The verse and its meaning · Sundarkand · Sundarkand — Hanuman Crosses to Lanka

Shadow Demon and Golden Lanka

Sundarkand 3

निसिचरि एक सिन्धु मह रहई। करि माया नभ के खग गहई । जीव-जन्तु जे गगन उड़ाहीं । जल बिलोकि तिन्ह कै परिछाहीं॥१ । गहइ छाँह सक सो न उड़ाई। एहि बिधि सदा गगन-चर खाई । सोइ छल हनूमान कहँ कीन्हा । तासु कपट कपि तुरतहि चीन्हा ॥२ । ताहि मारि मारुत-सुत बीरा । बारिधि पार गयउ मतिधीरा । तहाँ जाइ देखी बन सोभा। गुञ्जत चञ्चरीक मधु लोभा ॥३ । नाना तरु फल फूल सुहाये । खग मृग बृन्द देखि मन भाये । सैल बिसाल देखि एक आगे। ता पर धाइ चढ़ेउ भय त्यागे ॥४ । उमा न कछु कपि कै अधिकाई । प्रभु प्रताप जो कालहि खाई । गिरि पर चढ़ि लङ्का तेहि देखी । कहि न जाइ अति दुर्ग बिसेखी ॥५ । अति उतङ्ग जलनिधि चहुँ पासा । कनक-कोट कर परम प्रकासा ॥६ । कनक-कोट बिचित्र मनि-कृत, सुन्दरायतना घना । चउहट्ट हट्ट सुबट्ट बीथी, चारु पुर बहु विधि बना । गज बाजि खच्चर निकर पदचर, रथ बरूथन्हि को गनै । बहु रूप निसिचर जूथ अतिबल, सेन बरनत नहिँ बनै ॥१ । बन बाग उपबन बाटिका सर, कूप बापी सोहहीं । नर-नाग-सुर-गन्धर्व कन्या, रूप मुनि मन मोहहीं । कहुँ माल देह बिसाल सैल समान अतिबल गर्जहीं । नाना अखारेन्ह भिरहिँ बहु बिधि, एक एकन्ह तर्जहीं ॥२ । करि जतन भट कोटिन्ह बिकट तन, नगर चहुँ दिसि रच्छहीं । कहुँ महिष मानुष धेनु खर अज, खल निसाचर अच्छहीं । एहि लागि तुलसीदास इन्ह की, कथा कछुयक है कही । रघुबीर सर तीरथ सरीरन्हि, त्यागि गति पइहैं सही ॥३ । पुर रखवारे देखि बहु, कपि मन कीन्ह बिचार । अति लघु रूप धरउँ निसि, नगर करउँ पइसार ॥३

Meaning · English

A sea-dwelling night-roamer snares flying creatures by their shadows; Hanuman sees the trick, kills her, crosses, climbs a mountain fearless, and beholds golden Lanka, its guards and demon hosts. Seeing the many sentries, he resolves to enter at night in a tiny form.

Three words carry this passage. Maya here is trickery, an illusion made on purpose. Chhanha is the shadow. Durga is a fortress, a place hard to enter. Tulsidas first tells of a demoness in the sea who uses maya to catch birds and sky-creatures by their shadows. Her prey cannot fly away, and she eats them. She tries the same on Hanuman, and he knows the trick at once. He kills her and lands on the far shore. He finds a forest with fruit, flowers, birds and deer, then runs up a great hill without fear. Tulsidas stops to tell Parvati, through Shiva, that none of this is Hanuman's own greatness. It is the power of the Lord, which can swallow Death itself. From the hill Lanka appears: sea on every side, a wall of gold, jeweled houses, markets, gardens, elephants, horses, chariots, wrestlers and warriors beyond counting. Tulsidas adds that those slain by Rama's arrows in that city gain the highest end, and that is why he tells of them at all. Seeing the guards, Hanuman decides to go in by night, very small. The passage teaches that his strength is borrowed from Rama, and that his skill lies in judging when to be vast and when to be small.

A paper kite flies high, and a child far below pulls it down by the string without touching it. The shadow-catcher works the same way: she holds her prey by something thin and unseen, and the bird thinks it is still flying free.

अर्थ · हिन्दी

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