||Sri Ram Jeyram Jay Jay Ram ||

 

Chapter – 2 - Kishkindha Kandam

 Rama meets Sugriva/ Rama describes the characteristics of an ideal friendship 

Sugriva who immediately understood that he attained fruitfulness of life in the presence of supreme Lord Rama, he prostrated before the Prabhu.  Raghunatha and Lakshmana embraced Sugrivah, watching them Vanaramukhya thought “Will they keep friendship with me?” Hanuman described the current situations of both the parties and convinced them that their friendship would be most beneficial to both. They promised to remain as companion forever, before the pile of fire, in this way they have entered in a mutual agreement.  Lakshmana described all that happened to Rama in the woods to Sugrivah who shed tears of grief and spoke “Oh! Natha, do not worry, we will find out Devi Maithili.   Once, I was sitting on the hilltop and was  desperately having a discussion with my ministers, I saw helpless Devi Sita was taken away in a celestial vehicle through the skyway, she was shrieking out ‘Rama Rama’, and dropped a piece of cloth, that we have kept it safely.” Sugriva handed that piece of clothing to Rama was kept close to his heart and wept bitterly. Sugriva spoke “Oh! Raghuveera kindly leaves all your worries, I will do all the arrangements to locate Devi Sita.” Prabhu who symbolizes prowess was highly pleased to listen to his companion and enquired “Oh! Sugriva, why did you live in the woods? What was the reason for it?”

 

Sugriva spoke “Oh! Prabho, Bali and I are brothers, we were inseparable from each other, and we had great affection for each other.  Oh! Prabho, once, it was during the dark hours of night the demon Maya visited the Kingdom of Kishkindha and called out Bali for a battle with him. Bali could not control his rage, came out of the palace to fight against Maya, but he began to run away after seeing the might of Bali. I followed my brother, Maya rushed to a cave in the huge mountain and hid in it, Bali instructed me “I will be going inside to get caught of Maya, wait for me for fifteen days, if I did not return during that period of time, and consider I have met death, after that, you can leave this place.” Oh! Kharashathro, I have waited for a month for the return of my brother Bali. I have noticed a stream of blood from the mouth of the cave, I have assumed that my brother must have met death in the hands of Maya, and I will be his next prey, so I have closed the mouth of the cave with a huge rock and returned to Kishkindha. The ministers advised me to take up the regime, in the absence of the King. In the meantime, Bali who killed the demon Maya and returned to Kishkindha and found me seated on his throne, could not control his rage, he fought against me, treated me as his enemy, he took away all my possessions and even my wife. Oh! Raghuveera, Oh! Kripalu, after that incident I have been wandering all over the woods miserably.  Eventually, I took shelter in Mount Rishyamooka, Bali cannot enter into the woods of Rishyamooka due to a curse, even though I am living in extreme anxiousness and fear of him.” Rama could not control his anger listening to the pathetic story of Sugriva.

 

Rama spoke “Oh! Sugriva, listen to me, I am capable to kill Bali with a single shot of arrow, even if he takes shelter at the feet of Lord Bhrama or Lord Maheshwara, he could not save his life. Oh! Sugriva, I shall narrate the characteristics of an ideal friendship described in Veda, it is sinful to see a person who is not feeling sad for his friend’s struggle and miseries. 1) A good friend always consider his own troubles as equivalent to sand, and worries about his friend’s trouble as Mount Meru, if not, it is not a great friendship at all, it is for the namesake only 2) A good friend always guide his/her friend through good and righteous path 3) A good friend will not leave his/her friend in troubles or lead  in immoral ways 4) A good friend always appreciate the goodness in his friend, and ignore his/her mistakes 5) Good friends never argues on the things exchanges  in their lives 6) A good friend always loves his/her friend dearly during the hours of crisis, and remains most promising always. 7) The person who talks pleasantly before the face, but work against the wellness of everyone should be avoided 8) the person who keeps secrets within them, and watchful like the serpents and deceitful is not deserved to keep as a friend, should be abandoned. The dull-minded servant, King who does not like to spend, wicked wife, unfaithful Friends are like spears, they create miseries in life. Oh! Dear friend, do not worry or grieve over anything, I will do the necessary to remove your enemy.”