Ramayana of Valmiki and Kamban Kishkindha kanda

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8. Sugriva sends vanaras to

search for Seetha

 

The

four months of rainy season were gone and still there was no sign of Sugriva.

But Hanuman reminded him already and he has sent word to the vanaras to come to

Kishkindha but Rama did not know this. Hence Rama got angry that Sugriva forgot

his word and was spending his time immersed in the luxury of the royal life. He

told Lakshmana to go to Sugriva and tell him that the path through which Vali

went is still open, na cha sankuchithaH panThaa yeha vaalee hatho gathaH.

Seeing

Lakshmana angered Rama wanted to mitigate his anger and told him not to lose

his temper with Sugriva but act with discrimination. Lakshmana agreed but when

he went to kishkindha he could not hide his anger. The vanaras who did not know

him, seeing him advancing with bow in hand got ready to fight him which

increased the fury of Lakshmana who looked like the death itself. Then Vanaras

went wand informed Sugriva about his arrival. But Sugriva engrossed in his

frolicking did not pay any attention to that. Angadha seeing the state of his

uncle went to Lakshmana with fear, and Lakshmana seeing him, was kind to him

and told him to inform Sugriva of his arrival. Then he went and informed

Sugriva and Ruma about Lakshmana arriving at the entrance of Kishkindha with

anger.

 

Sugriva,

who also heard the twang of the bow string of Lakshmana at that moment, could not understand the reason

of anger of Lakshmana and he went to Tara and

asked her to go to Lakshmana as he would

not show his anger to her and told her

that he will come to see Lakshmana afterwards. Sugruiva had already sent

for the vanaras and hence he could not see any reason for the anger of

Lakshmana. He forgot the protocol that he should have gone to Rama as soon as

the rainy season was over and should have informed him that he had taken the

necessary steps for the search of Seetha.

 

Tara went to Lakshmana and Valmiki describes her as

 

saa praskhalanthee madha

vihvalaakshee

pralamba kaanchee guNa hema soothraa

 

 

She

was tipsy with wine and walked with wavering steps with her golden girdle

slipping from her waist. Lakshmana who was by nature bashful towards women,

seeing her in that state, looked down, his anger evaporating.

 

Then

Tara asked him the reason for his anger and Lakshmana said that her husband,

(which shows that Tara took Sugriva as her

husband after the death of vali,) immersed in pleasure forgot his promise to

Rama and did not care for the

grief-stricken Rama . Tara asked

Lakshmana to forgive Sugriva for his behaviour

because it was only natural that after suffering for long he lost his

head in enjoying the luxury of royal life. Then Tara

took him inside the palace to see Sugriva. Here Kamban transgresses a little

from Valmiki in describing the meeting of Tara

with Lakshmana which we shall see presently.

 

Seeing

Sugriva drunk and in the embrace of

Ruma, Lakshmana"s anger was roused again and he said to Sugriva,

 

go ghne cha eva suraape cha chaure

bhagna vrate tathaa

niSkrithir vihithaa sadbhiH kritaghne na asti

niShkrithiH

 

There

is atonement given in the sastras for a

killer of a cow, a drunkard ,a thief, one who has swerved from his austerity

but there is no atonement for one who is ungrateful.

 

Then

Tara spoke to him again and said that Sugriva

was not ungrateful and he had already sent word for all the vanaras to assemble in Kishkindha and he was only

waiting for them to come. Then Sugriva

sobered by all this asked forgiveness and received Lakshmana with due

honour, Then he went to see Rama and told him about the steps he had taken to search for Seetha.

 

Now

we shall see the transgression by Kamban. Tara

appeared in front of Lakshmana thus:

 

mangala aNiyai neekki maNi aNi thurandhu, without

the mangalsoothra, and ornaments,and Lakshmana seeing her thought of his mothers

who were in the similar status. Perhaps Kamban wanted to portray Tara according to the Tamil culture.

 

Then

the vanaras came in thousands to Kishkindha of whom hundred thousands were sent

by Sugriva to the east, two hundred thousands

under the command of Sushena , father of Tara towards west, another

hundred thousands to he north and commissioned vanaras under the command of

Angadha with renowned heroes such as Hanuman, Neela and Jambhavan towards the

south. Sugriva told all the vanaras to return in a month saying that and those who come with the news that Seetha

has been found will be honoured with riches equal to himself.

 

Then

Sugriva spoke specially to Hanuman thus:

 

"

I do not see any impediment that could prevent you either on earth or in the

sky or in the nether world or in the heavens.

 

 

gathiH vegaH ca thejaH ca laaghavam

ca mahaakape

 

 

pithuH the sadhrSamam veera maaruthasya

mahaa ojasaH

 

 

thath yaTha alabhyathe Seetha

thaththvam eva upapaadhaaya

 

Oh

great monkey,, you have the ability to move with speed, with felicity equal to

your father the god of wind. Hence act in such a way that Seetha could be

obtained."

 

Seeing

the confidence Sugriva had in Hanuman Rama gave him the signet ring and told

him that Seetha would know him to have come from Rama when she sees the ring.

Hanuman also started after bowing down to Rama along with the others towards

south.

 

In

Kamban Rama also gives a detailed description of Seetha and also told Hanuman

about seeing her on the balcony of the palace in Mithila etc. so that Seetha

will believe Hanuman.

 

While

sending the vanaras to all the four directions Sugrive gave them a detailed

account of the regions they will travel indicating the possible impediments

etc. and Rama asked him how did he got the information to which Sugriva replied

that when Vali pursued him he ran to all

the quarters of the earth before he came to Rsyamooka where Vali could not enter.

 

Within

a month all the vanaras who went towards

Easy, west and north returned with no news about Seetha. Since hanuman and

others who went towards south did not return and remembering that it was in

that direction Ravana went carrying Seetha they felt confident that Hanuman and

others will accomplish the task.