Reading Notes: Hanuman Part B

Hanuman (Wikimedia Commons)

Tulsidas Sundarkaand, The Triumph of Hanuman

Sundarkaand, is the fifth book of Tulidas’s Ramayana, still popular today, many verses are used as proverbs

Tulsidas (1532-1623)

Text Shtam Prakash, Art Sachin Nagar

1. Ravan’s Court and the destruction of Lanka
1. Hanuman warns Ravan to release Seta and ask for Ram’s forgiveness.
2. Angered Ravan orders Hanumans death, changes his mind since Hanuman is a messenger, instead orders his tail to be burned
3. Hanuman grew his tail really long, Agni (God of Fire) protected him from the fire
4. Hanuman ran around the city catching everything on fire except the ashok tree garden
5. Then returns to others across the sea
2. Hanuman: The Early Years
1. Mischievous and playful
2. Thought the sun was a ripe fruit and tried to eat it
3. Indra, king of Gods, struck him in the chin with a thunderbolt, in Sanskrit hanu is chin so Hanuman is “the one with the broken chin”
4. Surya, sun god, was Hanuman’s teacher. This was done by Hanuman growing big, with one leg in the east, the other in the west, and facing Surya as he crossed across the world in daytime
5. Hanuman interrupted sages and monk’s meditation one to many times, so they cursed him, sealing his powers
3. After the Ramayana
1. Did not leave with when Ram and the others left for heaven, Hanuman stayed behind
2. He would stay on earth as long as people chant Ram’s name with faith and devotion
3. He is a chiranjivi (relevant epic characters are eternal)
4. Broke a pearl necklace given by Ram, said it was worthless because there was no image of Ram
5. When others said there was no image of Ram on Rams heart, Hanuman opened his chest showing that his heart had an image of Ram and Sita on it
6. He is a sankatmochan (one who helps in overcoming crisis