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The fourth sopan of the Ramcharitmanas, the fourth step down into the lake, opens on a salute to Ganesha. Then come a prayer to two brothers walking a road in search of Sita, and a blessing on those who drink the nectar of Rama’s name. A question about Kashi follows, and a word to a dull mind. After that Rama goes on ahead, and the mountain Rishyamuka comes near. Sugriva lives there with his ministers. Seeing two men coming, he is very afraid. He tells Hanuman to go to them in a young brahmin student’s form and, knowing them in his heart, to tell him by signs.
Hanuman asks the two who they are, and the answer comes with a father’s word and a woman carried off. He knows Rama, and Parvati is told of the joy. He pleads, and Rama answers with the word on the servant. He takes the two on his back and, with fire as witness, joins their love. Lakshmana tells of Rama’s deeds. Sugriva speaks of a woman on the sky’s road and the cloth she let fall. Rama asks why his friend lives in the forest. Sugriva tells of two brothers, a cave, a rock, and a curse. Then comes Rama’s word of one arrow.
Two travelers, and the monkeys of the hill
The main figures in this episode
- Rama the son of Dasharatha, who comes near Rishyamuka with his younger brother. He tells a brahmin who he is and asks for the brahmin’s own story. He raises Hanuman and holds him to his breast, and speaks the word on the servant who has no other refuge. He embraces Sugriva, holds a fallen cloth to his breast, asks why Sugriva lives in the forest, and vows to kill Vali with one arrow.
- Lakshmana the younger brother who walks with Rama. Rama names him in the answer to the brahmin, and he embraces Sugriva with Rama. He tells Sugriva of all Rama’s deeds.
- Hanuman the one Sugriva tells to see the two men in a young brahmin student’s form. He goes in a brahmin’s form, asks who they are, knows Rama, and falls at his feet. He praises him, pleads for the servant, and reveals his own body. He speaks for Sugriva, takes the two on his back, tells both sides, and gives fire as witness.
- Sugriva Vali’s brother, who lives on the hill with his ministers. He is very afraid at the sight of two men coming, and ready to flee if Vali has sent them. He counts his birth blessed when he sees Rama. In his mind he thinks, “Creator, will they love me?” Joined to Rama in friendship, he gives him the cloth a woman let fall from the sky. He tells Rama to give up grief and bring patience to his mind, and tells his own story.
- Vali Sugriva’s brother, spoken of by Sugriva. He ran out after Mayavi, who went into a cave. He told Sugriva to wait a fortnight, killed Mayavi, and came home. Seeing Sugriva, he increased the breach in his heart, beat him as an enemy, and took from him all he had and his wife. A curse keeps him from the hill.
- Mayavi the son of Maya, who came to the town of Vali and Sugriva and called out at the gate at midnight. He fled from Vali into a cave in a great mountain, and Vali killed him.
- Parvati the one who is told, at the moment Hanuman knows Rama, that the joy cannot be told. The opening question about Kashi names it as the place where Shiva and she dwell.
The opening invocation of the fourth sopan
The fourth sopan begins with a salute to Ganesha and a hail of victory to Rama. Then the poet prays to two brothers who walk the road in search of Sita. He prays, “May those two be givers of bhakti to us.” The commentary names the two as Rama and Lakshmana.
Then comes a blessing. Blessed are the virtuous who drink without ceasing the nectar of Rama’s name.
Knowing it as the birthplace of release, the mine of knowledge, and the destroyer of sin, why should one not serve Kashi, where Shiva and Parvati dwell?
The mind is told, “The one who drank the dreadful poison that was burning all the hosts of gods, do you not worship him, dull mind? Who is as merciful as Shiva?”
Near Rishyamuka, and the fear on the hill
Rama went on ahead once more, and the mountain Rishyamuka came near. There Sugriva lived with his ministers. Seeing the two coming, he spoke, very afraid.
“Listen, Hanuman. These two men are treasuries of strength and form. Taking the form of a young brahmin student and going there, see them. Tell me, knowing them in your heart and making it plain by signs. If they are sent by Vali, foul of mind, I will flee at once and leave this hill.”
Taking a brahmin’s form, Hanuman went there. Bowing his head, he began to ask in this way.
A brahmin’s questions
“Who are you, dark and fair of body, roaming the forest in a kshatriya’s form, heroes? Walking the hard ground on soft feet, for what reason do you wander the forest, masters? Your limbs are soft, enchanting, and beautiful, and you bear the forest’s unbearable sun and wind. Are you one of the three gods? Or are the two of you Nara and Narayana? Or are you the lord of all the worlds, who has taken a human avatar?”
The commentary names the three gods as Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
The answer, and the knowing
In the commentary’s reading Rama answered. “We are the sons of Dasharatha, lord of Kosala, come to the forest keeping our father’s word. We are Rama and Lakshmana by name, two brothers, and with us a tender, handsome woman. Here a night-walker carried off Sita. Brahmin, we wander searching for her. We have told of our own deeds. Tell, brahmin, your own story plainly.”
Knowing Rama, Hanuman fell, clasping his feet. That joy, Shiva tells Parvati, cannot be told. His body thrilled. No word came from his mouth as he gazed at the fashion of the bright dress.
Then, taking courage, he praised him, glad in his heart, recognizing his own master.
He said, “It was fair that I asked, master. How do you ask, like a man? Under your maya I wander, deluded. That is why I did not know you. For one, I am dull, under delusion, crooked of heart, and ignorant. Then you forgot me, Rama.”
Twice as dear as Lakshmana
Hanuman went on. “Though, master, I have many faults, let a servant not be forgotten by his master. Master, the living being is deluded by your maya. It is saved by your affection alone. And on that, Rama, I swear by you that I know no way of worship at all. A servant rests easy trusting his master, and a son his mother. Providing for him falls to the master.”
So saying, he fell at his feet in distress, revealing his own body. Love filled Hanuman’s breast. Then Rama raised him and held him to his breast. Sprinkling him with the water of his own eyes, he cooled him.
Rama said, “Listen, monkey. Do not feel small in your heart. You are twice as dear to me as Lakshmana. Everyone calls me even-eyed. The servant is dear to me. He has no other refuge. The one with no other, Hanuman, is he in whom such a wit does not waver: ‘I am the servant. All things moving and unmoving are the form of the master, the Lord.’”
The commentary reads even-eyed as having no one dear and no one disliked.
With fire as witness
Seeing his master kind, Hanuman was glad at heart, and all his pain was gone. He said, “Master, on the hill lives the monkey king, Sugriva. He is your servant. With him, master, make friendship. Knowing him humble, make him fearless. He will have Sita searched for, and he will send tens of millions of monkeys everywhere.”
Having explained the whole story in this way, he took the two on his back. When Sugriva saw Rama, he counted his birth most blessed. He met him with respect, bowing his head at his feet. Rama, with his younger brother, embraced him. Sugriva thought in his mind in this way: “Creator, will they love me?”
Then Hanuman, telling the whole story of both sides and giving fire as witness, joined their love, making it firm.
The commentary reads it as a friendship made by vow, with fire as witness.
The cloth that fell from the sky
They loved each other and kept nothing at all between them. Lakshmana told of all Rama’s deeds. Sugriva said, with eyes full of tears, “Sita will be found, master. One day I sat here with my ministers, thinking. I saw a woman going along the sky’s road, in another’s power, lamenting much. Crying ‘Rama, Rama, ah, Rama,’ and seeing us, she let a cloth fall.”
Rama asked for it, and Sugriva gave it at once. Holding the cloth to his breast, Rama grieved greatly.
Sugriva said, “Listen, Rama. Give up grief, and bring patience to your mind. I will do service in every way, by whatever means Sita comes and is found.”
Hearing his friend’s words, Rama was glad. He asked, “For what reason do you live in the forest? Tell me, Sugriva.”
Two brothers, a cave, and a rock
Sugriva said, “Master, Vali and I are two brothers. There was a love between us beyond all telling. Maya’s son, Mayavi by name, came to our town, Lord. At midnight he called out at the town gate. Vali could not bear the foe’s strength. He ran out, and seeing him, the other fled. Then I went, following my brother.”
“He went into a cave in a great mountain. Then Vali told me plainly, ‘Wait for me a fortnight. If I do not come, know that I am killed.’ I stayed there a month, Rama. A heavy stream of blood came out there. He had killed Vali and would come and kill me. Setting a rock there, I fled.”
“The ministers saw the town without a master and gave me the kingdom by force. Having killed him, Vali came home. Seeing me, he increased the breach in his heart. He beat me very hard, as an enemy. He took everything I had, and my wife. In fear of him, Rama, I wandered all the worlds in distress. Under a curse he does not come here. Even so, I stay afraid in my mind.”
The commentary reads “he had killed Vali” as what Sugriva took to be so.
As Rama heard his servant’s grief, his two arms throbbed.
One arrow
Rama said, “Listen, Sugriva. I will kill Vali with one arrow. If he goes for refuge to Brahma and Rudra, his life will not be spared.”
Hanuman, the friendship, and one arrow
The sopan opened on its salute, a prayer, a blessing, a question about Kashi, and a word to the mind. Rama came near Rishyamuka with his younger brother. Sugriva, afraid on the hill, told Hanuman to see who the two were. Hanuman put his questions as a brahmin. Rama answered as Dasharatha’s son and asked for the brahmin’s own story. Hanuman knew him and fell at his feet, and Parvati is told that the joy cannot be told. He praised him and owned his dullness. He pleaded that a servant not be forgotten, and swore that he knew no way of worship. Rama raised him, held him, cooled him with the water of his eyes, and called him twice as dear as Lakshmana. Hanuman spoke for Sugriva, took both on his back, told both sides, and gave fire as witness. Lakshmana told of Rama’s deeds, and Sugriva gave the cloth a woman had let fall from the sky. Rama held it to his breast and asked why Sugriva lived in the forest. Sugriva told of Mayavi, the cave, the fortnight and the month, the blood, the rock, the kingdom given by force, the beating, and the curse. Rama’s arms throbbed, and he gave his word of one arrow.
The next episode opens on Rama going on: “Those who are not pained by a friend’s pain, at the sight of them there is heavy sin.”
The same story, elsewhere: Valmiki’s Ramayana, chapter 15: The Meeting of Hanuman and Rama, and the Pact with Sugriva.
Source: the Gita Press edition of Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas, Kishkindhakand, the opening shlokas and sorthas, and doha 1 to 6, read with Hanuman Prasad Poddar’s Hindi commentary.