66697602-The-Ramayana-R-K-Narayan

whispered, “Listen to me, please. Rama’s brother
Lakshmana is come; in his face I see anger and urgency.
What is your command to me now?”
There was no response from Sugreeva. As he gave no
sign of comprehending his words, Angada left, went in
search of Hanuman, consulted him, and took him along to
meet his mother, Tara. He explained to his mother what had
happened and appealed to her for guidance. She lost her
temper and cried, “You have all indulged in wrong acts
without thinking of morality or the consequences. You gain
your ends and then forget your responsibilities. You do not
possess gratitude. I have dinned into you again and again
that the time has come to help Rama; but it seemed as if I
were talking to a stone wall. Now you must suffer the
consequences of your indifference. You do not realize how
Rama is bearing up and how hard it must be for him to
remain alive at all. You are all lost in pleasures. You are all
selfish and ungrateful. You are prosperous, with no thought
for others. You now ask what you should do. You will all
perish if you plan to wage a war on Rama and Lakshmana.
What is there for me to advise you?”
When she said this, the populace of Kiskinda shut and
bolted the city gates and barricaded them with rocks and
tree-trunks. Lakshmana watched them, both irritated and
amused, and then, with a push and a kick, shattered the
blockade and flung the gates open. Great confusion ensued;