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Ramayana of Valmiki (Griffith)

by Ralph T. H. Griffith | 1870 | 365,107 words | ISBN-13: 9788171101566

The "Ramayana" is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to Valmiki and is one of the major epics of Hinduism along with the "Mahabharata." It narrates the life and adventures of Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu, focusing on his ideals as a prince and a king. The epic describes Rama’s 14-year exile, during which his wife Sita is ...

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Chapter LXV - : The Tidings

On to Prasravan’s hill they sped
Where blooming trees their branches spread.
To Raghu’s sons their heads they bent
And did obeisance reverent.
Then to their king, by Angad led,
Each Vanar chieftain bowed his head;
And Hanuman the brave and bold
His tidings to the monarch told;
But first in Rama’s hand he placed
The gem that Sita's brow had graced:
'I crossed the sea: I searched a while
For Sita in the giants' isle.
I found her vext with taunt and threat
By demon guards about her set.
Her tresses twined in single braid,
On the bare earth her limbs were laid.
Sad were her eyes: her cheeks were pale
As shuddering flowers in winter’s gale.
I stood beside the weeping dame,
And gently whispered Rama’s name:
With cheering words her grief consoled,
And then the whole adventure told.
She weeps afar beyond the sea,
And her true heart is still with thee.
She gave a sign that thou wouldst know,
She bids thee think upon the crow,
And bright mark pressed upon her brow
When none was nigh but she and thou.
She bids thee take this precious stone,
The sea-born gem thou long hast known.
'And I', she said, 'will dull the sting
Of woe by gazing on the ring.
One little month shall I sustain
This life oppressed with woe and pain:
And when the month is ended, I
The giants' prey must surely die.'

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

Three Cantos consisting of little but repetitions are omitted. Dadhimukh escapes from the infuriated monkeys and hastens to Sugriva to report their misconduct. Sugriva infers that Hanuman and his band have been successful in their search, and that the exuberance of spirits and the mischief complained of, are but the natural expression of their joy. Dadhimukh obtains little sympathy from Sugriva, and is told to return and send the monkeys on with all possible speed.

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