Srimad Ramayanam - importance of Hanuman as a mUla prAnam

Hanuman’s position in Srimad Ramayanam is quite unique and unassailable.

As Swami Vedanta Desikar said, ‘hanumath samEna gurunA’, Hanuman plays the role of an ideal guru (on which I had published earlier articles 1

From this epic) bridging between jivAtmA and paramAtmA , roles played by thAyAr and Rama respectively. An ideal guru should understand the pangs of separation by Perumal and the anxiety of not being with Him by JivAtmA.

He plays the role of mukya pranA tattvam (am not going 2

Into sampradaya aspect here as it is still belongs to vaidika matham), meaning brahmam by itself will not do things, however but uses a medium as an enabler to carry out His sankalpam to perform His sankalpam.

One such incident happens in Yuddha Kandam where Rama and 3

Lakshmana have been felled by Brahmastram. All the vAnarAs are also hit and struggling for their lives. Vibhishana scours through the multitude of bodies and discovers Jambavan who asks for Hanuman.

Vibhishana is stunned at the question as he was half expecting former to ask 4

About Sugriva or others.

Valmiki uses the following sloka to describe it as

தஸ்மிஞ்ஜீவதி வீரே து ஹதம்ப்யஹதம் பலம்
ஹநுமத்யுஜ்ஜிதப்ராணே ஜீவந்தோபி வயம் ஹதா:

Jambavan says that Hanuman can bring others to life if he’s alive. If he’s not, then others are as good as dead. 5

This is true as Hanuman goes to Himalayas to fetch SanjIvani mountain that has the potency to bring back Rama, Lakshmana and others.

Similarly, he goes to Lanka and finds the location of thayar.

When the war is over, Rama fearing that Bharata may commit suicide and sends 6

Hanuman who travels faster than mind, jumps in front of Bharata and says

ஐயன் வந்தனன் ஆரியன் வந்தனன்

To inform that Rama was on His way to Ayodhya.

After he came in, no one died and everyone lived because of him.

That’s what mukya prAnA tattvam does.

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No wonder he’s called திருவடி.

Jai Sriram

Jai AnjanEyA

Radhekrishna