Ramayana of Valmiki and Kamban- sundarakanda

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12. Hanuman and the vanaras

returns to Kishkindha

 

Hanuman crossed the ocean again and reached the other shore where

the vanaras were waiting for him and they were overjoyed to see him and to hear

his exploits. Hanuman told them all that has transpired and suggested that they

could vanquish Ravana with their might and bring Seetha to Rama to which Angadha was in

favour but the old Jamabavan advised them against it. He said that they were

asked to find Seetha, not to fetch her. Rama would not like Seetha to be

rescued by them but would prefer doing

it himself. Then they all started towards Kishkindha.

 

On the way they came to Madhuvana a prestigious park of Sugriva

well protected by Dhadhimukha , uncle of Sugriva. The monkeys wanted to

celebrate by drinking the honey and eating the fruits and hanuman gave them

full permission saying that he would take care of anyone who opposes them. They

all drank the honey and toddy from the coconut trees and ate fruits and were

merrymaking and started pulling the trees being intoxicated. when Dhadhimukha

tried to prevent them from destroying the

park and he and his men were attacked by the vanaras. He decided to inform

Sugriva who , he thought would punish them properly. Then he went to Sugriva

and told him what happened.

 

Sugriva, instead of being angry, felt very happy because he

surmised that the vanaras must have accomplished their task as otherwise they

would not have dared to create havoc in Madhuvana, and informed Rama and

Lakshmana accordingly. He then told Dhadhimukha to send the vanaras at once.

Dhadhimukha went and told Angadha what Sugriva said and the vanaras immediately

flew to Kishkindha.

 

The jubilant shouts of the vanaras as they approached Kishkindha conveyed to Sugriva and others the

good news that they have found Seetha. The vanaras on seeing Rama told him that

Seetha was found in lanka and goaded Hanuman to do tell rest. Hanuman, first

bowing down towards the direction of Seetha, narrated his tale and told

everything that transpired between him and Seetha in detail and gave the crest jewel. Rama felt like a cow

seeing his lost calf and said that he had already felt the presence of Seetha.

He told them that it was given by Indra to Janaka , which he gave to Seetha at

the time of her marriage.

 

Hanuman told Rama about the reference of Seetha to kakasura

vrtthaantha and said that Seetha asked why Rama had not sent such asthra with

respect to the rakshasas. She also expressed her doubt, Hanuman said, about how

could the vanaras cross the ocean and Hanuman repeated what he said to her in

reply that only mediocre one is sent as a messenger usually and never the

competent one. Hanuman also mentioned his suggestion to Seetha that he could

carry her on his back to Rama and also her answer to that, thereby implying

that she was pure at heart.

 

The commentators say that perhaps the Lord remembered what Hanuman

said about sending a mediocre one as a messenger and wondered whether he actually felt so and that was why

in krishnavatara He Himself went as a messenger!

 

Hanuman by describing the pitiable state of Seetha to Rama

conveyed her purity by the words,

 

evam mayaa mahaabhaaghaa

dhrshtaa janakanandhinee

ugreNa thapasaa yukthaa

thavadhbhakthyaa pururusharshabha

 

" Thus the daughter of Janaka was seen by me observing terrible

austerity due to the devoton to you."

 

In Kamban, Hanuman denotes

by his very first words that Seetha was pure. He advanced towards Rama

with his hands folded on his head, which was turned towards the direction of

Seetha, thaiyalai nOkkiya thalaiyinan, kaiyinan. And said,

 

Kandanen kaRpinukku aNiyai kaNgaLaal, meaning, "I saw the one who is the

ornament of chastity with my eyes." The word kaNgaLaal is explained by the commentators as referring to the eyes

of Seetha and not Hanuman, meaning that he saw her virtue through her eyes as

the eyes are the windows of the soul. Thus Hanuman proved the epithet by which Rama

described him in Aranyakanda, namely, sollin selvan, one whose wealth are

words.

 

Hanuman displayed his discretion in speech in relating the events

that happened in Lanka to Angadha and other vanaras as compared with his

narration to Rama. He told the vanaras in detail about his exploits regarding,

Mainaka, Surasa and Simhika and also his fight with the rakshasas in Lanka and

his conversation with Ravana and the burning of Lanka etc. but refrained from

mentioning the message of Seetha to Rama nor the reason she gave, for not agreeing to allow

him, to carry her to Rama.

 

But in taliking to Rama, he

did not mention his exploits at all out of humility but only told him what Seetha said in detail

because it was meant for the ears of Rama only

 

This kanda is appropriately called sundarakanda for various

reasons.

 

1.Hanuman depicts the role of an acharya who unites the jeeva with

the Lord by giving hopes and acting as the intermediary between the two.

 

2. Hanuman had a name Sundara which may be due to not only his

form but also his actions and speeches which were also sundara, beautiful.

 

3. This kanda tells about the purushakara of the divine mother

which effected the transformation of Hanuman from being the Ramadhootha into Ramabhaktha

by her grace.

 

4. Last but not least, it tells the greatness of the power of the

paathivrathya of Seetha, due to which the whole Ramayana came to be called seethaayaH charitham mahath by Valmiki

himself and also in Tamil we have the expression siRai irundhabvaL Ettram,

meaning, the glory of her who was imprisoned.

 

In this kanda, Rama glanced at Hanuman with pleasure when he told

Rama that Seetha had been found but in the beginning of yuddhakanda Rama

embraced Hanuman, which honour even the sages of Dhandakaranya wished but could not experience.