Hanuman Nataka (critical study)
by Nurima Yeasmin | 2015 | 41,386 words
This page relates ‘Hanuman-Nataka, Act 1 (summary)’ of the English study on the Hanuman-nataka written by Shri Damodara Mishra in the 11th century. The Hanumannataka is a Mahanataka—a fourteen-act Sanskrit drama dealing with the story of Rama and Hanumat (Hanuman) and presents the events in the lifes of Rama, Sita, Ravana and Hanuman (the son of Anjana and Vayu—the God of the Winds) based on the Ramayana story.
Hanuman-Nāṭaka, Act 1 (summary)
The drama starts with four benedictory verses praying the aid of Rāmacandra for the removal of all obstacles and to fulfill all the wishes.[1]
In this Act, it is found that god has created Rāma-Lakṣmaṇa-Bharata and Śatrughna as the sons of king Daśaratha of Ayodhyā to control over the evils.[2] Among them Rāma was the eldest son bestowed with divine power. Maharṣi Viśvāmitra took Rāmacandra and Lakṣmaṇa from Daśaratha to save the yajña from the Rākṣasas.[3] They killed Tāḍakā and went to the hermitage. Subāhu, the Rākṣasa who created problems and troubles was killed by them and Mārīca was made free.[4] After that Maharṣi Viśvāmitra took them to Janakapurī to show the svayamvara of Sītā[5] where the bow, as decided by king Janaka would be broken into. In the svayamvara Rāmacandra became successful in breaking the bow. At that time Paraśurāma arrived there[6] and had a debate and the Paraśuastra[7] given by Śiva were handed over to Rāma and left the place. The function of marriage began and they returned to Ayodhyā after the completion of the ceremony. The rituals of the marriage ceremony was completed by the sage Viśvāmitra, Vālmīki, Gautama, Vasiṣṭha, Paraśurāma and the priest Śatānanda.[8] The name of this Act is Jānakīsvayamvara.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
(a) kalyāṇānāṃ nidhānaṃ kalimalamathanaṃ pāvanaṃ pāvanānāṃ
patheyaṃ yanmumukṣoḥ sapadi parapadaprāptaye prasthitasya/
viśrāmasthānamekaṃ kavivaravacasāṃ jīvanaṃ sajjanānāṃ/
bījaṃ dharmadrumasya prabhavatu bhavatāṃ bhūtaye rāmanāma// Hanumannāṭaka I.1
(b) pātu śrīstanapattrabhaṅgamakarīmudrāṅkitoraḥsthalo/
devaḥ sarvajagatpatirmadhuvadhūvaktrābjacandrodayaḥ/
krīḍākroḍatanornavenduviśade daṃṣṭrāṅkure yasya bhūr
bhātisma pralayābdhipalvalatalotkhātaikamustākṛtiḥ// ibid., I.2
(c) yaṃ śaivāḥ samupāsate śiva iti brahmeti vedāntino
bauddhā buddha iti pramāṇapaṭavaḥ karteti naiyāyikāḥ/
aharnnityatha jainaśāsanaratāḥ karmeti mīmāṃsakāḥ
so’yaṃ vo vidadhātu vāñchitaphalaṃ trailokyanātho hariḥ// ibid., 1.3
(d) taṃ rāmaṃ rāvaṇāriṃ daśarathatanayaṃ lakṣmaṇāgrājyaṃ guṇāḍhyaṃ
pūjyaṃ prājyaṃ pratāpāvalayitajaladhiṃ sarvasaubhāgyasiddhim/
vidyānandaikakandaṃ kalimalapaṭaladvaṃsinaṃ saumyadevaṃ
sarvātmānaṃ namāmi tribhuvanaśaraṇaṃ pratyahaṃ niṣkalaṅkam// ibid..I.4
[2]:
āsīdudbhaṭabhūpatipratibhatapronmāthivikrāntiko bhūpaḥ paṅktiratho vibhāvasukulaprakhyātaketurbalī/
urvībarbarabhūribhāraharaṇe bhūriśravāḥ putratāṃ yasyāra svamatho vidhāya mahitaḥ pūrṇaścaturdhā vibhuḥ// ibid,. I.5
[3]:
[4]:
sundastrīdamanapramodamuditādāsthāya vidyodayaṃ rāmaḥ satyavatīsutādatha gatastasyaśramaṃ līlayā/
klṛpte kauśikanandanena ca makhe tatrāgatān rākṣasān hatvā’mūmucadāśu bhāvividasau mārīcamugrākṛtim// ibid., I.7
[5]:
[6]:
lakṣmaṇaḥ–jāmadagnyastyutyadbhairavadhanuḥkolā-halāmarsamūrcchitaḥ pralayamarūtodbhūtakalpāntānalavat pradīptaroṣānalaḥ// ibid., I., p.15
[7]:
jñātvāvatāraṃ raghunandanasya svakīyamāliṅgya tato’vagāḍam vinyasya tasmiñjamadagnisūnustejo mahatkṣattravadhānnivṛttaḥ ibid., I.55
[8]:
vaivāhikaṃ kuśikanandanajāmadagnyaṃ vālmīkigautamavasiṣṭhapurohitādyaiḥ/
rāmo vidhiṃ saha samāpya salakṣmaṇastairānandayañjanakajāṃ svapuraṃ jagāma// ibid., I.58