|| om tat sat||

Sanskrit Text in Telugu , Kannada, Gujarati, Devanagari, English

Sundarakanda
Sarga 2

तत्त्व दीपिक- 2
(शत आयुः )

One may summarize the second Sarga briefly as follows.

Hanuman descends on Trikuata mountain and looks at the city of Lanka. It is a beautiful city, matching celestial city Amaravati in splendor. The city is so very well protected that Hanuma thought that only Sugriva , Angada, Nila, and himself will be able to enter the city. And he wonders aloud for a moment what Raghava can do even if he were to come here. Then he decides stick to his task . That task is finding Sita. Then he thinks about how to enter the city. Finally Hanuman decides to enter the city in a very small form like that of a cat. The Moon was shining brightly in the skies as if to help Hanuma in his search. That is the story in the second Sarga .

In Sundarakanda till Sita is seen there is no body else to talk to unless Hanuma comes across them. So Valmiki adds words to Hanuman's thoughts and makes him say aloud those thoughts. Every word of Hanuman in Sundarakanda is worth listening to. That is also one of the reasons for the tittle of this Kanda being Sundarakanda.

As he lands in Lanka, Valmiki describes Hanuma as
"अनिश्वसन् कपिः नतत्र ग्लानिं अधिगच्छति".

That means that though he flew across a ocean
which is hundred Yojana wide,
Hanuma is not tired.
He has not collapsed on the beach breathing hard.
Nor was he looking tired from the strain of flying across the hundred Yojana long ocean.

The same thought passes through Hanuma's mind too.
Hanuma says to himself.
"శతాన్యహం యోజనానాం క్రమేయం సుబహూన్యపి|"
" I can fly across many a hundred Yojanas".
So going across the hundred Yojana wide ocean is a small task."

The one in the spiritual pursuit will not get tired.
Even after meditating on a mantra for a hundred and eight times.
He can go on for many more such hundreds.
The one in search of Self never gets tired.
So is Hanuman who crossed the hundred Yojana wide ocean.

What is it we hear from the poet here ?
For the one in search of Self,
namely the Sadhaka,
there is nothing like tiresomeness.
Who is that Sadhaka that goes in search of Self?
The one who has the intense desire for knowing Self.
That search is for experiencing the Self.
They are in search of Self to experience Self.
When you have the desire, nothing will seem to be difficult
You can overcome all difficulties.
Even difficulties which may seem insurmountable for all others.

For the Sadhaka the difficulties wont look like a difficulties.
Indeed the most difficult task is that one which you do not like to undertake.
When you like an object then there is nothing standing in the way.
That is indeed the thought conveyed by the poet.

There is yet another thought.
Valmiki says the ocean is a hundred Yojanas wide.
The hundred as a number comes up in respect of the life expectancy of people also .
At one point in the dialog with Hanuman Sita says
" एति जीवंत मानंदो नरं वर्ष शतादपि" ( Sarga 34)
"If one lives for hundred years one will definitely find happiness".
Again making a reference to hundred.

Appalaacharyulu garu says the word "hundred" should not be taken as a number.
Hundred is a representation of true form ( tattva svarupa) of Bhagavan, Jiva and Prakruti
What are the three fundamental entities (tattva) we talk about in the spiritual enquiry?
They are three.
Brahman, Jiva, Prakruti.
Among the three entities, Jiva and Prakruti are dependent on Brahman.
In the causal state the world is result of the interaction of all the three.
Brahman, the supreme being represents number one.
Prakruti and Jiva which have no value on their own.
They are represented by zeros,
whose values increases in association with Brahman representing one.
Sata or hundred is the representation of all the three , namely Brahman and Jiva and Prakruti.
( Incidentally the three Gunas of Prakruti are Rajo, Tamo and Satvic, which form a separate topic)

Completing hundred years is meant to signify one attaining the Tattva Jnyana .

Attaining hundred years is symbolically linked to attaining the knowledge of the Supreme being.
The attachment to the body is till one attains the knowledge of the Brahman.
Once that is achieved, the attachment to the body falls off.
That is like one has attained hundred years in life.
Crossing the ocean of hundred Yojanas is also thus attaining the knowledge of Supreme being.

Hanuman having crossed the hundred Yojana ocean attained that state.

Now we look at the description of Lanka.

Hanuman is looking at the city of Lanka from the top of the Trikuta mountain.

The city if full of plants which flower in all seasons.
It is filled with wide variety of flowers in the city of Lanka with numerous lakes, mansions touching the skies.
The city of Lanka looked like the celestial city of Amaravati.
It looked as though Viswakarma, the supreme architect, made the city of Lanka in his mind.
The city of Lanka was surrounded by golden ramparts which act to protect the city.
That city of Lanka is the symbol of pinnacle of life's pleasures being enjoyed to the full.

The city is protected by by many warriors sitting on the chariots, elephants, horses as well as foot soldiers.
Rakshasa warriors were moving around armed with a wide variety of weapons.
It looked like an impregnable city.

Here the description of Lanka is nothing but the description of the gross body.
That gross body was also built by Viswakarma.
It too was built in his mind.
It is also the center of all gross enjoyment.
The sensory organs are the lakes, mansions and palaces.
The Rakshasa warriors are like Tamasic thoughts.
The preponderance of Tamas, Tamasic qualities makes it difficult to for any pious thoughts to enter.
They are ever ready to block the good from entering.
They are fully armed with a sense of ridicule.

There are people who say that the thoughts of spiritual enquiry are not for all.
Surely not for like one busy with management of the issues of the world.
They are for people who have no avocation.
Such thoughts predominate the mind of an ignorant one.
Such thoughts are the Rakshasa warriors

The ever tempting desires surrounding us are the golden ramparts of Lanka.
For the spiritual enquiry to make a way into this fortified body ,
it has to conquer all these .

So who can enter such a fort in search of Sita the 'Self' ?

Hanuma answers the question.
Only four can enter this fort .
They are:

"वालिपुत्रस्य नीलस्य मम राज्ञश्च धीमतः"||30||

Angada, Nila, Hanuma, and Sugriva

The first one is Angada.

Angada consists of "Am" and "gada".
"Am" meaning Bhagavan.
"gada" meaning the one who praises .
That Angada means the one who praises the God.
For one to enter the path of spiritual enquiry
the first step is the singing the name of the lord.
This singing or chanting is supposed to pull the mind away.
Away from the gross physical enjoyments and move one towards the enquiry.
The enquiry further cleanses the mind preparing one for the discovery of Self.

The second one is Nila, the son of Agni

To reach the Self embedded in the body ,
one needs to cleanse the body of all accumulated sins.
The way to cleanse the body is with penance, or gifting ( daana) or sacrifices.
Those actions are actions without focus on fruits or Nishkama karma.
Those actions are represented by Nila the son of Agni, the carrier of fruits of a sacrifice.

Third one is Hanuma.

Hanuman is the son of Vayu.
Vayu is the controller of the breathing the air in and breathing out the air.
Connected with the breath is the Mantra.
The meditating of a mantra is the way to realization of the Self.
The mantra is the one that enables one for the search of the Self.
Thus Hanuma symbolizing Mantra is the one that is able to enter the fortified body in search of Self.
Hanuma can enter the fortified Lank in search of Sita

The fourth is Sugriva.

Sugriva is the scholar of Vedas.
The Self which is invisible to eyes is highlighted by Vedas
Enquiry into Vedas or study of scriptures too leads to the discovery of Self

Thus the poet through Hanuma says that these four namely
(1) singing the praises of the Lord
(2) Nishkama karma
(3) meditation
(4) study of scriptures
are the ones that equip one for the discovery of Self in this embodied body .
Hanuma says they are the ones who can enter for the search of Sita.

Hanuma says he cannot enter the city in his own form
"अनेन रूपेण मया न शक्या रक्षसां पुरी"|

Then Hanuma meditates on the task of entering Lanka in an appropriate form.

He decides to enter Lanka in the night,
in a form that is barely visible or attracts attention..

Night is also the time for the Nisacharas, namely Rakshasas.
Nisacharas prowl in the night.
So why enter in the night ?

Nisachar, means those that revel in darkness
The darkness is not necessarily the night.
The anti-thesis of Knowledge spreads darkness of ignorance
The Rakshasas revel in the darkness caused by the ignorance.
The people who revel in this darkness of ignorance are the Rakshasas.
The Yogis are awake in this darkness of ignorance.

While Hanuma is wide awake and searches for Sita,
all others are focussed in their deeds of darkness.

Hanuma decides to start his search in a form that is appropriate.

"वृषदंशकमात्रः सन् भभूवाद्भुत दर्शनः"|

He contracted his form to one which is similar to that of a cat.
Why cat ?
Cat is the one which is able to see in darkness.
So Hanuma too acquired the ability to see in that darkness.
So Hanuma starts the search for the Self
which is invisible in the darkness of ignorance
with an ability to see through that darkness.

As Hanuma starts the search for Sita,
the moon shone with brightness as though he was aiding Hanuma's search.

||om tat sat||

|| This is what we understand from Bhashyam Appalaacharyulu garu in Tattvadipika ||

||om tat sat||