Rama Lakshman Janaki in Exile no-watermark
1.8. THE LAND OF THE MONKEYS
Even when Sri Rama tried to take some rest, he always pined for Sita. He could not eat. Never could he sleep. Lakshmana who sadly watched his brother’s condition, tried to instill some hope and confidence in him. “Dear brother” he told Rama “Please do not loses heart. I am sure we can trace Sita and free her from Ravana.” “Then, let us not waste any more time” said Rama and soon they reached Rishyamukha was a hilly region where many Varanas* lived. Sugriva was their leader. He had the assistance and friendship of Hanuman, a valiant and highly intelligent Vanara.
Sugriva had an elder brother called Vali. Vali was the king of Kishkinda. The two brothers loved each other. Once Vali had to fight against a demon and chased him into a cave, before entering he asked Sugriva to stand guard at its entrance. Sugriva waited there patiently but since Vali did not come out for many days, he was worried. To add to his worry, he heard the demon roar and also saw blood flow out of the cave. So, he thought that Vali was dead, closed the cave with a huge rock and returned to Kishkinda. Since the kingdom was without a king, people crowned Sugriva as the king. One day all of a sudden Vali returned. When he came to know that Sugriva had become the king, he was very angry. He banished Sugriva from the kingdom and even kept back Sugriva’s wife for himself.
Sugriva took shelter in Rishyamukha as Vali could not enter the area because of a curse. When Rama and Lakshmana reached Rishyamuka, Sugriva at first thought that they had come on behalf of Vali to kill him. So, he sent Hanuman to find out who they were. Hanuman introduced himself to Rama and told him about Sugriva. In turn, Lakshmana told him about them and said “O Vanara! A rakshasa called Ravana has abducted my sister-in-law. We do not where he lives. We are here to ask for Sugriva’s help to know more about Ravana. We are not here to kill Sugriva.” Satisfied with this reply, Hanuman carried Rama and Lakshmana on his shoulders and with a powerful hop, reached the peak where Sugriva lived. Sugriva, on hearing about Rama’s plight, embraced him warmly and told him “Rama, I will help you in your search for Sita. Wherever she is, we will find here. Oh Yes! Now I remember. A few days back, we saw a woman being abducted by a Rakshasa. And we heard her cry “Rama! Lakshmana! Please save me.” She then threw down some of her ornaments tied in a piece of cloth. I will fetch these for you. Please see whether they belong to Mother Sita.” So, saying Sugriva asked one of the Vanaras to fetch the ornaments.