by Vanamali
Sugriva stayed at the mouth of the cave, waiting anxiously for his brother for one whole year. At last, one day he heard a thunderous sound coming from the cave, and soon after that a stream of blood started to flow. Sugriva was sure that the sound was his brother’s death-cry and that the demon had killed him. The stream of blood confirmed his suspicions. Crying bitterly for the fate of his brother, he sealed the mouth of the cave with a huge boulder and made his way to the kingdom where everyone was awaiting their victorious return. The monkeys wept when they heard the whole story. Sugriva was sunk in gloom and the vanaras feared that the kingdom was going to ruin. The ministers urged him to take over the kingdom and at last he was forced to agree.
However, the truth of the matter was that Vaali had actually killed Mayavi but a traitor to the last, the demon had wrought his magic and changed the milk that was oozing from him into blood so that he could create dissension between the brothers. When Vaali came to the mouth of the cave, he found to his consternation that it had been firmly sealed. He couldn’t believe that his brother had betrayed him in this cruel fashion. He concluded that his greed for the throne must have prompted him to act in this pitiless manner. Using his mighty strength, he kicked the boulder aside and came out like a tornado. He was filled with an uncontrollable rage against his brother. He went outside the gate and roared with anger. The citizens shuddered when they heard this roar. They ran to Sugriva and informed him that Vaali had arrived at the gate! Sugriva couldn’t believe his ears. Surely he had seen blood flowing out of the cave! Could this have been a trick of the malicious demon? Before he could go to the gate, Vaali rushed into the court, foaming at the mouth. Without much ado, he picked up Sugriva like a bit of straw from the throne on which he was sitting and threw him a hundred yards away.
“Ungrateful wretch!” he shouted. “You thought you could kill me and steal the throne for yourself. You are a hundred times worse than Mayavi. If you fear for your life, then make yourself scarce. If I ever find you hanging around here again, that will be the end of you!”
So saying, he ran after Sugriva and before he could raise himself up, he pounced on him. He boxed and pounded him in the presence of all the courtiers and officials. Sugriva tried to explain that he was innocent, but Vaali gave him no chance to say anything. No one dared to stop Vaali in his terrible rage. He seized Sugriva by the scruff of his neck and tried to smash his head against a rock. Sugriva managed to slip out of his hands and flee but was hotly pursued by his brother. At last he was inspired to go to the mountain of Rishyamukha, which he had shown to Hanuman long ago. Vaali was filled with rage at the fact that he couldn’t follow him. He pulled out a few trees in his fury and threw them at his brother. Sugriva was prostrate with grief and anger and hid inside a cave to lick his wounds and try to figure out what he should do next.
Vaali returned to Kishkinda and took up the reins of the kingdom once again. Frustrated in his attempts to punish Sugriva, he killed his brother’s children and forcibly acquired Sugriva’s wife Rumi. So Sugriva lost both his kingdom and his wife!
When Sugriva followed his brother to the cave, Hanuman decided to leave Kishkinda and went to the forest to meditate. Very soon he found that his mind was peaceful and under control. He started to look like a veritable sage.
This was the time when Vaali was chasing Sugriva who ran and took shelter in Rishyamukha, which was forbidden territory for his brother. One of these trees that Vaali uprooted and hurled at Sugriva fell in front of Hanuman when he was meditating and made him open his eyes. He thought for a while and realized that everything had come to pass as he had foreseen. His friend had been thrown out of Kishkinda and had taken refuge in Rishyamukha. Without wasting another moment he went and met Sugriva and comforted him.
“Don’t worry, Sugriva! Truth shall prevail. Even though you are down now, good times are ahead of you. Meditate on god and don’t harbor ill-will toward your brother, and all will go well.”
Sugriva followed his advice, and the two of them spent their time on the mountain. Soon, some of his other friends joined them.
However, Vaali could never forgive his brother, and every day he would climb the hill opposite Rishyamukha and terrorize his brother with abuses, threats, and displays of strength. He would scream and shout, beat his chest, gnash his teeth, and hurl abuses at his brother. As mentioned before, Vaali had the habit of bathing in all the oceans of the world. Effortlessly he would jump from ocean to ocean and take his bath every morning. Every time he flew over Rishyamukha, he would give a mighty kick on the head of the hapless Sugriva if he happened to be standing below him. One day Hanuman decided to stop this vile practice once and for all. As Vaali passed overhead, he jumped and caught hold of his long tail and tried to drag him down. His idea was to make him fall on the mountain and thus destroy himself as per the curse of the sage. However, Vaali was noted for his amazing strength and was a good match for Hanuman, who had infinite powers but had to be prompted by someone before he could use them fully. Vaali realized that the person who had caught him must be Hanuman since Sugriva would not dare to do this, so he thought that the best thing would be to carry Hanuman back to Kishkinda and kill him there. However, they were equally matched, and neither could make their plot work. At last they decided to make a pact with each other. Hanuman told Vaali that he would release him if he promised not to keep harassing Sugriva. Vaali agreed, provided Sugriva would promise to never return to Kishkinda or make claims on the throne. It was only then that Hanuman let him go. Vaali was pleased with this pledge since he had feared that Hanuman would be another contender to his throne.
In Valmiki’s Ramayana, Hanuman makes his debut in the Kishkinda Kanda. He played a very subdued role in the beginning of the kanda (portion of a book) in which his momentous meeting with Rama took place. Sugriva never knew that Hanuman’s strength was superior to his brother’s. Had he known of it, he would have asked Hanuman to fight with Vaali instead of approaching Rama. But both of them were ignorant of Hanuman’s exceptional powers and thus Sugriva appealed to Rama. In fact, without the curse of the rishis, the entire course of the Ramayana war might have been different, for Maruti could have fought the war single-handed.
Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita eternally abide in your heart,
Nothing delights you so much as to listen to the Lord’s stories.
HANUMAN CHALISA BY TULSIDAS
Aum Sri Hanumathe Namaha!
Aum Ramabhaktaaya Namaha!
9
Ramadasa
The Famous Encounter
Aum Namo Hanumathe,
Rudravataaraaya,
Vishwarupaaya,
Amitha-vikramaaya,
Prakataparaakramaaya,
Mahaabalaaya,
Suryakoti samaprabhaaya,
Ramaduthaaya namo Namaha !
Prostrations to Hanuman, the messenger of Rama,
The avatara of Rudra,
Who could take on the form of the whole universe,
Who had amazing powers,
Who performed incredible feats,
Whose strength was unbelievable,
And who was as brilliant as a thousand suns!
HYMN TO HANUMAN
Months passed in this way. Sugriva was always bewailing his loss, but Hanuman always gave him good counsel. In the meantime, destiny was already weaving her inextricable strands, and the time was slowly but surely approaching when Sugriva’s fortunes were going to turn for the good. Once when Sugriva and Hanuman and some of the other monkeys were sitting on a rock, they saw a chariot flying over the mountain toward the south. A beautiful woman and an enormous man were in the chariot. The woman was crying piteously, and as soon as she saw them, she tore off a piece of her upper garment, tied her ornaments in a bundle, and threw it down. The monkeys picked up the little bundle that she had thrown and kept it safely in their cave.
Far away in Ayodhya, which was the capital of their land, many strange things had happened. The king of the land was Dasaratha, and
he had four sons called Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrugna. Rama was the incarnation of Vishnu and was an exemplary person. He had married Sita, the daughter of King Janaka, king of Videha, who was noted both for her beauty and her conduct. It so happened that Dasaratha decided to crown Rama as king since he was getting old. However, before the event took place, due to a series of strange misunderstandings, the king was forced to give in to his favorite queen Kaikeyi’s pleas to send Rama to exile in the forest for fourteen years and install her own son Bharata in his stead. The poor king had given her two boons long ago, and the queen took this opportune moment to ask him to fulfill his promises. The king was most reluctant to give in to her demands, but she threatened to kill herself if he refused. When Rama heard of this, he decided to carry out his father’s promise even if it meant giving up his kingdom. His wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana insisted on accompanying him to the forest, and the three of them set out without further ado. The king could not bear this parting and died soon after.
Kaikeyi’s son Bharata was away when all this happened. When he returned, he was furious with his mother and refused to accept the throne. He went after his brother, whom he loved dearly, and begged him to return. However, Rama refused to comply with his wishes and told him it was his duty to go and do as his father had wished. Bharata reluctantly returned but refused to sit on the throne meant for his brother. He kept Rama’s sandals on the throne and lived the life of a sage outside the city, in a hut like his brother.
In the meantime, Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita spent an idyllic time in the forest roaming around and meeting many sages. Unfortunately, in the last year of their exile, Ravana, whom as we know was the wicked rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, saw Sita. He fell in love with her, abducted her, and took her off to his island retreat. Sita had thrown her bundle of jewels when they passed over the hill of Rishyamukha where Sugriva and Hanuman were sitting.
Rama was desperate and did not know how to get her back. Lakshmana tried to comfort him, and they went from place to place trying to locate her whereabouts. They met an old woman saint called Shabari, who advised him to go and meet a monkey called Sugriva who would help him. With this in view, the brothers went on their way to the hill of Rishyamukha.
Before proceeding to the famous encounter between Rama and Hanuman as given in the Valmiki Ramayana, we will share another very sweet story in which it is said that Rama met Hanuman when they were both very young children.
Knowing that Vishnu had taken an incarnation as Rama, Shiva longed to have a glimpse of him and watch his childhood pranks. He took on various disguises in order to gain entrance to the palace. He pretended to be an astrologer, a mendicant, and a bard in order to have a look at the child, but he was unsuccessful in all his attempts. A last he decided to take on the guise of a monkey trainer and go with a monkey. So he went to Anjana’s cave and asked her to send her son with him. Anjana recognized him as her favorite god. She bowed low to him and brought Hanuman before him. Maruti also thought that he looked very familiar. In fact, the thought flashed across his mind, “He and I are one!”
Shiva put a leash round the baby monkey’s neck and apologized to him for the discomfort. They went to Ayodhya and drew crowds wherever they went. Maruti held everyone spellbound with his clever tricks. They reached the palace gates where the gatekeeper scornfully told them to clear off. Shiva, in his guise as a madari (monkey trainer), just stood there playing on his drum. Inside the palace, Rama, who was just four years old, heard the sound of the drum and started to throw a tantrum, and Dasaratha commanded that the madari be admitted. In the palace courtyard, the two of them performed for the royal princes. This was no ordinary show, for the drummer was Nataraja, Lord of dancers, now dancing in the form of an ordinary monkey trainer. Vishnu, who makes the entire universe dance to his tune, clapped his hands in delight, oblivious to all but the monkey’s antics. He gazed wide-eyed at the drummer and the dancing monkey. No one in the court except the royal guru Vasishta guessed the secret, and he bowed his head in reverence to Shiva.
When the dance was over, the entertainers were given rich gifts, but when they prepared to leave, Rama began to cry and insisted that the monkey be left behind. The mother felt embarrassed to ask the madari to give up his source of livelihood. All at once the drummer vanished and the monkey jumped into Rama’s arms. After that, Hanuman became Rama’s constant companion. During the day he served the princes and joined in all their games. He would fetch balls for them, disentangle kite strings, and fan them while they played board games. He would row for them when they went on the river and guard them when they went swimming in the Sarayu River. He would retrieve arrows when they practiced archery and climb trees to pluck fruits for them. As a reward for all this, he was allowed to sleep in Rama’s bed and eat the leftovers on his plate. He was even allowed to ride on his shoulder. He remained with him as the royal pet until the time when Vishwamitra came to take Rama to save his yaga, or fire sacrifice. At that time, Rama secretly instructed Hanuman to go to Kishkinda, enter Sugriva’s service, and await his coming.
The story as given by Valmiki follows the course of Rama’s and Lakshmana’s journey through the subcontinent and their meeting with the tribal woman Shabari, who instructed Rama to approach Sugriva. Sugriva was sitting with Hanuman and his other ministers under a tree when they spied Rama and Lakshmana coming up the hill. Sugriva, as usual, was filled with misgivings and feared that Vaali had sent them to kill him. Hanuman climbed on top of a peak and observed the two who were approaching. At the very first sight of Rama, he was filled with an ecstasy, the reason for which he was unable to say. He felt as if he were seeing god. He cupped his palms together above his head and bowed to him. Turning to Sugriva, he told him that he was sure that these people had not been sent by Vaali and that they were not coming with bad intentions. However, Sugriva was not convinced of this and told Hanuman to go down in disguise and find out their intentions. Hanuman took on the form of a young Brahmin and went down to the brothers. This was indeed an encounter that was to have far-reaching consequences, not just for Hanuman but for the whole world of devotees for all time to come.
As he approached them, an unaccountable feeling of joy overcame him. His mind was clear and pure and none of the suspicions of his chief darkened his thoughts. The birds seemed to be chirping more musically than usual. The soft and gentle breeze from the south wafted a divine fragrance toward his nostrils, which he thought was a benediction from his father. The creepers that were entwining the trees seemed to shed their flowers in his path. Never for a moment did he realize that this was to be the turning point of his life and that he was about to meet his master whom he would serve faithfully for the rest of his life!
With one jump Hanuman came close to where the two were coming and changing his identity, he went near and bowed to them.
Of the many facets of Hanuman’s personality, the outstanding quality that attracted and endeared him to his master Rama was his power of eloquence. As he approached the brothers for the first time, Hanuman felt a thrill of joy, and all his faculties of intelligence, discretion, observation, and power of speech surfaced. Paying homage to both the brothers, he addressed them in a soft and pleasing manner. Valmiki has given a beautiful description of this in his Ramayana:
“How have you two ascetics of remarkable vigor, unfailing prowess, most austere vows, and excellent appearance come to this region? Your looks are that of some royal sages or of gods. You seem to be searching for something. Your presence adds charm to this lake of sparkling waters. Having eyes resembling the petals of a lotus and wearing a rounded mass of matted hair, you two gallant men resemble each other! You seem to be heroes come down to this Earth from Heaven!”
Seeing that the brothers still remained silent, Hanuman decided to disclose his identity. “I am a monkey named Hanuman and have been sent by the virtuous king of monkeys called Sugriva. He seeks your friendship and has asked me to negotiate for him.” Actually, the astute Hanuman added
that last bit himself for he realized that these people were capable of helping Sugriva.
Valmiki portrays Hanuman as a model speaker who, by the magic of his words and their skilful presentation, was able to win the heart of Rama, a stranger.
Rama was struck by the Brahmin’s demeanor and totally captivated by his sweet speech. He told Lakshmana that no one could speak in this way unless he had mastered the Vedas. He noted that there was no defect in his countenance, eyes, forehead, brows, or limbs.
“O Lakshmana! He has delivered a wholesome, distinct, and remarkable speech, grammatically correct, fluent, and delightful to hear. Even the mind of an enemy with uplifted sword will be moved by his speech.”
This first impression that both had about each other developed into a mutual attraction, binding them together for life in a saga of selfless service, sacrifice, and devotion. All the subsequent events in the epic only served to bring them closer, deepening their love, admiration, and understanding of each other.