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 We saw that Hanuman did not answer Rama's desire to meet Sugriva. He presented him with their problem instead and asked for his support and he very politely asked for information on them.
Lakshmana answered Hanuman. He narrated the story of Rama, right from his birth to the present moment. After hearing the entire story, Hanuman fell at the feet of Sri Rama. Rama protested saying that he should not fall at his feet, as he was a Brahmin. Hanuman then showed him his real self, and also his viswaroopa. The intention of course, was to assure Sri Rama that the ally he was seeking was only too powerful to achieve what he wanted. And to imply that they had an enemy who could not be overcome even though they were strong and powerful. The immensity of Vali's strength was thus indirectly conveyed to Sri Rama.
I have to make a mention of what Rt. Hon'ble has to say about the strength of Vali and Hanuman. Hanuman was extremely mischievous in his boyhood and was annoying the Rishis in the forest. They cursed him "that he would not remember his strength until somebody reminded him… When Vali and Sugriva fell out and became enemies, the reason why Hanuman did not show his full strength and kill Vali was that he did not know that he was the greater of the two. Sugriva did not know it and Hanuman did not know it."
 At the end of Lakshmana's narration, Hanuman bowed before Rama and told him. 'Tarry here a while sir. I will bring Sugriva here.' He thus eliminated a few possible embarrassments. First of all, Hanuman did not have the authority of Sugriva on what to do further with these strangers, though he was convinced of their intentions and was confident that they would help them to come out of the morass. Secondly, he should first convince Sugriva in privacy, about these strangers. You don't know. He was already panicky, as he had already concluded they were agents of Vali. If he sees these two bow-men accompanying Hanuman when he returned, his reaction may not be pleasant. If his reaction was negative when they are present, it might not be to their advantage. Third, he should take the approval of his leader, before he makes any further move on his own. It was a question of protocol too.
It may be observed here that while Lakshmana narrated the complete story of Rama, Hanuman just gave them the barest minimum outline of Sugriva's plight. He did not even mention that Vali had appropriated Sugriva's wife, Ruma. But it was once again a question of protocol. If Lakshmana narrated Sri Rama's story, he had the approval of the latter and it was in his presence that he did so. In Hanuman's case it was not so. His leader did not tell him anything about what part could be made known and which should not be. He needed authority. Though the epic does not say anything directly on these, we can infer them, on the basis of an incident that we will take up in our next
instalment.
But before anything else, he had his first duty. He had to convince his panic-stricken leader about the capability of these warriors and make use of them to dispatch Vali. What Sugriva did is typical of any manager who does not understand the intricacies of assigning responsibility. Responsibility goes with authority. When delegating, it is important to give the necessary authority to the person and empower him appropriately.
What Hanuman did in these trying circumstances show him as a person of the highest calibre. In the next scene, Hanuman emerges as a close friend, good minister and talented negotiator.
(To be continued)
Hari Krishnan
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