Angada's Resolve to Die

Shloka 1 (kishkindha.55.1)

श्रुत्वा हनुमतो वाक्यं प्रश्रितं धर्मसंहितम् । स्वामिसत्कारसंयुक्तमङ्गदो वाक्यमब्रवीत् ॥ 55.1 ॥

śrutvā hanumato vākyaṃ praśritaṃ dharmasaṃhitam | svāmisatkārasaṃyuktamaṅgado vākyamabravīt || 55.1 ||

Having heard Hanuman's words — courteous, grounded in righteousness, and marked by regard for his lord — Angada spoke these words:

Shloka 2 (kishkindha.55.2)

स्थैर्यमात्ममनःशौचमानृशंस्यमथार्जवम् । विक्रमश्चैव धैर्यं च सुग्रीवे नोपपद्यते ॥ 55.2 ॥

sthairyamātmamanaḥśaucamānṛśaṃsyamathārjavam | vikramaścaiva dhairyaṃ ca sugrīve nopapadyate || 55.2 ||

'Steadfastness, purity of one's own mind, freedom from cruelty and straightforwardness — as well as valour and fortitude — are not found in Sugreeva.

Shloka 3 (kishkindha.55.3)

भ्रातुर्ज्येष्ठस्य यो भार्यां जीवतो महिषीं प्रियाम् । धर्मेण मातरं यस्तु स्वीकरोति जुगुप्सितः ॥ 55.3 ॥

bhrāturjyeṣṭhasya yo bhāryāṃ jīvato mahiṣīṃ priyām | dharmeṇa mātaraṃ yastu svīkaroti jugupsitaḥ || 55.3 ||

'He who, while his elder brother yet lived, took for himself that brother's beloved queen — one who by dharma should be honoured as a mother — is despicable.

Shloka 4 (kishkindha.55.4)

कथं स धर्मं जानीते येन भ्रात्रा दुरात्मना । युद्धायाभिनियुक्तेन बिलस्य पिहितं मुखम् ॥ 55.4 ॥

kathaṃ sa dharmaṃ jānīte yena bhrātrā durātmanā | yuddhāyābhiniyuktena bilasya pihitaṃ mukham || 55.4 ||

'How can he know dharma — he whose evil-minded brother, sent in to fight, had the mouth of the cave sealed shut behind him?

Shloka 5 (kishkindha.55.5)

सत्यात् पाणिगृहीतश्च कृतकर्मा महायशाः । विस्मृतो राघवो येन स कस्य सुकृतं स्मरेत् ॥ 55.5 ॥

satyāt pāṇigṛhītaśca kṛtakarmā mahāyaśāḥ | vismṛto rāghavo yena sa kasya sukṛtaṃ smaret || 55.5 ||

'He by whom Raghava — who took him by the hand in a solemn pact, fulfilled his part, and is of great renown — was forgotten: whose good deed would he ever remember?

Shloka 6 (kishkindha.55.6)

लक्ष्मणस्य भयेनेह नाधर्मभयभीरुणा । आदिष्टा मार्गितुं सीता धर्मस्तस्मिन् कथं भवेत् ॥ 55.6 ॥

lakṣmaṇasya bhayeneha nādharmabhayabhīruṇā | ādiṣṭā mārgituṃ sītā dharmastasmin kathaṃ bhavet || 55.6 ||

'It was out of fear of Lakshmana, not out of fear of adharma, that we were commanded here to search for Sita — how, then, can there be dharma in him?

Shloka 7 (kishkindha.55.7)

तस्मिन् पापे कृतघ्ने तु स्मृतिभिन्ने चलात्मनि । आर्यः को विश्वसेज्जातु तत्कुलीनो विशेषतः ॥ 55.7 ॥

tasmin pāpe kṛtaghne tu smṛtibhinne calātmani | āryaḥ ko viśvasejjātu tatkulīno viśeṣataḥ || 55.7 ||

'In such a sinful, ungrateful one, forgetful of favours, fickle-minded — what noble person would ever trust him, especially one of good lineage like myself?

Shloka 8 (kishkindha.55.8)

राज्ये पुत्रः प्रतिष्ठाप्यः सगुणो निर्गुणोऽपि वा । कथं शत्रुकुलीनं मां सुग्रीवो जीवयिष्यति ॥ 55.8 ॥

rājye putraḥ pratiṣṭhāpyaḥ saguṇo nirguṇo'pi vā | kathaṃ śatrukulīnaṃ māṃ sugrīvo jīvayiṣyati || 55.8 ||

'A son, whether virtuous or not, is the one naturally to be established in the kingdom; how then will Sugreeva let me, born of his enemy's line, live?

Shloka 9 (kishkindha.55.9)

भिन्नमन्त्रोऽपराद्धश्च हीनशक्तिः कथं ह्यहम् । किष्किन्धां प्राप्य जीवेयमनाथ इव दुर्बलः ॥ 55.9 ॥

bhinnamantro'parāddhaśca hīnaśaktiḥ kathaṃ hyaham | kiṣkindhāṃ prāpya jīveyamanātha iva durbalaḥ || 55.9 ||

'Having failed in counsel, having erred, and now bereft of power, how could I, weak as one without a protector, live on after reaching Kishkindha?

Shloka 10 (kishkindha.55.10)

उपांशुदण्डेन हि मां बन्धनेनोपपादयेत् । शठः क्रूरो नृशंसश्च सुग्रीवो राज्यकारणात् ॥ 55.10 ॥

upāṃśudaṇḍena hi māṃ bandhanenopapādayet | śaṭhaḥ krūro nṛśaṃsaśca sugrīvo rājyakāraṇāt || 55.10 ||

'For that deceitful, cruel and merciless Sugreeva would, for the sake of his kingdom, surely subject me to secret punishment and imprisonment.

Shloka 11 (kishkindha.55.11)

बन्धनाच्चावसादान्मे श्रेयः प्रायोपवेशनम् । अनुजानन्तु मां सर्वे गृहं गच्छन्तु वानराः ॥ 55.11 ॥

bandhanāccāvasādānme śreyaḥ prāyopaveśanam | anujānantu māṃ sarve gṛhaṃ gacchantu vānarāḥ || 55.11 ||

'Better than imprisonment and humiliation is death by fasting for me. Let all of you give me leave; let the vanaras return home.

Shloka 12 (kishkindha.55.12)

अहं वः प्रतिजानामि न गमिष्याम्यहं पुरीम् । इहैव प्रायमासिष्ये श्रेयो मरणमेव मे ॥ 55.12 ॥

ahaṃ vaḥ pratijānāmi na gamiṣyāmyahaṃ purīm | ihaiva prāyamāsiṣye śreyo maraṇameva me || 55.12 ||

'I vow to you: I shall not go to the city. I shall observe the fast unto death right here; for me, death alone is the better course.

Shloka 13 (kishkindha.55.13)

अभिवादनपूर्वं तु राजा कुशलमेव च । अभिवादनपूर्वं तु राघवौ बलशालिनौ ॥ 55.13 ॥

abhivādanapūrvaṃ tu rājā kuśalameva ca | abhivādanapūrvaṃ tu rāghavau balaśālinau || 55.13 ||

'With due salutation, convey my greeting and wellbeing to the king; and with due salutation, to the two mighty Raghavas.

Shloka 14 (kishkindha.55.14)

वाच्यस्तातो यवीयान् मे सुग्रीवो वानरेश्वरः । आरोग्यपूर्वं कुशलं वाच्या माता रुमा च मे ॥ 55.14 ॥

vācyastāto yavīyān me sugrīvo vānareśvaraḥ | ārogyapūrvaṃ kuśalaṃ vācyā mātā rumā ca me || 55.14 ||

'To my father's younger brother, the vanara-lord Sugreeva, this should be told; and to my mother, and to Ruma, wellbeing and health should be conveyed.

Shloka 15 (kishkindha.55.15)

मातरं चैव मे तारामाश्वासयितुमर्हथ । प्रकृत्या प्रियपुत्रा सा सानुक्रोशा तपस्विनी ॥ 55.15 ॥

mātaraṃ caiva me tārāmāśvāsayitumarhatha | prakṛtyā priyaputrā sā sānukrośā tapasvinī || 55.15 ||

'And you should comfort my mother Tara; by nature she loves her son dearly, and she is compassionate and long-suffering.

Shloka 16 (kishkindha.55.16)

विनष्टमिह मां श्रुत्वा व्यक्तं हास्यति जीवितम् । एतावदुक्त्वा वचनं वृद्धांस्तानभिवाद्य च ॥ 55.16 ॥

vinaṣṭamiha māṃ śrutvā vyaktaṃ hāsyati jīvitam | etāvaduktvā vacanaṃ vṛddhāṃstānabhivādya ca || 55.16 ||

'Hearing that I have perished here, she will surely give up her life.' Having said these words, and having bowed to those elders,

Shloka 17 (kishkindha.55.17)

विवेश चाङ्गदो भूमौ रुदन् दर्भेषु दुर्मनाः । तस्य संविशतस्तत्र रुदन्तो वानरर्षभाः ॥ 55.17 ॥

viveśa cāṅgado bhūmau rudan darbheṣu durmanāḥ | tasya saṃviśatastatra rudanto vānararṣabhāḥ || 55.17 ||

—Angada, disconsolate, weeping, lay down upon the ground on a bed of kusha grass. As he lay down there, the vanara chiefs, weeping,

Shloka 18 (kishkindha.55.18)

नयनेभ्यः प्रमुमुचुरुष्णं वै वारि दुःखिताः । सुग्रीवं चैव निन्दन्तः प्रशंसन्तश्च वालिनम् ॥ 55.18 ॥

nayanebhyaḥ pramumucuruṣṇaṃ vai vāri duḥkhitāḥ | sugrīvaṃ caiva nindantaḥ praśaṃsantaśca vālinam || 55.18 ||

—shed hot tears from their eyes in sorrow, censuring Sugreeva and praising Vali.

Shloka 19 (kishkindha.55.19)

परिवार्याङ्गदं सर्वे व्यवसन् प्रायमासितुम् । तद् वाक्यं वालिपुत्रस्य विज्ञाय प्लवगर्षभाः ॥ 55.19 ॥

parivāryāṅgadaṃ sarve vyavasan prāyamāsitum | tad vākyaṃ vāliputrasya vijñāya plavagarṣabhāḥ || 55.19 ||

All of them, surrounding Angada, resolved to sit for the fast unto death; understanding the words of Vali's son, those foremost of monkeys,

Shloka 20 (kishkindha.55.20)

उपस्पृश्योदकं सर्वे प्राङ्मुखाः समुपाविशन् । दक्षिणाग्रेषु दर्भेषु उदक्तीरं समाश्रिताः ॥ 55.20 ॥

upaspṛśyodakaṃ sarve prāṅmukhāḥ samupāviśan | dakṣiṇāgreṣu darbheṣu udaktīraṃ samāśritāḥ || 55.20 ||

—having touched water in ritual purification, all sat down facing east, upon kusha grass with tips pointing south, on the northern shore.

Shloka 21 (kishkindha.55.21)

मुमूर्षवो हरिश्रेष्ठा एतत् क्षममिति स्म ह । रामस्य वनवासं च क्षयं दशरथस्य च ॥ 55.21 ॥

mumūrṣavo hariśreṣṭhā etat kṣamamiti sma ha | rāmasya vanavāsaṃ ca kṣayaṃ daśarathasya ca || 55.21 ||

Those foremost of vanaras, resolved to die, considered this fitting. They recalled Rama's exile in the forest, and the death of Dasharatha,

Shloka 22 (kishkindha.55.22)

जनस्थानवधं चैव वधं चैव जटायुषः । हरणं चैव वैदेह्या वालिनश्च वधं तथा । रामकोपं च वदतां हरीणां भयमागतम् ॥ 55.22 ॥

janasthānavadhaṃ caiva vadhaṃ caiva jaṭāyuṣaḥ | haraṇaṃ caiva vaidehyā vālinaśca vadhaṃ tathā | rāmakopaṃ ca vadatāṃ harīṇāṃ bhayamāgatam || 55.22 ||

—the slaughter at Janasthana, the death of Jatayu, the abduction of Vaidehi, and likewise the death of Vali; and speaking of Rama's wrath, fear overtook the monkeys.

Shloka 23 (kishkindha.55.23)

स संविशद्भिर्बहुभिर्महीधरो महाद्रिकूटप्रमितैः प्लवंगमैः । बभूव संनादितनिर्दरान्तरो भृशं नदद्भिर्जलदैरिवाम्बरम् ॥ 55.23 ॥

sa saṃviśadbhirbahubhirmahīdharo mahādrikūṭapramitaiḥ plavaṃgamaiḥ | babhūva saṃnāditanirdarāntaro bhṛśaṃ nadadbhirjaladairivāmbaram || 55.23 ||

That mountain, with the many monkeys lying upon it — each comparable to the peak of a great mountain — grew resonant in its caverns, like the sky loudly echoing with roaring rain-clouds.