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Source: The Hindu (http://www.the-hindu.com)

 

Devotee, dear to the Almighty

 

CHENNAI, MAY 17. The two epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata,

embody the code of conduct that human beings should strive to

follow in order to lead a purposeful life. They are often

compared to the Sun and the Moon in the spiritual firmament and

are called Itihasas because they delineate the lives and

teachings of the Lord when He manifested in the world. The name

Ramayana itself gives a clue into the purpose of the Lord's

incarnation as Rama. Ramayana literally means the path followed

by Rama. The two human incarnations of the Almighty differ in

that Rama did not teach humanity about the principles of Dharma

but showed by personal example while in His Krishna manifestation

the Lord taught the highest truth in the Gita.

 

The Sundara Kanda is considered to be the heart of the Ramayana

and it has been referred to by scholars as Mantra Kanda due to

the reason that its recitation confers many beneficial effects

and success in undertakings. Though Rama is the hero of the

Ramayana, it is interesting to note that in this canto which is

the fifth in the epic, Hanuman (Sundara) becomes the central

figure and it is only towards the end when he hands over to Rama

the ornament that Sita had entrusted to him as a mark of his

meeting Her, that the Lord figures in it again. There is no

mention of Hanuman in the first three cantos of the epic but he

becomes central to the unfolding events right from the time he

met Rama and became His devotee.

 

In his discourse, Sri Mathivannan said that the Sundara Kanda by

itself was considered an abridged Ramayana as a brief version of

Rama's life was inbuilt into it as narrated by Hanuman and also

by Sita when She reminisced on certain incidents in their lives

to him. Further its glory is due to it being a narrative of the

exploits of a devotee of Rama and Sita, who was instrumental in

reuniting them. It is often cited that the Lord exults more in

the praise of His devotee than of Him.

 

Another reason adduced for the greatness of Sundara Kanda is the

highlighting of the compassion of the Divine Mother. Sita had

without resorting to punish Ravana Herself, submitted to be kept

imprisoned by him. Perhaps it was to offset this that the Lord in

His next incarnation as Krishna was born in a prison cell. This

canto describes the events starting with Hanuman embarking on his

mission by crossing the ocean and locating Sita in the Ashoka

grove and handing over Rama's signet ring to Her and instilling

hope in Her heart that She would be rescued soon by Rama and

handing over the jewel Sita gave to Rama.

 

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