The Ascent of Mount Suvela

Shloka 1 (yuddha.38.1)

स तु कृत्वा सुवेलस्य मतिमारोहणं प्रति। लक्ष्मणानुगतो रामः सुग्रीवमिदमब्रवीत् ॥ 38.1 ॥

sa tu kṛtvā suvelasya matimārohaṇaṃ prati| lakṣmaṇānugato rāmaḥ sugrīvamidamabravīt || 38.1 ||

Having resolved to climb Mount Suvela, Rama, with Lakshmana close behind him, spoke thus to Sugriva --

Shloka 2 (yuddha.38.2)

विभीषणं च धर्मज्ञमनुरक्तं निशाचरम्। मन्त्रज्ञं च विधिज्ञं च श्लक्ष्णया परया गिरा ॥ 38.2 ॥

vibhīṣaṇaṃ ca dharmajñamanuraktaṃ niśācaram| mantrajñaṃ ca vidhijñaṃ ca ślakṣṇayā parayā girā || 38.2 ||

-- and, in the gentlest of tones, to Vibhishana as well, the rakshasa who knew righteousness, was devoted to him, wise in counsel and versed in proper conduct:

Shloka 3 (yuddha.38.3)

सुवेलं साधु शैलेन्द्रमिमं धातुशतैश्चितम्। अध्यारोहामहे सर्वे वत्स्यामोऽत्र निशामिमाम् ॥ 38.3 ॥

suvelaṃ sādhu śailendramimaṃ dhātuśataiścitam| adhyārohāmahe sarve vatsyāmo'tra niśāmimām || 38.3 ||

‘Let us all climb this splendid king of mountains, Suvela, adorned with hundreds of minerals; we shall spend this night up there.’

Shloka 4 (yuddha.38.4)

लङ्कां चालोकयिष्यामो निलयं तस्य रक्षसः। येन मे मरणान्ताय हृता भार्या दुरात्मना ॥ 38.4 ॥

laṅkāṃ cālokayiṣyāmo nilayaṃ tasya rakṣasaḥ| yena me maraṇāntāya hṛtā bhāryā durātmanā || 38.4 ||

‘And from there we shall look upon Lanka, the dwelling of that rakshasa -- the evil-souled one who carried off my wife, and thereby sealed his own doom.’

Shloka 5 (yuddha.38.5)

येन धर्मो न विज्ञातो न वृत्तं न कुलं तथा। राक्षस्या नीचया बुद्ध्या येन तद् गर्हितं कृतम् ॥ 38.5 ॥

yena dharmo na vijñāto na vṛttaṃ na kulaṃ tathā| rākṣasyā nīcayā buddhyā yena tad garhitaṃ kṛtam || 38.5 ||

‘-- who understood neither righteousness, nor proper conduct, nor the honor of noble birth, and who, with the base mind of a rakshasa, committed that shameful act.’

Shloka 6 (yuddha.38.6)

तस्मिन् मे वर्तते रोषः कीर्तिते राक्षसाधमे। यस्यापराधान्नीचस्य वधं द्रक्ष्यामि रक्षसाम् ॥ 38.6 ॥

tasmin me vartate roṣaḥ kīrtite rākṣasādhame| yasyāparādhānnīcasya vadhaṃ drakṣyāmi rakṣasām || 38.6 ||

‘My anger rises the very moment that vilest of rakshasas is named; and because of his offense, I shall now see all his kind put to the sword.’

Shloka 7 (yuddha.38.7)

एको हि कुरुते पापं कालपाशवशं गतः। नीचेनात्मापचारेण कुलं तेन विनश्यति ॥ 38.7 ॥

eko hi kurute pāpaṃ kālapāśavaśaṃ gataḥ| nīcenātmāpacāreṇa kulaṃ tena vinaśyati || 38.7 ||

‘A single man, caught in the snare of fate, commits a sin -- and through that one base creature's own transgression, an entire family is destroyed.’

Shloka 8 (yuddha.38.8)

एवं सम्मन्त्रयन् नेव सक्रोधो रावणं प्रति। रामः सुवेलं वासाय चित्रसानुमुपारुहत् ॥ 38.8 ॥

evaṃ sammantrayan neva sakrodho rāvaṇaṃ prati| rāmaḥ suvelaṃ vāsāya citrasānumupāruhat || 38.8 ||

Thus speaking, and still burning with anger against Ravana, Rama climbed the many-crested Suvela to make camp for the night.

Shloka 9 (yuddha.38.9)

पृष्ठतो लक्ष्मणश्चैनमन्वगच्छत् समाहितः। सशरं चापमुद्यम्य सुमहद्विक्रमे रतः ॥ 38.9 ॥

pṛṣṭhato lakṣmaṇaścainamanvagacchat samāhitaḥ| saśaraṃ cāpamudyamya sumahadvikrame rataḥ || 38.9 ||

Behind him followed the alert Lakshmana, ever devoted to great feats of valor, his bow raised and arrow ready.

Shloka 10 (yuddha.38.10)

तमन्वारोहत् सुग्रीवः सामात्यः सविभीषणः। हनुमानङ्गदो नीलो मैन्दो द्विविद एव च ॥ 38.10 ॥

tamanvārohat sugrīvaḥ sāmātyaḥ savibhīṣaṇaḥ| hanumānaṅgado nīlo maindo dvivida eva ca || 38.10 ||

After him climbed Sugriva with his counsellors and Vibhishana, and Hanuman, Angada, Nila, Mainda, and Dvivida as well;

Shloka 11 (yuddha.38.11)

गजो गवाक्षो गवयः शरभो गन्धमादनः। पनसः कुमुदश्चैव हरो रम्भश्च यूथपः ॥ 38.11 ॥

gajo gavākṣo gavayaḥ śarabho gandhamādanaḥ| panasaḥ kumudaścaiva haro rambhaśca yūthapaḥ || 38.11 ||

Gaja, Gavaksha, Gavaya, Sharabha, Gandhamadana, Panasa, Kumuda, Hara, and Rambha the troop-leader,

Shloka 12 (yuddha.38.12)

जाम्बवांश्च सुषेणश्च ऋषभश्च महामतिः। दुर्मुखश्च महातेजास्तथा शतवलिः कपिः ॥ 38.12 ॥

jāmbavāṃśca suṣeṇaśca ṛṣabhaśca mahāmatiḥ| durmukhaśca mahātejāstathā śatavaliḥ kapiḥ || 38.12 ||

and Jambavan, Sushena, the wise Rishabha, the resplendent Durmukha, and the monkey Shatabali.

Shloka 13 (yuddha.38.13)

एते चान्ये च बहवो वानराः शीघ्रगामिनः। ते वायुवेगप्रवणास्तं गिरिं गिरिचारिणः ॥ 38.13 ॥

ete cānye ca bahavo vānarāḥ śīghragāminaḥ| te vāyuvegapravaṇāstaṃ giriṃ giricāriṇaḥ || 38.13 ||

These and many other swift monkeys, as fleet as the wind, roamers of the mountains, climbed that peak.

Shloka 14 (yuddha.38.14)

अध्यारोहन्त शतशः सुवेलं यत्र राघवः। ते त्वदीर्घेण कालेन गिरिमारुह्य सर्वतः ॥ 38.14 ॥

adhyārohanta śataśaḥ suvelaṃ yatra rāghavaḥ| te tvadīrgheṇa kālena girimāruhya sarvataḥ || 38.14 ||

By the hundreds they climbed Suvela, to where Rama stood; and having scaled the mountain from every side in a short while,

Shloka 15 (yuddha.38.15)

ददृशुः शिखरे तस्य विषक्तामिव खे पुरीम्। तां शुभां प्रवरद्वारां प्राकारवरशोभिताम् ॥ 38.15 ॥

dadṛśuḥ śikhare tasya viṣaktāmiva khe purīm| tāṃ śubhāṃ pravaradvārāṃ prākāravaraśobhitām || 38.15 ||

they saw, from that summit, the city of Lanka hanging as if in the very sky -- splendid, with its excellent gates, adorned by a magnificent rampart.

Shloka 16 (yuddha.38.16)

लङ्कां राक्षससम्पूर्णां ददृशुर्हरियूथपाः। प्राकारवरसंस्थैश्च तथा नीलैश्च राक्षसैः ॥ 38.16 ॥

laṅkāṃ rākṣasasampūrṇāṃ dadṛśurhariyūthapāḥ| prākāravarasaṃsthaiśca tathā nīlaiśca rākṣasaiḥ || 38.16 ||

The chiefs of the monkey army saw Lanka teeming with rakshasas, and, stationed along its splendid rampart, dark demons as well --

Shloka 17 (yuddha.38.17)

ददृशुस्ते हरिश्रेष्ठाः प्राकारमपरं कृतम् ॥ 38.17 ॥

dadṛśuste hariśreṣṭhāḥ prākāramaparaṃ kṛtam || 38.17 ||

-- and those foremost of monkeys saw that a second rampart had been raised there as well.

Shloka 18 (yuddha.38.18)

ते दृष्ट्वा वानराः सर्वे राक्षसान् युद्धकाङ्क्षिणः। मुमुचुर्विविधान् नादांस्तस्य रामस्य पश्यतः ॥ 38.18 ॥

te dṛṣṭvā vānarāḥ sarve rākṣasān yuddhakāṅkṣiṇaḥ| mumucurvividhān nādāṃstasya rāmasya paśyataḥ || 38.18 ||

Seeing this, all the monkeys, eager for battle, let loose roars of every kind, while Rama looked on.

Shloka 19 (yuddha.38.19)

ततोऽस्तमगमत् सूर्यः संध्यया प्रतिरञ्जितः। पूर्णचन्द्रप्रदीप्ता च क्षपा समतिवर्तत ॥ 38.19 ॥

tato'stamagamat sūryaḥ saṃdhyayā pratirañjitaḥ| pūrṇacandrapradīptā ca kṣapā samativartata || 38.19 ||

Then the sun, glowing red with the evening twilight, sank down; and night arrived, lit by the full moon.

Shloka 20 (yuddha.38.20)

ततः स रामो हरिवाहिनीपति- र्विभीषणेन प्रतिनन्द्य सत्कृतः। सलक्ष्मणो यूथपयूथसंयुतः सुवेलपृष्ठे न्यवसद् यथासुखम् ॥ 38.20 ॥

tataḥ sa rāmo harivāhinīpati- rvibhīṣaṇena pratinandya satkṛtaḥ| salakṣmaṇo yūthapayūthasaṃyutaḥ suvelapṛṣṭhe nyavasad yathāsukham || 38.20 ||

Then Rama, commander of the monkey army, warmly welcomed and honored by Vibhishana, together with Lakshmana and surrounded by the troop-leaders and their bands, settled down at ease upon the ridge of Suvela.