The Ramayana (93 page)

“And, laughing, Vali agreed. They lit a fire, embraced, and the Lord of the monkey folk of the earth and the Emperor of the rakshasas swore to be friends unto death. Then Vali led Ravana into Kishkinda, like one lion leading another into his cave. For a month Ravana lived in Kishkinda and was treated even as Sugriva was in that wonderful, hidden city.”

Agastya glanced at Rama in some wonder, and said, “It was that invincible Vali whom you killed with just one arrow, Rama.”

Rama sighed, and Sugriva had tears in his golden eyes.

 

21. Speaking of Hanuman

Rama said brightly, “Truly, Muni, Vali and Ravana were powerful beyond all measure. But neither was as strong as our Hanuman! Neither of them could have accomplished what he did, in the most difficult circumstances: when Angada and the vanaras despaired on the shore of the southern sea; when, later, Hanuman leaped into Lanka and could not find Sita; and, of course, when he killed some of Ravana's best warriors and his son Aksha, and set Lanka on fire, all by himself.

“And in the war, too, he was invincible. Why, not even Kaala, Indra, or Kubera have done what Hanuman did, and I am sure that but for him we could never have triumphed. But I realize, O Agastya, that I know precious little about this dearest friend of mine. He is so humble that he never speaks of himself, almost as if he is not even aware of how great he is. Not only I, but also many others here would like to hear about his valor. My lord, though Hanuman himself perhaps would not have it, I beg you: tell us all there is to know about him.”

Hanuman already squirmed shyly where he sat. Agastya smiled to see him, and said, “Rama, truly, there is no one on earth to match our good Hanuman in speed, intelligence, or even strength. But as you have observed, he himself is hardly aware of his greatness; which is why he did not consume Vali as a fire does a dry tree of summer, but instead watched Sugriva suffer in the wilderness. And there is a reason for this, besides his natural humility. You see, once the rishis of the forest cursed Hanuman that he would never be fully aware of his own powers. For even as a small child, he performed such feats that they were afraid of him, and what he might do when he grew up.

“You know, Rama, the mountain Sumeru has a golden hue because of Surya Deva's blessing. Hanuman's father, Kesari, ruled on Sumeru. His wife was the lovely Anjana, and upon her Vayu sired Hanuman, who was born with the color of the bristly heads of paddy sheaths. When he was just a mite, his mother left him sleeping and went into the forest to find some soft fruit for her child to eat. Hanuman woke up when she was away, and began to cry from finding her gone and from hunger, even as Karttikeya did in the thicket of sara grasses.

“Just then, he saw the sun rising on the rim of the world, like a mass of japaa flowers. He thought it was a great fruit and sprang up into the air to pluck it! Hanuman flew up like an arrow. The Devas, yakshas, and Danavas saw him flaring up like an effulgent thought, and were amazed.

“They said to one another, ‘If he flies like this when he is just a baby, what will he be like when he is a youth?'

“Vayu flew with his son, enfolding him in a cool wrap of air, so the sun would not burn him. With his father's power, Hanuman shot up through the sky for a million yojanas and he drew near the blazing sun. Surya Deva knew this was a child of great destiny, who would one day be the messenger of Vishnu's Avatara: he did not consume the young monkey.

“At that very time, Rahu tried to seize the sun and devour him. Little Hanuman saw the Asura and attacked the demon who was trying to steal his fruit. Rahu was terrified by the awesome child and fled to Indra. Simhika's son, the Asura, complained to the king of the Devas, ‘O Indra, you have said that I can feed on the sun and the moon, to still my perpetual hunger. Today is the day after the new moon, but when I was about to seize Surya, another Asura attacked me suddenly and laid hold of the star.'

“Indra, tall as a peak of Kailasa, his golden necklace blinding, mounted the four-tusked Airavata, set the aggrieved Rahu before him, and flew to where Surya Deva was with Hanuman. When Rahu saw the sun, he leaped off Airavata's back and flew at the blazing star. When Hanuman saw Rahu flying toward him like a great black cloud, he thought this was another velvet fruit, worthy of his attention. He sprang at Rahu to eat him.

“Rahu screamed, ‘Indra! Help me!' and fled from the splendid monkey child.

“Indra cried, ‘Never fear, Rahu, I will kill him!'

“Hanuman heard Indra's roar, and, turning his head, saw the Lord of the Devas. He saw white Airavata and thought that here, indeed, was the finest-looking fruit of all. He now flew at the Deva king and his mount. Roaring louder than ever, Indra cast his vajra at the infant vanara.

“The thunderbolt struck Hanuman squarely, and he fell unconscious through the chasms of the sky, down, down to the earth below. He fell onto a great mountain and broke his jaw. When Vayu saw what Indra had done to his son, he withdrew the precious prana that sustains every living creature; so they all choked and gasped for breath. Snatching up his wounded baby, the Wind God flew into a deep and secret cave.

“With every creature breathless and turning blue, it seemed creation would end. The worlds were plunged into panic, into hell. The Devas, gandharvas, and Asuras, those that could still move, came panting to Brahma. They cried, ‘What sin have we committed? Why does Vayu choke us today? Ah, Pitamaha, we will all perish if you don't save us!'

“Brahma said to them, ‘It was Vayu's son that Indra struck with the vajra.'

“‘What shall we do, Pitamaha?' wailed the Devas.

“Brahma said, ‘We must seek Vayu out.'

“So, with all the created, the Devas, gandharvas, yakshas, nagas, siddhas, rishis, men, and all the rest, Brahma went to the cave where Vayu had hidden himself. They found him there with the infant Hanuman in his lap, radiant as the sun, but lifeless. And the Deva wept.

“Vayu saw Brahma, and he rose mutely, his eyes streaming, and stood before the Creator with his dead child in his arms. Vayu's golden kundalas and his unearthly crown were dim with his grief. Still without a word, he prostrated himself at Brahma's feet. Brahma reached out and stroked little Hanuman with his palm. At once, the vanara child awoke like a wilted plant that had been watered.

“When Vayu saw his son alive, he gave a mighty sigh of joy, and all the created breathed again: they gained back their life breath, their prana. Why, they were like lakes that were laden with lotuses, when the icy wind stops blowing across their waters. Brahma possesses three pairs of divine qualities: strength and glory, power and wealth, wisdom and dispassion. He appears in three forms: as Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva. He dwells in the three worlds: Swarga, Bhumi, and Patala. He is worshipped mainly by those who know but three stages in life: infancy, boyhood, and youth: the immortals. Now Brahma spoke to the Devas.

“He said, ‘O Indra, Agni, Varuna, Rudra, and Kubera, grant this child great boons; for one day your own purpose shall be served by him. Grant him boons, also, so his father will forgive you for what you did to his son.'

“Indra removed the garland of lotuses he wore and set it around Hanuman's neck. He said, ‘Since my vajra broke your chin, O tiger among monkeys, you shall be called Hanuman from now. And from now you shall be invulnerable to every weapon lesser than my thunderbolt, and to my vajra as well.'

“Surya, the Sun, said, ‘You shall have a hundredth part of my radiance. And when you are old enough, little one, I myself will teach you the Shastras and no one in the world will know the scriptures, or live them, as perfectly as you will.'

“Varuna blessed him that he would never die in water, in a million years. Yama said Hanuman would not die from his danda, and no illness would ever touch him.

“Then Kubera, of the one tawny eye, said, ‘Not my mace, nor any weapon less than it, shall cause your death. I bless you that you will never know tiredness in battle.'

“Rudra, the greatest, laid his palm on Hanuman's head and blessed him. ‘No weapon of mine, or any I have power over, will harm you.'

“Viswakarman, who creates every astra, said, ‘No weapon of heaven or earth shall kill you and you will be a Chiranjivi.'

“Brahma said, ‘You shall not be killed by the weapons of Brahma or the curses of any brahmana.' He turned to Vayu, who by now was beaming. ‘Your son shall be a terror to his enemies. He shall be invincible, and anyone that remembers his name, through all the ages, will be free from fear. I bless your son that he will be able to change his form at will, to assume any guise he wants. He will be able to fly to any part of the worlds at his wish, and he shall be a thorn in the side of Ravana of Lanka.'

“And having variously blessed Hanuman Vayuputra, Brahma, Rudra, and the Devas returned to their supernal realms. Vayu, wafter of fragrances, brought Hanuman home to his anxious mother on Sumeru. He told her about all that had chanced with her marvelous child, when she went to pluck fruits in the forest. And Vayu left Hanuman with Anjana, dissolved into a breathy wind, and vanished into his ubiquitous airs.

“Replete with great boons from the Gods, Hanuman grew into a young vanara, bursting with vigor, strength, and often mischief. He was not always as humble and self-effacing as when you met him, Rama. He was even in the habit, as a youth, of disturbing the munis of the forest at their solemn yagnas. At first he would rip to shreds any valkala he found hung out to dry. Then, as he grew bolder, he would leap down out of a tree and snatch a ladle from a rishi about to pour oblation into a sacred fire, or break the sacrificial vessels, full of holy water or other offerings.

“The rishis knew the young vanara was proof against their direst curses because of Brahma's boon to him. They came and complained to Anjana's husband Kesari, Hanuman's foster father, and to Anjana herself. But despite their admonishing Hanuman, he continued with his profligate ways. The rishis took their complaint to Vayu himself, invoking the Wind God with worship. But Hanuman was arrogant and tameless.

“The greatest rishis, born in the line of Bhrigu and Angiras, decided to curse Hanuman. They did not, however, curse him with death, but only to a long forgetfulness: of his own strength, of who his father was, and of the boons he had from the Gods.

“They said, ‘When you remember these things again, Hanuman, at a great juncture of destiny, when you are on a mission for Vishnu's own Avatara, then your glory will return to you. But by then you will be a mature vanara, and your wisdom will have grown so you will never again abuse your powers as you have done in your youth.'

“From that day, a sea change came over the young monkey's nature. He grew mild and placid, because he did not remember any more who he was or how strong he was. He would go to the very asramas he had ravaged in his wild days, sit at the rishis' feet, and learn from them. He now became the embodiment of patience and gentleness. The sages who had known him in the past, as an irreverent whirlwind of a monkey, were astonished at the transformation, until they learned what had happened.

“Those were the days when Vali and Sugriva's father, the magnificent Riksharajas, was the Lord of all the monkey people of the earth. He was as splendid as Surya Deva was; but then, inevitably, time conquered him and he passed on. Vali became king, and Sugriva the yuvaraja. You know of the enmity that developed between the brothers, and how Vali chased Sugriva from his kingdom and took his wife Ruma for himself.

“It was the rishis' curse that kept Hanuman from avenging the wrong done to Sugriva, whom he loved as dearly as the wind does the fire. For in truth not even great Vali was Hanuman's equal. Ah, who is there on earth who is Hanuman's equal in strength, in vitality, in amiability, in wisdom, cleverness, virility, and discernment?

“Did you know that once he turned his face to the sun, when he wanted to learn the ancient wisdoms; and gazing thus at his blinding preceptor, he walked from the eastern mountain to the western one, where the sun sets? It is said that Hanuman knows as much as Brihaspati does, of both gyana and dhyana.

“And, Rama, what is perhaps not commonly known is that like Hanuman, the other great vanara chieftains, Sugriva, Mainda, Dwividha, Neela, Angada, Nala, Gaja, Gavaksha, Gavaya, Sudamshtra, Prabha, and Jyotimukha, were also Devas' sons and born to help you achieve your purpose in the world. Without them, very likely, Ravana would still be alive, and his shadow would cover the earth in fear.”

Thus, in Rama's sabha, Agastya revealed many things that had been kept hidden so far. At last the muni smiled and said, “Now, Rama, you must give us rishis leave: our tapasya is never complete and the earth is always in need of our prayers.”

Rama rose with tears in his eyes. He said, “My lords, your blessings must always be upon my kingdom and on me. I have another favor to ask you, holy ones. I mean to perform many yagnas, in time, to thank the Gods for my good fortune, and to have their grace upon my land and my people. I beg you all to come to my sacrifices and sit over them.”

One by one, the rishis blessed Rama and left Ayodhya, some walking away from the city of destiny, where Vishnu's Avatara ruled, others flying into the air and vanishing by glimmering sky paths. Night had fallen, and Rama went in to Sita, waiting in his antapura.

 

22. In Rama's sabha

The next morning, his second day as king, Rama was roused by the vabdhis and magadhis, with songs as sweet as the kinnaras sing. They woke him with fulsome praise.

“Awake, O King, who are the joy of your mother Kausalya; for, Lord, all the world remains in a stupor while you sleep. O you are as powerful as Narayana, handsome as the Aswins, wise as Brihaspati, and regal as Brahma. Your patience is like the earth's, your glory is like the sun's, your swiftness like the wind's, and your heart is as deep as the ocean. In war you are as invincible as Siva, and yet your nature is as gentle as the moon's.