Hanuman in Mahabharata

If the heading of this article has surprised you a bit, then that sure was the objective! Yes, we do read about Hanuman in Mahabharata too.

Hanuman was blessed by Ram to be cheeranjivi, i.e. immortal. We come across Hanuman twice in the epic of Mahabharata.

The first and probably the well-known episode is when Bhim meets Hanuman. Bhim and Hanuman were brothers, as they were born of the same father, Vayu, the wind god. Once during the exile of the Pandavas, Draupadi asked for the Sughandika flower or the flower with the celestial fragrance. Bhim went into the jungle to get the flower. On the way, he found an old monkey lying with his tail blocking the way. Bhim haughtily asked the monkey to move its tail. Hanuman, asked him to do so himself, if it was bothering him. Bhim tried to move the tail, but couldn’t move it even an inch. Bhim knew that this was no ordinary monkey. He bent on his knees and asked him to introduce himself. Hanuman then showed him his usual form and Bhim sought pardon from him. This is considered a lesson in humility for an otherwise arrogant Bhim.

The other episode is relatively lesser known. Once at Rameshwaram, while looking at the Ramsetu, the bridge built by Ram, Arjun commented as to what made Ram take the help of monkeys to build a bridge when he could have built a bridge of arrows all by himself. Hanuman appeared and challenged him to build a bridge of arrows, which could just about hold the weight of one monkey. Arjuna accepted the challenge, and started building a bridge of arrows, which he was good at. But Hanuman managed to destroy every bridge by just one step of his. Seeing this, Lord Vishnu appeared and chided both, Arjun for challenging the mighty Hanuman and Hanuman for making Arjun feel so small that he was contemplating taking his own life in shame.

At this, Hanuman felt sorry and promised to help Arjun during the forthcoming war of Kurukshetra. Later during the war, he sat atop Arjun’s chariot, in the form of a flag, thus giving the chariot a sense of stability. At the end of the war, Krishna asked Arjun, to get off the chariot first, which was against the war protocol. As soon as he did, Krishna followed and then came down Hanuman and after bowing to Lord Krishna, he vanished. No sooner had he vanished, the chariot was up in flames and reduced to ashes. A shocked Arjun was at a loss of words. Krishna explained that the chariot had withheld all the celestial weapons hurled at them, thanks only to Hanuman and him, the only two who could withstand the negative effects of such deadly weapons. If they had dismounted first, then he along with the chariot would have been reduced to ashes!

The first one is a well known myth from Mahabharata, but the second one is a lesser known one, both giving lessons in humility to the Pandav brothers.

World Environment Day

Today is World Environment Day. Is the concept of Environment a relatively new idea, or did it always exist?

Is the concept of environment anti-modernism? Should we give up AC’s and deodorants for the sake of environment? Should we shut down industrial units, just because they are polluting and some marine life is endangered? Should we stop providing shelter for people, just to allow some marshes in the neighbourhood?

No environmentalists will tell you to endure any of the above. All s/he will tell you to do is be more sensitive to environment and leave the universe a better place to live for the next generation. This is not a new concept; our ancient texts had thought through this and laid down a few guidelines for the same.

The Veda’s have laid down principles for the conservation of natural resources, importance to the environment, welfare of plant and animal life, etc.

Here are some references to the same:

Habitation

1. One should protect habitation. (Rig Veda Samhita vi-71-3)
2. Waters as friends of man give full protection to his progenies. (Rig Veda Samhita vi-50-7)

Animal welfare

1. One shall take care of quadrupeds (Taittiriya Samhita iv-4-10)
2. One shall be auspicious to animals (Taittiriya Samhita ii-3-14)
3. One shall not find fault with animals (Chandogya Upanishad ii-18-2)

Plant Life Welfare

1. One should not destroy trees (Rig Veda Samhita vi-48-17)
2. Plants are mothers and Goddesses (Rig Veda Samhita x-97-4)
3. Trees are homes and mansions (Rig Veda Samhita x-97-5)
4. Sacred grass has to be protected from man's exploitation (Rig Veda Samhita vii-75-8)
5. Plants and waters are treasures for generations (Rig Veda Samhita vii-70-4)

Non-pollution

1. Waters represent splendour (Atharva Veda Samhita iii-13-5)
2. Waters bear off all defilement and cleanse people. (Vajasaneya Samhita iv-2)
3. Whoever injures the essence of food, wine or steeds is a robber who sinks both himself and his offspring into destruction. (Rig Veda Samhita vii-104-10)
4. Offerings are dedicated to waters of wells, pools, clefts, holes, lakes, morasses, ponds, tanks, marshes, rains, streams, rivers and ocean. (Taittiriya Samhita vii-4-13)
5. Waters and herbs should have no poison. (Rig Veda Samhita vi-39-5)
6. Waters are to be freed from defilement. (Atharva Veda Samhita x-5-24)
7. Waters cleanse humanity from the evil of pollution committed by it. (Atharva Veda Samhita xii-2-40)

Just because nature does not punish immediately, is it not imperative for us to follow the laws of nature? All of us know all about Global Warming, but it needs to graduate beyond the level of holding a coffee-table discussion, and marking a day to ‘celebrate’ a day in the name of Environment.

In the quest for modernity and profits, we are making a mess of our environment. Is it mere coincidence that our ancient thinkers had created gods like Prithvi (earth), Vayu (air) Ganga (river) Meru and Himalya (mountains), etc.? Plants and trees, fishes and other marine life, birds and animals, etc. have all been given the status of divinity. All this was probably just to impress upon people the significance and the importance of nature. Myths associated with them have been told only to impress upon us that if the laws of nature are meddled with, the results would not be favourable to mankind. (Bhoodevi running away in the form of a cow - This is Utkarsh Speaking: Chourasi Devonwali Gaay) We have instances of floods, droughts, etc. which only highlight the constant degradation of environment.

On this day, lets us all pledge to our little bit. Stop using plastic bags, plant a tree or sapling, waste less water, conserve rain water, etc. If nothing, let us try to atone for what we have done till now!

Sampati

Continuing with untold stories of Ramayan, here is one more – the tale of Sampati.

Sampati, a vulture, is a relatively unknown character. However, his younger brother Jatayu is better known for making efforts to save Sita while she was being abducted by Ravan. But let’s begin the story from the very beginning.

Sampati and Jatayu were the mortal sons of Aruna, who was the brother of the famous Garuda, the mount of Lord Vishnu. Aruna was the charioteer of the Sun god. This pedigree made them special birds with large wingspans and the ability to soar high in the skies.

Once, the two of them decided to fly a race in the skies. As the race began, youth took over and without realising, they flew higher and higher. Soon they were reaching closer to the Sun. When Sun saw two specs closing in towards him, he turned his stare towards them. Sampati knew that they had flown too close and tried to dissuade Jatayu to turn back and give up the race. But the young Jatayu was soaring high. Seeing the Sun turn his glare towards them, in a moment, Sampati soared higher than Jatayu and covered him with his wings.

The Sun’s glare fell on Sampati, which burnt his wings, and soon he was heading towards the earth, as he had no wings left. Jatayu realised it all too late and he too followed his brother. In trying to save his brother, Sampati lost his wings.

Jatayu was concerned about his brother’s ability to hunt and feed himself since he had no wings. At this, Sampati is supposed to have said that since he won’t be able to hunt live animals, he would henceforth feed on dead ones. To this Jatayu vowed that since Sampati lost his wings trying to save him, he too would feed on dead animals only. It is said that since then all vultures feed on dead, unlike other birds of prey, who feed on live animals!

Coming back to the epic Ramayan, Sampati makes a fleeting appearance in the epic, unlike the heroic death of his brother Jatayu.

Before dying, Jatayu informed Ram, that he had seen Sita being kidnapped by someone in a flying chariot. Soon Ram sent a team of vanars to find Sita. The team comprising of Hanuman, Jambuvan, Angad, amongst others had reached the southern end of land and near the seashore, from where no land could be seen. The team was disappointed and lifeless and they collapsed near the shore. Sampati was watching them from a distance and was happy and joyously said that here was he hungry for so many days, and god has been kind to send him a dying army of monkeys to feast on!

Hearing this, Jambuvan remarked that life was so ironical. One vulture, Jatayu, gave up his life saving Sita, and here was another vulture trying to feast on the same set of people who are out to seek Sita. The name ‘Jatayu’ made Sampati approach Jambuvan, and asked him to tell him more about Jatayu.

All were surprised at this sudden change. Jambuvan

related the whole story of Jatayu had died trying to save Sita while she was being kidnapped. Sampati was both, proud and sad – proud to know what his brother did, and sad to hear that he was no more. Sampati then introduced himself and promised to help them. Sampati told them, that few days back he had seen the asura king Ravan take a hapless woman in his chariot across the sea, who must be the Sita they were looking for. Sampati was gifted with vision which could see long distances, and he could see Sita being held captive in the region of Lanka which was across the sea.

With this information, the search team went back with the news to Ram. Both the vulture-brothers contributed to the search of Sita. Jatayu told Ram about Sita being abducted and Sampati told the team that she was being held captive in Lanka.

Why then, have popular renditions of the epic focused only on Jatayu?

Makaradhwaj

Last time we read about Hanuman vanquishing Mahiravan and analysed the myth for a better understanding. In the myth, we had mentioned about a character that Hanuman meets on his way to patala-loka, Makaradhwaj.

 

Idol of Makardhwaj in a village temple at Porbandar, Gujarat, India.

Makaradhwaj stops Hanuman as he is standing guard to the entrance to the patala-loka. He challenges Hanuman to a wrestling duel and says that he can enter only after defeating him in the duel. Hanuman agrees, but finds him a tough opponent. Hanuman is impressed by his strength, but at the end of a strong bout, defeats Makaradhwaj. After the duel, Hanuman asks him his name and wanted to know about his parents, who had given birth to such a strong child. Makardwaj said that he was the son of Hanuman!

Hanuman was puzzled, as he was a celibate and had never fathered a child. Makardwaj explained that after burning the city of Lanka with his tail, he had dipped himself in the sea. At that moment, a drop of his sweat fell in the water which was swallowed by a fish like reptile, makar. He was later found in the stomach of the animal and given to Mahiravan. Another version says that due to the intense heat generated in his body after burning Lanka, he took a dip in the sea and it was at this moment that he ejected his reproductive fluid which fell into the mouth of the reptile.

Seeing his tremendous strength, and since he was found in the stomach of a reptilian fish, he was named Makaradhwaj. Later he was entrusted with the task of guarding the fortress of Mahiravan. He did recognise his father, but he did not want to be accused of betraying Mahiravan, who had brought him up and trained him and had trusted him with an important task.

On losing his wrestling bout with Hanuman, he took Hanuman to the spot where Mahiravan was planning to sacrifice Ram and Lakshman. Later after killing Mahiravan, on the suggestion of Ram, Makardhwaj was made the king of the patala-loka, before they left the place.

The aspect of Makardhwaj is interesting. Hanuman, a known celibate fathering a son. This myth highlights the subject of supra-normal births, a subject by itself and a common factor in the study of mythology. Begetting a child from any body fluid was not an uncommon phenomenon in mythology. Many see this as yet another example of virgin birth while feminists could view this as a woman’s ultimate revenge on celibates!

Also, it is said that Makardhwaj had challenged Hanuman to a wrestling duel and had agreed to give him way, only if he defeated him in wrestling. This goes well with the image of Hanuman as the patron deity of wrestlers all over India, more so in the East.

The Jethwa community of Porbandar, Gujarat, claim their ancestry from Makardwhaj. According to them, they are the direct descendants of Jethi-dhwaja, the grandson of Makardhwaj. The Jethwas consider Hanuman to be their clan deity and the royal family even carries the image of Hanuman on their royal flag.

 

Machanu

The Thai Ramayan or Ramakien as it is better known has a slightly different version to this story. According to this, when Ram was trying to build a bridge across the sea for the army to reach Lanka, the stones would simply disappear in the sea, when dropped. This was happening due to the fishes who were removing them, under the guidance of the mermaid Sovann Macha. Sovann Macha incidentally was a daughter of Ravan. Later when Hanuman explained to her that the real reason of building the bridge was to rescue Sita, Sovann Macha, agreed. In due course she fell in love with Hanuman and soon she gave birth to a child, half fish and half man, named Machanu (Makardhwaj). In the Ramakien, Hanuman was not a celibate rather he was quite a ladies-man! (This is Utkarsh Speaking: Part 3 – Thai Ramayana )

Later Machanu was left on the shores of the sea, where he was found by a demon who trained him in martial arts. He was entrusted with the task of guarding the lake to the otherworld.

Unlike the Indian version, Machanu is not aware of Hanuman being his father, when he challenges him to a duel, but that is just a minor difference. Needless to say, that Machanu has been depicted very colourfully, just like the entire Ramakien.

Pics courtesy - Wikipedia