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|| om tat sat||

Sundarakanda
Sarga 3

Tattvadipika
"अहं हि नगरी लंका !"

The story of the Sarga 3 is as follows. .

Hanuma enters the city of Lanka.
He sees a city that is at once beautiful and prosperous.
Surprisingly he also sees the city as "शुभाम् ", auspicious !
As he enters the city surprised by the amount of security,
"नगरी स्वेन रूपेण ददर्श पवनात्मजम्".
The presiding deity of the city, Lanka, sees Hanuma.
She stops Hanuma and questions him.

'Oh Forest dweller ! who are you ?
For what reason have you come here?
Speak the truth about yourself till you have a hold on your life.
Then Hanuman in turn asks her,
'who are you standing at the city gates?
Why are you threatening me?

Then Lankini, the presiding deity of the city, responds.
"I am protecting this invincible city following the orders of the demon king.
Ignoring my presence it is not possible for you to enter the city.
Today killed by me, giving up life, you will go to eternal sleep.
Oh Hanuman I am the deity of Lanka.
I will be protecting the city all over.
This is my answer to you'.

Hearing those words of Lanka Hanuma spoke to her.
'I have a great curiosity .
I have come to see the market places, ramparts and gate ways.
I have arrived here to see the gardens groves and forests as well as the main palaces'
Hearing those words that ogress with harsh words.
'Oh Evil minded foolish monkey!
Without conquering me it is not possible for you to enter the city ruled by the king of demons'.

Then the tiger among Vanaras again spoke to the night dweller.
''Oh Noble lady, having seen the city I will go back the way I came.'
Then that Lanka making a frightening sound
speedily hit Hanuman the best of Vanaras with her palm.
Hanuman overcome by anger hit her with his fist.
Then Lankini at once fell on the ground.

Then the greatly agitated Lanka spoke with choked voice to Hanuman the best among flyers.
"Oh Best among flyers I am the deity of Lanka.
Oh Valiant and mighty one ! I have been conquered by your valor.
Oh Best of monkeys !
This is certain please hear.
In the past the creator gave me a boon.
He said 'when a Vanara vanquishes you by his prowess
you may know that the destruction of Rakshasa will set in'.
Oh Noble one ! That time has come with your appearance.
What has been ordained by the creator cannot be overcome.
The ruin of evil minded king Ravana as well as all Rakshasas will come because of Sita.
Oh Best of monkeys so enter this city ruled by Ravana and
do what ever works you intended to do".

That is the story of the third Sarga.

The important part of the Sarga is the dialog between Hanuma and the Lankini.
This dialog has hints of the spiritual journey overcoming obstacles.

In the philosophical lore,
The Self is different from the body.
But this fact is masked or covered by the ignorance.
It is the ego that comes in the way.
This attitude of ego is best described as
"देहात्माभिमानम्" .
That is the egotistic feeling of body that it is the Self.
As long as this feeling is predominant,
the search for "Self" will not move forward.
The mind does not have the power to overcome that ego.

Here the one who stood in front of Hanuma saying
" अहं हि नगरी लंका"
is precisely that ego.
It is that demon protecting the body complex which is the Lanka.
As though to emphasize that it is indeed the ego,
the word "अहं" is repeated twice saying,
"अहं राक्षसराजस्य" ,
" अहं हि नगरी लंका".

The thought of "Body" which is not Self,
as the embodiment of "Self",
is the love for the body .
It is also called
"देहात्माभिमानम्"
One has to defeat that demon to move forward in the search.
Once one is able to defeat that demon "अहं",
the destruction of Rakshasas and
the metaphorical Ravana, the mind, is certain.
The demoniac thoughts get decimated
and the identification "Self"happens.
Sita "darsanam" happens.

A Sadhaka in search of "Self"
has to overcome this "aham" or ego.

In the dialog of Hanuma and the deity of Lanka,
there are interesting lines.
Lankini says
"कस्त्वं ?
" Who are you ?
"केन च कार्येण इह प्राप्तो वनालय?"
"Oh Forest Dweller ! For what reason have you come here? "

Appalacharyulu garu says
"वनालय" means one who lives in a forest.
The word also has a hint or allusion of "Brahman"
Implying that Hanuma being addressed thus is one focussed on Brahman.
In the Upanishadic lore it is said that
"ब्रह्म वनं ब्रह्म सवृक्ष आसीत्".
It means that the forest is established as form of "Brahman",
Hanuma himself is thus seen as established in Brahman .

In turn Hanuman says
-" का त्वं ? विरूपनयना?" -
Oh Ugly eyed one ! Who are you?
In "विरूपनयना" -
the later part नयना means , that which makes earlier part grow.
Growing "विरूप" is growing Maya.
The one that lets Maya grow is "Prakruti"

Maya is the one which inculcates the feeling that the Body is the Self.
This Maya creates the ego and establishes the illusion देहात्मभ्रांति.
That is that Body complex is the Self.

Lanka opposes Hanuma.
Maya confronts great ones too.
But the great ones overcome the ignorance,
and move forward in the search for Self.

Thus in the confrontation of Hanuma and Lankini
poet hints at how the Purusha overcomes the ego.
and goes forward in search of Self.

||om tat sat ||

|| This is what we understood from Appalaachaaryula garu's Tattvadipika ||

||om tat sat||