The Pact of Friendship Between Rama and Sugriva

Shloka 1 (kishkindha.5.1)

ऋष्यमूकात् तु हनुमान् गत्वा तं मलयं गिरिम् । आचचक्षे तदा वीरौ कपिराजाय राघवौ ॥ 5.1 ॥

ṛṣyamūkāt tu hanumān gatvā taṃ malayaṃ girim | ācacakṣe tadā vīrau kapirājāya rāghavau || 5.1 ||

Hanuman, having gone from Rishyamuka to that Malaya mountain, then described the two heroic Raghavas to the king of monkeys.

Shloka 2 (kishkindha.5.2)

अयं रामो महाप्राज्ञ सम्प्राप्तो दृढविक्रमः । लक्ष्मणेन सह भ्रात्रा रामोऽयं सत्यविक्रमः ॥ 5.2 ॥

ayaṃ rāmo mahāprājña samprāpto dṛḍhavikramaḥ | lakṣmaṇena saha bhrātrā rāmo'yaṃ satyavikramaḥ || 5.2 ||

'O most wise one, this is Rama who has come, of unshakeable valour; this Rama, together with his brother Lakshmana, is of true and steadfast prowess.'

Shloka 3 (kishkindha.5.3)

इक्ष्वाकूणां कुले जातो रामो दशरथात्मजः । धर्मे निगदितश्चैव पितुर्निर्देशकारकः ॥ 5.3 ॥

ikṣvākūṇāṃ kule jāto rāmo daśarathātmajaḥ | dharme nigaditaścaiva piturnirdeśakārakaḥ || 5.3 ||

'Born in the line of the Ikshvakus, Rama, son of Dasharatha, is renowned for his righteousness, and ever obedient to his father's command,'

Shloka 4 (kishkindha.5.4)

राजसूयाश्वमेधैश्च वह्निर्येनाभितर्पितः । दक्षिणाश्च तथोत्सृष्टा गावः शतसहस्रशः ॥ 5.4 ॥

rājasūyāśvamedhaiśca vahniryenābhitarpitaḥ | dakṣiṇāśca tathotsṛṣṭā gāvaḥ śatasahasraśaḥ || 5.4 ||

'...he whose father satisfied the sacred fire with Rajasuya and Ashvamedha sacrifices, and gave away hundreds of thousands of cows as sacrificial gifts,'

Shloka 5 (kishkindha.5.5)

तपसा सत्यवाक्येन वसुधा येन पालिता । स्त्रीहेतोस्तस्य पुत्रोऽयं रामोऽरण्यं समागतः ॥ 5.5 ॥

tapasā satyavākyena vasudhā yena pālitā | strīhetostasya putro'yaṃ rāmo'raṇyaṃ samāgataḥ || 5.5 ||

'...by whose austerity and truthful word this earth was kept safe — this Rama, his son, has come to the forest for the sake of his wife.'

Shloka 6 (kishkindha.5.6)

तस्यास्य वसतोऽरण्ये नियतस्य महात्मनः । रावणेन हृता भार्या स त्वां शरणमागतः ॥ 5.6 ॥

tasyāsya vasato'raṇye niyatasya mahātmanaḥ | rāvaṇena hṛtā bhāryā sa tvāṃ śaraṇamāgataḥ || 5.6 ||

'While this great-souled, self-controlled Rama was dwelling in the forest, Ravana carried off his wife; he has now come to you for refuge.'

Shloka 7 (kishkindha.5.7)

भवता सख्यकामौ तौ भ्रातरौ रामलक्ष्मणौ । प्रगृह्य चार्चयस्वैतौ पूजनीयतमावुभौ ॥ 5.7 ॥

bhavatā sakhyakāmau tau bhrātarau rāmalakṣmaṇau | pragṛhya cārcayasvaitau pūjanīyatamāvubhau || 5.7 ||

'These two brothers, Rama and Lakshmana, desire your friendship; receive and honour them, for both are most worthy of reverence.'

Shloka 8 (kishkindha.5.8)

श्रुत्वा हनूमतो वाक्यं सुग्रीवो वानराधिपः । दर्शनीयतमो भूत्वा प्रीत्योवाच च राघवम् ॥ 5.8 ॥

śrutvā hanūmato vākyaṃ sugrīvo vānarādhipaḥ | darśanīyatamo bhūtvā prītyovāca ca rāghavam || 5.8 ||

Hearing Hanuman's words, Sugriva, lord of the monkeys, making himself most fair to behold, spoke lovingly to Raghava:

Shloka 9 (kishkindha.5.9)

भवान् धर्मविनीतश्च सुतपाः सर्ववत्सलः । आख्याता वायुपुत्रेण तत्त्वतो मे भवद्गुणाः ॥ 5.9 ॥

bhavān dharmavinītaśca sutapāḥ sarvavatsalaḥ | ākhyātā vāyuputreṇa tattvato me bhavadguṇāḥ || 5.9 ||

'You are disciplined in Dharma, of great austerity, and beloved of all; the son of the Wind-god has truly related your virtues to me.'

Shloka 10 (kishkindha.5.10)

तन्ममैवैष सत्कारो लाभश्चैवोत्तमः प्रभो । यत्त्वमिच्छसि सौहार्दं वानरेण मया सह ॥ 5.10 ॥

tanmamaivaiṣa satkāro lābhaścaivottamaḥ prabho | yattvamicchasi sauhārdaṃ vānareṇa mayā saha || 5.10 ||

'This, O lord, is indeed an honour and the very highest gain for me — that you should desire friendship with me, a mere monkey.'

Shloka 11 (kishkindha.5.11)

रोचते यदि मे सख्यं बाहुरेष प्रसारितः । गृह्यतां पाणिना पाणिर्मर्यादा बध्यतां ध्रुवा ॥ 5.11 ॥

rocate yadi me sakhyaṃ bāhureṣa prasāritaḥ | gṛhyatāṃ pāṇinā pāṇirmaryādā badhyatāṃ dhruvā || 5.11 ||

'If friendship with me pleases you, here is my arm outstretched; let hand grasp hand, and let a firm bond be sealed between us.'

Shloka 12 (kishkindha.5.12)

एतत् तु वचनं श्रुत्वा सुग्रीवस्य सुभाषितम् । सम्प्रहृष्टमना हस्तं पीडयामास पाणिना ॥ 5.12 ॥

etat tu vacanaṃ śrutvā sugrīvasya subhāṣitam | samprahṛṣṭamanā hastaṃ pīḍayāmāsa pāṇinā || 5.12 ||

Hearing this well-spoken word of Sugriva's, Rama, his mind filled with joy, firmly clasped his hand with his own.

Shloka 13 (kishkindha.5.13)

हृष्टः सौहृदमालम्ब्य पर्यष्वजत पीडितम् । ततो हनूमान् संत्यज्य भिक्षुरूपमरिंदमः ॥ 5.13 ॥

hṛṣṭaḥ sauhṛdamālambya paryaṣvajata pīḍitam | tato hanūmān saṃtyajya bhikṣurūpamariṃdamaḥ || 5.13 ||

Delighted, holding fast to this bond of friendship, he embraced Sugriva warmly; then Hanuman, subduer of foes, casting off his mendicant's form,

Shloka 14 (kishkindha.5.14)

काष्ठयोः स्वेन रूपेण जनयामास पावकम् । दीप्यमानं ततो वह्निं पुष्पैरभ्यर्च्य सत्कृतम् ॥ 5.14 ॥

kāṣṭhayoḥ svena rūpeṇa janayāmāsa pāvakam | dīpyamānaṃ tato vahniṃ puṣpairabhyarcya satkṛtam || 5.14 ||

...in his own true form, produced fire by rubbing together two pieces of wood; then, having duly honoured that blazing fire with flowers,

Shloka 15 (kishkindha.5.15)

तयोर्मध्ये तु सुप्रीतो निदधौ सुसमाहितः । ततोऽग्निं दीप्यमानं तौ चक्रतुश्च प्रदक्षिणम् ॥ 5.15 ॥

tayormadhye tu suprīto nidadhau susamāhitaḥ | tato'gniṃ dīpyamānaṃ tau cakratuśca pradakṣiṇam || 5.15 ||

...he, greatly pleased and composed of mind, set it down between the two of them; then both of them circled that blazing fire.

Shloka 16 (kishkindha.5.16)

सुग्रीवो राघवश्चैव वयस्यत्वमुपागतौ । ततः सुप्रीतमनसौ तावुभौ हरिराघवौ ॥ 5.16 ॥

sugrīvo rāghavaścaiva vayasyatvamupāgatau | tataḥ suprītamanasau tāvubhau harirāghavau || 5.16 ||

Thus Sugriva and Raghava entered into a bond of friendship; then those two, the monkey and Raghava, their minds filled with delight,

Shloka 17 (kishkindha.5.17)

अन्योन्यमभिवीक्षन्तौ न तृप्तिमभिजग्मतुः । त्वं वयस्योऽसि हृद्यो मे ह्येकं दुःखं सुखं च नौ ॥ 5.17 ॥

anyonyamabhivīkṣantau na tṛptimabhijagmatuḥ | tvaṃ vayasyo'si hṛdyo me hyekaṃ duḥkhaṃ sukhaṃ ca nau || 5.17 ||

...gazed upon each other and could not have their fill of it. 'You are my dear friend,' said Sugriva, 'henceforth our sorrow and our joy are one.'

Shloka 18 (kishkindha.5.18)

सुग्रीवो राघवं वाक्यमित्युवाच प्रहृष्टवत् । ततः सुपर्णबहुलां भङ्क्त्वा शाखां सुपुष्पिताम् ॥ 5.18 ॥

sugrīvo rāghavaṃ vākyamityuvāca prahṛṣṭavat | tataḥ suparṇabahulāṃ bhaṅktvā śākhāṃ supuṣpitām || 5.18 ||

Thus Sugriva spoke joyfully to Raghava; then, breaking off a richly-leaved, richly-flowering bough,

Shloka 19 (kishkindha.5.19)

सालस्यास्तीर्य सुग्रीवो निषसाद सराघवः । लक्ष्मणायाथ संहृष्टो हनुमान् मारुतात्मजः ॥ 5.19 ॥

sālasyāstīrya sugrīvo niṣasāda sarāghavaḥ | lakṣmaṇāyātha saṃhṛṣṭo hanumān mārutātmajaḥ || 5.19 ||

...Sugriva spread it as a seat, a bough of the Sal tree, and sat down together with Raghava; then Hanuman, son of the Wind-god, greatly pleased, for Lakshmana,

Shloka 20 (kishkindha.5.20)

शाखां चन्दनवृक्षस्य ददौ परमपुष्पिताम् । ततः प्रहृष्टः सुग्रीवः श्लक्ष्णं मधुरया गिरा ॥ 5.20 ॥

śākhāṃ candanavṛkṣasya dadau paramapuṣpitām | tataḥ prahṛṣṭaḥ sugrīvaḥ ślakṣṇaṃ madhurayā girā || 5.20 ||

...offered a richly-flowering bough of a sandalwood tree. Then Sugriva, greatly delighted, in a soft and sweet voice,

Shloka 21 (kishkindha.5.21)

प्रत्युवाच तदा रामं हर्षव्याकुललोचनः । अहं विनिकृतो राम चरामीह भयार्दितः ॥ 5.21 ॥

pratyuvāca tadā rāmaṃ harṣavyākulalocanaḥ | ahaṃ vinikṛto rāma carāmīha bhayārditaḥ || 5.21 ||

...replied to Rama, his eyes brimming with joy: 'Rama, I have been cruelly wronged, and I wander here tormented by fear.'

Shloka 22 (kishkindha.5.22)

हृतभार्यो वने त्रस्तो दुर्गमेतदुपाश्रितः । सोऽहं त्रस्तो वने भीतो वसाम्युद्भ्रान्तचेतनः ॥ 5.22 ॥

hṛtabhāryo vane trasto durgametadupāśritaḥ | so'haṃ trasto vane bhīto vasāmyudbhrāntacetanaḥ || 5.22 ||

'My wife taken from me, terrified, I have taken shelter in this inaccessible place; so terrified and afraid do I dwell here, my mind distraught.'

Shloka 23 (kishkindha.5.23)

वालिना निकृतो भ्रात्रा कृतवैरश्च राघव । वालिनो मे महाभाग भयार्तस्याभयं कुरु ॥ 5.23 ॥

vālinā nikṛto bhrātrā kṛtavairaśca rāghava | vālino me mahābhāga bhayārtasyābhayaṃ kuru || 5.23 ||

'Wronged by my own brother Vali and set at enmity with him, O Raghava — O most fortunate one, grant me freedom from this fear of Vali that torments me.'

Shloka 24 (kishkindha.5.24)

कर्तुमर्हसि काकुत्स्थ भयं मे न भवेद् यथा । एवमुक्तस्तु तेजस्वी धर्मज्ञो धर्मवत्सलः ॥ 5.24 ॥

kartumarhasi kākutstha bhayaṃ me na bhaved yathā | evamuktastu tejasvī dharmajño dharmavatsalaḥ || 5.24 ||

'Grant, O Kakutstha, that I need fear no more.' Thus addressed, that radiant one, knower of Dharma and devoted to it,

Shloka 25 (kishkindha.5.25)

प्रत्यभाषत काकुत्स्थः सुग्रीवं प्रहसन्निव । उपकारफलं मित्रं विदितं मे महाकपे ॥ 5.25 ॥

pratyabhāṣata kākutsthaḥ sugrīvaṃ prahasanniva | upakāraphalaṃ mitraṃ viditaṃ me mahākape || 5.25 ||

...Kakutstha, replied to Sugriva as if smiling: 'The true worth of a friend, O great monkey, lies in the help he renders — this I know well.'

Shloka 26 (kishkindha.5.26)

वालिनं तं वधिष्यामि तव भार्यापहारिणम् । अमोघाः सूर्यसंकाशा ममेमे निशिताः शराः ॥ 5.26 ॥

vālinaṃ taṃ vadhiṣyāmi tava bhāryāpahāriṇam | amoghāḥ sūryasaṃkāśā mameme niśitāḥ śarāḥ || 5.26 ||

'I shall slay that Vali, the abductor of your wife; these sharp arrows of mine, radiant as the sun, never miss their mark.'

Shloka 27 (kishkindha.5.27)

तस्मिन् वालिनि दुर्वृत्ते निपतिष्यन्ति वेगिताः । कङ्कपत्रप्रतिच्छन्ना महेन्द्राशनिसंनिभाः ॥ 5.27 ॥

tasmin vālini durvṛtte nipatiṣyanti vegitāḥ | kaṅkapatrapraticchannā mahendrāśanisaṃnibhāḥ || 5.27 ||

'Feathered with kanka-plumes and resembling great Indra's own thunderbolt, these arrows shall fall with great speed upon that evil-natured Vali.'

Shloka 28 (kishkindha.5.28)

तीक्ष्णाग्रा ऋजुपर्वाणः सरोषा भुजगा इव । तमद्य वालिनं पश्य तीक्ष्णैराशीविषोपमैः ॥ 5.28 ॥

tīkṣṇāgrā ṛjuparvāṇaḥ saroṣā bhujagā iva | tamadya vālinaṃ paśya tīkṣṇairāśīviṣopamaiḥ || 5.28 ||

'Sharp-tipped, straight-jointed, like enraged serpents — with these sharp arrows resembling venomous snakes, this very day Vali shall be...'

Shloka 29 (kishkindha.5.29)

शरैर्विनिहतं भूमौ प्रकीर्णमिव पर्वतम् । स तु तद् वचनं श्रुत्वा राघवस्यात्मनो हितम् । सुग्रीवः परमप्रीतः परमं वाक्यमब्रवीत् ॥ 5.29 ॥

śarairvinihataṃ bhūmau prakīrṇamiva parvatam | sa tu tad vacanaṃ śrutvā rāghavasyātmano hitam | sugrīvaḥ paramaprītaḥ paramaṃ vākyamabravīt || 5.29 ||

'...see him struck down upon the ground, scattered there like a fallen mountain.' Hearing that word of Raghava's, so beneficial to himself, Sugriva, greatly pleased, spoke this most excellent reply:

Shloka 30 (kishkindha.5.30)

तव प्रसादेन नृसिंह वीर प्रियां च राज्यं च समाप्नुयामहम् । तथा कुरु त्वं नरदेव वैरिणं यथा न हिंस्यात् स पुनर्ममाग्रजम् ॥ 5.30 ॥

tava prasādena nṛsiṃha vīra priyāṃ ca rājyaṃ ca samāpnuyāmaham | tathā kuru tvaṃ naradeva vairiṇaṃ yathā na hiṃsyāt sa punarmamāgrajam || 5.30 ||

'By your favour, O lion among men, O hero, may I win back both my beloved and my kingdom. Yet grant, O godlike king, that things be so ordered that he, my own elder brother, may not harm me again.'

Shloka 31 (kishkindha.5.31)

सीताकपीन्द्रक्षणदाचराणां राजीवहेमज्वलनोपमानि । सुग्रीवरामप्रणयप्रसङ्गे वामानि नेत्राणि समं स्फुरन्ति ॥ 5.31 ॥

sītākapīndrakṣaṇadācarāṇāṃ rājīvahemajvalanopamāni | sugrīvarāmapraṇayaprasaṅge vāmāni netrāṇi samaṃ sphuranti || 5.31 ||

At this joining of Sugriva and Rama in friendship, the left eyes of Sita, of the lord of monkeys, and of the night-wandering demons alike, throbbed together — eyes like blue lotuses, as if ablaze with gold.