Bhṛṅgadūtam (2004)

Saṃskṛta poem of the Dūtakāvya (messenger-poem) genre with 501 verses divided in two parts. Composed entirely in the Mandākrānta metre, the poem is the message sent by Lord Rāma, residing on the Pravarṣaṇa mountain in Kishkindha, via a bumblebee to mother Sītā, held captive by Rāvaṇa in Laṅkā.

Lord Rāma chooses a bumblebee (Bhṛṅga), as his messenger (Dūta) to mother Sītā. Lord Rāma asks the bumblebee to have a pilgrimage of Bhārata, before embarking on its journey. He asks the bumblebee to visit Mithilā; the rivers, hermitages and forests en route to Ayodhyā; Nandigrāma; the kingdom of Guha, Prayāgarāja, Citrakūṭa; hermitages of various sages; the banks of Godāvarī; the location of Jaṭayū's liberation, the Āśrama of Śabarī; and the Ṛṣyamūka mountain. The bumblebee is asked to then fly over Karnataka, Andhra, Madra and Kerala on its way to Laṅkā. The message from Lord Rāma forms verses 71—244 of the second part. The message describes the pathos of separation and the heroism of Lord Rāma, and convinces mother Sītā to hold on to her life till Hanumān arrives to Laṅkā with another message and the ring from Lord Rāma.

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