Rāmāyana | Yuddha Kaṇḍa | Chapter 39
39. Rāma Surveys Lanka
[Rāma along with the army chiefs had a good idea of Lanka. Some monkeys do go near the city. Rāma is surprised at the great opulence of the city.]
All the monkey chiefs spent their night on the top of the mountain and those valorous ones saw many parks and gardens in Lanka. 39.1
Seeing those prettily levelled and very broad gardens which were very pretty to look at, all of them became surprised. 39.2
Thick with Champaka, Ashoka, Vakula, Sala and palmyra trees, covered with groves of Tamala and Panasa trees, surrounded with rows of Nagakesara trees, Lanka looked splendid on all sides like the city of Amarāvati reigned by Indra the god of devas, with green lawns and variegated avenues and with beautiful trees of various kinds like Hintala, Arjuna, Nipa Saptaparna in full flowering, Tilaka, Karṇikāra and Patal whose crests were laden with flowers and which were intertwined with climbers laden with multi-coloured flowers and red tender leaves. 39.3-39.6
Those trees were full of scented and greatly wonderful flowers as well as fruits just like human beings have lot of ornaments. 39.7
That pretty garden resembling Chithratha, the garden of Kubera was greatly charming like Nandana the garden of Devendra. 39.8
In that garden filled with small waterfalls, the music of small cranes and sound of dancing peacocks and singing of cuckoos was heard. 39.9
Then, those joyful monkeys, brave and assuming any shape at will, entered the aforesaid groves and gardens, with birds always excited with joy, with wandering bees, with clusters of trees occupied by cuckoos, having peculiar sounds of birds and song of the large bees, abounding with sounds of kura birds with the music of wagtails and cries of cranes. 39.10-39.12
When those mighty and splendid monkeys entered there, scented breeze which had touched several flowers blew across the garden. 39.13
Some of the monkey warriors left their battalions with the permission of Lord Sugrīva went towards Lanka decorated by flags. 39.14
Those monkeys expert in making loud noise frightened several birds and displeased elephants and other animals made the city of Lanka tremble. 39.15
They all walked with great speed trampling the earth by their feet and raised dust by their feet, which went up immediately. 39.16
Frightened by that sound, bears lions buffaloes elephants, deer and birds trembled and got terrified and hastened towards all the ten different directions. 39.17
The solitary peak of Trikūṭa mountain, which was so high and appeared as if it was touching the sky and was all over covered with flowers resembling gold and spread to an extent of ten Yojanas; bright was charming to look at, pretty, glorious, majestic, inaccessible even to the birds, and was hard to be ascended by people even by the mind and how much more difficult by the act of walking? 39.18- 39.19
The city of Lanka which was ten Yojanas broad and twenty yojanas long was located on the top of that mountain. 39.20
The towers of the town on the top of the mountain looked like white clouds on the sky and had ramparts made of gold and silver. 39.21
That Lanka was greatly decorated by palaces and towers and looked like the sky with clouds at the end of summer and resembled the land of Vishnu between earth and sky. 39.22
A palace, duly graced with a thousand pillars, which looked like a peak of Mount Kailāśa was there in the City of Lanka, which was always protected by a complete army of Rākṣasas. The palace seemed to be scraping the skies and was seen as an ornament to the City of Rāvaṇa. 39.23-39.24
The glorious Rāma the elder brother of Lakṣmaṇa along with monkeys saw that charming golden city of Rāvaṇa, graced with mountains picturesque with various minerals, splendid with gardens re-echoing with songs of birds of every kind, frequented by varieties of deer, richly endowed with various kinds of flowers, inhabited by Rākṣasas of every degree and duly flourishing, having increased its wealth. 39.25-39.27
The elder brother Of Lakṣmaṇa seeing that city completely occupied by palaces and which looked like heaven was greatly surprised. 39.28
Rāma with his great army saw that City, full of precious gems, having all kinds of facilities, adorned with rows of mansions, having excellent doors with huge mechanical appliances and with a large armed forces protecting the City. 39.29
This is the end of Thirty Ninth Sarga of Yuddha Kanda which occurs in Holy Rāmāyaṇa composed by Vālmīki as the First Epic.