Sankshiptaparayana (Sundarakanda) Part - 7.

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Dear friends and devotees, Bhakti is eternal. (Part – 7) The symbolism of Sundarakanda. girhiitva prEkshamaana sa bhartuhu karavibhuushanam, bhartiram iva sampraapta jaanaki duditabhaavaEt. Taking her husband’s ring and examining it, Janaki was as joyous as if she had rejoined her husband. If Sundarakanda can be said to lie at the heart of Ramayana, then the heart of Sundara itself must be the meeting of Seetha and Hanuman. For not only does this meeting mark the precise turning point of the narrative, the fulfillment of the first essential stage of the quest set in motion by the abduction of Seetha; it also – most significantly—serves,

through the reassurance, it inspires in both parities and through the symbolic exchange of Rama’s signet ring and Seetha’s hair ornament, as a powerful precursor of the longed-for reunion of the grief-stricken couple, the theme of whose bitter separation has haunted the poem from the moment in its prologue when Maharshi Valmiki cried out in sorrow and compassion for the grieving krouncha hen, Thus, it is that for many lovers of the poem, it’s most central and thrilling moment occurs when Seetha, taking Rama’s ring from the hand of his dedicated messenger, experiences a great access of joy as if she had been reunited with her beloved husband

himself. From this moment on, whatever the further vicissitudes of the epic’s hero and heroine, it is clear that the momentum of the story has changed and that in the face of all adversity and against all odds, Rama will defeat the evil Ravana and recover his lost love. Thus, the Sundarakanda lies at the textual, narrative, and emotional centers of the Ramayana while its central episode, Hanuman’s discovery

and reassurance of the lost queen, has, as we shall see below, lent the book a significance and a popularity greater than that of the other books, even those like Ayodhya, Aranya and Yuddha kandas, some of which may be much longer and filled with incidents of equal or greater pathos, drama, and gravity. For, although Rama appears as a character in the Sundarakanda only in the closing five sargas of the chapter and even then mainly as a largely passive audience for Hanuman’s report, the text leaves little doubt to whom is the principal focus of the epic. The

Ramayana is, above all else, a celebration of the deeds, virtues, and power of Rama, and even when the stage is occupied by such compelling figures as Seetha and Hanuman, Rama remains powerfully felt presence around whom the thoughts, emotions, and actions of these figures constantly revolve. From the very beginning of the kanda, the poet is concerned to indicate that virtually all the powerful and virtuous beings that Hanuman encounters are aware that he is on a mission for Rama and is eager, for that reason, to assist him. Throughout the opening chapter, we are reminded some ten or twelve times that Hanuman is in action on Rama’s behalf, and we

are shown such powerful supernatural figures as the vidyadharas (possessors of magical knowledge being in astral habitat), Surya the sun god, Sagara the god of the sea, and Indra the king of the Devaloka intervening in some way to help him, because of their reverence to Rama. Later on, when the flames engulfing Hanuman’s tail cause him no harm and the conflagration Lanka spares Seetha, he attributes these miracles in part to Rama’s great power and to the fact that the God of fire is withholding his energy on Rama’s behalf. But even such evidence of Rama’s divinity as is afforded by the solicitude of

the Gods and other celestial beings must pale before the profound and pervasive devotion to him that is at the heart of the characterizations of Seetha and Hanuman in the Sundarakanda. The reader should imagine for himself/herself, the joy of Rama's messenger, as Seetha's eyes fell on him/her. The reader who experiences this joy will find God in his/her heart. Lord Narayana, who is waiting eagerly to enter and take possession of our hearts, would leave the great and boundless ocean of milk and come to dwell within us, when we cleanse ourselves of sinful thoughts. Contd . . . 8. With love and regards, Sastry

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