Sarga 17: Hanuman experiences the presence of ogresses hiding on the Simsupa tree.

Then the Moon shining like a bed of lilies rose stainless, ascended the clear sky and looked like a swan swimming through blue water.

The Moon shed clear lightas if with his brightness and his cool rays he wished to refresh the son of the Windgod.

Then he saw Sita whose face shone like the fullmoon. But she was as though sinking under the burden of sorrow, like a boat with heavy load sinking in water.

While Hanuman was eager to observe Sita he saw many shedemons in ugly appearance close by her. One of them was oneeyed, another with a single ear, a third had ears covering the body, yet another had pointed (spikelike) ears, one was breathing through the nose on the head, one had long thin neck, one was hairless another had hair covering like a blanket. One of them had hanging ears on the forehead, another had big hanging lips, still another had long lips hanging up to the chin. So also one had protruding knees, one stunted, one tall, another had lips extending up to her chin, yet another was longfaced and another had long knees. There was one pigmy, one tall, one was humpbacked and another a dwarf.Similarly an ugly looking one, another with gaping mouth, still another with a distorted face, one with yellow eyes and one of deformed face were seen.

Hanuman, the leader of the monkeys saw there shedemons of several distorted forms. Some were brown in colour and some black and some quarrelsome some holding spears, mallets and hammers of black iron, some with faces like boars, deer, tigers, goats and jackals feet like those of elephants, camels and horses, some had their head sunk into the trunk, others having one hand or one leg likewise some having ears like that of a donkey or a horse or a cow some with elephant ears and some with monkey ears some with big nose, without nose,with crooked nose and some without nostrils breathing through their forehead and some with the trunk of an elephant. Some with elephantfeet, with huge feet, and feet like that of cows and some with hair on their feet. There were some with huge heads and necks, some having large breasts, bellies, some with hanging breasts, and some with long nails and tongues. Similarly there were some having faces of goats, mouths of horses, camels or donkeys. They were terrifying, armed with iron crowbars and tridents. Some were wrathful, some with uneven gaping mouth, and some with smoky hair and distorted faces. They were always found drinking, smeared with flesh and blood and feeding on flesh and blood. Their appearance was horripilating. All of them were seated around the trunk of massive tree.

The illustrious Hanuman watched the blameless princess Janaki who was seated under that tree.

Shorn of lustre, unkempt hair filled with dust, she appeared like a meteor slipped and fallen on land, merits exhausted.

She was rich by her reputation for chastity but poor as she yearned to see her husband. Though devoid of all excellent ornaments, she looked adorned with love for her husband.

Besieged by the demon king, deprived of her near and dear ones, Sita was looking like a fettered female elephant separated from its herd and besieged by lions.

She appeared like a streak (crescent) of Moon covered by autumnal clouds at the close of the rainy season. She looked haggard since she was out of contact with her husband an unused lute with its strings let loose.

She deserves to be with Rama, but had fallen under the sway of shedemons. Sitting in the midst of Ashoka grove she was like a creeper without blossoms. Immersed in the ocean of sorrow the noble lady was like the star Rohini surrounded by unpropitious planets.

Even though she was daubed with dirt, and had no ornaments on her, she looked bright like a lotus fibre smeared with mud.

Hanuman saw the fawneyed lady clad in crushed and soiled clothes with a pathetic face. She felt no dejection when she thought of her husband's prowess. The blackeyed beauty was protected by her own chastity.

Seeing the fawneyed Sita, a frightened female deer looking all around (as if for some help) sighing hot breath, was as though burning the trees having tender leaves with her hot sighs. She looked like a collective mass of all sorrows, a high tide of suffering.

She was a tolerant lady. She had beautiful limbs which looked splendid even though she was not wearing ornaments. Hanuman experienced immeasurable joy on seeing Mythili.

Seeing that lady with eyes intoxicating, Hanuman shed tears of joy. At once he paid obeisance to Rama. (thinking he could trace Sita at last).

Heroic Hanuman felt happy when he saw Sita. He offered salutations to Rama and Lakshmana at heart and covered himself (with the leaves of the Simsupa tree) and waited. इत्यार्षे श्रीमद्रामायणे वाल्मीकीय आदिकाव्ये सुन्दरकाण्डे सप्तदशस्सर्गः। Thus ends the seventeenth sarga of Sundarakanda of the holy Ramayana, the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.