Chapter XX: Section XX

Thereupon the greatly powerful Rakshasa, by name _Sardula_, beheld the army of Sugriva arranged on the shore of the ocean. And, beholding the army all busy, the emissary of the vicious-souled Rakshasa--Ravana, entered the city of Lanka and, approaching his lord, said,--"The army of monkeys and bears hath approached Lanka. It is immeasurably deep as the ocean. And those two sons of the king Dacaratha--the brothers Rama and Lakshmana, gifted with great beauty, coming to rescue Sita, have stationed themselves on the shore of the ocean, O thou of great effulgence. The army of Rama extends over the sky and ten _yojanas_. I have come, O great king, to acquaint thee with the real truth. And, knowing everything, it behoveth thy emissaries, O king, to settle whether to render back Sita, to adopt measures of conciliation, or to sow dissensions in the enemy's camp". Hearing the words of _Sardula_, Ravana, the lord of Rakshasas, being anxious to ascertain his duty, addressed a Rakshasa by name Suka, the most sensible of his counsellors, with the following pregnant words,--"Do thou go and communicate unto king Sugriva my behest, in becoming and excellent accents. 'Thou art born of a great family and art the mighty son of the king of bears. I have no dissension with thee. In fact I consider thee as my brother, O king of monkeys. Though I have stolen the spouse of the high-souled prince (Rama), yet what is that to thee, O Sugriva? Do thou return to Kishkindha. The monkeys shall not by any means be able to attack the city of Lanka. Even the celestials and Gandharbas could not--what of these men and monkeys?'" And being thus commissioned by the lord of Rakshasas, that night-ranger assumed the shape of a bird and, bounding, speedily reached the sky. And, proceeding far over the deep and stationing himself at the welkin, he spoke unto Sugriva all the words with which he was addressed by the vicious-souled Ravana. Hearing him speak thus, the monkeys leaped up quickly and reached there with a view to chop off his wings or to slay him with their clenched fists. On being seized vehemently by all these monkeys, that night-ranger was brought down speedily from the sky to the earth. And being assailed by the monkeys, Suka said,--"O Kakutstha, it doth not behove (people) to slay an emissary. Do thou therefore prevent the monkeys. He who passing by his master's behest, giveth out his own intention, is not faithful; and he therefore deserveth to be slain". Hearing the piteous accents of Suka, Rama spake unto the monkeys, who were about to kill him, saying, "Do not kill him". And again stationing himself on the welkin, that night-ranger said,--"O Sugriva, O thou gifted with great energy, O thou of great prowess, what shall I speak unto Ravana, dreaded by all people?" Being thus addressed, that mighty king of monkeys, the bull among them, of unwearied energy, spake unto that emissary--the night-ranger, Suka, saying--"O Ravana, thou art not my friend or an object of pity. Thou art not my benefactor, nor art liked by me. Thou art Rama's enemy, and thou dost therefore deserve to be slain by him like Vali along with thy friends and relatives. I shall therefore slay thee, O king of night-rangers, together with thy sons, friends and relatives. And I shall have the whole city of Lanka reduced to ashes by my mighty force. Thou shalt not be able to escape Raghava, O Ravana, O thou who hast lost thy sense, even if thou art protected by the celestials. And thou shalt with thy brother be slain by Rama, even if thou dost fly into the sky, enter into the regions under the earth, or seek shelter of Mahadeva. I do not behold any in these three worlds--Pisacha, Rakshasa, Gandharba, or Asura, who can protect thee. Thou hast slain the monarch of vultures, who had grown decrepit through age.[50] Thou hast carried off the large-eyed Sita from the vicinity of Rama and the neighbourhood of Lakshmana; but, having captured her, thou understandest not (thy native strength). Nor dost thou understand that foremost of Raghus, high-souled, possessed of great strength, and incapable of being repressed even by the celestials,--who shall take thy life". Then spake that best of monkeys, Angada, son of Vali,--"O highly wise one, this is no emissary. This one clearly appeareth to me as a spy. He hath come to form an estimate of thy entire army. Take him. Let him not go (back) to Lanka. This is indeed what I would". Thereat, commanded by the king, the monkeys, springing up, seized (Suka) and bound him, as he burst out bewailing like one forlorn. On being sorely handled by the relentless monkeys, Suka cried unto tho high-souled Rama, son of Dacaratha,--"They by main force sever my wings, and they pierce my eyes. If I lose my life, may all the evil deeds that I have committed between the night when I was born and the night when I shall die, be thine!" Hearing this pitiful cry, Rama prevented (the monkeys); and he said unto them,--"Let go this envoy, who hath come here".

[50] The commentator has a queer and characteristic note on
_Jaravriddha--decrepit through age. One that is old, may stave off
decrepitude through some drug, while a youthful person may come by
the same in consequence of some curse.--T._