5. Family Order depicted in the Hanumannāṭaka

The Hanumannāṭaka of Śri Dāmodara Miśra provides certain information regarding the family life of the people of that day. It is called that the family is the foundation of the society. It is seen that in a family, the father is the head and it is his obligation to look after each and every one. In the Hanumannāṭaka^[1], it is seen that the words of the father are followed without any hesitation by Rāma. Younger brother Lakṣmaṇa also obeys the order of Rāma.^[2] The Hanumannāṭaka of Śrī Dāmodara Miśra is related to the solar dynasty. Raghu, Sagara, Dilīpa, and Daśaratha are the older member of this dynasty. All these ancestors are remembered and adored by Rāma and his brothers.

At that time, it is clearly observed that the husband was the most venerable one for women; pātivratya was the most essential and the highest quality for a woman in respect of attachment to the husband. In the Hanumannāṭaka, Sītā is a pativratā lady. She went to the forest with her husband without any hesitation.^[3] She thinks it as her duty to accompany her husband in sorrow. To obey the order of her husband, she went to the fire to prove her purity without uttering any word of protest.^[4]

At that time, the Indian people basically the male ones, married many times. The tradition of ‘Bahuvivāha’ (polygamy) was prevalent. The existence of this practice is also noticed in the Hanumannāṭaka Rāma’s father Daśaratha, the king of Ayodhyā married three ladies, viz. Kauśalya, Kaikeyī and Sumitrā. Though polygamy was there in practice, there is no reference in the drama to polyandry.

In the Hanumannāṭaka, it is seen that the younger one always obeys his duty which is given by the elder. In the 14^th Act of the Hanumannāṭaka, obeying Rāma’s order, Lakṣmaṇa brings Sītā and leaves her in a dark forest and himself cries with sorrow.^[5] He personally got hurt in doing such work.

Another custom namely ‘atithi satkāra’ (hospitality to guests) also was considered as a part of their duty. Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa and Sītā please the monkey-warriors (vānara-vīra) by offering dresses and ornaments.^[6]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

gurvājñāparipālanāya ca vanaṃ saṃprasthitaṃ rāghava Hanumannāṭaka, III. 10

[2]:

gurvājñāparipālanāya ca vanaṃ saṃprasthitaṃ rāghavaṃ dṛṣṭvāsau tvaritā videhatanayā śvaśrūjanaṃ pṛcchati/
natvā kosalakanyakāṅghriyugalaṃ paścātsumitrāṃ punardṛṣṭvā hā śukasārikāpikakulaṃ rāmānugā prasthitā// ibid., III.10

[3]:

(a) rāma upasṛtya-sāsaṅkam–he mahānto janāḥ!
yadyapi priyā pativratā tathāpi ciraṃ -ibid., XIV, p. 240
(b) janakī–(satvaraṃ jvalatpāvakamupagamya bho bhagavan agne)
manasi vacasi kāye jāgare … karmaikasākṣī.
—iti jvalattīvradahanāntarāle dehaṃ vikṣepa/ ibid., XIV, p. 240, 241

[4]:

tatra tyaktasīto lakṣmaṇaṃ vilapati–vane vimoktuṃ janakasya kanyāṃ śrotuṃ ca tasyāḥ paridevitāni/
sukhena laṅkāsamare hataṃ mama–jīvayanmārutirāttavairaḥ// ibid., XIV. 91

[5]:

prasthāpya tāṃ vānaravīrasenāṃ tatkālayojyābharaṇapradānaiḥ/ bhunakti rājyaṃ nijabandhuvargaiḥ samaṃ sasītaḥ sahalakṣmaṇaśca// Hanumannāṭaka, XIV.89

[6]:

V.S. Apte’s The Students Sanskrit English Dictionary