The Cursed Forest of Sage Kandu

Shloka 1 (kishkindha.48.1)

सह ताराङ्गदाभ्यां तु सहसा हनुमान् कपिः । सुग्रीवेण यथोद्दिष्टं तं देशमुपचक्रमे ॥ 48.1 ॥

saha tārāṅgadābhyāṃ tu sahasā hanumān kapiḥ | sugrīveṇa yathoddiṣṭaṃ taṃ deśamupacakrame || 48.1 ||

Together with Tara and Angada, the monkey Hanuman set out at once for that region which Sugreeva had assigned.

Shloka 2 (kishkindha.48.2)

स तु दूरमुपागम्य सर्वैस्तैः कपिसत्तमैः । ततो विचित्य विन्ध्यस्य गुहाश्च गहनानि च ॥ 48.2 ॥

sa tu dūramupāgamya sarvaistaiḥ kapisattamaiḥ | tato vicitya vindhyasya guhāśca gahanāni ca || 48.2 ||

Journeying far with all those foremost monkeys, he then searched the caves and dense thickets of the Vindhya mountains,

Shloka 3 (kishkindha.48.3)

पर्वताग्रनदीदुर्गान् सरांसि विपुलद्रुमान् । वृक्षखण्डांश्च विविधान् पर्वतान् वनपादपान् ॥ 48.3 ॥

parvatāgranadīdurgān sarāṃsi vipuladrumān | vṛkṣakhaṇḍāṃśca vividhān parvatān vanapādapān || 48.3 ||

the mountain-peaks, the river-fastnesses, the lakes fringed with spreading trees, the various clusters of trees, the mountains, and the forest groves.

Shloka 4 (kishkindha.48.4)

अन्वेषमाणास्ते सर्वे वानराः सर्वतो दिशम् । न सीतां ददृशुर्वीरा मैथिलीं जनकात्मजाम् ॥ 48.4 ॥

anveṣamāṇāste sarve vānarāḥ sarvato diśam | na sītāṃ dadṛśurvīrā maithilīṃ janakātmajām || 48.4 ||

Though all those valiant vanaras searched in every direction, they did not find Sita, Maithili, the daughter of Janaka.

Shloka 5 (kishkindha.48.5)

ते भक्षयन्तो मूलानि फलानि विविधान्यपि । अन्वेषमाणा दुर्धर्षा न्यवसंस्तत्र तत्र ह ॥ 48.5 ॥

te bhakṣayanto mūlāni phalāni vividhānyapi | anveṣamāṇā durdharṣā nyavasaṃstatra tatra ha || 48.5 ||

Feeding on roots and various fruits, those unconquerable searchers rested here and there as they went.

Shloka 6 (kishkindha.48.6)

स तु देशो दुरन्वेषो गुहागहनवान् महान् । निर्जलं निर्जनं शून्यं गहनं घोरदर्शनम् ॥ 48.6 ॥

sa tu deśo duranveṣo guhāgahanavān mahān | nirjalaṃ nirjanaṃ śūnyaṃ gahanaṃ ghoradarśanam || 48.6 ||

But that vast region, full of caves and thickets, was hard to search — waterless, uninhabited, empty, dense, and dreadful to behold.

Shloka 7 (kishkindha.48.7)

तादृशान्यप्यरण्यानि विचित्य भृशपीडिताः । स देशश्च दुरन्वेष्यो गुहागहनवान् महान् ॥ 48.7 ॥

tādṛśānyapyaraṇyāni vicitya bhṛśapīḍitāḥ | sa deśaśca duranveṣyo guhāgahanavān mahān || 48.7 ||

Having searched other forests of that same kind, greatly distressed, they found that vast, cave-and-thicket-filled region equally hard to search.

Shloka 8 (kishkindha.48.8)

त्यक्त्वा तु तं ततो देशं सर्वे वै हरियूथपाः । देशमन्यं दुराधर्षं विविशुश्चाकुतोभयाः ॥ 48.8 ॥

tyaktvā tu taṃ tato deśaṃ sarve vai hariyūthapāḥ | deśamanyaṃ durādharṣaṃ viviśuścākutobhayāḥ || 48.8 ||

Leaving that region, all those monkey chieftains, fearless from any quarter, entered another forbidding land.

Shloka 9 (kishkindha.48.9)

यत्र वन्ध्यफला वृक्षा विपुष्पाः पर्णवर्जिताः । निस्तोयाः सरितो यत्र मूलं यत्र सुदुर्लभम् ॥ 48.9 ॥

yatra vandhyaphalā vṛkṣā vipuṣpāḥ parṇavarjitāḥ | nistoyāḥ sarito yatra mūlaṃ yatra sudurlabham || 48.9 ||

There the trees bore no fruit, had no blossoms, and were stripped of leaves; the streams were waterless, and even roots were very hard to find.

Shloka 10 (kishkindha.48.10)

न सन्ति महिषा यत्र न मृगा न च हस्तिनः । शार्दूलाः पक्षिणो वापि ये चान्ये वनगोचराः ॥ 48.10 ॥

na santi mahiṣā yatra na mṛgā na ca hastinaḥ | śārdūlāḥ pakṣiṇo vāpi ye cānye vanagocarāḥ || 48.10 ||

There were no buffaloes there, no deer, no elephants, no tigers or birds, nor any other creature that roams the forest.

Shloka 11 (kishkindha.48.11)

न चात्र वृक्षा नौषध्यो न वल्ल्यो नापि वीरुधः । स्निग्धपत्राः स्थले यत्र पद्मिन्यः फुल्लपङ्कजाः ॥ 48.11 ॥

na cātra vṛkṣā nauṣadhyo na vallyo nāpi vīrudhaḥ | snigdhapatrāḥ sthale yatra padminyaḥ phullapaṅkajāḥ || 48.11 ||

No trees were there, no herbs, no creepers, nor any climbing plants; nor were there any lotus-ponds with lush leaves and blossoming lotuses,

Shloka 12 (kishkindha.48.12)

प्रेक्षणीयाः सुगन्धाश्च भ्रमरैश्च विवर्जिताः । कण्डुर्नाम महाभागः सत्यवादी तपोधनः ॥ 48.12 ॥

prekṣaṇīyāḥ sugandhāśca bhramaraiśca vivarjitāḥ | kaṇḍurnāma mahābhāgaḥ satyavādī tapodhanaḥ || 48.12 ||

lovely to see and fragrant, thronged with bees. In that region dwelt a most illustrious sage named Kandu, truthful in speech, rich in austerity,

Shloka 13 (kishkindha.48.13)

महर्षिः परमामर्षी नियमैर्दुष्प्रधर्षणः । तस्य तस्मिन् वने पुत्रो बालको दशवार्षिकः ॥ 48.13 ॥

maharṣiḥ paramāmarṣī niyamairduṣpradharṣaṇaḥ | tasya tasmin vane putro bālako daśavārṣikaḥ || 48.13 ||

a great seer, extremely short-tempered, and unassailable by virtue of his vows. In that forest he had a young son, ten years of age;

Shloka 14 (kishkindha.48.14)

प्रणष्टो जीवितान्ताय क्रुद्धस्तेन महामुनिः । तेन धर्मात्मना शप्तं कृत्स्नं तत्र महद्वनम् ॥ 48.14 ॥

praṇaṣṭo jīvitāntāya kruddhastena mahāmuniḥ | tena dharmātmanā śaptaṃ kṛtsnaṃ tatra mahadvanam || 48.14 ||

when that child's life came to an end, the great sage was enraged, and that righteous-souled sage cursed the whole of that great forest,

Shloka 15 (kishkindha.48.15)

अशरण्यं दुराधर्षं मृगपक्षिविवर्जितम् । तस्य ते काननान्तांस्तु गिरीणां कन्दराणि च ॥ 48.15 ॥

aśaraṇyaṃ durādharṣaṃ mṛgapakṣivivarjitam | tasya te kānanāntāṃstu girīṇāṃ kandarāṇi ca || 48.15 ||

that it should become shelterless, forbidding, and bereft of beasts and birds. Yet those vanaras searched the edges of that forest, the mountain-caverns,

Shloka 16 (kishkindha.48.16)

प्रभवाणि नदीनां च विचिन्वन्ति समाहिताः । तत्र चापि महात्मानो नापश्यञ्जनकात्मजाम् ॥ 48.16 ॥

prabhavāṇi nadīnāṃ ca vicinvanti samāhitāḥ | tatra cāpi mahātmāno nāpaśyañjanakātmajām || 48.16 ||

and the sources of the rivers, with great care, yet even there those great-souled ones did not see the daughter of Janaka

Shloka 17 (kishkindha.48.17)

हर्तारं रावणं वापि सुग्रीवप्रियकारिणः । ते प्रविश्य तु तं भीमं लतागुल्मसमावृतम् ॥ 48.17 ॥

hartāraṃ rāvaṇaṃ vāpi sugrīvapriyakāriṇaḥ | te praviśya tu taṃ bhīmaṃ latāgulmasamāvṛtam || 48.17 ||

nor her abductor Ravana. Then those vanaras, intent on doing Sugreeva's pleasure, entered a fearsome place overgrown with creepers and thickets,

Shloka 18 (kishkindha.48.18)

ददृशुर्भीमकर्माणमसुरं सुरनिर्भयम् । तं दृष्ट्वा वानरा घोरं स्थितं शैलमिवासुरम् ॥ 48.18 ॥

dadṛśurbhīmakarmāṇamasuraṃ suranirbhayam | taṃ dṛṣṭvā vānarā ghoraṃ sthitaṃ śailamivāsuram || 48.18 ||

and there they saw a fearsome-deeded asura, unafraid even of the gods; on seeing that dreadful asura standing like a mountain,

Shloka 19 (kishkindha.48.19)

गाढं परिहिताः सर्वे दृष्ट्वा तं पर्वतोपमम् । सोऽपि तान् वानरान् सर्वान् नष्टाः स्थेत्यब्रवीद् बली ॥ 48.19 ॥

gāḍhaṃ parihitāḥ sarve dṛṣṭvā taṃ parvatopamam | so'pi tān vānarān sarvān naṣṭāḥ sthetyabravīd balī || 48.19 ||

all the vanaras, seeing that mountain-like being, girded themselves tightly. That mighty one, too, cried out to all the vanaras, "You are dead — stay where you are!"

Shloka 20 (kishkindha.48.20)

अभ्यधावत संक्रुद्धो मुष्टिमुद्यम्य संगतम् । तमापतन्तं सहसा वालिपुत्रोऽङ्गदस्तदा ॥ 48.20 ॥

abhyadhāvata saṃkruddho muṣṭimudyamya saṃgatam | tamāpatantaṃ sahasā vāliputro'ṅgadastadā || 48.20 ||

and, greatly enraged, he charged toward them with his clenched fist raised. Then Vali's son Angada, seeing him rushing suddenly upon them,

Shloka 21 (kishkindha.48.21)

रावणोऽयमिति ज्ञात्वा तलेनाभिजघान ह । स वालिपुत्राभिहतो वक्त्राच्छोणितमुद्वमन् ॥ 48.21 ॥

rāvaṇo'yamiti jñātvā talenābhijaghāna ha | sa vāliputrābhihato vaktrācchoṇitamudvaman || 48.21 ||

thinking, "This is Ravana!" struck him a blow with the flat of his palm. Struck by Vali's son, that being spewed blood from his mouth

Shloka 22 (kishkindha.48.22)

असुरो न्यपतद् भूमौ पर्यस्त इव पर्वतः । ते तु तस्मिन् निरुच्छ्वासे वानरा जितकाशिनः ॥ 48.22 ॥

asuro nyapatad bhūmau paryasta iva parvataḥ | te tu tasmin nirucchvāse vānarā jitakāśinaḥ || 48.22 ||

and fell to the ground like an uprooted mountain. When that asura had breathed his last, the triumphant vanaras

Shloka 23 (kishkindha.48.23)

व्यचिन्वन् प्रायशस्तत्र सर्वं तद्गिरिगह्वरम् । विचितं तु ततः सर्वं सर्वे ते काननौकसः ॥ 48.23 ॥

vyacinvan prāyaśastatra sarvaṃ tadgirigahvaram | vicitaṃ tu tataḥ sarvaṃ sarve te kānanaukasaḥ || 48.23 ||

searched almost the whole of that mountain-cavern; and when all those forest-dwellers had thus searched the entire place,

Shloka 24 (kishkindha.48.24)

अन्यदेवापरं घोरं विविशुर्गिरिगह्वरम् । ते विचित्य पुनः खिन्ना विनिष्पत्य समागताः । एकान्ते वृक्षमूले तु निषेदुर्दीनमानसाः ॥ 48.24 ॥

anyadevāparaṃ ghoraṃ viviśurgirigahvaram | te vicitya punaḥ khinnā viniṣpatya samāgatāḥ | ekānte vṛkṣamūle tu niṣedurdīnamānasāḥ || 48.24 ||

they entered yet another dreadful mountain-cavern nearby. Having searched it too, weary, they came out again and gathered together, and sat down, disheartened, at the foot of a lone tree.