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SETUBANDHA 47, 48. While Rāma's heart is full of sorrow, and afflicted with delusion, and is like the moon, the mainstay of the night, when obscured by clouds; like a lotus that is blasted by frost, and sheds its pollen; like a withered flower turned over by the bees,-let the people not bewail the lot of Sitā, suffering like a day lotus plant wilted by the cold-rayed moon! While Rāma's heart, pining with love, is distraught with grief, what craving can one have for one's fading life?
49, 50. 'Abashed to hear the achievement of our task being praised by our retainers,35 when shall we see our dear wives that have discarded their ornaments, being only adorned with the langour caused by their separation from us; with their cheeks thrilling in contact with their long tresses waving in the wake of their sighs; and their creeper-like arms, stripped of the loose bangles, drooping on their ample hips?
51, 52. When the host of apes, thus addressed by Sugriva, did not stir, being weighed down with anxieties, and looked like a herd of elephants sinking in mire, and wearied with the efforts to pull them out; the lord of the apes, unable to tolerate the enemy's prowess, spoke again as he laughed; his mouth resembling a mountain cave enveloped in the flames of a forest fire, 36 shooting up with a clear sound.
53. "What confidence can others, too, have in their followers, when their efficiency is unreliable in this wise? Then there is Rāvana to reckon with; and this my arm stands as his adversary!37
54. 'Let the army of apes cross over to Lankā even before the sea, smitten with the palm of my hand, and parting asunder, with the waters rolling away on both sides, hath the time to return!
55. 'I will carry the army as I laugh a hundred leagues38 (across the ocean) on my arms, with the shoulders unbent39 under
35. i.e., when they return home after winning the war. 36. The red interior of the mouth is likened to fire.
37. Sugrīva implies that Rāvana's followers might be as unreliable as his own, and in that case they would have to engage in single combat • 38. Yojanas,
39. Lit. clearly visible.
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| SR No. | 001384 |
| Book Title | Setubandha |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Krishnakant Handiqui |
| Publisher | Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad |
| Publication Year | 1976 |
| Total Pages | 812 |
| Language | English, Sanskrit |
| Classification | Book_English & Literature |
| File Size | 14 MB |