Volume 4 | Issue 3 | July-August
2010 |
Ramayana Of The Adiyas
Dr. Azis Tharuvana
Adiyathi carried the basket on her head and walked away. On reaching the room where Seeta was staying, she put down the basket. When she left Hanuman leapt out of the basket. Seeta, who was lost in reveries, was shocked and asked:” You are the fellow who wanted to pull down the hill on us. You better go away. If people see you here they will kill you. If Ravana knows of your presence here, he will put you in cage”.
Hanuman at once leapt out through the window. He sat on the top of a coconut tree. He looked all around. People were walking through the bye-lanes. In the courtyard children were playing marbles. To attract their attention, Hanuman played a trick. He plucked some coconut fruits and started hurling them down. People walking on the streets saw this. Those in the palace heard the sound. They came out and saw what was happening. Every one was puzzled. ‘ Who is this mad cap, plucking the ripe and unripe coconut fruits? Catch that rascal and kill him”. Not heeding to the comments of the people, Hanuman continued his act of plucking the coconut fruits and hurling them down. The coconut trees started getting bare of fruits. The entire city was in commotion. Bows and arrows in hand, people started surrounding the tree, on which Hanuman was perched. Hanuman shouted: “ If you want to catch me, first you have to cut down all the trees-coconut trees, arecanut trees, banana plants, coffee plants, everything. I will come down only when all the trees are finished.”
People discussed among themselves. Finally they came to a decision. Cut down all the trees. People came with axes, scythes, knives- whatever they could get hold of for cutting down the trees. They cut down all the coconuts, bananas, coffee plants. Their first aim was the tree on which Hanuman sat. When the tree was about to fall he leapt on to the next tree. When that too was felled, he jumped on to another tree. In the end there was only one coconut tree left. Perched on that tree, Hanuman surveyed the surrounding land. The agitated people were standing with sticks and knives. It was a large graveyard of fallen trees. Hanuman shouted: “I shall come down. But no one should touch me. Nor should you abuse me. I will tell you how you shall kill me.”
People became curious, no less than angry. “He is an interesting fellow”, they said among themselves. Agitated, the people called out: ” Tell us, you bloody monkey, how we should proceed to kill you”.
Hanuman did not like the epithet ‘bloody monkey’. He replied: “ Don’t you insult me by calling me monkey. So many of you could not do anything to me. I will show you who I am.” The crowd became restless. They fell silent. To the perplexed crowd Hanuman said: “ I will tell you how you can kill me. Bring the clothes of all the people in the town. Bring also two cans of kerosene. Wrap the clothes around my tail. Then pour kerosene on the tail and set fire to it. You are not to beat me, kick me or stab me. I shall die and be reduced to ashes by the flames”.
The people were overjoyed. They clapped their hands and shouted for joy. Hanuman spoke to them in derision and in a manner that they would not understand him fully: “When I am dead, you can collect my ashes and smear on your forehead, it will bring you god’s blessings’. In frenzy the people ran back to their homes and the textile shops. They returned with all the clothes they could lay hand on. The rich people exhibited their wealth by bringing exquisite clothes in bullock carts and buffaloe carts. The poor, who had no clothes except the one they wore, stayed away watching all this drama. They did not lose any tree, because they were landless.
Hanuman descended to the ground and showed his tail. People stood in queue. The first person wrapped the clothes he had brought around Hanuma’s tail. He was a VIP. As he started wrapping the clothes he had brought in bullock cart on the tail of Hanuman, those behind him in the queue were overjoyed. They thought that they could take back their clothes, since this would be sufficient to cover the entire tail. Hanuman lengthened his tail. The clothes of the first man were not sufficient to cover even a small portion of the long tail. The VIP felt ashamed and drew back.
The second VIP wrapped all the clothes he had brought in buffaloe cart. When he straightened himself up and looked at the tail, the situation was exactly the same as before. Ashamed and humiliated, he too withdrew. Then the third man came, then the fourth and so on, all using up all the clothes they had brought. But the final result was the same. The major proton of Hanuman’s tail still remained without clothes. The heads of all those present there bent down with thoughts of humiliation at the hands of a monkey. Those, who had no extra clothes save what they were wearing, just looked on and burst into laughter. Hanuman blinked at them.
Hanuman said: “ If you have used all the clothes you brought, pour kerosene. Then set fire to my tail. In a few minutes I will be reduced to ashes. Then you can collect my ashes and smear it on your forehead, you will get god’s blessings.”.
Though they understood the sting in the words of Hanuman, they still followed him. They poured kerosene and set fire. The flames leaped up. People consoled themselves that they would no more have trouble from Hanuman. When the flame grew as high as a hill, people moved away to avoid being scorched by the heat. Hanuman leapt on to the top of a house thatched with grass. (In those days all houses had grass-thatched roofs). When the house started to burn Hanuman jumped on to the roof of the next house. He followed the same procedure, jumping from one house-top to the next house-top, and in a short span of time all the houses in the town were reduced to ashes. Meanwhile, the people forgot the idea of catching Hanuman and killing him. They started to run helter-skelter, crying aloud ‘My house has been burnt down, my wife and children are dead’. The fire spread throughout the area. A heat wave engulfed the town. When all the houses were gutted, Hanuman jumped into a pond near the palace, where Seeta was staying and put out the fire on his tail. Then oblivious of what had happened, he ran into the room where Seeta was resting. Seeta was in a frightened mood. Like the town of Lanka, Seeta’s mind too was on fire. Ravana was out of town for some important business. On seeing Hanuman, Seeta became enraged. She started abusing Hanuman. Hanuman chose not to reply. He just sat in a corner of the room, feigning ignorance of the happenings. Finally Seeta asked the innocent looking Hanuman:” Why did you come to Lanka? What do you want? Who sent you over here? Unperturbed, Hanuman replied: “ I came to take Seetadevi with me. Rama sent me. I see that you have fallen into a trap.” Said Seeta: “Why has Rama sent you to take me along? What has Rama to do with me?” To which Hanuman replied:” Rama loves you. He wants to marry you. He is king designate.” Hanuman then waxed about the qualities and exploits of Rama. Seeta became a little mollified. She asked: ‘Then, what will I say to Ravana? He will be searching for me”. Hanuman said: “Ravana is a wicked fellow. He has another wife. He is a womanizer.” Seeta did not raise any objection to Hanuman’s suggestion. She too had heard some of the stories circulating about Ravana. All those scenes flashed through her mind. Therefore, the same night Seeta followed Hanuman to Irappu, (A place in Kudagu district in Karnataka, adjacent to Wayanad). Rama was staying at Irappu at that time. Hanuman led Seetha to Rama. Then he said: “ I would like to make a request to you. Hereafter please do not call us monkeys. Now you know there are strong people among us”. Rama did not contradict Hanuman. “ I shall take all the strong monkeys into my army. I will make you the leader of the Monkey Brigade”, Rama promised. Hanuman was delighted. He joined Rama.
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Dr. Azis Tharuvana -