Ramayana of Valmiki and Kamban- Kishkindakanda 3. Befriending Sugreeva

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3. sugreevasakhyam- befriending Sugreeva

 

Here the meeting of Hanuman there are slight variations in Kamban from Valmiki. When Hanuman was praising Rama and Lakshmana, they never spoke a word whereupon Hanuman was perturbed and asked them the reason for keeping quiet, thinking that perhaps they took him as a demon as no learned brhamachari would be roaming in the forest, he threw caution to winds and revealed his real identity. Kamban has however added beauty to the episode. In the first place Hanuman was overwhelmed by the sight of Rama and Lakshmana and his heart melted on seeing them and fell in love with them and became a devotee then and there. Kamban says through the words of Hanuman,

Enbu enakku uruguginRadhu;ivarginRadhu aLavil kaadhal

Anbinukku avadhi ilaai ; adaivu enkol ? aRidhal thEtREn

 

This means , "Even my bones are melting; I feel immeasurable love towards them. There is no limit for love. I do not know the reason.

 

Unlike in Valmiki Rama himself spoke to him when Hanuman went in front of them and welcomed them, asking him who he was. Then Hanuman simply identifies himself as the son of Vayu and Anjana and as the servant to the son of the Sun, meaning Sugreeva.

 

Then Rama praised him as `sollin selvan ` to Lakshmana and asked him to show them the way to the place of Sugreeva. Hanuman related the enmity between Sugreeva and Vali and expressed his joy on their coming to save Sugreeva. Then Lakshmana told Hanuman about themselves. Hanuman fell down at the feet of Rama when Rama stopped him saying that being a learned Brahmin Hanuman should not bow down to him when hanuman told Rama that he was also a monkey.

 

In Valmiki Ramayana Rama did not speak to him at all perhaps maintaining the protocol of the future king of Ayodhya.

 

Thyagaraja seems to have been hurt by this discourtesy shown to Hanuman by Rama and says in his krthi in charukesi raga, `adamodigakadhe' , " when the son of Vayu, who was an amsa of Siva approached, you never spoke to him but made your brother do so and hence how could this poor Thygaraja expect you to speak with him?" But Rama amply compensated for this when Hanuman returned from Lanka by embracing him, which was a singular favour not easily available even to the rshis of Danadakaranya.

 

Then Hanuman took his original form and took them on his back and went to the abode of Sugreeva. Reaching there Hanuman told Sugreeva about them and the reason for their coming to him which dispelled the fear in the heart of Sugreeva and he became happy. Then Sugreeva told Rama that he was greatly honoured by the show of friendship by Rama for mere monkey like him and wished to sanctify the friendship through the ritual of making fire as witness, agnisaakshi. Rama obliged and they entered in to an auspicious pact of friendship. Then Sugreeva broke a branch of a tree with flowers for Rama to sit on. Hanuman did likewise for Lakshmana. This act of Sugreeva in offering a seat to Rama and not to Lakshmana which was left for Hanuman to do so was an offense to a bhagavatha for which he had to pay the price later. Then Sugreeva started to tell Rama about his woes.