- and crying, "Rama! Rama! O Rama!" On seeing us here, she had dropped a garment.’ When Rama asked for it, Sugriva handed him the robe at once Rama pressed it to his bosom, deeply sorrowing.

Sugriva said, ‘Listen, Raghubira; be not so distressed; take courage; I will do all I can to help you to recover Janaki.

The Almighty and All-merciful Lord rejoiced to hear his friend’s words. ‘Tell me, Sugriva,’ he said, ‘why do you dwell in the forest?’

‘Lord,’ he replied, ‘Bali and I are brothers. The deep affection that existed between us was past all telling. Once upon a time, O Lord, the son of the demon Maya, Mayavi by name, came to our city (Kishkindha).

At midnight he shouted defiance at the city gate Bali could brook no challenge from his enemy and sallied forth. But at the sight of him the demon took to fight. Now I too had accompanied my brother.

The enemy went and entered a cave in the mountain. Then Bali charged me to wait for him for a fortnight, saying, "If I come not out, conclude that I have been slain."

When I had waited there for a whole month, O slayer of Khara, there flowed out from the cave a tremendous stream of blood. I therefore concluded that the demon had slain Bali and that he would come and kill me too. So I closed the mouth of the cave with a rock and fled.