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 Anjaneya walked in front of Ravana’s chariot, blocking his view. He addressed Ravana, and I give the essence of Kamban’s poetry.
‘Don’t indulge in foul play. Stop this (fight with Lakshmana) now. There are many more encounters and many more combats to come. Let us see how valiant you are, then. Listen to me now.’ Observe his tact in the use of words. Stop this. He did not say stop what. He merely implied the fight with Lakshmana. The other sentence is aimed at pricking the ego of Ravana. Hanuman follows it up a seeming praise, immediately.
‘Your strength and valour are known the world over. You won all the three worlds. You overpowered Indra, the lord of all Devas. You fought with the guardian elephants of the eight directions.’ Hanuman inflated the ego of his enemy, to begin with just adding a single line ‘but your death is certain this day’. Then he assumed his viswa roopa and stood before him like the very Trivikrama himself, with a raised right hand in preparation of an attack. ‘Look at me’ roared Hanuman.
‘You are a skilled archer, Ravana. Your proficiency in other weapons of death is well known. You have a row of twenty strong shoulders. You are an adept at the art of war and are sharp of intellect.’ After showering so many words of praise, Hanuman adds the line once again, ‘but are you strong enough to fight with me?’
He then goes on to remind Ravana of his deed of which he is so proud and fond of. ‘Your might that established itself in your lifting of the Mount Kailash, your bravery of fighting the dhik gaja, the heaps and heaps of your strong shoulders… are they strong enough to withstand a
blow of this monkey, with just one hand?’ (kurakkuth thanik karaththin pudaip porai aatruvai kollaam…)
No doubt, Ravana, you have twenty shoulders. I have just two. You are the mightiest of the rakshasa race, that is the mightiest of all races in the world. I am after all a monkey. But can you withstand a single blow of mine, if I pound your chest? Are you strong enough to take my punch? Will you live after I pound your chest? In case you live, you can hit me back. Are you ready?
 Look at it. The address is so cleverly phrased. It praises Ravana for a moment and inflates his ego. It teases him the next moment and infuriates his pride. Ravana lost his senses. He said, ‘Ah monkey! Even the Yama, the god of death, is not brave enough to stand before me. You had the temerity to stand before me and challenge me to single combat! Let's see how strong you are. Here pound me… let me see how strong are your hands’ so saying he showed his chest to Hanuman. When Hanuman threw a punch on his chest, the tusk of the dhik gaja that was broken and remained embedded in Ravana’s body, came out through his back and fell on the ground. So powerful was the punch. Then the duel ensues and war takes a different shape and Ravana faces Rama, loses all his army and was sent back for the day by his chivalry.
The point is, Hanuman was able to divert the attention of Ravana and made him to stop his fight with Lakshmana at a time when Lakshmana was in a difficult situation. Ravana’s ego was easily inflated and was used against him, to keep him defocused.
There was another instance when Hanuman praised Indrajit. But that was not like what he did to the father, Ravana. It was almost a worshipful prayer. Hanuman shows us that even praise can be employed, as a weapon against the enemy, if need arises. Let us see how he did it and why he did not succeed in it, though the technique is commendable.
(To be continued)
Hari Krishnan
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