THE RAMAYANAM : (Delivered at the Shakespeare Club, Pasadena, California, January 31, 1900)-18.

Part-18.


Now, the monkey-king Vali and his younger brother Sugriva were then fighting amongst themselves for the kingdom.

The younger brother was helped by Rama, and he regained the kingdom from Vali, who had driven him away; and he, in return, promised to help Rama.

They searched the country all round, but could not find Sita.

At last Hanuman leaped by one bound from the coast of India to the island of Ceylon, and there went looking all over Lanka for Sita, but nowhere could he find her.



You see, this giant king had conquered the gods, the men, in fact the whole world; and he had collected all the beautiful women and made them his concubines.

So, Hanuman thought to himself, "Sita cannot be with them in the palace. She would rather die than be in such a place."

So Hanuman went to seek for her elsewhere.

At last, he found Sita under a tree, pale and thin, like the new moon that lies low in the horizon.

Now Hanuman took the form of a little monkey and settled on the tree, and there he witnessed how giantesses sent by Ravana came and tried to frighten Sita into submission, but she would not even listen to the name of the giant king.

Swami Vivekananda

To be continued  ....