Chapter 74 - Hanuman goes to the Mountain of Medicinal Herbs

[Full title: On Jambavaris Instructions, Hanuman goes to the Mountain of Medicinal Herbs].

Seeing the two Raghavas lying unconscious on the field, the army of monkeys and their leaders lost courage, nor did Sugriva, Nila, Angada or Jambavan dare to take any action.

Thereupon Bibishana, foremost among the wise, seeing the general despondency, with his sagacious words re-assured those warriors belonging to the simian king, saying:—

“Although those two princes are lying here without consciousness, have no fear, you have no cause to despair; it is in order to honour Svyambhu’s pledge that they have allowed themselves to be struck down by Indrajita with his rain of missiles! Indrajita received that excellent weapon that is not to be withstood from Brahma. It is in order to render homage to that God that the two princes have fallen in the fight; it is therefore not the moment to lose heart!”

Having paid honour to Brahma’s weapon, Maruti answered Bibishana, saying:—

“Let us console those who still live among the army of the monkeys, which has been decimated by that celestial shaft.”

Thereupon, with torches in their hands, those two heroes, Hanuman and the foremost of the titans, began to range the battlefield together during the night, and they beheld the earth covered with tails, hands, breasts, feet, fingers, necks and severed limbs, scattered here and there, from which the blood flowed, and monkeys as large as hills fallen on the field, their weapons still glowing.

Thereafter Bibishana and Hanuman beheld Sugriva, Angada, Nila, Sharabha, Gandhamadana, Jambavan, Sushena, Vegadarshin as also Mainda, Nala, Jyotimukha, Dvivida and all those monkeys lying on the battlefield. Seventy-six kotis of brave monkeys had been overthrown in the fifth and last period of the day by Brahma’s cherished weapon.

While looking on that formidable army, that had fallen under the blows of the enemy and that resembled the waters of the sea, Hanuman, accompanied by Bibishana, began to search for Jambavan and, beholding that aged one, bowed with the weight of years, riddled with a hundred arrows, the valiant son of Prajapati, like unto an extinguished brazier, the grandson of Paulastya^[1] rushed towards him and said:—

“O Hero, is it possible that those penetrating shafts did not cut off thine existence?”

Hearing the voice of Bibishana, Jambavan, the foremost of the bears, who was scarcely able to speak, answered saying:—

“O Indra among the Nairritas, you who art full of valour, I recognize your voice, O Pious One, say whether he, on account of whom Anjana and Matarishvan are happy parents, that hero, Hanuman, still lives?”

On this enquiry from Jambavan, Bibishana replied:—“Why dost you remain silent concerning the two princes and question me on the subject of Maruti? How is it that King Sugriva, Angada or even Raghava do not inspire you with an affection as great as that which you bearest for the son of Vayu, O Venerable One?”

Hearing Bibishana’s words, Jambavan answered:—“Hear, O Tiger among the Nairritas, as to why I enquire concerning Maruti; it is, that should the valiant Hanuman still live, even if the army has been destroyed, it is not destroyed! If Maruti yet lives, O Dear Friend, he, the rival of Maruta, the equal of Vaishvanara in power, then there is still the possibility of survival!”

At that moment the son of Maruta approached that venerable one with reverence, paying obeisance to him and touching his feet and the voice of Hanuman moved his heart, so that the Prince of the Plavagas felt new life had been bestowed on him.

Thereafter the illustrious Jambavan said to Hanuman:—

“Come hither, O Mighty One, it is for you to deliver the monkeys, none other has the power and you are their best friend. This is the moment to demonstrate your prowess, I see no other; do you bring joy to those brave troops of bears and monkeys! Heal those two unfortunate beings, Rama and Lakshmana of their wounds. Prepare to cross far above the great path of the ocean in order to reach Himavat, the highest of mountains, O Hanuman, and there direct your course to that golden Peak Rishabha, difficult to scale and of an extreme altitude. There the summit of Mount Kailasha will be seen by you, O Slayer of Your Foes! Between the peaks of these two mountains, you will behold the mountain of medicinal herbs rising in unparalleled splendour, where every kind of healing plant abounds. O Foremost of the Monkeys, you will discover four plants growing on the summit, the radiance of which illumines the ten regions. They are—Mritasamjivani (‘Reviver of the Dead’), Vishalyakarani (‘Healer of wounds inflicted by darts’), Suvarnakarani (‘That which heals the skin’) and Sandhani (‘That which produces a salve for wounds’), herbs of rare value. Gather all four, O Hanuman, you the son of the Bearer of Fragrance, and return to aid the monkeys by reviving them.”

At these words of Jambavan, Hanuman, born of Maruta, felt himself infused with tremendous power, as the ocean heaves with the force of the wind. Standing on the summit of the high mountain which he crushed with his weight, the valiant Hanuman looked like a second mountain. Trodden down by the monkey’s feet, the mountain sank, unable to endure the load that pressed so heavily upon it, and the trees fell to the ground and caught fire on account of the rapid course of the monkey, whilst the peaks, trampled down by him, were shattered. Thus crushed, its trees, rocks and soil torn up, it became impossible for the monkeys to stand erect on that high mountain which was shaking, and Lanka, with its great gateways destroyed, its dwellings and bastions crumbling, full of terror-stricken titans, appeared to be reeling. Then the son of Maruta, like unto a mountain, trod that support of the earth under foot, causing the earth and sea to quake; pressing the mountain under his feet, he opened his mouth like the fearful jaws of Vadava and began to roar with all his might in order to strike terror into the titans and, when they heard that formidable clamour, those lions among the titans in Lanka were paralysed with fear.

Thereafter, paying obeisance to Samudra, Maruti, the scourge of his foes, possessed of redoubtable courage, for Raghava’s sake prepared himself for the undertaking.

Raising his tail which resembled a serpent, flattening his ears and opening his mouth wide, like unto the entry to Vadava, he sprang into the air with an impetuous bound, drawing trees with their branches, stones and a rabble of monkeys in his wake and, borne away by the force of the wind produced by the movement of his arms and thighs, deprived of resistance, they all fell into the ocean.

Then the son of Vayu, stretching his two arms that resembled the coils of serpents, with a strength equal to the enemy of reptiles, set out in the direction of that celestial peak of the Lord of the Mountains, displacing all the cardinal points as it were. And he observed the ocean that rolled on and on with its garlands of waves and all the creatures moving in its depths while he coursed on like the discus loosed by the fingers of Vishnu. Mountains, flocks of birds, lakes, rivers, ponds, vast cities, crowded provinces, passed under his gaze as he journeyed on with the swiftness of his sire, the Wind-god. And the agile and courageous Hanuman, the rival of his father in valour, strove to follow the orbit of the sun and, in extreme haste, the foremost of monkeys went on with the speed of the wind and all the quarters re-echoed to the sound.

Then Maruti, that great monkey, full of energy, remembered Jambavan’s words and suddenly Himavat appeared with its many streams, its great number of caves and waterfalls, the many kinds of trees that adorned it and its peaks like a mass of white clouds lovely to look upon. Thereafter he approached that King of Mountains and, as he drew near that Indra of high mountains with its golden peaks of great altitude, Hanuman beheld those illustrious and holy retreats of the ascetics, frequented by the foremost of the Gods, Rishis and Siddhas,and he saw Brahmakosha (The Place of Hiranyagarbha), Rajatalaya (The Place of the Silver-navelled One. A mountain near Kailasha), Shakralaya (The Abode of Shakra.), Rudrasharapramoksha (The place where Rudra discharged the arrow at Tripura), Hayanana (The Place of the Horse-necked One; See Hayagriva) and the blazing Brahmashiras (The Abode of the Deity presiding over the Brahma Weapon) and he recognized the servants of Vivasvat (The God of Death.).

Thereafter he beheld the Vahnyalaya (The Abode of the Fire God) and the Vaishravanalaya (The Abode of Kuvera), Suryaprabha and the Suryanibandhana (The Place where the suns meet), Brahmalaya (The Abode of the Four-faced Brahma.) and Shankarakarmukha (The Place of Shankara’s bow.), thus did he perceive the centre of the earth; and Hanuman also discovered the steep Mountain Kailasha and the Rock of Himavat (The rock on which Rudra sat to practice asceticism) and Vrisha (The name literally means: ‘The Bull of Shiva’), that sublime and golden mountain, illumined by the radiations of all the curative herbs, the King of Mountains, where all the simples grow. Astonished on beholding that mountain wreathed in phosphorescent fires, the son of Vasava’s messenger descended on that Lord of Hills covered with medicinal herbs, in order to gather them.

Then the great monkey, born of Maruta, covered a thousand leagues, ranging that mountain where those specifics grew on that most elevated of peaks; nevertheless, those sovereign remedies, knowing that Hanuman had come to gather them, made themselves invisible. Thereupon that hero, not being able to see them, grew angry and, in his ire, began to emit loud cries. Impatient, his glances inflamed, he questioned that mountain, the support of the earth, saying:—

“What impels you, you who art of such strength, to show thyself (to be) without pity for Raghava? O King of the Mountains, the hour having struck, overcome by the power of mine arms, you shalt see thyself shattered to pieces!”

Thereupon, seizing hold of the crest with its trees, elephants, gold and many kinds of ore that adorned it, with its summit of  jagged peaks and sublime and radiant plateaus, he broke it off roughly.

Having thus uprooted it, he flew into the air to the great terror of the worlds, the Gods and their leaders and to the acclamations of innumerable inhabitants of the sky. Thereafter he flew away with the speed of Garuda, carrying that rocky peak which shone like the luminous orb and he too was filled with radiance as he followed the path of the sun. Coursing thus in the vicinity of that orb, he appeared to be its very image, and that peak spread a great light over the son of the God, who is the bearer of fragrance, so that it appeared as if Vishnu Himself, armed with his discus of a thousand fiery rays, were in the sky.

Then the monkeys, observing him, shouted with delight and he also on beholding them, emitted tremendous roars.

Hearing those cries of triumph, the inhabitants of Lanka set up a dreadful clamour and Hanuman alighted on a high rock in the midst of that host of monkeys.

Thereafter he bowed to the chief monkeys and embraced Bibishana.

Then the two sons of that King of Men, having inhaled those wonderful herbs, were instantly healed of their wounds and the others, those valiant monkeys, rose up in their turn and all the brave Plavagas were instantly cured of their wounds and sufferings, having inhaled those wonderful herbs and those who had been slain returned to life like sleepers waking when the night is over.

From that moment the monkeys and titans fought in Lanka itself, and thereafter on Ravana’s command and out of perversity, all the titans struck down in the fight by the valiant monkeys, both wounded and dead were thrown into the sea.

Meantime the son of the Bearer of Fragrance, Hanuman, of formidable bounds, carried the peak of medicinal herbs back to Himavat and returned with speed to rejoin Rama.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ravana and his younger brother Bibishana were descended from the Sage Paulastya