Ramayana of Valmiki and Kamban- kishkindha kanda- 2. Meeting with Hanuman

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2. Meeting with Hanuman

 

Hanuman assumed a form of a brahmachari disguising his monkey form and approached Rama and Lakshmana. Though at first as advised by Sugreeva he planned to speak with caution to find out who they were and why they had come there, on seeing them he felt like a devotee in front of he Lord and spoke frankly about himself and Sugreeva. He praised the appearance of the princes and expressed his joy on seeing them.

 

raajyaarhou amaraprakhyou kaTHam dheSam iha agathou

 

padhmapathrekshaNou veerou jataamandaladhjaariNou( VR-Kish. 3-12)

 

You two seem fit to be princes and look like devas, with lotus-like eyes dressed like hermits. How did you come to this place?

 

ubhou yogyou aham manye rakshithum prThivaam imam

 

sasaagaravanaam krthsnaam vinDhyameruvibhooshithaam (VR. Kish.3.16)

 

You two have the ability to protect the whole universe along with the sea and the forests, which is endowed with the Meru and Vidhya mountains.

 

Rama and Lakshmana hearing him did not reply and Hanuman further told them about Sugreeva and himself.

 

Valmiki says that Hanuman, who is vaakyakuSala, skilled in speech, told this to Rama and LakshmaNa who were vaakyajnou, able to appreciate the speech.

 

Rama did not speak to Hanuman directly but told Lakshmana to speak to him but he praised the speech of Hanuman saying that he must be well versed in Vedas and grammar, and his speech is faultless and correct, neither slow nor fast while being auspicious and attractive.

 

Rama here in praising the speech of Hanuman describes the requisites of a good speech. There was no flaw in his features while speaking and he was pleasant to look at while he spoke.

 

avistharam asamdhigDham avilambitham avyaTham

 

urasThakanTagam vaakyam varthathe maDhyame svare (VR.Kish. 3.32)

 

 

A good speech must be avistharam, not long , asamdhigDham, unambiguous, avilambitham, not with long intervals, avyaTham, not offending anyone, should express from the chest through the neck, urasTham kanTagam, and in a moderate voice, maDhyame svare.

 

This is a must for all public speakers!

 

Further Rama described the speech of Hanuman as thrisThaanavyanjanasTha,meaning the sound coming from chest, neck and mouth , anudhaatha , svaritha and udhaattha like the veda svara. This reminds one of the krthi of Thyagaraja, sobillu sapthasvara in jaganmohini raga, in which he gives the lakshaNa of good voice. He says, naabhee hrthkanTa rasana naasadhulayentho, the singing must be from the navel, chest, neck, tongue and nose involving all organs.

 

Kamban reflects the words of Valmiki in a beautiful verse and gives a title for Hanuman as Sollin Selvan. This word could be interpreted as one rich in words, one who will go , Selvan, wherever the inSol, sweet name of Rama and if it is not there he will go away, Selvan (heard in the hariktha by Madurai TNSeshagopalan)

 

Lakshman as directed by Rama told Hanuman that they have come only to see Sugriva to get his assistance. Then asked by Hanuman , Lakshmana told him about the circumstances under which they came to that place. Lakshmana said aham chaiva hi raamaScha sugreevam SaraNam gathou. Ramayana is called saranagathi sasthra not only because Rama gave refuge to so many but also he himself went to Sugreeva which is a case of the Saranya becoming the SaraNaagatha. Such is the soulabhya of the Lord.

 

Hanuman assured them that Sugreeva will offer his service in searching for Seetha and took them both on his back to Sugreeva.