Chapter 2 - Sugriva consoles Rama

Rama, the son of Dasaratha, being plunged in despair, the fortunate Sugriva spoke to him in consoling accents, saying: “Why dost you give way to sorrow like a common man, O Hero? Shake off this melancholy as do ungrateful men the recognition of favours accorded to them. After the tidings you have received and now that the haunt of thine enemy is known to you, I see no cause for thine anxiety, O Raghava. Prudent and versed in the scriptures, intelligent and cultured as you are, do you as one master of himself, banish these unworthy fears that are the obstacles to success. We shall cross the sea where monstrous crocodiles abound, take Lanka by assault and slay thine adversary! The pusillanimous and despondent man, whose mind is agitated by grief, accomplishes nothing worth while and rushes towards destruction.

“In order to please you, these monkey warriors who are brave and skilled are ready to enter a blazing fire! Observing their martial ardour I am filled with confidence; do you test my courage by suffering me to bring back Sita to you after having slain thine adversary Ravana of evil exploits. But first construct a bridge for us that we may approach that city of the Lord of the Titans. The instant we behold Lanka, built on the summit of Trikuta, Ravana is slain as it were, but unless a bridge is thrown over that formidable domain of Varuna, the sea, the Gods and Asuras themselves with their leaders cannot force an entry into Lanka.

“When that dyke on the waters in the vicinity of Lanka is constructed and all the troops shall have passed over it, Ravana is, as it were, already defeated, so valiant are these monkey warriors who are able to change their form at will.

“Enough of this faint-hearted attitude, fatal to any enterprise, O King. In this world, man is unbraced by sorrow; that which must be done should be accomplished with resolution, it is assuredly expedient to act swiftly! For this enterprise, O Great Sage, unite energy with virtue, for, if it be a question of loss or death, the great warriors, your peers, see grief as the consumer of their resources. You are the foremost of the wise and versed in all the scriptures; with allies such as I am, your victory is assured 1 In sooth I see none in the Three Worlds able to withstand you in combat when you are armed with your bow! With the success of thine enterprise in the hands of the monkeys, you canst not fail. When you have crossed the imperishable ocean you shalt see Sita ere long. Desist from this melancholy that you have allowed to invade you and yield to your legitimate indignation, O Prince. Unadventurous warriors never win honour but all fear the wrathful. It is for the purpose of crossing the formidable ocean, the Lord of Rivers, that you have come hither with us; now with your resourceful mind ponder on it. Once the ocean has been crossed by my forces, know victory to be certain; verily when the whole army has passed over the sea, our triumph is assured!

“The monkeys, those courageous soldiers, who are able to change their form at pleasure, will crush their opponents with an avalanche of rocks and trees. Whatever the means employed, once we have crossed Varuna’s domain, Ravana is as dead in mine eyes, O Destroyer of Your Foes 1 But of what use are all these words? Your victory is assured and the portents, which I perceive, fill my heart with joy.”