311. Enter Garuda, the Savior.

          Sugreeva on hearing the hustle of movements, inquired the reason for the same. Angada told him that the reason seemed to be that they had heard only just now that  Rama and Lakshmana were lying covered with  blood in a bed of arrows.

        Sugreeva  shaking his head told Angada "No. I feel that there is some other cause for their bewilderment. They seem to be scared. Your see, they are running away helter-skelter in all directions. They are not looking behind. They are jostling each other and leaping over those who have fallen."

      Sugreeva then noticed Vibhishana and correctly guessed the reason. He told Jambavan "It is Vibhishana who has come here. On seeing him, the vanaras thought him to be Indrajit and panicked. You reassemble them immediately, and inform them that it is Vibhishana who has come!"
         Jambavan the king of Bears promptly and efficiently executed the command of Sugreeva. Realizing the fact and ashamed for their hasty erroneous conclusion those vanaras retraced their steps, shaking off their fear.

        Sugreeva told Sushena, his father-in-law, who was on his side "Taking these two brothers, Rama and Lakshmana as well as  the troops of vanaras who are pretty strong, go to Kishkindha and stay put there till they recover their consciousness. As for me, I shall slay Ravana with his son and his relatives and bring back Seetha."
        Sushena replied Sugreeva "I have witnessed a great war between devas and asuras. Just like this Intrajit, the asuras becoming invisible overcame the devas despite their skill in wielding arms. To those devas who were wounded, unconscious and almost dead, Brihaspati treated them by the aid of certain herbs accompanied by his spells of sacred formulas. Let the vanaras Sampati, Panasa and others go  to the ocean of milk and bring those herbs.

     "These vanras are conversant with those efficacious mountainous divine herbs Sanjivakarani and Vishalya. In the bosom of the milky ocean, there are the mountains called Chandra and Drona, where the ambrosia was formerly churned. These two excellent herbs exist there. The devas placed those two mountain in the vast sea......"

           Before he could conclude what he wanted to say, they heard a loud buzzing noise accompanied by a great wind and massed clouds and lightning, whipping up the salty waves in the ocean, causing the mountains to tremble as from an earthquake. Large trees on the sand-banks had their branches broken and fell headlong into the briny waters of the ocean. All snakes became frightened. The snakes inhabiting there and all the marine animals plunged quickly into the briny ocean.

             While the vanaras were wondering the cause of these phenomena, a mighty eagle was seen by them. It was recognized by the older vanaras as Garuda, the son of Vinata. On beholding Garuda, the eagle, the serpents binding Rama and Lakshmana in the form of mighty arrows, fled away. Thereupon, Garuda the eagle, approached Rama and Lakshmana and offered them his good wishes, with his hands fondly caressing their faces that were radiant like the moon.

         That touch by Garuda the eagle, all the wounds on the bodies of Rama and his bro were immediately healed like magic. Their bodies soon became smooth and well-rounded. Their luster, valour, strength, endurance and resolution, their perspicacity, intelligence and memory were redoubled.

        Lifting them up both, the highly majestic Garuda embraced them. Rama asked him "Now, by your grace, we both have overcome a great disaster created by Indrajit. Now we have been made strong as before. Nay, we feel we have become more strong than before. By meeting you thus, my heart is swelled with happiness in the same manner when I was meeting Dasharatha, my father or Aja, my paternal grandfather. Who are you, the one endowed with beauty, having blissful garlands and anointment, wearing clean garments and adorned with divine ornaments?"

         The highly majestic and the mighty Garuda, the eagle, the King of Birds, with his eyes widened in gladness and with a pleased heart, replied Rama "O, Rama! I am your dearest friend Garuda , dear as your own breath moving outside. I came here to help you, both. The most valiant asuras or the exceedingly strong vanaras or the suras together with gandharvas, at the instance of Devendra, were unable to untie this awfully terrific entanglement of arrows created through his power of sorcery by Indrajit.
        "These arrows are actually serpents and the sons of Kadru. With their sharp fangs, abundantly filled with poison, transformed into arrows, by the dint of sorcery by Indrajit. You and your brother Lakshmana are blessed. Hearing about this incident, I started at once. You have been released from this quite terrific shackle of arrows. Both of you should maintain vigilance, all the time, in future.

        "All the rakshashas  are inherently  treacherous fighters in battle. For you, your warriors, pure-mindedness and straight forwardness are the strength. What Indrajit has done, exemplifies how the rakshashas are always crooked-minded. For this reason, you should not trust the rakshashas."

       Garuda then told "O, Rama, now I am pushing off. Don't waste your time trying to find out who I am and how I am one of your dear friends. Now concentrate on destroying Ravan and his cronies and rescuing Seetha. Then you will come know of why and how about me. Pip-pip, toodle-oo."

                  Garuda then took off and vanished like a super-supersonic aircraft. Seeing Rama and Lakshmana were completely and absolutely healed of their wounds, the chiefs of vanaras howled like roars of lions and lashed their tails.

         Thereupon, gongs were beaten, drums resounded, and conches blown amid jumping in joy of the vanaras as before. Some of the strong vanaras who used trees as maces in battle, were waving their arms and uprooting hundreds and thousands of various trees, stood there, ready for the battle. Uttering great noises, frightening the rakshashas and eager to fight, the vanaras reached the gates of Lanka.

       On reaching the gates, all the vanaras made such a highly terrible and tumultuous battle cry in the mid-night which sounded like the rolling thunder at the end of summer .

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