Dhyana & Crossing the Ocean
1
Shaantam shaashvatam aprameyam anagham nirvaana-shaanti-pradam |
Brahmaa-shambhu-phaneendra-sevyam anisham vedaanta-vedyam vibhum |
Raamaakhyam jagadeeshvaram suragurum maayaa-manushyam harim |
Vande'ham karunaakaram raghuvaram bhoopaala-choodaamanim ||
Meaning: I bow to Rama — peaceful, eternal, immeasurable, sinless; the giver of the peace of liberation; served always by Brahma, Shiva and the King of Serpents; known through Vedanta; the Lord of the universe; Hari in human form through his own maya; the compassionate crest-jewel of kings.
Note: The dhyana sloka that opens Sundara Kanda parayanam. Note the phrase maayaa-manushyam — 'a human being by his own will'. Rama is not merely a man; he is the Divine choosing to walk as one.
2
Tato raavana-neetaayaah seetaayaah shatru-karshanah |
Iyesha padam anveshtum chaaranaachariteha pathi ||
Meaning: Then Hanuman — the tormentor of enemies — resolved to search for the place where Sita, carried away by Ravana, was held; travelling the sky-path walked by the Charanas.
Note: The very first verse of Sundara Kanda. Notice: he has not yet leapt. He has only resolved. The intention comes first — the body follows. Every impossible thing begins there.
Mainaka, Surasa & Simhika
3
Sa saagaram anaadhrishyam atikramya mahaabalah |
Trikoota-shikhare lankaam sthitaam svastho dadarsha ha ||
Meaning: The mighty Hanuman, having crossed the unassailable ocean, beheld Lanka standing on the peak of Trikuta — calm and unwearied.
Note: After leaping a hundred yojanas, he is svasthah — at ease. No boasting, no exhaustion. He does the impossible and does not make a fuss about it.
4
Three obstacles on the way:
1. Mainaka — the golden mountain rises to offer him rest.
2. Surasa — the mother of serpents opens her mouth to swallow him.
3. Simhika — the demoness who seizes his shadow and drags him down.
Meaning: Mainaka offers comfort — Hanuman touches it in gratitude and flies on. Surasa demands he enter her mouth — he grows huge, then suddenly turns tiny, darts in and out, and honours her word without being devoured. Simhika he simply kills.
Note: These are not random monsters.
Mainaka = comfort — the temptation to rest before the work is done.
Surasa = a challenge that cannot be beaten by force — only by wit.
Simhika = the shadow-enemy — the thing that drags you back from behind.
Every great undertaking meets all three.
The Search & Ashoka Grove
5
Hanuman searched all of Lanka — Ravana's palace, the Pushpaka chariot, the mansions, the gardens. Sita was nowhere.
Meaning: Despair came over him. 'Has my journey been for nothing? What will I tell them?' He considered never returning at all.
Note: This is the most human moment in the whole epic. Hanuman — who crossed an ocean — despairs. But he does not stop. 'One place remains,' he says, and turns toward the Ashoka grove.
Most people give up exactly here — one step before the end.
6
Raameti raameti sadaiva buddhyaa |
Vichintya vaachaa bruvatee tam eva |
Tat tasya raamasya manonuroopaam |
Dadarsha vaayoh tanayo hanoomaan ||
Meaning: Constantly meditating with her mind on 'Rama, Rama', speaking that name aloud — Hanuman, the son of the Wind, beheld her: Sita, worthy of Rama's own heart.
Note: How did Sita survive? Captive, surrounded by demons, with no hope of rescue — she survived on the name alone.
This is Sundara Kanda's deepest teaching: when nothing is left in your hands, the Name remains.
Rama's Ring, Burning Lanka, 'Dṛṣṭā Sītā'
7
Hanuman did not reveal himself at once — she would have been terrified. From the branches above, he began softly telling Rama's story.
Meaning: Only when she believed did he descend and give her Rama's ring — a token worth more than a thousand words. She gave him her chudamani (hair jewel) in return, and said she could endure only one more month.
Note: He offered to carry her home on his back. She refused.
'Rama himself must come, defeat Ravana, and take me. That is worthy of his honour.'
She had the chance to escape — and chose dharma over rescue.
8
Hanumaan plavaga-shreshtho lankaam dagdhvaa mahaakapih |
Punah pratijagaamaashu tam desham yatra raaghavah ||
Meaning: Having burned Lanka, the great Hanuman — best of the leaping ones — swiftly returned to the place where Rama was.
Note: He let himself be captured, to see Ravana and measure Lanka's strength. Ravana ordered his tail set alight. With that very fire, Hanuman burned Lanka down.
The punishment his enemy chose became his weapon.
Note: the Ashoka grove, where Sita sat, did not burn.
9
Dṛṣṭā Sītā.
Meaning: 'I have seen Sita.'
Note: The two most powerful words in the Ramayana.
He returns. The vanaras crowd around, desperate for news. He does not give a speech. He does not describe the ocean, or the fire, or his own courage.
Two words: Dṛṣṭā Sītā.
And despair turns to hope. The truest message is always the simplest.
Phalashruti — Why Sundara Kanda is Chanted
10
Sundare sundaro raamah sundare sundaree kathaa |
Sundare sundaree seetaa sundare sundaram vanam |
Sundare sundaram kaavyam sundare sundarah kapih |
Sundare sundaram mantram sundare kim na sundaram ||
Meaning: In Sundara Kanda, Rama is beautiful; the story is beautiful; Sita is beautiful; the forest is beautiful; the poetry is beautiful; the monkey is beautiful; the mantra is beautiful — in Sundara Kanda, what is not beautiful?
Note: Of the seven kandas of the Ramayana, this is the only one named for a quality rather than a place or an event. Everything in it is sundara — beautiful.
11
Why do people recite Sundara Kanda in difficulty?
Meaning: Across South India, families recite Sundara Kanda parayanam when facing obstacles — illness, court cases, fear, delays, things that seem hopeless.
Note: Because in this kanda, everything impossible became possible.
An ocean that could not be crossed — was crossed.
A Sita who could not be found — was found.
A hope that was lost — returned.
How: Traditionally begun on a Tuesday or Saturday, completed over 5, 9 or 11 days. Begin with the dhyana sloka; end with Hanuman's arati.
Please note: This is a devotional tradition. For medical and legal matters, please also consult the proper professionals.