Miscellaneous - Religion   

Sagacity of mind

CHENNAI : The person who took centre stage in the Ramayana after Ravana abducted Sita was Hanuman. His importance can be gauged from the fact that Valmiki has named an entire canto after him— the Sundara Kanda. He was the one who rightly suspected that the princely looking brothers were no hermits when they reached the vicinity of Pampa. Sugriva went into hiding in fear that they were sent by his brother Vali to kill him. Hanuman not only reassured him with his reasoning but also went to meet them.

In their discourse, Damal Sri S.Ramakrishnan and Srimathi S.Perundevi said the manner in which Hanuman questioned them to ascertain their identity made Rama infer that he was not an ordinary monkey though he introduced himself as one and as the minister of Sugriva. Rama told Lakshmana to speak to him with affection, as He wanted to befriend Sugriva. Besides, He pointed out, "To speak in the way he has done is not possible for one who has not studied Rig Veda with an eye to its meaning, not memorised Yajur Veda and has no knowledge of Sama Veda either. Surely the entire range of (Sanskrit) grammar has been studied by him in many ways, as is clear from the fact that nothing had been wrongly worded by him even though speaking a good deal. By the pleading of an envoy all the objects of a sovereign, in whose service there happen to be agents adorned with hosts of such virtues, are accomplished."

Lakshmana on his part while introducing themselves conveyed to Hanuman that though Rama was now seeking Sugriva's help was "once not only fit to protect, but the actual protector of the whole world." Hanuman's sagacity of mind, which was to stand him in good stead while executing the mission of locating Sita in Lanka entrusted to him unanimously, was evident even in that first meeting when he surmised immediately that the friendship they were seeking would be advantageous to Sugriva also. Moved by their plight he assured them that Sugriva along with all his subjects (the monkeys) would make an all-out effort to find Sita and thus became instrumental in sealing their friendship.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Cartoonscape
The Hindu Crossword 8733
Solution to Puzzle 8732
Sagacity of mind
dated October 16, 1956: Attlee in Madras
dated October 16, 1956: Chou rejects UK reports
dated October 16, 1956: Dasara in Mysore
Weather

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu