वीक्षमाणो दिशस्सर्वा नाभिजानामि किञ्चन।।4.60.5।।

labdhasaṃjñastu ṣaḍrātrādvivaśo vihvalanniva| vīkṣamāṇo diśassarvā nābhijānāmi kiñcana

Regaining consciousness after six nights, pale and bewildered, looking in every direction, I could recognize nothing.

ततस्तु सागरान् शैलान्नदीस्सर्वास्सरांसि च। वनानि च प्रदेशांश्च नीरीक्ष्य मतिरागता।।4.60.6।।

tatastu sāgarān śailānnadīssarvāssarāṃsi ca| vanāni ca pradeśāṃśca nīrīkṣya matirāgatā

'Then I looked at the oceans, the mountains, rivers, lakes, forests and all locations and my memory returned gradually.

हृष्टपक्षिगणाकीर्णः कन्दरान्तरकूटवान्। दक्षिणस्योदधेस्तीरे विन्ध्योऽयमिति निश्चितः।।4.60.7।।

hṛṣṭapakṣigaṇākīrṇaḥ kandarāntarakūṭavān| dakṣiṇasyodadhestīre vindhyo'yamiti niścitaḥ

'I came to know then that this place is inhabited by flocks of happy birds and full of many caves and mountain peaks. This is mount Vindhya on the shore of the southern ocean.

आसीच्चात्राश्रमं पुण्यं सुरैरपि सुपूजितम्। ऋषिर्निशाकरो नाम यस्मिन्नुग्रतपाभवत्।।4.60.8।।

āsīccātrāśramaṃ puṇyaṃ surairapi supūjitam| ṛṣirniśākaro nāma yasminnugratapābhavat

'There was a hermitage nearby, where a revered sage, who was even worshpped by gods lived. His name was Nishakara. He did rigorous penance here.

अष्टौ वर्षसहस्राणि तेनास्मिन्नृषिणा विना। वसतो मम धर्मज्ञा स्वर्गते तु निशाकरे।।4.60.9।।

aṣṭau varṣasahasrāṇi tenāsminnṛṣiṇā vinā| vasato mama dharmajñā svargate tu niśākare

'O righteous monkeys after the death of sage Nishakara eight thousand years have passed. And I have been living here.

अवतीर्य तु विन्ध्याग्रात्कृच्छ्रेण विषमाच्छनैः। तीक्ष्णदर्भां वसुमतीं दुःखेन पुनरागतः।।4.60.10।।

avatīrya tu vindhyāgrātkṛcchreṇa viṣamācchanaiḥ| tīkṣṇadarbhāṃ vasumatīṃ duḥkhena punarāgataḥ

'I descended down slowly from the high rugged peak of the Vindhya mountain with great difficulty to the plain land bristling with sharp, harsh darbha grass.

तमृषिं द्रष्टुकामोऽस्मि दुःखेनाभ्यागतो भृशम्। जटायुषा मया चैव बहुशोऽभिगतो हि सः।।4.60.11।।

tamṛṣiṃ draṣṭukāmo'smi duḥkhenābhyāgato bhṛśam| jaṭāyuṣā mayā caiva bahuśo'bhigato hi saḥ

'Eager to see the great sage I reached the place with much difficulty. I and my brother Jatayu had approached him many a time earlier.

तस्याश्रमपदाभ्याशे ववुर्वातास्सुगन्धिनः। वृक्षो वापुष्पितः कश्चिदफलो वा न विद्यते।।4.60.12।।

tasyāśramapadābhyāśe vavurvātāssugandhinaḥ| vṛkṣo vāpuṣpitaḥ kaścidaphalo vā na vidyate

'In the vicinity of that hermitage there was no tree without flowers or fruits and fragrant was the breeze that blew around.

उपेत्य चाश्रमं पुण्यं वृक्षमूलमुपाश्रितः। द्रष्टुकामः प्रतीक्षेऽहं भगवन्तं निशाकरम्।।4.60.13।।

upetya cāśramaṃ puṇyaṃ vṛkṣamūlamupāśritaḥ| draṣṭukāmaḥ pratīkṣe'haṃ bhagavantaṃ niśākaram

'On reaching the sacred hermitage, I stood and waited under a tree for the audience of the divine sage Nishakara.

अथापश्यमदूरस्थमृषिं ज्वलिततेजसम्। कृताभिषेकं दुर्धर्षमुपावृत्तमुदङ्मुखम्।।4.60.14।।

athāpaśyamadūrasthamṛṣiṃ jvalitatejasam| kṛtābhiṣekaṃ durdharṣamupāvṛttamudaṅmukham

Then nearby I beheld a sage blazing with ascetic splendour, unassailable, facing north, having just bathed and returned.

तमृक्षास्सृमरा व्याघ्रास्सिंहा नागास्सरीसृपाः। परिवार्योपगच्छन्ति धातारं प्राणिनो यथा।।4.60.15।।

tamṛkṣāssṛmarā vyāghrāssiṃhā nāgāssarīsṛpāḥ| parivāryopagacchanti dhātāraṃ prāṇino yathā

'He was followed by bears, deer, tigers, lions, elephants and snakes just as living beings follow their creator.

ततः प्राप्तमृषिं ज्ञात्वा तानि सत्त्वानि वै ययुः। प्रविष्टे राजनि यथा सर्वं सामात्यकं बलम्।।4.60.16।।

tataḥ prāptamṛṣiṃ jñātvā tāni sattvāni vai yayuḥ| praviṣṭe rājani yathā sarvaṃ sāmātyakaṃ balam

'Just as the army including feudatories recede, when the king comes, all those creatures repaired to their dens when they knew the arrival of the sage at the hermitage.

ऋषिस्तु दृष्ट्वा मां प्रीतः प्रविष्टश्चाश्रमं पुनः। मुहूर्तमात्रान्निष्क्रम्य ततः कार्यमपृच्छत।।4.60.17।।

ṛṣistu dṛṣṭvā māṃ prītaḥ praviṣṭaścāśramaṃ punaḥ| muhūrtamātrānniṣkramya tataḥ kāryamapṛcchata

The sage who entered the hermitage came out again within a moment on seeing me and enquired about me affectionately:

सौम्य वैकल्यतां दृष्ट्वा रोम्णां ते नावगम्यते। अग्निदग्धाविमौ पक्षौ व्रणाश्चापि शरीरके।।4.60.18।।

saumya vaikalyatāṃ dṛṣṭvā romṇāṃ te nāvagamyate| agnidagdhāvimau pakṣau vraṇāścāpi śarīrake

'O gentle one seeing your body devoid of hair I can understood that your wings have been burnt and your body bruised.

गृध्रौ द्वौ दृष्टपूर्वौ मे मातरिश्वसमौ जवे। गृध्राणां चैव राजानौ भ्रातरौ कामरूपिणौ।।4.60.19।।

gṛdhrau dvau dṛṣṭapūrvau me mātariśvasamau jave| gṛdhrāṇāṃ caiva rājānau bhrātarau kāmarūpiṇau

'You are the king among vultures equal to wind in speed.I had seen both the brothers earlier and both of you could change your form at will.

ज्येष्ठो हि त्वं तु सम्पाते जटायुरनुजस्तव। मानुषं रूपमास्थाय गृह्णीतां चरणौ मम।।4.60.20।।

jyeṣṭho hi tvaṃ tu sampāte jaṭāyuranujastava| mānuṣaṃ rūpamāsthāya gṛhṇītāṃ caraṇau mama

O Sampati, you are the elder and Jatayu your younger brother; assume a human form and touch my feet.

किं ते व्याधिसमुत्थानं पक्षयोः पतनं कथम्। दण्डोऽयंच कृतः केन सर्वमाख्याहि पृच्छतः।।4.60.21।।

kiṃ te vyādhisamutthānaṃ pakṣayoḥ patanaṃ katham| daṇḍo'yaṃca kṛtaḥ kena sarvamākhyāhi pṛcchataḥ

'What disease has affected you? Why are your wings dropped down? Who punished you in this way? Tell me.' इत्यार्षे श्रीमद्रामायणे वाल्मीकीय आदिकाव्ये किष्किन्धाकाण्डे षष्टितमस्सर्गः।। Thus ends the sixtieth sarga in Kishkindakanda of the first epic, the Holy Ramayana composed by sage Valmiki.