Some doubts

[Guest guest]

Namaskarams! Thanks to everyone who responded to my question on what a

Sri Vaishnavite woman should do. My knowledge is very limited; I request

forgiveness if I misquote scriptures.

 

Here are a few more questions on which I would appreciate clarification

from any of you:

 

1. I have been told that there are some differences in the description of the

instances between the the major Ramayanas - the ones by Sri Valmiki, Sri Tulsi

Das, and Sri Kambar (may be there are others of which I am not aware of).

One example of this is the time that Sita Devi first looked at Sri Rama.

In Valmiki's Ramayana, she sees Rama only during the bow incidence, and in

Kamba Ramayana (Annalum nokkinan, Avalum nokinnal) it happened prior to the

breaking of the bow itself (is that true?).

 

Given that Sri Valmiki, Sri Tulsi Das, and Sri Kambar were all sincere

devotees of the Lord, and were representing the events of Ramayana, how do we

account for the differences?

 

Is it possible that there are different versions of Ramayana because of the

different kalpas during which slightly different incidents took place? (Please

see item 3 below).

 

2. The birthday of Lord Hanuman is celebrated once around December and once

around May. What is the basis for this difference? Which one is correct

according to the Srivaishanavaite customs?

 

One story I have heard to account for the difference, which I picked up from

an article in some magazine (like Gnanabhumi), is that Garuda snatched

away the payasam vessel that was being held by Dasaratha's wife Sumitra

before she finished it, and gave it to Anjana Devi (Hanuman's mother) and

that was why Hanuman was born around May (close to the birth date of Sri Rama

and others). (Another kalpa difference?)

 

3. Are there different versions of Ramayana because of the different kalpas?

 

Another story that I have heard to support the above is the encounter between

Lord Hanuman and a rishi. The rishi appeared in Hanuman's way one time and

said that he has to pay a toll of some kind to pass that way. Lord Hanuman

found the rishi's vessel filled up to the brim, and inquired as to how the

vessel was so full of toll coins. The Rishi replied that they were all

collected from the Hanumans of different kalpas.

 

Is there any basis for the above stories in the authentic literature?

 

Thank you,

Kalyani Krishnamachari