Book Title: Sambodhi 2010 Vol 33
Author(s): J B Shah, K M patel
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

View full book text
Previous | Next

Page 13
________________ Vol. XXXIII, 2010 Rāmāyaṇa Characters In The Thai Mould is proud of his origin and misses no opportunity to highlight it with verve27. A young man with lovely appearance, he is devoted to the well-being of others. His pretty face is matched by his sweet tongue. He is generous to a fault. His devotion to Rāma is proverbial28. He is ever ready to risk his life for the sake of his master. He is indeed an epitome of devotion, sacrifice and self-abnegation. What strikes as the most notable characteristic of Hanumān is his phenomenal energy. He is vaour incarnate. It is because of his boundless might that he acts as the Rāma's most trusted lieutenant in the series of disasters that he has to encounter. However grave the challenge, he invariably comes out of it with flying colours. He frustrated the concerted efforts of Suvarnamatsyā to destroy the causeway, which alone paved the way for its construction on schedule. It was again he who administered resounding rebuff to Mahipāla-devāsura and secured Vibhisana's release. The greatest challenge to him was posed by Mahipāla-devāsura and secured Vibhīşana's release. The greatest challenge to him was posed by Maiyarāba in deceitfully kidnapping Rāma right from his camp to the nether region. There too he picked up the gauntlet and proved his mettle. He not only overcame a series of obstacles and difficulties in his long journey to Pātāla but also killed the demon on his home-ground and retrieved Rāma right from the jaws of death29. The credit for freeing Sugrīva from the clutches of Kumbhakarna also rests with him30 It is, however, not the brute force alone that he embodies. His prowess is deeply tempered with resourcefulness and discretion. His foresight had been chiefly instrumental in revealing the identity of the fake Sītā, that had all but thrown Rāma out of gear. As a hard-boiled strategist, he does not hesitate in employing tricks and stratagems to accomplish his mission. He often believes that the ends justify the means. He thus had no qualms in assuming the form of a dead dog to frustrate Kumbhakarna's bid to propitiate his lethal missile31. It was again through a neatly executed stratagem that he disposed of Rāvana's soul, encaged in Goputra's hermitage and thereby enabled Rāma to liquidate the demon32. But for his strategies and resourcefulness, the outcome would have been disastrous to Rāma. While he aborted the designs of the adversaries through trickery, he employed powerful logic to wean away Survarnamatsyā from foiling the construction of the causeway33. It is surprising that such a brilliant strategist and an intrepid combatant had to eat an humble pie in his encounter with the hermit-boys Mankuta and Lava34.

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 ... 212