by Vanamali
Sugriva summoned his general, Vinata, and asked him to go east and scour the forests, hills, and caves of the east for any signs of Sita and return within a month on pain of death. Another troop was dispatched to the west and another to the north. Turning to Hanuman he said, “You are exceptional. Please take a troop and go south. You are sure to find a way to reach Sita.”
Rama was delighted that Hanuman was being sent south. Taking out his signet ring with the crest of the Ikshvaku dynasty, he handed it to him as a token to reassure Sita that he was indeed Rama’s messenger. His last words to him were, “Hanuman, remember I am depending entirely on you. Make every attempt to locate Sita. I know that you will succeed.”
The monkeys who had been sent to the north, east, and west returned within the stipulated time of a month and sadly admitted they had found no trace of Sita. Sugriva told Rama that Sita must be somewhere in the south, as he had seen her being carried in that direction. He assured Rama that if anyone could achieve the impossible, it was Hanuman, son of the wind god.
Hanuman’s party made a thorough search of all the forests and caves to the south. Their allotted time was coming to an end and they were fast losing hope. As well, they had been unable to find any food or water for days. Suddenly they saw a cave with birds flying near the entrance and decided to investigate. Hanuman went first and Angada caught hold of his tail and followed. All the rest followed, each holding the tail of the one in front. Thus they slipped and slithered down the slope of the cave and suddenly fell into a garden that was so enchanting it could only be described as celestial. There they saw many beautiful mansions and lovely ponds glistening like gems. At last they came upon a lady ascetic and questioned her about the place. She said that the place had been designed by the architect of the demons, who was called Mayan. He was the master of illusion and she said that all that they were seeing was pure illusion. She was the guardian of the place and her name was Swayamprabha. She naturally wanted to know all about them, but first she entertained them with a lavish feast of fruits and honey. Then Hanuman told her the whole story of their quest and asked her the way out of the cave. She said that normally one who entered the cave by accident would never be able get out without help, so with her yogic powers she conveyed them out. She pointed out to them the sea on one side and the Malaya mountains on the other and told them to choose their course.
The monkeys stood dejectedly on the seashore watching the magnificence of the ocean. Their stipulated time was over, for they had spent many days in the enchanted garden. They dared not go back empty-handed as they feared the wrath of the king. Angada called a meeting of the vanaras and said, “The time allotted to us is over and we dare not return, for we will be executed. It is best that we fast to death on this seashore. The king has no affection for me and will punish me severely. I would rather die on this seashore than return to face his wrath.”
The monkeys said that they would prefer to return to the cave, where they could live in comfort and plenty rather than sacrifice their lives. Angada was undecided when he heard this, and Hanuman interceded. He had no desire to live a life of pleasure in the cave, nor did he wish to starve to death.
“Let us go back and beg forgiveness from Sugriva,” he said, “that is the honorable thing to do.”
But Angada, who feared his uncle greatly, was not convinced of this. He decided that he would give up his life on the seashore. Those who wanted to join him could do so and the rest could go back. So saying, he lay down on the hot sands and prepared for death. The rest followed suit.
Hail to the darling of the Raghus,
Who stands with Lakshmana on his right,
The daughter of Janaka on his left,
And Hanuman in front.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
Shyamangaya Namaha!
CANTO IV
The Eagle's Counsel
Yatra, yatra Raghunatha keertanam!
Tatra, tatra, kritamastakamjalim,
Bashpavariparipoorna lochanam!
Marutim namati rakshasanthakam!
Wherever the name of Rama is chanted,
There does Hanuman, destroyer of the demons, reside,
With overflowing eyes and bowed head.
In one of the caves nearby lived an old eagle called Sampati, who was the brother of Jatayu. He had not eaten for quite a while since he had lost the strength to look for food. Hearing the noise made by the monkeys, he came out of his cave and found them all lying on the shore, waiting for death.
“Today fortune has indeed favored me. I have not eaten for days and here are some delicious monkeys, all laid out in neat rows, waiting for me to go and eat them!” With these words the bird started to hop toward them, since he did not have any wings. The monkeys heard him say this to himself and became frightened. They did not wish to be eaten alive by an eagle, even though they were prepared to fast to death.
Angada started lamenting over their fate to Hanuman, “Just look at our fate. This bird looks as if he is Yama himself coming to make an end of us. It is said that all birds and animals love Rama. Even the old eagle Jatayu was prepared to give up his life for his sake.”
When Sampati heard the name of his brother, he called out, “Who are you? What do you know of my brother Jatayu? How did he die? Tell me everything.”
At first the monkeys were suspicious but soon they started to talk and gave him all their news. Sampati’s eyes filled with tears when he heard of the fate of his younger brother and he wept bitterly. Angada now asked him how he knew Jatayu.
Sampati said, “Jatayu was my younger brother. When we were young we had a competition and flew straight at the sun. When it started to get really hot, I protected Jatayu with my wings so that he escaped and I fell to the ground with burned wings. I have not seen him since.”
Then Angada told him the story of Rama and why they had come there, and asked him if he knew anything about Ravana.
Sampati said, “I saw Sita being carried away by that wicked rakshasa. He held her in a fierce grip while she did her best to wriggle out of his grasp. She was crying out piteously for Rama and Lakshmana. I will tell you where Ravana lives.”
A flash of hope dawned in the hearts of all the monkeys when they heard this, and they crowded round the old bird and begged him to tell them all he knew.
He continued, “Ravana is the son of Vishravas and his capital is the city of Lanka. It is on an island and Sita is a prisoner in his palace. With my eagle’s keen vision I can see all the way to Lanka. If any of you is capable of crossing the sea, you will be able to see her as I can see her with my eagle eyes.” As he said this a miracle occurred and the old eagle sprouted his wings. He had been blessed that his wings would sprout when he heard the story of Rama and he rose straight up into the sky like a young bird.
The monkeys now clustered on the shore and thought of plans to cross the ocean. They felt quite helpless but Angada encouraged them to think of some plan and asked if any of them could jump that far. There was great excitement in the group when he said this, and one by one said yes to ten miles, another to twenty, another to thirty, and so on. Angada himself said he could jump all the way to Lanka but feared he might not be able to make it back.
Now Jambavan, the old bear who was part of their group, went to Hanuman who was sitting apart, lost in thought.
“O Hanuman,” he said, “why are you sitting like this in a reverie? Don’t you know that you are the son of the wind god and equal in strength to Rama or Lakshmana or Sugriva?” He then told him his life story.
“There was once a celestial nymph called Punjikasthala, who was cursed to be born on Earth as the daughter of a monkey chief. Her name was Anjana and she was famed for her beauty. She was married to a monkey called Kesari, and was able to take human form whenever she wished. One day she happened to be in her human form roaming the hills surrounding Kishkinda when the wind god, Vayu, was passing by. He saw the beautiful girl and fell in love with her. With one gust, he lifted her garments and seeing
the beauty of her limbs, ravished her on the hillside.
“When she protested, he replied, ‘Fear not, O charming girl, you will be blessed with a son, who will be a truly glorious being. He will be as powerful as I, and full of extraordinary courage, strength, energy, and intelligence.’ Anjana was satisfied when she heard these words. She gave birth to a beautiful baby monkey on the same day. You had white fur, a red face, and tawny, golden eyes. Since your mother was the wife of another monkey, she left you inside a cave and returned to Kishkinda.
“In the morning you were very hungry. When the sun came up looking like a golden mango, you took a flying leap at the golden orb and tried to catch it. Your father, Vayu, tried to protect you from getting burned. It was the time of the eclipse, when the planet Rahu comes to eat the sun. You now jumped at Rahu and tried to catch him. Rahu complained to Indra, who came on his elephant to find out who the new troublemaker was. Seeing the little monkey, Indra hurled his thunderbolt at him, so that you fell on the mountainside and badly injured the left side of your chin. From that time you have been known as Hanuman, the one with a broken chin. Your father, the wind, was furious and refused to blow in the world anymore, so Brahma placated him and conferred a boon on you, that you would be invincible in battle. Indra, too, was sorry at what he had done to you and gave you another boon, that death would come to you only when you wished for it. Then you were taken by your father to mount Kailasa, the abode of Lord Shiva, who taught you many things, including the knowledge of how to change your form at will. Shiva’s bull, Nandi, taught you all the arts, so that you became an accomplished scholar, proficient in the Vedas. But he also endowed you with great humility so that you could never remember your strength unless someone reminded you of it. Then, at Sugriva’s request, you returned to Kishkinda and became his friend. We are all on the brink of despair and only you can save us. Know your own strength and leap to this city of Ravana’s and save us from this predicament.
When he heard these words of Jambavan, Hanuman suddenly realized his own strength, and drawing himself up to his full height, he started growing and growing until his head seemed to hit the sky. The other monkeys watched, fascinated at this miracle.
From his enormous height he spoke to them, “Vayu is very powerful. He pervades the whole universe. I am the son of that Vayu, and there is nothing I am not capable of doing. I will cross the sea in a matter of moments, see Rama’s queen, and bring her back if possible.”
In his exuberance he jumped from peak to peak and crushed a mountain as easily as if it were a pebble. The monkeys watched open-mouthed at this display of power. Climbing to the top of the mountain, he concentrated his mind on Rama and took a flying leap into the air, and in front of the astonished gaze of the monkeys, he sailed across the sky.
Rama asks:
“How can we realize the Lord?”
Vasishta replies:
“The Lord can be realized only when one is firmly established in the unreality of the universe.
It is as unreal as the blueness of the sky. Dualism presupposes unity, as nondualism suggests duality.
God can be realized only when the creation is known to be unreal.”
Hari Aum Tat Sat
Sundaraya Namaha!
BOOK FIVE
Sundara Kanda
Book of Beauty
Jagad-gurave Namaha!
CANTO I
Leap to Lanka
Mano javam maruta tulya vegam
jitendriyam buddhimatam varishtam
vathatmajam vanarayudhamukhyam
Sri Rama dootham shirasa namami.
I bow to the messenger of Rama, who is swift as thought,
fast as the wind,
Who has conquered his senses and is of mighty intellect,
The son of the wind god, first among monkeys.
Hanuman stood on the mountain and saluted the presiding gods. He repeated the glorious mantra, “Rama, Rama, Rama,” and concentrated on Rama. He then shook himself and roared like thunder. He swung his tail in the sky until it looked like a hooded serpent. Placing his hands on the rocky surface, he sucked in his waist and folded his legs. Thrusting his neck forward, he held his breath, concentrated his mind on Rama, and then, repeating the Rama mantra, he took a flying leap. He was absolutely confident of his ability to jump over the ocean and find Sita. Because of the force with which he jumped, trees were uprooted and some even sped with him, scattering their flowers on the sea. Hanuman coursed through the air like a thundercloud. Varuna, the god of the waters, wanted to help him and asked the mountain called Mainaka to rise up from the waters and give him a resting place. Hanuman saw it rising, and thinking it was an impediment in his path, tried to push it away, but the mountain took on the form of a woman and told him she had been sent to give him a resting place. Hanuman was pleased but refused her offer, since he was in a desperate hurry. The watching gods wanted to test his determination and sent Surasa, mother of the serpents, to block his path. She came in the form of a huge rakshasi and tried to devour him.
She said, “No one can pass without entering my mouth.” At this Hanuman started growing in size, and she also enlarged her mouth to suit his stature. Then suddenly he made himself small as a thumb and entered her enlarged mouth and came right out again.
“Now that I have done as you insisted, allow me to pass,” he said.
She was pleased and allowed him to proceed. Then there was another sea monster, who tried to catch him by his shadow, but Hanuman swooped down and killed her and carried on with his journey. Soon he saw signs of land and realized he had reached his destination.
He thought he would be the cynosure of all eyes if he went into Lanka in huge form, so he changed himself into a small, insignificant-looking monkey and stood on the peak overlooking Lanka to survey the land. He saw a magnificent city built on a hill, surrounded by a moat. It was so well guarded that it would be almost impossible to gain access. The mansions glittered in the evening light and the hill was covered with trees and flowering bushes. He could also see clean, white roads bordered by luxuriant green grass. Situated as it was on top of a hill, Lanka appeared to be floating on air, for there were some clouds surrounding it. Hanuman nimbly jumped from rock to rock as he made his way to the northern gate, which was guarded by fierce-looking rakshasas. He surmised that it would be an impossible task for an army to enter Lanka. First of all how would Rama, accompanied by a hoard of monkeys, cross the sea he had just crossed? Even if they succeeded in crossing, how would they assail this seemingly impregnable bastion? The lookout posts would be able to see anyone who landed on the shore. “Even my father, god of wind, would not be able to enter this city undetected,” he thought to himself. He set off to discover the whereabouts of Sita, for that was his immediate task. He waited till darkness had set in and then shrank his body even further, to the size of a small cat, and approached the gate. He saw seven- and eight-storied palaces, their pillars gleaming with pearls and coral. Precious stones studded the walls and the perfume of incense was rising from the hearths. He waited till a pale moon floated across the sky accompanied by her attendants, the stars. He was so small that he could easily have slipped through the bars of the gate, but as he tried to do so, he was accosted by the rakshasi guarding the gate.
“Who are you?” she demanded. “You look like a monkey. Why have you come here? Tell the truth or forfeit your life. No one may enter Lanka without my permission.”
Hanuman spoke humbly, “Tell me, O lady, who you are? Why are you standing in this frightening pose?”
She replied gruffly, “I am Lankini and I am here to obey the orders of the king. I have been ordered to kill anyone who enters without reason, and I am going to kill you unless you tell me the purpose of your visit.”
Unruffled by this apparition, Hanuman said, “Madam, I have heard about the beauty of Lanka and I’ve come here to see it for myself. I just want to see its glories and then I’ll go away. I have not come here to stay.”
She was n
ot impressed by his sweet words and said, “You are a stupid little monkey. You will have to fight with me if you wish to enter.” So saying, she gave him a box on his face.
Without saying a word Hanuman boxed her back with his left hand. Even though he did not use all his strength, she fell with a thud. She was quite astonished to be felled by a small, catlike monkey.
Lankini now said, “I had a boon from Brahma that I would be invincible. But he also warned me that I would be vanquished by a monkey. When such a thing happened, he told me, it would be a foreboding of disaster for the rakshasas. I see now that the time has come for Ravana to be vanquished. I suppose you have come in search of Sita. You are at liberty to enter the city and do what you wish.” So saying, Lankini vanished from the city forever.
Having got rid of the guardian of the city, Hanuman entered the fabulous city of Lanka and stared spellbound. Wherever he looked he saw nothing but beauty. There was music everywhere in the tinkle of anklets on women’s feet and the rustle of silks and satins; the air was perfumed with jasmine and sandalwood; and palaces gleamed in the silvery sheen of the moon. The army patrolled the streets but he was so small that no one noticed him. He saw the fabulous aerial chariot that Ravana had stolen from his brother, Kubera. It was called Pushpaka, or the flower chariot. Pushpa means “flower,” and the chariot was covered with flowers and many wonderful things that fascinated him.
At last he reached a palace that was even more magnificent than the rest. “This must be Ravana’s,” he thought. He slipped in through the doorway, which was exquisitely carved and inlaid with gems and pearls. The seats, divans, and beds were all of gold set with gems. The rooms glowed with the light emanating from all this gold and jewels. All the wealth of Kubera seemed to be here. The scene was one of revelry and rioting. Hundreds of voluptuous females sprawled about in various states of abandonment. Some lay on the carpets with disheveled hair and scattered jewels, others were dancing and some were drinking refreshments. For many the red dots on their foreheads had been smeared by a lover’s hands, their girdles loosened, their clothes crushed, and garlands trampled. Pearls gleamed in the moonlight between their heavy breasts and gold pendants hung from their ears. Some women were caressing their lovers, who were totally inebriated. Others were rubbing sandal paste on their perspiring bodies. Some sprawled naked, others welcomed lovers with eager kisses, while a few virtuous ones were ensconced in their husbands’ arms. They were all enchanting to look at, elegantly clad, fragrant with flowers. Their large eyes, long lashes, and sidelong glances were guaranteed to entice men. All the most beautiful women from various parts of the world had been captured and brought to Lanka by Ravana. He had coursed through the length and breadth of all the worlds in his aerial vehicle, grabbing virgin daughters of the nagas, gandharvas, daityas, danavas, and rishis. He had been cursed by them and by their parents over and over again. All had cried and struggled when they were captured and sworn to kill themselves, but in the end they had succumbed to his charms, for his expertise in the art of lovemaking was legendary. Seeing all these glamorous beauties, Hanuman began to feel sorry for Ravana. Instead of being content with all these women, he was deliberately courting death by capturing Sita. Most of the women were obviously under the influence of wine. Hanuman’s eyes roved over all of them and he knew for sure that none of these lascivious women could be Sita, however beautiful they might be. He had created a picture of Sita as Rama had described her and he was sure that the description did not fit any of these women.
