After Ram becomes king, Lakshman’s love and loyalty towards his brother is severely tested. In response to street gossip, Lakshman is asked by Ram to take Sita out of Ayodhya and leave her in the forest. He protests but finally obeys. Thus he survives a moral crisis, by staying loyal to his brother.
But in the end, circumstances force Lakshman to realize that there are times when, despite love for his brother, he has to disobey him for a greater good.
Lakshman disobeys
One day Kala, god of time, paid a visit to Ram and insisted that they talk in complete privacy. ‘Anyone who tries to disturb this meeting should be killed,’ Ram told Lakshman as he shut the door of his chambers. Lakshman stood guard to ensure no one disturbed Ram. At exactly that moment, the Rishi Durvasa stormed towards Ram’s chambers. ‘I want to see Ram immediately,’ he demanded. Lakshman tried to explain that Ram did not want to be disturbed but Durvasa refused to take no for an answer. ‘If you don’t let me see Ram right now I shall curse him and his kingdom,’ shouted the sage who was infamous for his temper. Not wanting any harm to befall Ram or Ayodhya, and not wanting to hurt Durvasa, Lakshman decided it was in everyone’s best interest that he himself disturb Ram and inform him of Durvasa’s presence. Later when Durvasa and Kala had left, Lakshman informed Ram that it was time for him to die for Ram had said anyone who disturbed his meeting with Kala had to be killed. Ram could not take back his word and Lakshman could not disobey his brother. So the two parted ways and Lakshman walked into the Sarayu river and gave up his mortal body.
While the Ramayana celebrates Lakshman’s love for Ram, it also reminds us that ultimately, greater than any brother’s love, greater than family, greater than anything in fact, is dharma, the code of civilized conduct, where others matter more than one’s own.
6
Hanuman’s Master
Ram, who is served by Hanuman
Ram, who promised to help Sugriva
Ram, who killed the proud Vali
Ram, who sent monkeys all over the world
Ram, who was consoled by Lakshman
—From the Nama Ramayana, which narrates the entire epic through the chanting of the many titles of Ram
Monkey to God
In north India there is a saying: pehle Hanuman, phir Bhagwan, first Hanuman, then God. Though a monkey, Hanuman, is one of the most widely worshipped gods in India. With no sophisticated philosophy associated with him, he is simply sankat mochan, the remover of problems, whose image stands alone in roadside shrines at crossroads, at entrances of cities, citadels, temples and homes. Though beast, he embodies all the qualities that make a human worthy of adoration: humility, strength and wisdom. And in a caste-based feudal society like India, Hanuman who stands outside the temple facing the street seems more accessible to the masses than his distant master, the royal Ram.
The word for monkey in the Ramayana, Vanara, is said to be derived from ‘vana’ meaning forest and ‘nara’ meaning man. Many have therefore argued that the monkeys referred to in the Ramayana are not actually monkeys but forest tribes who either worshipped monkeys or had monkeys as their symbols or behaved like monkeys. Vali, for example, behaves like an alpha male monkey who keeps all the foraging grounds and female monkeys for himself. Sugriva and his troupe represent the troop of exiled bachelor-monkeys driven away by the alpha male who continue to hover around the harem waiting for an opportunity to outsmart the leader. Of all the monkeys, Ram is drawn to one in particular, one who though an animal demonstrates better behaviour than the best of men. That monkey is Hanuman. Ram first encounters Hanuman in the forest when he enters Kishkindha in search of Sugriva and is suspected of being Vali’s spy.
Hanuman meets Ram
When Ram and Lakshman entered Kishkindha, they met a Brahman who addressed them in chaste Sanskrit. The brothers were impressed and suspicious for they found it difficult to believe that a man with such diction, such deep knowledge of grammar and language would wander so far away from civilization in the forest said to be the home of monkeys. Lakshman was convinced that the Brahman, like the golden deer, was a shape-shifting Rakshasa. Ram refused to let past experience colour his judgement. He introduced himself to the Brahman as the son of Dashratha, king of Ayodhya, duty-bound to live in the forest as a hermit for fourteen years. He explained how his search for his missing wife had brought him to Kishkindha. The Brahman immediately revealed his true form: he was a mighty monkey called Hanuman, adviser to Sugriva. He had been sent by his master to find out who Ram and Lakshman were. ‘You look like warriors but dress like hermits. So we did not know what to make of you. My master feared that you could have been sent by his brother, Vali, to hunt him down.’
Hanuman is no ordinary monkey. He is the son of Vayu, the wind god who could fly anywhere he wished. As a child he knew no fear, much to the exasperation of the other gods.
Eating the sun
As a child, Hanuman flew towards the rising sun mistaking it for a succulent fruit. On the way, he tossed the planets and the stars as if they were toys, annoying Indra, king of the sky, who struck him with a thunderbolt.
Later the sages decided that he should forget his great powers and remember that only when they were needed most. Hanuman was given the task of protecting Sugriva by his teacher, Surya, the sun god.
Hanuman’s teacher
Hanuman wanted the sun god to be his teacher but Surya refused on grounds that all day he was busy travelling and all night he was busy resting. ‘When can I stop to teach you?’ he asked. ‘You don’t have to stop. Teach as you travel across the sky,’ said Hanuman, who then expanded his size, placed one foot on the eastern mountains and another on the western mountains and kept facing the blazing sun god’s chariot as it made its way each day from the eastern horizon to the western horizon. Impressed by Hanuman’s persistence, Surya taught Hanuman all that he knew and that was a lot, for the sun sees the whole world and so has knowledge of the whole world. ‘What shall I give you as fee?’ asked Hanuman. Surya replied, ‘My son, Sugriva, is suffering greatly at the hands of his half-brother, Vali. Take care of him for me,’ he said. Hanuman promised to take care of Sugriva but he refused to hurt Vali because Vali was the son of Indra.
Hanuman helps Sugriva form an alliance with Ram. This alliance helps Sugriva become king of the monkeys. An indebted Sugriva orders his monkeys to scour the earth for Sita. Search parties are sent in every direction. The best of monkeys are sent to the south, the direction that Ravana was last seen travelling with Sita. The search party is headed by Sugriva’s nephew, Angad. This despite the fact that Hanuman, who follows Angad, is clearly more powerful. Hanuman has no issues being Angad’s follower. This is Hanuman’s personality—always a team player, ever willing to serve, with absolutely no desire to dominate.
Before the journey begins, Hanuman displays his foresight which doubles Ram’s admiration for him.
Hanuman’s foresight
‘If I find Sita,’ said Hanuman, ‘how will I convince her that I have indeed been sent by you?’ Impressed by Hanuman’s foresight, Ram gave him his ring. ‘Show this to her and she will know you are my messenger.’
Though Angad is the leader, it is Hanuman who ensures that the monkeys are not distracted from their mission.
Swayamprabha
Angad was given the task of searching the southern direction, where Lanka stood in all probability. For days they travelled through forests and over hills and across deserts but they found no trace of Lanka or Ravana or Sita. Finally they entered a cave. The dark cave led them to a great magical city full of delightful things. All the monkeys were enchanted by the things there. ‘Stay and enjoy this wonderful place forever,’ said Swayamprabha, guardian of the magical city, ‘for you cannot leave this cave alive.’ Hanuman, who was part of this group, stopped the monkeys from enjoying the tempting things before them. ‘We are on a mission,’ he reminded them. He then begged Swayamprabha to let them go. He told her the tale of Sita’s abduction. Impressed by the sincerity and s
elflessness of Hanuman, Swayamprabha transported the monkeys to the southernmost tip of India. Beyond lay the southern sea. Beyond that stood the golden city of Lanka.
When faced with an apparent dead end, Angad becomes nervous and agitated.
Sampati
Angad’s heart sank when he saw the vast ocean. This he believed was the southern end of the world. Where was Lanka then, he wondered. ‘We cannot go back without finding Lanka or Sita. Sugriva will kill us,’ he said. In despair, he decided to sit on the beach and starve himself to death. An old vulture called Sampati overheard Angad’s intention and hopped towards them. ‘I will eat you when you are dead,’ he said. Ignoring him, Angad moaned, ‘Had Jatayu not told Ram that he saw Ravana move in the southern direction, we would not have had to bear the maximum burden of finding Sita.’ Hearing Jatayu’s name, Sampati was intrigued, for Sampati was Jatayu’s brother. They were both sons of Arun, god of dawn. They once got into a competition of reaching the sun first. Sampati flew ahead of Jatayu and got his wings singed so badly that he tumbled and fell on the southern beach unable to fly ever again. On learning how Ravana had killed Jatayu, Sampati decided to avenge his brother’s death by revealing the whereabouts of Lanka. Though he could not fly, Sampati had keen eyesight and could see beyond the southern horizon. He strained his eyes and said, ‘I can see the island of Trikuta and on it the golden city of Lanka and in it a garden where under a tree sits an unhappy woman. She must be Sita.’ He told the monkeys the exact direction and distance to Lanka, for which the monkeys were grateful.
While Angad gets stressed, Hanuman discovers his inner strength that enables him to cross the sea to Lanka.
Hanuman’s strength
The monkeys wondered how they would cross the sea and reach Lanka. ‘We can’t jump that far,’ they said. Jambavan, a bear who had joined the monkeys looking for Sita, said, ‘Hanuman can. Even he does not realize his strength. As a child, he had leapt towards the sun and tried to eat it as if it was a fruit. He had tossed the planets around as if they were toys. Indra had to stop him by hurling his thunderbolt. As he fell to the ground, the gods gave him many powers but the sages decreed that he would never realize them until the time was right. That time is now. Have faith in Ram, Hanuman. With him in mind, leap and you shall be able to cross the sea.’ Hanuman meditated on Ram and was able to discover his latent powers. He increased his size till his head reached the sky. Then climbing a hillock, he leapt up into the sky and made his way across the sea cheered by Jambavan, Angad and all the other monkeys.
Hanuman’s journey to Lanka is an eventful one described in detail in the Sundarkand of Valmiki’s Ramayana. He does not stop to rest, even when an undersea mountain rises up to offer him shelter. With cunning, he outwits Surasa while with brute strength he overpowers both Simhika and Lankini.
Journey across the sea
As he made his way through the sky across the sea, Hanuman encountered many obstacles. Surasa, a sea serpent, blocked his path and said that she was hungry and she would not let Hanuman pass until he entered her mouth. Hanuman expanded himself in size forcing Surasa to stretch her mouth wide. Then, in the blink of an eye, he reduced himself to the size of a bee and darted in and out of Surasa’s mouth. Impressed by his cunning, Surasa blessed Hanuman as he continued on his journey. Then another demoness called Simhika caught Hanuman by pinning down his shadow with magic. As she dragged him towards her, Hanuman kicked her hard and killed her. The mountain Mainaka rose from the depths of the ocean and invited Hanuman to rest on its peak. Hanuman refused as he was on a mission. Finally, Hanuman reached the shores of Lanka. There he encountered Lankini, the guardian goddess of the city of Lanka. They fought and Hanuman succeeded in overpowering her. This was a bad omen for Lanka for with its guardian goddess overpowered by a monkey its days were clearly numbered.
The scriptures constantly allude to the fact that Hanuman is celibate. His overpowering of three female forces—Surasa, Simhika and Lankini— reinforces his potent masculinity. One folk narrative has it that while crossing over to Lanka, Hanuman’s sweat fell into the sea. That sweat was eaten by a fish. So potent was Hanuman’s sweat that the fish gave birth to a child whose name was Makaradhvaj.
In Lanka, Hanuman finds many women. He identifies Sita on the principle that Ram’s wife would never derive any pleasure from the luxuries provided by her abductor.
Finding Sita
Hanuman searched every house in Lanka looking for Sita. He found Ravana in bed with hundreds of women. A few of them were his wives, a few were his concubines and many were wives of other men who had come to him willingly drawn by his power. Hanuman was sure Sita was not amongst them. He then saw a beautiful woman sleeping alone in the palace. She was bedecked in bridal finery. Hanuman concluded that she was Ravana’s chief queen and not Sita for Ram’s wife would never enjoy the pleasures of another man’s palace. He then reached an orchard where under the Ashoka tree he found a forlorn woman seated, surrounded by fierce Rakshasa women. He saw Ravana come into the orchard with all royal fanfare. Using gifts and threats and sweet words, he tried to make the woman come to him but she firmly turned him down. This convinced Hanuman that the woman in the orchard was indeed Sita. After Ravana had left, he climbed the tree under which Sita sat and began to sing songs to Ram’s glory. That caught Sita’s attention. He then dropped Ram’s ring before her. She recognized it at once. Still she looked suspiciously at him. Hanuman then revealed his identity and told Sita how Ram had taken the help of the monkeys of Kishkindha to locate her. He offered to carry Sita across the sea to Ram. But Sita refused. ‘My husband is a warrior. Ravana has insulted him by treating his wife so. Let him regain his lost pride by defeating Ravana in battle and releasing me with honour.’ Hanuman understood Sita’s viewpoint and requested her to give him something that would prove to Ram that he had indeed established contact with her. Sita pulled out her hairpin and gave it to Hanuman. ‘He will recognize this,’ she said. Hanuman then fell at her feet and sought her blessings which Sita gave freely for Hanuman’s arrival had reinforced her hope.
Hanuman could have left after delivering the message, but the monkey in him could not resist the chance of teaching Ravana a lesson.
Burning of Lanka
Having located Sita, Hanuman could have returned to Ram but he decided not to do so until he had taught Ravana a lesson. He started leaping from tree to tree in the garden where Sita was held prisoner, breaking the branches and destroying the flowers and fruits. When the Rakshasa guards tried to stop him, he threw stones at them. One of the stones hit Ravana’s son, Akshay, and killed him. An alarm was sounded across the palace and Indrajit, Ravana’s eldest and mightiest of sons, was forced to come to the garden and catch the wild monkey. Indrajit released a missile imbuing its tip with the power of Brahma. Out of respect for Brahma, Hanuman let the missile entrap him. Hanuman was immediately tied and dragged before Ravana. When asked to identify himself, Hanuman split the chains that bound him as if they were made of straw, announced himself as the messenger of Ram and demanded a seat for himself. Ravana was surprised to hear Ram’s name in his court and annoyed by the monkey’s superior attitude. Hanuman refused to speak any more until he was given a seat due to a royal messenger. When none was forthcoming, he simply elongated his tail and coiled it around to create a very high and impressive seat for himself. Sitting on it, he informed Ravana of Ram’s imminent arrival. ‘Let Sita go or face his wrath,’ he warned the king of the Rakshasas. A furious Ravana ordered his guards to set fire to Hanuman’s tail. When this was done, Hanuman simply swung his tail and leapt from one corner of the palace to another and then from one roof to another setting all of Lanka aflame. After causing maximum damage to the city of the Rakshasas, Hanuman made his way back across the sea.
Having located Sita for Ram, Hanuman then organizes all the monkeys to build a bridge to Lanka.
Bridge to Lanka
Having located Sita in Lanka, Sugriva ordered that an army be raised to rescue her. ‘Bu
t how will we get to Lanka which is an island in the middle of the sea? Not all of us are like Hanuman, capable of flying so far,’ wondered the monkeys. On reaching the southern shore, Ram raised his bow and threatened the sea with a deadly arrow if it did not make way for his army. Varun, god of the sea, appeared before Ram and begged him not to release the arrow. ‘Build a bridge instead with stones. And I will ensure that all sea creatures keep your stones afloat,’ he said. Directed by Hanuman, all the monkeys collected rocks to build the bridge to Lanka. On each rock Hanuman engraved the name of Ram so that the god of the sea could identify the rocks easily and keep them afloat.