Ramayana, Book IV, Canto 51: Svayamprabháकिष्किन्धाकाण्डम्

Ralph T. H. Griffith’s English verse (1870–74), beside the Sanskrit of sarga 4.51.

51Sanskrit sarga 4.51 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

इत्युक्त्वा हनुमांस्तत्र चीरकृष्णाजिनाम्बराम्।
अब्रवीत् तां महाभागां तापसीं धर्मचारिणीम्॥ १॥
इदं प्रविष्टाः सहसा बिलं तिमिरसंवृतम्।
क्षुत्पिपासापरिश्रान्ताः परिखिन्नाश्च सर्वशः॥ २॥
महद् धरण्या विवरं प्रविष्टाः स्म पिपासिताः।
इमांस्त्वेवंविधान् भावान् विविधानद्भुतोपमान्॥ ३॥
दृष्ट्वा वयं प्रव्यथिताः सम्भ्रान्ता नष्टचेतसः।
कस्यैते काञ्चना वृक्षास्तरुणादित्यसंनिभाः॥ ४॥
शुचीन्यभ्यवहाराणि मूलानि च फलानि च।
काञ्चनानि विमानानि राजतानि गृहाणि च॥ ५॥
तपनीयगवाक्षाणि मणिजालावृतानि च।
पुष्पिताः फलवन्तश्च पुण्याः सुरभिगन्धयः॥ ६॥
इमे जाम्बूनदमयाः पादपाः कस्य तेजसा।
काञ्चनानि च पद्मानि जातानि विमले जले॥ ७॥
कथं मत्स्याश्च सौवर्णा दृश्यन्ते सह कच्छपैः।
आत्मनस्त्वनुभावाद् वा कस्य चैतत्तपोबलम्॥ ८॥
अजानतां नः सर्वेषां सर्वमाख्यातुमर्हसि।
एवमुक्ता हनुमता तापसी धर्मचारिणी॥ ९॥
प्रत्युवाच हनूमन्तं सर्वभूतहिते रता।
मयो नाम महातेजा मायावी वानरर्षभ॥ १०॥
तेनेदं निर्मितं सर्वं मायया काञ्चनं वनम्।
पुरा दानवमुख्यानां विश्वकर्मा बभूव ह॥ ११॥
येनेदं काञ्चनं दिव्यं निर्मितं भवनोत्तमम्।
स तु वर्षसहस्राणि तपस्तप्त्वा महद्वने॥ १२॥
पितामहाद् वरं लेभे सर्वमौशनसं धनम्।
विधाय सर्वं बलवान् सर्वकामेश्वरस्तदा॥ १३॥
उवास सुखितः कालं कंचिदस्मिन् महावने।
तमप्सरसि हेमायां सक्तं दानवपुङ्गवम्॥ १४॥
विक्रम्यैवाशनिं गृह्य जघानेशः पुरंदरः।
इदं च ब्रह्मणा दत्तं हेमायै वनमुत्तमम्॥ १५॥
शाश्वतः कामभोगश्च गृहं चेदं हिरण्मयम्।
दुहिता मेरुसावर्णेरहं तस्याः स्वयंप्रभा॥ १६॥
इदं रक्षामि भवनं हेमाया वानरोत्तम।
मम प्रियसखी हेमा नृत्तगीतविशारदा॥ १७॥
तयादत्तवरा चास्मि रक्षामि भवनं महत्।
किं कार्यं कस्य वा हेतोः कान्ताराणि प्रपद्यथ॥ १८॥
कथं चेदं वनं दुर्गं युष्माभिरुपलक्षितम्।
शुचीन्यभ्यवहाराणि मूलानि च फलानि च।
भुक्त्वा पीत्वा च पानीयं सर्वं मे वक्तुमर्हसि॥ १९॥

English Griffith

“Assailed by thirst and hunger, dame,
Within a gloomy vault we came.
We saw the cavern opening wide,
And straight within its depths we hied.
But utterly amazed are we
At all the marvels that we see.
Whose are the golden trees that gleam
With splendour like the morning’s beam?
These cates of noblest sort? these roots?
This wondrous store of rarest fruits?
Whose are these calm and cool retreats,
These silver homes and golden seats,
And lattices of precious stones?
Who is the happy lord that owns
The golden trees, of rarest scent,
Neath loads of fruit and blossom bent?
Who, strong in holy zeal, had power
To deck the streams with richest dower,
And bade the lilies bright with gold
The glory of their blooms unfold,
Where fish in living gold below
The sheen of changing colours show?
Thine is the holy power, I ween,
That beautified the wondrous scene;
But if another’s, lady, deign
To tell us, and the whole explain.”

To him the lady of the cave
In words like these her answer gave:
“Skilled Maya framed in days of old
This magic wood of growing gold.
The chief artificer in place
Was he of all the Dánav race.
He, for his wise enchantments famed,
This glorious dwelling planned and framed
He for a thousand years endured
The sternest penance, and secured
From Brahmá of all boons the best,
The knowledge Uśanas⁷⁵² possessed.
Lord, by that boon, of all his will,
He fashioned all with perfect skill;
And, with his blissful state content,
In this vast grove a season spent.
By Indra’s jealous bolt he fell
For loving Hemá’s⁷⁵³ charms too well.
And Brahmá on that nymph bestowed
The treasures of this fair abode,
Wherein her tranquil days to spend
In happiness that ne’er may end.
Sprung of a lineage old and high,
Merusávarṇi’s⁷⁵⁴ daughter, I
Guard ever for that heavenly dame
This home, Svayamprabhá⁷⁵⁵ my name,—
For I have loved the lady long,
So skilled in arts of dance and song.
But say what cause your steps has led
The mazes of this grove to tread.
How, strangers did ye chance to spy
The wood concealed from wanderer’s eye?
Tell clearly why ye come: but first
Eat of this fruit and quench your thirst.”

Griffith’s notes (4)

Uśanas is the name of a sage mentioned in the Vedas. In the epic poems he is identified with Śukra, the regent of the planet Venus, and described as the preceptor of the Asuras or Daityas, and possessor of vast knowledge.
Hemá is one of the nymphs of Paradise.
Merusávarṇi is a general name for the last four of the fourteen Manus.
Svayamprabhá, the “self-luminous,” is according to DE GUBERNATIS the moon: “In the Svayamprabhá too, we meet with the moon as a good fairy who, from the golden palace which she reserves for her friend Hemá (the golden one:) is during a month the guide, in the vast cavern of Hanumant and his companions, who have lost their way in the search of the dawn Sítá.” This is is not quite accurate: Hanumán and his companions wander for a month in the cavern without a guide, and then Svayamprabhá leads them out.