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||om tat sat||

Sundarakanda
Sarga 4

Tattvadipika Sarga 4
'अद्वारॆण महाबाहुः'

Hanuman having defeated Lankini enters Lanka by placing his left foot first.
He jumps over the boundary wall instead of entering through the main entrance.
This is as per the injunctions of those days.
There he sees many Rakshasas guarding Ravana's palace.
The palace is surrounded by a moat and has a golden main entrance.
Then Hanuma enters the Rakshasa king's palace complex.

That is the summary of Sarga 4.

In the very beginning of the Sarga,
Valmiki describes Hanuman's entrance in the following words

" अद्वारॆण महाबाहुः प्राकारम्भिपुप्लुवॆ" -

In this line all the three words 'अद्वारॆण', 'महाबाहुः', and 'प्राकारम् are important.

" अद्वारॆण महाबाहुः प्राकारम्भिपुप्लुवॆ"

That means, Hanuman avoiding the main entrance jumped over the boundary wall.

Here अद्वारॆण tells us that Hanuman followed the Royal dictum( Raja Sastra).
It is said that when one is entering enemies fort ,
one does not enter through the main entrance.
So he enters at a place which is not an entrance- अद्वारॆण -
This is a common notion and a common explanation.

Here Appalacharyulu garu says,
the poet Valmiki is alluding to the path followed by a Gnyani.
Gnyani is one who has realized the "Self".
Having realized "Self" he has no need for action.
He could be a candidate for perfect "non action",
He could be indulging himself in the happy realization of "Self".
But having realized "Self", the Gnyani continues to perform action ,
That is not for himself, but for the welfare of the society.
Such Gnyanis are born not to enjoy the fruits based action cycle,
but to perform tasks ordained by the "Supreme being".

The same point is made by Krishna in Gita (Gita 3-20).
कर्मणैव हि संसिद्धिमास्थिता जनकादयः|
लोकसंग्रहमेवापि संपश्यन् कर्तुमर्हसि ||Gi 3-20|
Janaka and others having realized "Self" continue action for the sake of others
They continue to perform as if it is at the direction of Bhagavan.

Hanuman defeated Lankini.
She allowed him to go on in search of Sita.
He could have entered through the main entrance as it were.
But Hanuman chose not to do that
He jumped over the boundary wall and entered the City.

Lanka is the body complex.
Those who enter through the main entrance of the body complex are the ones,
who are born to go through the life cycle of bondage.
There are those who do not have the need for going through the cycle of bondage
They need not go through the entrance of the body complex.
Gnyani's need not go through the main entrance of the body complex.
To emphasize that thought,
Valmiki said Hanuman a Gnyani entered अद्वारॆण.
That is not through the main entrance.

So one may again wonder why the Gnyani's need to go through the cycle of life at all.
As noted earlier, they too may enter life cycle to perform the actions as needed or as ordained.

Hanuma is a Gnyani
Hanuma, being a Gnyani, did not enter through the entrance.
That is the point of अद्वारॆण.

'अद्वारॆण ', has yet another entirely different thought.

Here अ= Bhagavan
द्वारॆण - through the door
Bhagavan entered through the door.
Or Hanuma, moving on the purpose of Bhagavan, entered through the main entrance
Hanuman came with the express duty of performing a task for Bhagavan
That is, he came in search of Sita.
So this is perfect elaboration too.

There is yet another thought about "अद्वारॆण"

People who are focussed on a task,
are not interested in the glare associated with grand entrances.
They would, being focussed on the task, adapt a path away from the glare.
In अद्वारेण Hanuman being focussed on the task of searching for Sita,
wanting to avoid the glare of the main entrance,
entered by jumping over the boundary wall.
This is also an appropriate elaboration.

Then let us understand the second word महाबाहुः

Hanuman is often described poetically as having long powerful arms.
The traditional understanding of महाबाहुः, is long and powerful arms
The arms are for performing actions.
In the spiritual enquiry,
the requirement of arms for performing action is not being long and or powerful.
The important requirement is that the task so performed shall not create a bondage.
Mahabahu is one whose arms perform actions that do not result in a "Bondage".
That means Mahabahu is one who having forsaken the fruits of action,
performs the actions which do not result in bondage.

Hanuman is performing action for
'रामार्थम् च् वानरार्थम् च'
'For Rama and and for Vanaras'.
A selfless act.
Hence is well described as Mahabahu,
performing actions that do not create bondage.

The third word is about the boundary wall, प्राकार.

Hanuman jumped over the boundary wall.
It is boundary wall made of gold.
For the body complex, the enticing worldly affairs are our golden ramparts
The one who is able to jump over them, is the one who will succeed in the search of "Self"
That one who is able to jump over the golden ramparts of worldly enticements is Gnyani.
Hanuman is that Gnyani.

Thus the three words अद्वारेण, महाबाहु, प्राकार
point to the characteristics of a Gnyani.
That these three are the characteristics of Hanuman is known.

One can be a Mahabahu,
by forsaking fruit-related actions.
One can succeed in the search for Self realization,
by jumping over the Golden ramparts of worldly enticements.
One can be focussed in his search for "Self,"
by avoiding the glare of the main entrance.

That is the elaboration of Appalaacharyulu garu.

The point of putting the left foot forward has other references.
Govindaraju in his Ramayana Tilaka presented the following from Niti Sastra

"अद्वारॆण प्रविशॆत् शतृविनाशाय "-

That means while entering the enemies fort or a house or a town
one should not enter through the main entrance
One must use a side entrance,
This also fits with the main explanation.

But why put left foot first?
Elaborating on this Govindaraju says in his Tilaka putting left foot forward is like placing a foot on the head of the enemies and is a sign of victory according to Raja Sastra.

He also quotes Brihaspati as saying:

प्रयाणकाले च गृहप्रवॆशे विवाहकालेपि दक्षिनाघ्रिं।
कृत्वाग्रतः शतृपुर प्रवेशे वामं निदध्याचरणं नृपाल्ये ॥

Meaning that at the time of starting a travel, in marriages, and while entering a house one should put right foot first"

Putting right foot forward is thus auspicious while starting auspicious events.
But शतृपुर प्रवेशे , while entering enemies city one should use the left foot for victory.

Hanuman who enters Lanka proceeds with all these signs pointing to victory.

||om tat sat||
||This is what we understood from the Tattvadipika of Shri Bhashyam Appalaacharyulu garu||
|| om tat sat||