RAMAYANA

BOOK IV

RAMA-BHARATA-SAMBADA
(The Meeting of the Princes)
Summary

From his perch on a mountaintop, Sugrivasees the approach of Rama and Lakshmana. He is

terrified that they are warriors sent by his brother Vali to kill him, but his advisor Hanuman reassures him
and goes down to ascertain the identity of the two men.

Appearing before Rama and Lakshmana as a brahmana (a member of the priestly class),
Hanuman inquires why they have come to this isolated place. The brothers explain the story of their exile
from Ayodhya and Sita's abduction. Hanuman tells them that his king was also exiled and his wife
abducted.

Hanuman takes the brothers to Sugriva, who explains his miserable exile at the hands of his
duplicitous brother Vali; though the mountain of Rishyamooka is safe from Vali due to a rishi's curse,
Sugriva still fears that his brother will find a way to kill him. The human princes and the monkeys swear
their eternal friendship over a sacred fire. Sugriva proclaims that fate has caused their paths to cross, and
brings out the bundle of ornaments that Sita dropped in the forest when Ravanakidnapped her; Rama
weeps and thanks him for this sign, vowing to kill Vali and restore Sugriva to his throne and his wife.

Sugriva explains the cause of his estrangement from his brother. Once, his brother fought with an
Asura and the two disappeared into a cave. Sugriva heard agonized screams from his brother and saw
blood leaking out of the cave. Certain that Vali is dead and that the Asura is looking for a new victim,
Sugriva rolls a stone in front of the cave's mouth and performs funeral rites for his brother. The ministers
crown him king in his brother's absence, and he rules justly.

That is, until Vali's unexpected return. Vali believes that his brother betrayed him and attempted
to trap him in the cave when he was still weak from his battle with the Asura. He dethrones Sugriva and
attempts to kill him, but Sugriva escapes to the mountain sanctuary of Rishyamooka.

Rama and Sugriva go forth to take back the monkey kingdom of Kishkinda. Sugriva engages in
hand-to-hand combat with his brother, expecting Rama to shoot Vali with an arrow; however, the two
look so similar that Rama is unable to tell them apart, and Sugriva is forced to retreat. He angrily berates
Rama, who calmly explains the situation to him. The two return to Kishkinda, and Sugriva and Vali fight
each other once more. Just as it looks as though Sugriva will lose, Rama sends an arrow through Vali's
heart.

With his dying breath, Vali asks why the noble Rama has engaged in such a duplicitous act; he
killed another living being in a sneaky and unfair manner, and moreover, he murdered Vali despite the
fact that the monkey king had done him no wrong. Vali tells Rama that he understands his vow to
Sugriva, but Vali would have been happy to help Rama find his lost wife and he would have done so even
more quickly than Sugriva. Vali asks Rama to make sure that his son Angada is well cared-for. Rama
replies that he has performed this action out of dharma, and he holds Vali as he dies.

Sugriva assumes the throne. The four-month rainy season has arrived which makes it is
impossible to travel, so Rama and Lakshmana take shelter in a cave. They plan to go in search of Sita
with Sugriva's help after the rains end, but fairer weather finds Sugriva holed up in his harem, focusing
more on drinking and women than on justness and ruling. Hanuman reminds Sugriva of his duty to Rama
and Lakshmana, and Sugriva sends out a summons for all vanaras to return to the kingdom to launch the
search for Sita. Still, the monkey king continues to lounge around rather than assisting Rama and
Lakshmana.

Rama grieves terribly for his lost wife, and finally Lakshmana goes to confront Sugriva about his
broken promise. Lakshmana's terrifying appearance startles Sugriva out of his drunkenness, and he
assembles four different search parties to find Sita, sending one out in each direction. Sugriva at last
proves to be a valuable ally; he has a strong understanding of the lay of the land due to his long
wanderings.

A party including Hanuman and the crown prince Angada (son of Vali) heads towards the south,
where they encounter many strange sights, such as vicious rakshasas and magical cities. At last they find
themselves on the seashore; still, there is no sign of Sita. Suddenly the eagle Sampati, brother of Jatayu,
appears. Though he is old and has singed wings (he flew too close to the sun when he was young), he has
sharp eyesight. Hanuman asks him to look for Sita, and Sampati peers over the ocean - and sees Sita
crying in a garden! But this island is hundreds of miles away; the monkeys debate how they will
get there. Jambavan the king of the bears reminds Hanuman of his parentage: his father is the god of the
wind. Hanuman doubts himself, but Jambavan urges him to remember who he truly is. With renewed
faith in himself, Hanuman grows extremely tall, and after launching himself from nearby mountains, he
flies through the air to the island of Lanka, where Ravana is keeping Sita prisoner.