The Valmiki Ramayana

by Amish Tripathi

  Chapter 7(35)

  Rama humbly joined his hands in salutation before the sage who dwelt towards the south. He spoke to him in words that were full of meaning. ‘Vali and Ravana were unmatched in their strength. However, it is my view that they were not Hanumat’s equal in valour. Prowess, skill, strength, patience, wisdom, the attainment of good policy, valour and power—all of these found a home in Hanumat. On seeing the ocean, the army of the apes was distressed. However, comforting them, the ape leapt across one hundred yojanas. He made the city of Lanka suffer. In Ravana’s inner quarters, he saw and spoke to Sita, comforting her. Single-handedly, Hanumat brought down the best of the soldiers, the sons of the ministers, the kimkaras and Ravana’s son. He then freed himself from the bondage and addressed Dashanana. Like the fire does to the earth, he burnt down Lanka. The deeds that Hanumat accomplished in the battle are unheard of, even among Death, Shakra, Vishnu and the lord of treasures. It is because of the strength of his arms that I obtained Lanka, Sita, Lakshmana, victory, the kingdom, friends and relatives. Had Hanumat, lord of the apes, not been my friend, who knows what would have happened? It would not have been possible to find Janakee. In a desire to bring pleasure to Sugriva, when there was an enmity with Vali, why did he not burn him630 down like a herb? I think Hanumat did not know about his own strength then. Though he could see the lord of the apes631 suffering, despite being alive, he did not try. O illustrious one! O great sage! O one who is worshipped by the immortals! Tell me everything about Hanumat in detail, the complete truth.’

  The rishi heard Raghava’s words, which were full of reason. In Hanumat’s presence, he addressed him in these words. ‘O best among the Raghu lineage! What you have said about Hanumat is indeed true. There is no one else who is his equal in strength, speed and intelligence. However, in earlier times, the rishis imposed an inviolate curse on him. That is the reason this powerful one, the afflicter of enemies, did not know about his strength. O Rama! O immensely strong one! In his childhood, because of childishness, he did something. I am incapable of even describing it. O Raghava! O Rama! But if it is your intention to hear this, then listen with single-minded attention. I will tell you. There is a mountain named Sumeru. Because of a boon bestowed on it by the sun, its complexion is golden. His father, named Kesari, used to rule over the kingdom there. His beloved wife was known as Anjana. She gave birth to Vayu’s excellent son. Anjana gave birth to a son whose complexion was like that of a grain of paddy.632 Desiring to collect some fruit, she then left and wandered around in that desolate region. Separated from his mother, he was afflicted by severe hunger. The child wept, like the child in a clump of reeds.633 The sun was rising, resembling a japa flower.634 On seeing it and desiring some fruit, he leapt up towards the sun. The child’s form was like that of the rising sun and he leapt up in the direction of the rising sun. Wishing to seize the rising sun, he leapt up into the middle of the sky. Thus, overcome by childish sentiments, Hanumat leapt up. The gods, the danavas and the siddhas were struck by great wonder. “Vayu, Garuda and thought does not possess the kind of speed with which Vayu’s son is travelling through the excellent sky. If this is the kind of speed and valour he possesses as a child, what will his force be when he is strong and young?” As he leapt, Vayu also leapt behind his son. He wished to protect him from the fear of being burnt down by the sun and there was a wind that was as cool as ice. Through the strength of his father, the child progressively travelled through many thousands of yojanas across the sky and easily reached the sun. The sun saw him approach, but took him to be a child who cannot commit a crime. Therefore, the sun did not burn him down. On the day he leapt up to seize the sun, on the same day, Rahu desired to seize the sun. O Rama! Astride the sun’s chariot, he was severely seized by him.635 Attacked, Rahu, the afflicter of the moon and the sun, was terrified. In rage, Simhika’s son636 went to Indra’s abode. His eyebrows knit in a frown, he spoke to the god, who was surrounded by a large number of gods. “O Vasava! To satisfy my hunger, you have given me the moon and the sun. O slayer of Bala and Vritra! Why have you now given them to someone else? Today is the right time637 and I approached the sun, to seize it. Though Rahu was approaching, someone else violently seized the sun.” Hearing Rahu’s words, Vasava was filled with fear. He leapt up from his throne, abandoning it. He cast aside his golden garland. Indra mounted the Indra among elephants.638 Its complexion was like that of Mount Kailasa. It possessed four tusks and exuded musth. It was tall and was decorated with golden bells that seemed to laugh out aloud. With Rahu leading the way, he went to the place where the sun and Hanumat were. There, leaving the elephant and Rahu behind, he approached and saw the one whose form was like the summit of a mountain. He639 let go of the sun and glanced towards Rahu. Desiring to seize Simhika’s son, he leapt up into the sky again. O Rama! Letting go of the sun, the ape advanced. On seeing his large form, Rahu, who was only a mouth,640 retreated. Terrified, Simhika’s son sought a protector in Indra and repeatedly spoke to him. “O Indra! Save me. O Indra!” When Rahu was shrieking, Indra heard the words that he spoke and replied, “Do not be scared. I will kill him.” At that time, Maruti saw the gigantic Airavata. Taking it to be some kind of fruit, he rushed towards the king of elephants. He rushed towards Airavata, wishing to seize it. In an instant, his form became terrible, as radiant as that of Indra or Agni. When he rushed forward in this way, Shachi’s lord wasn’t greatly enraged.641 He released the vajra from his hand and struck him with that. Struck by Indra’s vajra, he fell down on the mountain. When he fell down, his left jawbone was shattered. Struck by the vajra, the child lost his senses and fell down. Angry at Indra, Vayu wished to cause harm to the subjects. The lord is inside all creatures. Just as Vasava obstructs the rain, he obstructed the excretory organs of all creatures. Suffering from Vayu’s rage, all the creatures were incapable of breathing. All the joints in their bodies became like pieces of wood. There was no svadha642 and no sounds of vashatkara. There were no rites and dharma was abandoned. Because of Vayu’s rage, the three worlds became like hell. Afflicted by unhappiness and desiring happiness, the subjects, the gandharvas, the gods, the asuras and men rushed to Prajapati. The gods were suffering. They joined their hands in salutation and spoke to the one who had been born from the navel. “O illustrious one! You have created the four kinds of subjects.643 Through Vayu, you have given us our lifespans. O excellent one! You have made him the lord of life. Why is he hating us now? In their misery, people are weeping, like women in the inner quarters. O lord! We are suffering because of Vayu and are seeking refuge with you. O slayer of enemies! We are oppressed and suffering because the wind has been obstructed.” Prajapati, the lord of subjects, heard the subjects. Having been addressed, he spoke to the subjects. “There must be some reason. There must be a reason why Vayu is angry and has caused this obstruction. O subjects! You must listen to everything. Having heard, you must pardon him. The lord of the immortals, Indra, has brought down his son today, listening to the words that Rahu spoke. That is the reason, Vayu, your king, is angry. Vayu does not possess a body. But he roams around in bodies and nurtures them. Without Vayu, all bodies will be reduced to dust. Vayu is the breath of life and happiness. Vayu is everywhere in this world. Abandoned by Vayu, there will be no happiness in the world. Today, abandoned by Vayu, the world has lost its lifespan. There is no breath of life today and everyone is stationed like a piece of wood. All this has happened to us because of Vayu’s obstruction. By causing displeasure to Aditi’s son,644 you should not head towards destruction.” With the subjects, the gods, the gandharvas, the serpents and the guhyakas, Prajapati went to the spot where Vayu was, clasping his son, who had been struck by Indra of the gods. The one who perpetually moves645 was embracing his son, whose complexion was as golden as that of the fire. With the gods, the siddhas, the rishis, the serpents and the rakshasas, the one with the four faces646 looked compassionately towards him.’

  Chapter 7(36)

  ‘The grandfather saw that Vayu was afflicted becau
se his son had been killed. Raising the child in his lap, he arose and stood in front of the creator. His earrings, diadem, garland and golden ornaments moved.647 He prostrated himself thrice at the creator’s feet. The one who knew about the Vedas stretched out his long hand that was adorned with ornaments and raised Vayu. He touched the child. As soon as he was touched by the one who was born from the waters and from the lotus, like crops that are sprinkled with water, he regained his life. On seeing that the one who had seemed to lose his life was full of life, the one who bore fragrances648 rejoiced. As in earlier times, he started to move around in all creatures. Freed from the disease that had been brought about by Vayu, all the subjects were delighted. They were like lotuses in a pond, freed from cold winds. Brahma Triyugma, Trikaku, Tridhama, worshipped by the Tridashas, spoke to the gods, desiring to bring pleasure to Vayu.649 “O great Indra, Agni, Varuna, lord of treasures and Maheshvara! You know everything. Even then, I will tell you what is beneficial. In future, this child will perform deeds for you. To satisfy Vayu, all of us should therefore confer boons on him.” At this, the one with the one thousand eyes and auspicious face was filled with affection. He flung a garland made out waterlilies around his neck and said, “Your jawbone was shattered because of the vajra released from my hand. O tiger among apes! Your name will be Hanumat.650 I will also grant you a supreme and excellent boon. From now, my vajra will not be able to kill you.” Martanda651 told the illustrious grandfather. “I will give him a hundredth part of my energy, so that he possesses the capability to study the sacred texts. I will grant him sacred texts so that he becomes eloquent in speech.” Varuna granted him the boon that for a million years, he would not die from Varuna’s noose or waters. Yama said that his staff would not be able to kill him and that he would never suffer from disease. “I also give him the boon that he will never be distressed and will be happy in battles.” The one who grants boons652 said, “My club will not be able to kill him, the possessor of tawny pupils, in a battle.” Shankara granted him the supreme boon, “My weapons, or weapons that come from me, will not bring about his death.” The great-souled Brahma spoke these words. “Under no circumstance, will Brahma’s staff be able to kill him. He will have a long lifespan.” Vishvakarma looked at the child, who was like the rising sun. The immensely intelligent one, supreme among artisans, spoke about the following boon. “I have fashioned all kinds of weapons for the gods. At the time of battle, these will not be able to kill him.” Thus, the gods ornamented him with boons. The one with the four faces, the preceptor of the worlds, was happy and spoke to Vayu. “He will cause fear to the enemy and grant his friends freedom from fear. O Maruta!653 This son of yours, Maruti, will be invincible. In battles, to bring suffering to Ravana and to do what brings Rama pleasure, he will perform deeds that will make the body hair stand up.” Saying this, with the grandfather at the forefront, all the immortals took their leave of Vayu and went away, to wherever they had come from.

  ‘The bearer of scents clasped his son and brought him home. He told Anjana about the boons that had been conferred and left. O Rama! He obtained boons and those boons added to his strength. This was added to his own strength and he became as full as the ocean. The bull among apes was filled with strength. Without any fear, he started to cause harm to maharshis in their hermitages. He shattered and destroyed the ladles and vessels for agnihotra sacrifices and the piles of bark. What could those peaceful ones do? Because of what Brahma had done, he could not be killed by all the Brahmadandas.654 Knowing this, the rishis always pardoned him. Even when Kesari, Vayu and Anjana tried to restrain him, the ape continued to transgress the boundaries. O best among the Raghu lineage! Moderately angry, they cursed him. “O ape! Using your strength, you are obstructing us. Therefore, confounded by our curse, you will not remember it for a long period of time.” Because of the energy in the curse of the maharshis, his energy vanished. Mild in form, he roamed around in the hermitages. Vali and Sugriva’s father was named Riksharaja. He was the king of all the apes and in his energy, he was like the sun. The lord of the apes ruled over the kingdom of the apes for a long time. After this, the one named Riksharaja succumbed to the dharma of time. The ministers, skilled in counselling, consecrated Vali in the ancestral kingdom and Sugriva at Vali’s feet.655 His656 friendship with Sugriva was deep, without any blemishes, like that between Vayu and Agni. O Rama! At the time of the enmity between Vali and Sugriva, since he had succumbed to the curse, he did not know about his own strength. O Rama! Vali made Sugriva wander around. At that time, Maruti did not know about his own strength. In this world, there is no one who is superior to Hanumat in valour, enterprise, intelligence, power, good conduct, gentleness, good policy, depth, skill, bravery and patience. In earlier times, this Indra among the apes desired to learn grammar from Surya’s mouth. To learn this great text, the immeasurable one followed Surya from Mount Udaya to Mount Asta. He is as fathomless as the ocean. He is like the fire in his ability to burn down the worlds. In his ability to destroy the worlds, he is like Death. Who can stand before Hanumat? There are other great Indras among the apes—Sugriva, Mainda, Dvivida, Nila, Tara, Tareya, Anala and Rambha. O Rama! The gods created them for your sake. I have told you everything that you asked about. I have recounted Hanumat’s conduct as a child. O Rama! I have happily conversed with you. We will now leave.’

  Having said this, all the rishis went away to wherever they had come from.

  Chapter 7(37)

  Taking leave of them, Rama embraced his friend Pratardana, the fearless king of Kashi, and addressed him in these words. ‘O king! I have met you. You have exhibited supreme friendliness and affection. With Bharata, you have made great efforts.657 You can now leave for the city of Varanasi, in Kashi. It is beautiful and is protected by you, possessing excellent walls and gates.’ Saying this, Kakutstha arose from this excellent seat. The one with dharma in his soul embraced him close to his bosom. He took leave of his friend and greeted the other lords of the earth. Raghava smiled at them and spoke to them in words that were full of sweet syllables. ‘Your affection is deep and your energy protects. You are always controlled and devoted to dharma and the truth. It is because of the powers and energy of you great-souled ones that the evil-minded and evil-souled Ravana, lord of the rakshasas, has been killed. I am only the instrument. Your energy has slain Ravana, his companions, his sons and his relatives in the battle. On hearing that the daughter of King Janaka had been abducted in the forest, the great-souled Bharata had summoned you here. All of you great-souled kings assembled to make efforts. A long period of time has elapsed and the idea of your return appeals to me.’ The kings were filled with great delight and replied, ‘O Rama! It is good fortune that you have been victorious and are established in this kingdom. It is good fortune that Sita has been got back. It is good fortune that the enemy has been defeated. This constitutes a great deed for us. This was our supreme desire. O Rama! We wanted to see you victorious and the enemy killed. O Kakutstha! You have praised us because of your generosity. It is only someone who deserves to be praised who can praise in this way. We seek your leave to depart. You will always remain in our hearts. O great king! We will always be affectionate towards you.’