Ramayana of Valmiki

by Hari Prasad Shastri | 1952 | 527,382 words | ISBN-10: 9333119590 | ISBN-13: 9789333119597

This page is entitled “angada slays an asura” and represents Chapter 48 of the Kishkindha-kanda of the Ramayana (English translation by Hari Prasad Shastri). The Ramayana narrates the legend of Rama and Sita and her abduction by Ravana, the king of Lanka. It contains 24,000 verses divided into seven sections [viz., Kishkindha-kanda].

Chapter 48 - Angada slays an Asura

The monkey Hanuman, accompanied by Tara and Angada, swiftly set out to the quarter assigned to him by Sugriva. With all those leaders of monkeys, he travelled a great distance and explored the woods and caves of the Vindhya Mountains. Rugged crags, impassable rivers, lakes, vast jungles, groves, innumerable hills covered with forests were searched by the monkeys on every side, without their being able to find Maithili, the daughter of Janaka, anywhere.

Subsisting on various roots and fruits, they were overcome by fatigue in that uninhabited and waterless region amidst the fearful ravines and solitary places. Having searched that immense area extremely hard of access, with its mighty forests, containing caves, all those foremost of monkeys fearlessly penetrated into another equally inhospitable region, where the trees yielded neither fruit, flowers nor foliage and where the streams were dried up and even roots were rare. There, neither bufialoe nor deer, nor elephants, tigers, birds nor any other animals, that are found in the forest, could be seen. There were neither trees, grass, plants nor herbs, and in that place there were no pleasant pools with flowering or fragrant lotuses and no bees to be observed.

There dwelt the fortunate Sage, Kandu, a treasury of asceticism, of truthful speech, whose austerities had rendered him invincible and who was irascible, having lost his young son at the age of ten years in the forest. Filled with wrath on account of his death, that great-souled One had laid a curse on the entire vast forest, rendering it unfit to harbour any creature. This inaccessible region, deserted by beasts and birds, the hidden recesses of the woods, the mountain caves and the bends of the rivers were carefully searched by the monkeys in order to carry out Sugriva’s desire, but they were unable to find the daughter of Janaka or her abductor, Ravana, there.

Having entered a wood, overgrown with creepers and briars, they beheld a terrible titan, of dreadful deeds, cherishing no fear, even for the Gods. Seeing that formidable titan, who stood erect like a great hill, the monkeys pressed close to each other girding up their loins.

Then that mighty Asura said to them “You are lost I” and, clenching his fists, rushed upon them in fury, but Angada, the Son of Bali, thinking it was Ravana, struck him with the palm of his hand with such force, that he fell to the earth like a great hill, vomiting blood. When he had ceased to breathe, the triumphant monkeys searched that mountain cavern; and having satisfied themselves that it had been thoroughly explored, those dwellers of the woods entered into another fearful cave. After having searched that place also, they emerged exhausted and wholly dispirited sat down at the foot of a solitary tree.

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