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Continued from yesterday’s instalment
 Moments back Ravana could not take Lakshmana in his arms. And now when Ravana has lost his senses, Hanuman jumped in and picked Lakshmana up in his arms and moved away from that place. And with what ease! See how beautifully the Poet puts it.
‘thoga orungiya gnanam ondru evarinum thUyaan,’
Hanuman the wisest of wise and the most virtuous of all, ‘thagavu koNdadhu Or anbu enum thanith thuNai adhanaal,’ aided by the strength of his love and
‘agavu kaadhalaal,’ by (the strength of) his devotion,
‘aaN thagai aayinum,’ though a male (monkey)
‘magavu koNdu pOi maram pugum mandhiyai nigarththaan,’
resembled a monkey-mother who holds her baby to her breast and hurries to the safety of the tree.
What was not possible for insolent might was such an easy task for love and devotion. ‘I do not deny that Hanuman is a male and you might perhaps think I am giving a wrong simile,’ the Poet seems to suggest when he says
‘aaN thagai aayinum.’ Yes, he is a male but in his matchless love and devotion he resembled a mother. He resembled a monkey-mother who picks her baby up and holds it to her chest and rushes to the safety of the tree.
That incident very clearly establishes for a second time what Valmiki narrated -
Lakshmana recalled himself to be an inconceivable part of Lord Vishnu - which awareness, I reiterate, both the Poets have not ascribed to Rama until he is reminded of it by the very Dharma himself who came to tell him that it was time for him to depart, as the purpose of his incarnation was over.
Lakshmana soon regained his consciousness and by that time Hanuman had reached Rama and the field now witnesses the fury of Rama and the war of the first day ends with Ravana losing all his army and divine weapons and walking back to his palace, in shame, humbled by the ‘two handed puny creature’ who was man enough to allow him respite and so gracefully told him
‘indru pOi pOrukku naaLai vaa,’ Go back now and come properly equipped for war tomorrow. “(Therefore) depart (for the present), O king of the rangers of the night! Re-entering Lanka and resting (awhile), sally forth (again), (duly) mounted on a chariot and armed with a bow, then (remaining) seated in your car, you shall witness my strength.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Yuddha Kanda, Canto LIX, Sloka 142, 143)
 ‘nadandhu pOi nagaram pukkaan’ says Kamban. He walked back to his city. Imagine! The great Ravana - probably the first owner of an aircraft! - walking back to his city is no ordinary event! Quite a news to hit the headlines! But even at that time, the Poet says, there was only one refrain running in his mind and that was, ‘How am I going to face Sita now!’ He was not mindful of the shame of celestials and all the three worlds were laughing at him.
‘saanaki naguvaL endrE naaNaththaal saambugindraan.’ He is filled with and is dying of shame at the thought that Janaki would laugh at him.
It was the main purpose behind Rama sending him back on that day, is what scholars say. Rama waited till the last vestiges of the lust that he had in his heart died its natural death and fought with the true warrior that Ravana was on the last day, who took to the battle-front, devoid of his lust and returned with his mind set in determination, (in the words of the Poet) ‘either Sita should be widowed today or Mandodhari should become so.’ But it is too premature to speak of Rama’s valour now. Let’s get back to our young soldier.
More follows...
Published on 15th
April 2002
Hari
Krishnan
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