by Vanamali
The monkey asked him, “Who are you that appeared at the right moment to save me?”
“I am Anjaneya, the son of Anjana, but people also call me Hanuman. But tell me who you are. You seem to be pretty exhausted. How did you get into this predicament?”
“My name is Sugriva, and I am the younger brother of Vaali, the king of this land. This forest is the hideout of a fierce rakshasa called Mayavi. My brother and I had decided to get rid of him once and for all. My brother told me and my friends to come by this trail while he went by another. Though we managed to locate Mayavi, we were unable to kill him. After a fierce fight, he killed all my friends. Turning to me, he said, “I will let you off since I have no quarrel with you. It’s your brother Vaali whom I’m after!” However, as soon as I escaped from him, I was attacked by beasts, as you saw. I was too tired by then to defend myself and had you not come, I would have been in a bad state!”
Hanuman smiled and said, “O Sugriva! You and I are meant to be friends. We have a long history before us!”
“I don’t understand what you mean,” said Sugriva.
“Time will reveal my meaning to you. I have given a promise to your father, Surya, to be your friend. However, tell me about Mayavi. Who is he? Is he such a terrible creature?”
“What a question!” said Sugriva. “He’s indeed a mighty warrior. Only my brother will be able to vanquish him.”
Hanuman smiled when he heard this and said, “There is nothing and no one that one cannot conquer in this world if one controls the mind. However, we will talk of all this later. We were fated to meet and our friendship is only starting. You need some rest and after that we will continue on our way.”
Sugriva embraced him and begged him to be his friend forever. He invited him to his kingdom of Kishkinda.
Seeing him to be in no fit state for travel, Hanuman carried him with ease on his back until they came to a river where they bathed and refreshed themselves. Then Hanuman brought some fruits from the forest and after partaking of that meal, they rested for the night in the trees.
During the night they talked of many things. Hanuman asked Sugriva to tell him the story of his birth and that of his brother Vaali.
Once there was a very chaste woman called Shilavati. Her husband Ugratapas caught leprosy, but she continued to look after him very lovingly. Once he told her that he wanted to have intercourse with a courtesan. Undaunted, Shilavati decided that it was a wife’s duty to fulfill her husband’s desires, however unreasonable. Since he was in a pitiful state and unable to walk, she proceeded to carry him in a basket on her head to the courtesan’s house. On the way she passed the field where a great sage called Mandavya had been impaled on a stake by the king’s orders through false charges. The sage could not bear to see how this noble woman was being exploited by her vile husband. He cursed him that he would die before the break of dawn! Shilavati immediately countered the curse by praying that the sun would not appear the next morning. Such was the power of her chastity that it happened as she wished.
Next morning the sun did not appear at his normal time. His charioteer called Aruna came to collect him and found him to be immobile. He decided to visit the world of Indra until the sun god was ready to start on his daily round. When he reached Indra’s heaven, he found the gate barred to all men. Indra was holding court with his apsaras (heavenly dancers), and they were enacting a drama for him. He gave orders that only women were to enter. Aruna came just at this time and was disappointed to hear this edict. He was determined to see the celestial show and thought of a ruse to get in. He changed himself into a woman and slipped in unnoticed, mingling with the flock of dancers. But Indra, who was noted for his eye for beauty, immediately spied the glamorous new maiden in their midst. He dismissed the other dancers and stopped Aruna at the door when he tried to slip out with the rest of the dancers.
Indra was used to getting any woman he wanted and he tried to beguile poor Aruna, who didn’t know what to do. Finally, she had to disclose her secret. Indra was mad when he heard this and said that she would have to pay the price for having deceived the whole court like this. Aruna was forced to agree, and Indra forcibly took her. A lovely baby boy was born out of this union. Since Aruna couldn’t possible take the child with her, Indra gave her to Ahalya, the wife of the sage Gautama, to bring up.
In the meantime, due to Shilavati’s great austerity, the sun could not rise. The whole world was in darkness. At last, the gods found out the reason for this strange state of affairs. They approached the sage, Atri, the father of Ugratapas, and urged his wife Anasuya to go and beg Shilavati to withdraw her wish. The latter stopped her prayers and allowed the sun to come out.
When the sun looked about for his charioteer, he was nowhere to be found. He was quite cross with him for being so late. Aruna tried to slip in unnoticed but Surya accosted him and asked him the reason for his tardiness. Aruna was forced to tell him the whole story. Surya pardoned him but was struck with a desire to see the form that had enchanted Indra. Aruna tried his best to dissuade him, but Surya insisted, and at last he had to give in to his wishes. The inevitable happened, and Surya fell for her charms and made love to her. Another beautiful baby boy was born of the union, and this child was also given to Ahalya to look after. One day, when Ahalya was playing with the children, both of them insisted that they should be carried on either hip. She became quite cross and called, “You little monkeys! How can you torment me like this?”
Her husband came in just in time to hear her say this. He became quite angry at her behavior and said, “If that is your wish, let both of them turn into monkeys!”
A sage’s word must always come true, and so the two boys turned into monkeys. Ahalya was very unhappy at the fate of her two lovely boys. However, a sage’s anger is always short-lived, and her husband prophesied that the two would become mighty beings.
Indra heard about the fate of the two boys, had them brought to his court, and gave them shelter. The child born to him was named Vaali because he had a very long and powerful tail, and the son of Surya was named Sugriva since he had a beautiful neck.
There is another story connected with the birth of the two brothers Vaali and Sugriva. Once upon a time, the creator Brahma came down to the earth and rested on the mountain called Meru, which is the axis on which the earth revolves. At that time a tear fell from his eye, and when it touched the ground, the very first monkey (vanara) was born. Brahma named him Riksha and stayed with him for a while. The little monkey played on the hill and ate all the fruit he wanted. Every evening he returned to Brahma and laid some flowers at his feet. One day Riksha saw his reflection when he bent to drink from a lake. He thought it was the face of an enemy trying to grab him and pull him into the water. He jumped into the lake to attack the adversary. He didn’t know that it was a magic lake, and when he came out of the water, he found that he had been changed into a female. He was a most entrancing female monkey and as she stood on the hillside of Meru, both Indra and Surya fell in love with her. That same morning, first Indra and then Surya came down and made love to her.
Children of the gods are born very quickly. The monkey girl had two golden babies. That afternoon, as she washed them in the lake, they splashed water all over her, and by the time they were clean, she found that she had changed sex once again and become Riksha.
He took his sons to Brahma. They named Indra’s son Vaali and Surya’s son Sugriva.
Brahma gave the kingdom of Kishkinda to Riksha. Kishkinda was a dense forest rich in fruit trees and inhabited by various wild animals. Brahma created many other vanaras with the power of flight and speech and asked them to make friends with the bears. The two brothers were inseparable and as they grew older, the father taught them all the arts at his command. When Riksha died, many other contenders to the throne arrived, but Vaali killed or maimed every other challenger and became the undisputed ruler of the monkey world. He declared himself to be the sole Lord of all the trees and the female monkeys of Kishkinda.
His authority was unquestioned, and as one who had successfully earned his dominant place among the apes, Vaali was not obliged to share the spoils of power with anyone. However, being of a magnanimous nature, he shared everything with his younger brother Sugriva, who was his second-in-command and who in turn served his elder brother faithfully. Indra gave his son a victory garland of little golden lotus flowers that would make him invincible.
Once Vaali heard of the churning of the milky ocean by the gods and the demons (one of the most celebrated tales of Hindu mythology, full of rich allegory) and decided to go and see this event for himself. All of them reached the banks of the ocean of milk. When he saw that his father Indra and the other gods were flagging, it is said that Vaali took over the churning himself. Such was his strength that he could single-handedly accomplish what the two protagonists were unable to do. Indra was mighty pleased with his son’s prowess. For having helped them, the gods blessed him with immeasurable strength. Another boon they gave him was that anyone who approached him for a fight would lose half their strength, which would come to him.
Many precious things appeared out of the ocean. Two beautiful damsels also appeared. They were known as Tara and Rumi. Vaali accepted Tara as his chief wife, and Sugriva chose Rumi. The brothers returned joyfully to their kingdom and reigned in peace for a long while. In time, Vaali had a son called Angada.
Vaali was a great devotee of Shiva, and every day he went to all eight directions, bathed in the oceans, and worshipped Shiva in all his aspects. At one stride, he could cross the seven seas and reach the mountain known as Charuvala, which lay beyond the seas. When he moved, it was with the force of a typhoon. No lance could pierce his chest. When he strode across the earth, the mountains shook and the storm clouds scattered in all directions, afraid to precipitate rain. All nature feared him and even Yama, the god of Death, was afraid to approach him. Thunder softened its voice and even lions refrained from roaring in his presence. Once it is said that he picked up the ten-headed Ravana and tucked him inside his tail!
Supremely wise, virtuous, and clever,
You are always eager to fulfil any mission of Rama’s.
HANUMAN CHALISA BY TULSIDAS
Aum Sri Hanumathe Namaha!
Aum Brahmachaarine Namaha!
8
Sugriva Mitram
Friend of Sugriva
Buddhirbalam Yasho dhayryam,
Nirbhayatwam arogata,
Ajadyam vaak padutwam cha,
Hanumatha smaranaath bhaveth.
One who meditates on Hanuman will become famous and obtain
Great intelligence, strength, courage,
Freedom from fear and disease,
As well as expertise in talking.
HANUMAN STOTRAM
Hanuman now accompanied Sugriva to Kishkinda and was introduced to Vaali. Sugriva described how Hanuman was solely responsible for having saved him from the wild beasts. He also told him about his greatness. Vaali was at first rather suspicious of Hanuman, whom he had tried to kill as a baby since he feared that he might possibly be a usurper to his throne, but when he heard that Hanuman was a good singer he insisted on hearing him sing. Hanuman took up the lute and started strumming it. When he began to sing, the whole court went into a state of ecstasy. As the music wafted out, all the monkeys left their respective work and crept in, mesmerized by his voice. Vaali was charmed and told him that he could remain in his land forever.
Sugriva took Hanuman on a tour of their land. When they reached the mountain called Rishyamukha, Hanuman was struck by the serenity of the place and told Sugriva that this mount was indeed very holy. Sugriva agreed but sadly said that it was out of bounds for his brother Vaali. Hanuman enquired about the reason for this, so Sugriva told him the whole story.
Once there was a demon called Dundubhi who managed to get many boons from the creator Brahma. One of these boons was that he could never be killed by any weapon. Having got these boons, he proceeded to vanquish the gods and disturb the sages and kings of the land. His hands were always itching for a fight, and he could never find a worthy opponent. Unable to bear his urgent desire to try out his strength, he rose from the netherworld, thrashed through the ocean, and swam ashore. He thrust his horns into the sand and bellowed to the waves, “Fight me!” But the waves just kept coming on and on. They didn’t care whether he was there or not.
The long, watery arms of the sea hissed and swelled round Dundubhi’s feet. They appeared to be warning him to go back or else drown. A huge wave now rose up foaming and frothing, steadily coming closer and closer. Dundubhi thought it better to retreat.
Then he went to the snowy Himalayas, white as Shiva. He rushed up the snow-clad slopes and battered the sides with his horns. The mountain King Himavan turned his rocky face and looked glassy-eyed at the irate buffalo. He was clothed in a white robe of snow and falling water with a belt of ice. In a booming voice he said, “Don’t bring war to this untouched country. Why harm my men of peace? The strong will never get angry because we know that our serenity is our armor. Now go and leave me in peace.”
Hardly had he said this than a huge cloud of mist and snow covered him and he disappeared from view. The mountain seemed to disappear along with Himavan. The ice and sleet cut into Dundubhi, biting and crushing him so that he ran screaming and never stopped until he reached the cave fortress of Kishkinda.
He desecrated all the fruit trees in the forest surrounding the fortress. He then stuck his enormous head into the cave city and roared. Vaali came out on his balcony and told him to go while he still had life to do so. Dundubhi challenged him to fight. Vaali put on his golden garland and came charging out of the gates, and both of them had a duel in which neither was able to vanquish the other. At last, Vaali used his superhuman strength and caught hold of the buffalo’s horns as he came charging at him with lowered horns. He whirled him above his head and flung him as far as he could. Dundubhi could hardly stand up, but Vaali followed him. He kept picking him up and whirling him round and round. At last, he dashed him on the ground. The demon started vomiting blood and finally died in agony. Vaali’s rage was still unabated. He lifted up the carcass and threw it many leagues away, where it fell with a tremendous thud on the mount on which stood the ashrama of the sage Matanga. As the carcass passed over the head of the sage, it splattered blood all over him. Rudely disturbed in his meditation, the irate sage rushed out and was met by the gory sight of the huge carcass of the buffalo demon.
He made a dire pronouncement. “If the one who has done this despicable deed ever comes within four miles of this hallowed place, his head will burst into a thousand pieces! Let all the monkeys who are camping in this place who belong to his tribe also depart instantly or they will all be turned into rocks!”
“That is why my brother never dares to come to this beautiful place,” said Sugriva. Hanuman thought a while and told Sugriva that one day this very mount would be a sanctuary for him. Beyond that, he refused to reveal anything, even though Sugriva pressed him.
Dundubhi had a friend called Mayavi, who was the son of the architect of the demons called Mayan. He was furious at the fate of his friend and swore to avenge his death. He had come to Kishkinda and challenged Vaali for a fight. At that time Vaali had chased him off. Sugriva had also accompanied him but Vaali had told him to go off, and that is how Sugriva came to meet Hanuman. Vaali was sure that he had gotten rid of the nuisance once and for all, but the demon was not to be deterred so easily. Once again he came to the gates of the cave fortress of Kishkinda and woke everyone with his bloodcurdling roars at midnight. The monkeys tried to drive him off, but he shooed them off like flies. At last, they appealed to their king. Vaali took up his arms and went out of the gates, but the demon was nowhere to be seen. Well versed in the magic arts of his father, he had simply disappeared from the scene. Vaali shouted to him to reveal himself. “Coward that you are, why don’t you come and fight with me like a hero? What is the use of hiding yourself?”
Hea
ring this, Mayavi came out of his hiding place. He saw that Vaali was flanked by Sugriva and Hanuman and laughed in scorn. “Are you such a hero that you can’t fight by yourself and have to ask for help from two others?”
Turning to his brother and Hanuman, Vaali asked them to return to the palace, since this duel was to be between him and Mayavi alone. Hanuman complied but Sugriva refused to leave.
Turning to Mayavi, Vaali said, “This will be a fight to the finish between us. I will not let you return alive from this place.”
Mayavi laughed in derision when he heard this and said scornfully, “I will finish you off first, and then kill your brother and son and become the king of Kishkinda!”
Without wasting time in useless verbal combat, Vaali lunged at Mayavi with his bare fists. Then ensued a mighty battle between the two. At last Mayavi realized that once again he had misjudged the powers of his opponent. He ran off into the forest with Vaali in hot pursuit. Sugriva also followed, since he feared for his brother. Vaali caught up with Mayavi, and they had another fierce battle in the middle of the forest. To Sugriva’s amazement, the two heroes fought on without showing any signs of fatigue for one whole day and night. As dawn appeared, Vaali saw that Mayavi showed signs of fatigue, so he pressed on, determined to kill him at all costs. The demon knew he was beaten and fled beyond the edge of the world into a subterranean passage. Vaali followed, but before entering he turned to Sugriva and said, “Please wait for me here. I will surely kill him and return. But if for some reason he kills me, then don’t wait. Seal the mouth of the cave with a stone and return to the kingdom, or else he will come out and kill you. Remember if he is killed, milk will flow out of the cave and if I am killed, it will be blood, so if you see blood, close the cave with a stone and save yourself. You are certainly no match for him!”