Hanuman meets Sri Rama (Sampurna Ramayanam and Valmiki Ramayanam)
Posted by Satya on April 30, 2010
One of the much awaited incidents in any telling of the Ramayanam, is the meeting of Rama and Hanuman. When purity personified meets purity personified. This is one of the things that makes Kishkinda-Vijayanagar-Hampi so special. When you wander about there you may stand on the very spot where they met! This is one more reason that I very badly want to go there.
In the video clip below you can see that Hanuman first approaches Sri Rama in the guise of a brahman, but Sri Rama identifies him at once and Hanuman sings in delight.
My thoughts :
Hanuman was a brahman on his mother’s side. His mother Anjana was the daughter of Gauthama Maharshi. We know this from the Siva Purana. He was an expert in many languages of India of the south and north, as well as sanskrit. Did this master of disguise not hide the golden ornaments that marked his royal service well enough? Sri Rama came to Kishkinda specifically looking for Sugriva. Was it easy for him to guess that a brahman in these parts had not much business here and that he must in fact have been a minister of Sugriva? Valmiki tells us that Sri Rama was extremely intelligent. As intelligent as Brihaspati himself. Wasn’t this an easy deduction for someone of his genius? And of course, though Rama and Lakshmana dressed in bark, they did carry the weaponry given to them by Agastya, which made them extremely conspicuous.
Let us now take a look at the original Sanskrit Ramayanam (Critical Edition by Gita Press).
Valmiki Ramayanam : kishkinda kAnDa : trtIyah sargah. Page 753, Gita Press 5th edition.
At Sugriva’s bidding, Hanuman approached Sri Rama and Lakshmana in a bhikshurUpam, (in the guise of a mendicant who lives on alms). He spoke in a soft and pleasing language. He praised the virtues of Sri Rama and Lakshman – their handsome forms, theri noble gait, their powerful bodies and their divine appearance and their divine weapons.
He then introduced himself as Hanuman the minister of Sugriva and sought their friendship on his king’s behalf.
Sri Rama then addressed Lakshmana and said, “Only a person who knows the meaning of the Rg Veda, knows the Yajur Veda by heart and knows the sAma vEda also can speak so beautifully like this. He has mastered grammar perfectly. Though he has spoken such a lot, he hasn’t made a single error, with his face, eyes, forehead, eyebrows or any other part of his body. His speech is clear, sweet and emanates correctly from the chest, throat and head.” (see Siksha Vedanga).
“Any person with such a minister is bound to succeed. Please speak well to him!”
Then Lakshmana said, “Oh Vanara! Oh Wonderful Hanuman!! We have heard of your king Sugriva and are here to meet him”
Authorship and Copyright Notice : All Rights Reserved : Satya Sarada Kandula
