ततो निविष्टां ध्वजिनीं सुग्रीवेणाभिपालिताम्। ददर्श राक्षसोऽभ्येत्य शार्दूलो नाम वीर्यवान्॥ चारो राक्षसराजस्य रावणस्य दुरात्मनः। तां दृष्ट्वा सर्वतोऽव्यग्रां प्रतिगम्य स राक्षसः॥ आविश्य लङ्कां वेगेन राजानमिदमब्रवीत्।
Thereupon the greatly powerful Rākşasa, by name Śārdüla, beheld the army of Sugrīva arranged on the shore of the ocean. And, beholding the army all busy, the emissary of the vicious-souled Raksasa-Ravana, entered the city of Lanka and, approaching his lord, said.
एष वै वानरक्षौंधो लङ्कां समभिवर्तते॥ अगाधश्चाप्रमेयश्च द्वितीय इव सागरः।
The army of monkeys and bears has approached Lanka. It is immeasurably deep as the ocean.
पुत्रौ दशरथस्येमौ भ्रातरौ रामलक्ष्मणौ॥ उत्तमौ रूपसंपन्नौ सीतायाः पदमागतौ। एतौ सागरमासाद्य संनिविष्टौ महाद्युते॥ बलं चाकाशमावृत्य सर्वतो दशयोजनम्। तत्त्वभूतं महाराज क्षिप्रं वेदितुमर्हसि॥ तव दूता महाराज क्षिप्रमर्हन्ति वेदितुम्। उपप्रदानं सान्त्वं वा भेदो वात्र प्रयुज्यताम्॥
And those two sons of the king Dasarathathe brothers Rāma and Lakşmaņa, gifted with great beauty, coming to rescue Sītā, have stationed themselves on the shore of the ocean, O you of great effulgence. The army of Rāma extends over the sky and ten yojanas. I have come, O great king, to acquaint you with the real truth. And, knowing everything, it behove your emissaries, O king, to settle whether to render back Sītā, to adopt measures of conciliation, or to sow dissension's in the enemy's camp.
शार्दूलस्य वचः श्रुत्वा रावणो राक्षसेश्वरः। उवाच सहसा व्यग्रः संप्रधार्यार्थमात्मनः। शुकं साधु तदा रक्षो वाक्यमर्थविदां वरम्।।।।।
Hearing the words of Sardāla, Ravana, the lord of Rākşasas, being anxious to ascertain his duty, addressed a Raksasa by name Suka, the most sensible of his counsellors, with the following pregnant words.
सुग्रीवं ब्रूहि गत्वाशु राजानं वचनान्मम। यथासंदेहमक्लीबं श्लक्ष्णया परया गिरा॥
Do you go and communicate to king Sugrīva my behest, in becoming and excellent accents.
त्वं वै महाराजकुलप्रसूतो महाबलश्चःरजःसुतश्च। स्तथापि मे भ्रातृसमो हरीश॥
You are born of a great family and are the mighty son of the king of bears. I have no dissension with you. In fact I consider you as my brother, O king of monkeys.
अहं यद्यहरं भायाँ राजपुत्रस्य धीमतः। किं तत्र तव सुग्रीव किष्किन्धां प्रति गम्यताम्॥
Though I have stolen the spouse of the highsouled prince (Räma), yet what is that to you, Sugriva? Do you return to Kiskindhā.
नहीयं हरिभिर्लङ्का प्राप्तुं शक्या कथंचन। देवैरपि सगन्धर्वैः किं पुनर्नरवानरैः॥
The monkeys shall not by any means be able to attack the city of Lankā. Even the celestials and Gandharvas could not-what of these men and monkeys?
स तदा राक्षसेन्द्रेण संदिष्टो रजनीचरः। शुको विहंगमो भूत्वा तूर्णमाप्लुत्य चाम्बरम्॥
And being thus commissioned by the lord of Rākşasas, that night-ranger assumed the shape of a bird and, bounding, speedily reached the sky.
स गत्वा दूरमध्वानमुपर्युपरि सागरम्। संस्थितो ज़म्बरे वाक्यं सुग्रीवमिदमब्रवीत्॥ सर्वमुक्तं यथादिष्टं रावणेन दुरात्मना।
And, proceeding far over the deep and stationing himself at the welkin, he spoke to Sugrīva all the words with which he was addressed by the vicious-souled Ravana.
तत्प्रापयन्तं वचनं तूणमाप्लुत्य वानराः॥ प्रापद्यन्तः तदा क्षिप्रं लोप्नुं हन्तुं च मुष्टिभिः।
Hearing him speak thus, the monkeys leaped up quickly and reached there with a view to chop off his wings or to slay him with their clenched fists.
सर्वैः प्लवंगैः प्रसभं निगृहीतो निशाचरः॥ गगनाद्भूतले चाशु प्रतिगृह्यावतारितः।
On being seized vehemently by all these monkeys, that night-ranger was brought down speedily from the sky to the earth.
वानरैः पीड्यमानस्तु शुको वचनमब्रवीत्॥ न दूतान्विन्ति काकुत्स्थ वार्यन्तां साधु वानराः। यस्तु हित्वा मतं भर्तुः स्वमतं संप्रधारयेत्। अनुक्तवादी दूतः सन्स दूतो वधमर्हति॥
And being assailed by the monkeys, suka said, O Kākutstha, it does not behove (people) to slay an emissary. Do you therefore prevent the monkeys. He who passing by his master's behest, give out his own intention, is not faithful; and he therefore deserve to be slain.
शुकस्य वचनं रामः श्रुत्वा तु परिदेवितम्। उवाच मावधिष्टेति घ्नतः शाखामृगर्षभान्॥१९
Hearing the piteous accents of Suka, Rama spoke to the monkeys, who were about to kill him, saying, Do not kill him.
स च पत्रलघुर्भूत्वा हरिभिर्दर्शितेऽभये। अन्तरिक्षे स्थितो भूत्वा पुनर्वचनमब्रवीत्॥
And again stationing himself on the welkin, that night-ranger said.
सुग्रीव सत्त्वसंपन्न महाबलपराक्रम। किं मया खलु वक्तव्यो रावणो लोकरावणः॥
O Sugrīva, O you gifted with great energy, O you of great prowess, what shall I speak to Rāvana, dreaded by all people?
स एवमुक्तः प्लवगाधिपस्तदा प्लवङ्गमानामृषभो महाबलः। उवाच वाक्यं रजनीचरस्य चारं शुकं शुद्धमदीनसत्त्वः॥
Being thus addressed, that mighty king of monkeys the bull among them, of unwearied energy, spoke to that emissary—the nightranger, Suka, saying.
न मेऽसि मित्रं न तथानुकम्प्यो न चोपकर्तासि न मे प्रियोऽसि। स्ततोऽसि वालीव वधार्ह वध्यः॥
O Rāvana, you are not my friend or an object of pity. You are not my benefactor, not are liked by me. You are Rāma's enemy, and you did therefore deserve to be slain by him like Vāli along with your friends and relatives.
निहन्म्यहं त्वां ससुतं सबन्धु सज्ञातिवर्गं रजनीचरेश। लङ्कां च सर्वां महता बलेन सर्वैः करिष्यामि समेत्य भस्म॥
I shall therefore slay you, O king of nightrangers, together with your sons, friends and relatives. And I shall have the whole city of Lankă reduced to ashes by my mighty force.
न मोक्ष्यसे रावण राघवस्य सर्वैः सहेन्द्रैरपि मूढ गुप्तः। अन्तर्हितः सूर्यपथं गतोऽपि तथैव पातालमनुप्रविष्टः।। गिरीशपादाम्बुजसंगतो वा हतोऽसि रामेण सहानुजस्त्वम्।।
You shall not be able to escape Rāghava, O Rāvana, O you who have lost your sense, even if you are protected by the celestials. And you shall with your brother be slain by Rāma, even if you did fly into the sky, enter into the regions under the earth, or seek shelter of Mahādeva.
तस्य ते त्रिषु लोकेषु न पिशाचं न राक्षसम्। त्रातारं नानुपश्यामि न गन्धवं च चासुरम्॥
I do not behold any in these three worldsPiśāca, Rākşasa, Gandharva, or Asura, who can protect you.
अवधीस्त्वं जरावृद्धं गृध्रराजं जटायुषम्। किं न ते रामसांनिध्ये सकाशे लक्ष्मणस्य च। हृता सीता विशालाक्षी यां त्वं गृह्य न बुध्यसे ॥ महाबलं महात्मानं दुराधर्ष सुरैरपि। न बुध्यसे रघुश्रेष्ठं यस्ते प्राणान्हरिष्यति॥
You have slain the monarch of vultures, who had grown decrepit through age.* You have carried off the large-eyed Sītā from the vicinity of Räma and the neighbourhood of Lakṣmaṇa; but, having captured her, you understand not (your native strength). Nor did you understand that foremost of Raghus, high-souled, possessed of great strength, and incapable of being repressed even by the celestials, who shall take your life. *The commentator has a queer and characteristic note on farduridha-decrepit through age. One that is old, may stave off decrepitude through some drug, while a youthful person may come by the same in consequence of some curse.
ततोऽब्रवीद्वालिसुतोऽप्यङ्गदो हरिसत्तमः। नायं दूतो महाप्राज्ञ चारकः प्रतिभाति मे॥ तुलितं हि बलं सर्वमनेन तव तिरता। गृह्यतां मागमल्लङ्कामेतद्धि मम रोचते॥
Then spoke that best of monkeys, Angada, son of Vali, O highly wise one, this is no emissary. This one clearly appear to me as a spy. He has come to form and estimate of your entire army. Take him. Let him not go (back) to lanka. This is indeed what I would,
ततो राज्ञा समादिष्टाः समुत्पत्य वलीमुखाः। जगृहुश्च वबन्धुश्च विलपन्तमनाथवत्॥
Thereat, commanded by the king, the monkeys, springing up, seized (Suka) and bound him, as he burst out bewailing like one forlorn.
शुकस्तु वानरैश्चण्डैस्तत्र तैः संप्रपीडितः। व्याचुक्रोश महात्मानं रामं दशरथात्मजम्। लुप्येत मे बलात्पक्षौ भिद्येते मे तथाक्षिणी॥ यां च रात्रिं मरिष्यामि जाये रात्रिं च यामहम्। एतस्मिन्नन्तरे काले यन्मया ह्यशुभं कृतम्।। सर्वं तदुपपद्येथा जह्यां चेद्यदि जीवितम्॥
On being sorely handled by the relentless monkeys, Suka cried to the high-souled Rāma, son of Daśaratha, 'They by main force sever my wings, and they pierce my eyes. If I lose my life, may all the evil deeds that I have committed between the night when I was born and the night when I shall die, be your!
नाघातयत्तदा रामः श्रुत्वा तत्परिदेवितम्। वानरानब्रवीद्रामो मुच्यतां दूत आगतः॥
Hearing this pitiful cry, Rāma prevented (the monkeys); and he said to them, Let go this envoy, who has come here.