that worshipful lady while alone, I said, ’I am, O Sita, an emissary of Rama and monkey begotten by Pavana![93] Desirous of having a sight of thee, hither have I come travelling through the skies!  Protected by Sugriva, that monarch of all the monkeys, the royal brothers Rama and Lakshmana are in peace!  And Rama, O lady, with Sumitra’s son, hath enquired of thy welfare!  And Sugriva also, on account of his friendship (with Rama and Lakshmana) enquireth of thy welfare.  Followed by all the monkeys, thy husband will soon be here.  Confide in me, O adorable lady, I am a monkey and not a Rakshasa!’ Thus addressed by me, Sita seemed to meditate for a moment and then replied to me, saying, ’From the words of Avindhya I know that thou art Hanuman!  O mighty-armed one, Avindhya is an old and respected Rakshasa!  He told me that Sugriva is surrounded by counsellors like thee.  Thou mayst depart now!’ And with these words she gave me this jewel as a credential.  And, indeed, it was by means of this jewel that the faultless Sita had been able to support her existence.  And the daughter of Janaka further told me as a token from her, that by thee, O tiger among men, a blade of grass (inspired with Mantras and thus converted into a fatal weapon) had once been shot at a crow while ye were on the breast of the mighty hill known by the name of Chitrakuta!  And this she said as evidence of my having met her and hers being really the princess of Videha.  I then caused myself to be seized by Ravana’s soldiers, and then set fire to the city of Lanka!’”

SECTION CCLXXXI

“Markandeya said, ’It was on the breast of that very hill where Rama was seated with those foremost of monkeys that great monkey chiefs at the command of Sugriva, began to flock together.  The father-in-law of Vali, the illustrious Sushena, accompanied by a thousand crores of active apes, came to Rama.  And those two foremost of monkeys endued with mighty energy, viz., Gaya and Gavakshya, each accompanied by a hundred crores of monkeys, showed themselves there.  And, O king, Gavakshya also of terrible mien and endued with a bovine tail, showed himself there, having collected sixty thousand crores of monkeys.  And the renowned Gandhamadana, dwelling on the mountains of the same name, collected a hundred thousand crores of monkeys.  And the intelligent and mighty monkey known by the name of Panasa mustered together fifty-two crores of monkeys.[94] And that foremost and illustrious of monkeys named Dadhimukha of mighty energy mustered a large army of monkeys possessed of terrible prowess.  And Jamvuvan showed himself there with a hundred thousand crores of black bears of terrible deeds and faces having the Tilaka mark.[95] And these and many other chiefs of monkey-chiefs, countless in number, O king, came there for aiding Rama’s cause.  And endued with bodies huge as mountain-peaks and roaring like lions, loud was the uproar that was heard there made