Ramayan Part 33 - Meeting Sugreeva Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

Ram and Lakshman went on,
Despite difficulties, quite often,
They had to face in their search,
At every point, they could reach.

They were both suddenly caught,
By Kabandha with no head or feet,
But with two long arms able to eat.
Being a barrel-shaped ugly giant.

His two arms were severed,
One by one with their sword,
Thus he became helpless,
As a massive creature harmless.

He got this ugly form,
As Indra cursed him,
Once for his evil deeds,
To survive on massive feeds.

Indra promised him freedom,
When two princes would come
One day to cut his arms,
And commit his body to flames.

To the monster, they set fire,
To fulfill his last desire,
A heavenly person he became,
From out of the burning flame.

He directed them to Pampa,
To seek the help of Sugreeva,
On the hills of Rishyamooka,
To find the whereabouts of Sita.

On the way to Pampa, they met
An old woman, Sabari, in her hut,
The sister of Matanga, the late Sage,
A wrinkled lady of very old age.

This saintly woman’s hospitality,
Gave them mental strength and ability.
With renewed vigour they reached,
The Pampa’s borders, as they touched.

The trees, birds and spots lovely,
Increased Ram’s grief abnormally,
As Sita would have enjoyed,
Had she, with him there, stayed.

From the hills, at a distance,
Sugreeva saw their presence,
And he suspected whether,
Killers were sent by his brother.

He sent his minister, Hanuman,
In disguise as a learned Brahmin,
To know who they were,
With weapons in ascetic attire.

Hanuman heard their story,
And felt very much sorry.
He appreciated their friendship,
And promised them all the help.

Up the hills, he brought them.
Briefed Sugreeva about them.
Thus their mutual friendship,
Began with a good relationship.

About his miserable life history,
In the form of a pathetic story,
Sugreeva told Ram briefly,
And Ram heard him carefully.

“Once a demon named Maayavi,
At midnight, he called Vali,
My own brother, for a fight,
Both were engaged in a combat.”

“Maayavi ran and went into
A cave on seeing us two,
Vali followed him inside,
While I waited outside.”

“I waited long, but in vain,
And noticed an awful sign,
Of a loud cry with blood,
I heard and saw, as I stood.”

“No more was my brother,
And concerned about the other,
A big stone lid, I placed,
The cave’s mouth, I closed.”

“To save our Kishkindha, this I did,
The demon, inside the cave, I hid,
The ministers asked me to occupy
The vacant throne forcibly.”

“Suddenly, one day, Vali,
Appeared and dethroned me,
Took my wife as his own,
And ascended the throne.”

“I now live in this hill forest,
With a few of my friends best,
As Vali under a curse of death
By a sage can’t touch this earth.”

They took an oath of friendship,
By a consent for mutual help,
Sugreeva, to trace Sita, assured,
Ram, to kill Vali, promised.