October 7 - Sarga 67 of Kishkindha Kanda and the first fifty shlokas of sarga 1 of Sundara Kanda.
We witness today, the first day of the auspicious Navaratri, the take-off of the supreme hero, Hanuman!
Jai Bajrangbali! 🙏🙏🙏
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The poet Valmiki is greatly pleased to describe how Hanuman assumed an incredibly mighty appearance that dispelled the last vestiges of distress from the vanara army.
वीक्षन्ते क्रममिवोत्साहं नारायणामिव प्रजाः He says its effect on the onlookers was as electric as when the avatara of Narayana, Vamana, assumed the Trivikrama form to scale the universe in three strides.
Valmiki compares Hanuman's glory to that of a lion stretching himself outside his cave, of the blazing sun, of a huge smokeless fire. Hanuman, with his hairs bristling as he swelled, said to Jambavan looking up at him:
"Lo & behold! Here I am, the son of the Wind-god, his equal in might. I can go round Mount Meru a thousand times, submerge this world with its lakes and rivers, even push back the seashore. I can race the sun from the east to the west and even return to the east before he sets. I can stir up the ocean, crush the mountains with my thighs. My path in the sky will be the path of the Swathi star! As I fly I will scatter away the clouds! Only Garuda and Vayu can match me in prowess and speed. I will leap now, like Vishnu strode the earth as Trivikrama!"
अहं द्रक्ष्यामि वैदेहीं प्रमोदध्वं प्लवङ्गमाः !
"I shall surely meet Vaidehi, oh vanaras! So cheer up at once!"
In fact Hanuman said it was an easy task for him to even fetch amruta from Indra's heaven! Uprooting Lanka if need be was trivial for him.
Jambavan said in a delighted voice:
वीर केसरिणः पुत्र हनूमान्मारुतात्मज ।
ज्ञातीनां विपुलः शोकस्त्वया तात प्रणाशितः ॥
तव कल्याणरुचयः कपिमुख्याः समागताः ।
मङ्गलार्थसिद्ध्यर्थं करिष्यन्ति समाहिताः ॥
ऋषीणां च प्रसादेन कपिवृद्धमतेन च ।
गुरूणां च प्रसादेन सम्प्लव त्वं महार्णवम् ॥
स्थास्यामश्चेकपादेन यावदागमनं तव ।
त्वद्गतानि च सर्वेषां जीवनानि वनौकसाम् ॥
"Oh supreme hero, Hanuman! descendant of Kesari, oh, the son of Wind-god Vayu! You have alleviated the grief of your near and dear ones!
"All the great vanara warriors here pray with a single voice for the success of your sacred mission! With the blessings of great sages, your elders, your preceptors, take your giant leap forward across the ocean!
"We shall all wait here, anxiously, on tenterhooks, standing on one foot as it were, until your successful mission and safe return. Our very breaths will be with you constantly!"
***
Hanuman's radiance is doubled. He says that the thrust of his giant leap cannot be withstood by ordinary ground. So he scales the Mahendra mountain, with great force and speed, while his massive proportions uproot trees and grind to powder mighty rocks.
This naturally scatters all the animals and birds, and even the celestials and sages who are living there enjoying their pastimes and prayers. Hanuman's mind is already locked into the path he would take to leap across to Lanka.
This ends the fourth canto, Kishkindha Kanda of Srimad Valmiki Ramayana.
***
The next canto, Sundara Kanda, is the favourite of millions of Ramayana readers. Its hero is Hanuman. Sri Rama does not make a personal appearance at all. Vaidehi, Sita, Janaki, whom we seem to have forgotten for long, makes her emphatic appearance. Hanuman meets Ravana. He sets in motion a series of events that portend the fall of Ravana. Hanuman is the epitome of bravery, valour, intelligence, steadfastness, diligence, foresight, diplomacy, fearlessness, and heroism.
See the way the kanda begins!
स सूर्याय महेन्द्राय पवनाय स्वयम्भुवे ।
भूतेभ्यश्चाञ्जलिं कृत्वा चकार गमने मतिम् ॥
अञ्जलिं प्राङ्मुखः कुर्वन् पवनायात्मयोनये ।
ततो हि ववृधे गन्तुं दक्षिणो दक्षिणां दिशम् ॥
"Hanuman bowed down to the Sun-god, Mahendra, lord of the celestials, to Brahma, the creator, to the attendants of Lord Shiva, and prepared to take off. Bowing down to his revered sire, the Wind-god as he faced south, the extremely capable and confident Hanuman calmly resolved to leap towards the south and proceed to serve the cause of Sri Rama - रामवृद्ध्यर्थम् ।
Valmiki helps us imagine the effect of Hanuman's pressing down on the Mahendra peak as he readied himself for takeoff. He was growing in size. He pressed down with his hands and feet on the mountain. The peak shook and released a huge amount of fragrant flowers that carpeted it in an instant. His pressure on the rock was enough to release subterranean water in fountains. Many glittering mineral rocks of gold and silver shone. Animals and birds let out a shriek. Many huge serpents shot out of their holes, emitting fiery poison that burnt down the rocks and set them on fire.
Celestials - vidyadharas, fled with their women leaving behind all their articles of pleasure and celebration that they were engaged in. They were joined by sages. All of them stayed in the skies to watch Hanuman's ascent.
रामार्थं वानरार्थं च चिकीर्षन् कर्म दुष्करम् ।
समुद्रस्य परं पारं दुष्प्रापं प्राप्तुमिच्छति ॥
"Look, for serving the cause of Sri Rama and the lot of vanaras, here is Hanuman embarking on a near-impossible task! He is making a leap across the vast ocean to the yonder shore!"
Hanuman gave a mighty shake to his body, and this swished all his body hair. His shake itself created a huge sound. Hanuman struck his big tail with a mighty blow to the ground, much like Garuda would be throwing a big serpent of a prey to the ground. Hanuman now crouched, tucking in his waist and contracting the muscles of his feet. He tightened his shoulders and head, holding in his breath and focussing his eyes in the distant sky. He then said,
यथा राघवनिर्मुक्तः शरः श्वसनविक्रमः ।
गच्छेतद्वद्गमिष्यामि लङ्कां रावणपालिताम् ॥
न हि द्रक्ष्यामि यदि तां लङ्कायां जनकात्मजाम् ।
अनेनैव हि वेगेन गमिष्यामि सुरालयम् ॥
यदि वा त्रदिवे सीतां न द्रक्ष्याम्यकृतश्रमः ।
बद्धवा राक्षसराजानमानयिष्यामि रावणम् ॥
सर्वथा कृतकार्योऽहमेष्यामि सह सीतया ।
आनिष्यामि वा लङ्कां समुत्पाट्य सरावणम् ॥
"Oh vanaras, witness my leap! Like the infallible arrow released by Sri Rama, hissing with formidable speed, I am shooting off to Lanka ruled by Ravana. If I don't find the lady Sita there, I shall proceed with the same speed to heaven. I shall search for her in the three worlds without let-up. If I still fail to locate Sita, I shall bind Ravana hand and foot and bring him forthwith to Sri Rama's feet.
"I shall succeed for certain in bringing Sita back. Otherwise, I shall uproot Lanka itself and bring it, Ravana and all. That is my solemn resolve!"
Hanuman took off with great ease, like Garuda. Many trees full of blossoms took off around him, sucked up by his great speed. It looked like they were bidding him godspeed and good fortune as relatives would say, going some distance bidding farewell to dear ones on their departure. Hanuman looked an incredible spectacle, as he leapt through the clouds, covered with all those trees, creepers and flowers.
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॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
