Maharṣi Vālmīki's sense of humour - part 10

In Madhuvana

All the vānaras were eager to narrate the events to Sugrīva. They found the Madhuvana on the way. They were all enticed to drink the Madhu. After accomplishing such an important task, they decided it was their fundamental right to have a drink. Aṅgada and Hanūmān gave their consent. Everyone barged into Madhuvana. This episode is indeed to bring some humour. The vānaras are exhausted in their search for devī Sītā. The poet too is exhausted in describing serious and poignant situations. So for the benefit of both, shouldn’t there be some humour here?

The vānaras gate crashed into Madhuvana. They drank to their heart’s content. Intoxication prevailed.

गायन्ति केचित् प्रणमन्ति केचित्
नृत्यन्ति केचित् प्रहसन्ति केचित् ।
पतन्ति केचित् विचरन्ति केचित्
प्लवन्ति केचित् प्रलपन्ति केचित् ॥

गायन्तमन्यः प्रहसन्नुपैति
हसन्तमन्यः प्ररुदन्नुपैति ।
रुदन्तमन्यः प्रणदन्नुपैति
नदन्तमन्यः प्रणुदन्नुपैति ॥

Sundarakāṇḍa 61.14, 17

[Among the vānaras, some would sing, some would prostrate, some would dance, some would laugh, some would fall, some would roam around aimlessly, some would jump, some would talk nonsense.

While one is singing, the other would fall on him laughing, if one is laughing the other would cry. When one is crying the other would shout in joy, if one is  shouting in joy the other would push him around.]

Is there a limit to Monkey business?

As the well known śloka goes, already a monkey, it has been made to drink, further a scorpion bites, and a bhūta has also entered its body! Is there an end to the antics!

कपिरपि च कापिशायनमदमत्तो वृश्चिकेन संदष्टः ।
अपि च पिशाचग्रस्तः किं ब्रूमो वैकृतम् तस्य ॥

That’s what transpired among the vānaras. Some wrestled, some slept, some cried, some laughed, behaved erratically and didn’t accept their antics. Meanwhile the gatekeeper of Madhuvana, Dadhimukha came in and tried his best to ward them off. They beat him up. Ridiculed him! Even showed him their rectum! ‘देवमार्गं च दर्शिताः’, maharṣi Vālmīki has called it devamārga! What an inside joke!

Then the vānaras ran to Sugrīva. They competed in enthusiastically declaring that they had seen devī Sītā. Sugrīva, Lakṣmaṇa and Śrīrāma were waiting. All of them are longing to narrate the whereabouts of devī Sītā. Everyone was shouting, “I’ve seen devī Sītā! She is in Laṅkā!” The only person who actually saw her, i.e. Hanūmān stood somewhere in oblivion!

एतदाख्यान्ति ते सर्वे हरयो रामसन्निधौ ॥

Śrīrāma asked them to narrate everything in detail. How would the vānaras know? They finally turned to Hanūmān and said, ‘O Hanūmān! Please give all the details!’ (Sundarakāṇḍa 65.4-6)

Another example. Even when they all ventured towards Laṅkā the vānaras continued their antics!

“The vānaras army set out to conquer Laṅkā and followed Śrīrāma. The vānaras hopped, jumped, roared, ran, screamed going towards the south. They drank Madhu and ate fruits along the way. They uprooted beautiful flower bearing trees and took them along! Some would all of a sudden lift others and place them on their shoulders! Others would throw someone in the air! By the time they were about to land, someone else would leap and catch them midair! Someone would make others trip and fall! Some would climb trees, drink honey and roar with pride! Seeing them, others would climb those trees in a flash! Immediately the ones who were already there would leap down!  (Yuddhakāṇḍa 8.26-29, 62, 93)

The antics of the rākṣasas

The antics of the rākṣasas aren’t the same as that of the vānaras. In their conduct one can only find lack of refinement and crookedness. Even those add humour. Whatever is natural to them becomes the fodder for humour to us. It is natural to find lambodarā (hanging belly) payodharā (with breasts) among the rākṣasīs but what about the rākṣasas? Yes it is possible! Hanūmān sees such rākṣasas!

एकाक्षानेककर्णान्श्च लम्बोदरपयोधरौ ।
करालान् भुग्नवक्त्रान्श्च विकटान् वामनान्स्तथा ॥

Sundarakāṇḍa 4.17

[(He saw rākṣasas with…) one eye, one ear, hanging bellies, breasts, smashed faces, weird bodies and dwarfs.]

Prahasta possessed a huge body and a befitting belly. Śrīrāma was amused when he saw him. ‘उवाच सस्मितं राम’  (Yuddhakāṇḍa 58.1). Atikāya as his name suggests was bigger than Prahasta. Kumbhakarṇa towered over everyone. His sleep, food habits, ugly form and weirdness are all fodder for humour. Maharṣi Vālmīki has portrayed him with a lot of humour and in great detail. When Prahasta was killed and Rāvaṇa himself tasted defeat, he realized the gravity of the war. He remembered Kumbhakarṇa.

Kumbhakarṇa

When the very existence of Laṅkā was uncertain, Kumbhakarṇa somehow was able to sleep happily! ‘सुखं स्वपिति निश्चिन्तः’  It was certain that he would not wake up on his own. Only nine days had passed since he fell asleep! He would typically sleep for six to nine months!

नव षट् सप्त चाष्टौ च मासान् स्वपिति राक्षसः

Yuddhakāṇḍa 60.17

[...he would sleep for nine, six, seven or eight months]

As per the orders of Rāvaṇa, the rākṣasa warriors tried to wake him up. As soon as he gets up the only thing he shouts is , ‘Hunger! Hunger!’ This was a known fact, so the rākṣasa warriors took lots of food with them. They entered his palace and saw him from afar. The sleeping giant looked as though a mountain had slept on its side! All the effort they put in to wake him up is strange. (Yuddhakāṇḍa 60.34-55)

“They piled up mountains of meat as tall as Mount Meru itself. To quench his thirst they brought in umpteen pots of blood and wine. They anointed him with sandalwood paste and decorated him with garlands! They lit incense around! They shouted, ‘Hail the mighty Kumbhakarṇa!’. They roared like thunder! They blew conches! Kumbhakarṇa didn’t wake up. The rākṣasa warriors punched him! They pulled his hands and legs! They sounded the drums! They played the mṛdaṅgas! They clapped, screamed, roared! In that pandemonium the birds flew helter-skelter and dropped like dead flies. Kumbhakarṇa didn’t wake up! The perplexed rākṣasa warriors took up various weapons like maces, pounding staffs etc. Those uncouth fellows brought in boulders to beat him up. Pounded him with the staff, beat him with maces! Uprooted trees and thrashed him! Punched him with their own hands! But alas! Kumbhakarṇa didn’t wake up.

 

This is the tenth part of the multi-part translation of the Kannada book "Valmiki Munigala Hasya Pravrtti" by Mahamahopadhyaya Vidwan Dr. N Ranganatha Sharma. Thanks to Dr. Sharada Chaitra for granting us permission to translate this wonderful work. The original in Kannada can be read here

Author(s)

About:

Mahamahopadhyaya Vidwan Ranganatha Sharma was a renowned Sanskrit scholar and an authority on Vyakarana or Grammar. He is noted for his translation of the entire Valmiki Ramayana into Kannada, which was published with a foreword by DVG. He has authored several books in Kannada and Sanskrit. He is a recipient of the national award for Sanskrit learning and has received the Rajyotsava Award.  

Translator(s)

About:

Raghavendra G S is a keen student of classical literature in Sanskrit and Kannada. He is one of the contributing editors of Prekshaa.

Prekshaa Publications

Among the many contributions of ancient Indians to world thought, perhaps the most insightful is the realisation that ānanda (Bliss) is the ultimate goal of human existence. Since time immemorial, India has been a land steeped in contemplation about the nature of humans and the universe. The great ṛṣis (seers) and ṛṣikās (seeresses) embarked on critical analysis of subjective experience and...

One of the two great epics of India and arguably the most popular epic in the world, the Ramayana has enchanted generations of people not just in Greater India but the world over. In less than three hundred pages The Essential Ramayana captures all the poetic subtleties and noble values of the original and offers the great epic in an eminently readable form that will appeal to the learned and...

The Bhagavad-gītā isn’t merely a treatise on ultimate liberation. It is also a treatise on good living. Even the laity, which does not have its eye on mokṣa, can immensely benefit from the Gītā. It has the power to grant an attitude of reverence in worldly life, infuse enthusiasm in the execution of duty, impart fortitude in times of adversity, and offer solace to the heart when riddled by...

Indian Perspective of Truth and Beauty in Homer’s Epics is a unique work on the comparative study of the Greek Epics Iliad and Odyssey with the Indian Epics – Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata. Homer, who laid the foundations for the classical tradition of the West, occupies a stature similar to that occupied by the seer-poets Vālmīki and Vyāsa, who are synonymous with the Indian culture. The author...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the sixth volume of reminiscences character sketches of prominent public figures, liberals, and social workers. These remarkable personages hailing from different corners of South India are from a period that spans from the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. Written in Kannada in the 1970s, these memoirs go...

An Introduction to Hinduism based on Primary Sources

Authors: Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh, Hari Ravikumar

What is the philosophical basis for Sanātana-dharma, the ancient Indian way of life? What makes it the most inclusive and natural of all religio-philosophical systems in the world?

The Essential Sanātana-dharma serves as a handbook for anyone who wishes to grasp the...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the fifth volume, episodes from the lives of traditional savants responsible for upholding the Vedic culture. These memorable characters lived a life of opulence amidst poverty— theirs  was the wealth of the soul, far beyond money and gold. These vidvāns hailed from different corners of the erstwhile Mysore Kingdom and lived in...

Padma Bhushan Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam represents the quintessence of Sage Bharata’s art and Bhārata, the country that gave birth to the peerless seer of the Nāṭya-veda. Padma’s erudition in various streams of Indic knowledge, mastery over many classical arts, deep understanding of the nuances of Indian culture, creative genius, and sublime vision bolstered by the vedāntic and nationalistic...

Bhārata has been a land of plenty in many ways. We have had a timeless tradition of the twofold principle of Brāhma (spirit of wisdom) and Kṣāttra (spirit of valour) nourishing and protecting this sacred land. The Hindu civilisation, rooted in Sanātana-dharma, has constantly been enriched by brāhma and safeguarded by kṣāttra.
The renowned Sanskrit poet and scholar, Śatāvadhānī Dr. R...

ಛಂದೋವಿವೇಕವು ವರ್ಣವೃತ್ತ, ಮಾತ್ರಾಜಾತಿ ಮತ್ತು ಕರ್ಷಣಜಾತಿ ಎಂದು ವಿಭಕ್ತವಾದ ಎಲ್ಲ ಬಗೆಯ ಛಂದಸ್ಸುಗಳನ್ನೂ ವಿವೇಚಿಸುವ ಪ್ರಬಂಧಗಳ ಸಂಕಲನ. ಲೇಖಕರ ದೀರ್ಘಕಾಲಿಕ ಆಲೋಚನೆಯ ಸಾರವನ್ನು ಒಳಗೊಂಡ ಈ ಹೊತ್ತಗೆ ಪ್ರಧಾನವಾಗಿ ಛಂದಸ್ಸಿನ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವನ್ನು ಲಕ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ತೌಲನಿಕ ವಿಶ್ಲೇಷಣೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅಂತಃಶಾಸ್ತ್ರೀಯ ಅಧ್ಯಯನಗಳ ತೆಕ್ಕೆಗೆ ಬರುವ ಬರೆಹಗಳೂ ಇಲ್ಲಿವೆ. ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಕಾರನಿಗಲ್ಲದೆ ಸಿದ್ಧಹಸ್ತನಾದ ಕವಿಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಸ್ಫುರಿಸಬಲ್ಲ ಎಷ್ಟೋ ಹೊಳಹುಗಳು ಕೃತಿಯ ಮೌಲಿಕತೆಯನ್ನು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಸಿವೆ. ಈ...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the fourth volume, some character sketches of the Dewans of Mysore preceded by an account of the political framework of the State before Independence and followed by a review of the political conditions of the State after 1940. These remarkable leaders of Mysore lived in a period that spans from the mid-nineteenth century to the...

Bharatiya Kavya-mimamseya Hinnele is a monograph on Indian Aesthetics by Mahamahopadhyaya N. Ranganatha Sharma. The book discusses the history and significance of concepts pivotal to Indian literary theory. It is equally useful to the learned and the laity.

Sahitya-samhite is a collection of literary essays in Kannada. The book discusses aestheticians such as Ananda-vardhana and Rajashekhara; Sanskrit scholars such as Mena Ramakrishna Bhat, Sridhar Bhaskar Varnekar and K S Arjunwadkar; and Kannada litterateurs such as DVG, S L Bhyrappa and S R Ramaswamy. It has a foreword by Shatavadhani Dr. R Ganesh.

The Mahābhārata is the greatest epic in the world both in magnitude and profundity. A veritable cultural compendium of Bhārata-varṣa, it is a product of the creative genius of Maharṣi Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa. The epic captures the experiential wisdom of our civilization and all subsequent literary, artistic, and philosophical creations are indebted to it. To read the Mahābhārata is to...

Shiva Rama Krishna

சிவன். ராமன். கிருஷ்ணன்.
இந்திய பாரம்பரியத்தின் முப்பெரும் கதாநாயகர்கள்.
உயர் இந்தியாவில் தலைமுறைகள் பல கடந்தும் கடவுளர்களாக போற்றப்பட்டு வழிகாட்டிகளாக விளங்குபவர்கள்.
மனித ஒற்றுமை நூற்றாண்டுகால பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியின் பரிமாணம்.
தனிநபர்களாகவும், குடும்ப உறுப்பினர்களாகவும், சமுதாய பிரஜைகளாகவும் நாம் அனைவரும் பரிமளிக்கிறோம்.
சிவன் தனிமனித அடையாளமாக அமைகிறான்....

ऋतुभिः सह कवयः सदैव सम्बद्धाः। विशिष्य संस्कृतकवयः। यथा हि ऋतवः प्रतिसंवत्सरं प्रतिनवतामावहन्ति मानवेषु तथैव ऋतुवर्णनान्यपि काव्यरसिकेषु कामपि विच्छित्तिमातन्वते। ऋतुकल्याणं हि सत्यमिदमेव हृदि कृत्वा प्रवृत्तम्। नगरजीवनस्य यान्त्रिकतां मान्त्रिकतां च ध्वनदिदं चम्पूकाव्यं गद्यपद्यमिश्रितमिति सुव्यक्तमेव। ऐदम्पूर्वतया प्रायः पुरीपरिसरप्रसृतानाम् ऋतूनां विलासोऽत्र प्रपञ्चितः। बेङ्गलूरुनामके...

The Art and Science of Avadhānam in Sanskrit is a definitive work on Sāhityāvadhānam, a form of Indian classical art based on multitasking, lateral thinking, and extempore versification. Dotted throughout with tasteful examples, it expounds in great detail on the theory and practice of this unique performing art. It is as much a handbook of performance as it is an anthology of well-turned...

This anthology is a revised edition of the author's 1978 classic. This series of essays, containing his original research in various fields, throws light on the socio-cultural landscape of Tamil Nadu spanning several centuries. These compelling episodes will appeal to scholars and laymen alike.
“When superstitious mediaevalists mislead the country about its judicial past, we have to...

The cultural history of a nation, unlike the customary mainstream history, has a larger time-frame and encompasses the timeless ethos of a society undergirding the course of events and vicissitudes. A major key to the understanding of a society’s unique character is an appreciation of the far-reaching contributions by outstanding personalities of certain periods – especially in the realms of...

Prekṣaṇīyam is an anthology of essays on Indian classical dance and theatre authored by multifaceted scholar and creative genius, Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh. As a master of śāstra, a performing artiste (of the ancient art of Avadhānam), and a cultured rasika, he brings a unique, holistic perspective to every discussion. These essays deal with the philosophy, history, aesthetics, and practice of...

Yaugandharam

इदं किञ्चिद्यामलं काव्यं द्वयोः खण्डकाव्ययोः सङ्कलनरूपम्। रामानुरागानलं हि सीतापरित्यागाल्लक्ष्मणवियोगाच्च श्रीरामेणानुभूतं हृदयसङ्क्षोभं वर्णयति । वात्सल्यगोपालकं तु कदाचिद्भानूपरागसमये घटितं यशोदाश्रीकृष्णयोर्मेलनं वर्णयति । इदम्प्रथमतया संस्कृतसाहित्ये सम्पूर्णं काव्यं...

Vanitakavitotsavah

इदं खण्डकाव्यमान्तं मालिनीछन्दसोपनिबद्धं विलसति। मेनकाविश्वामित्रयोः समागमः, तत्फलतया शकुन्तलाया जननम्, मातापितृभ्यां त्यक्तस्य शिशोः कण्वमहर्षिणा परिपालनं चेति काव्यस्यास्येतिवृत्तसङ्क्षेपः।

Vaiphalyaphalam

इदं खण्डकाव्यमान्तं मालिनीछन्दसोपनिबद्धं विलसति। मेनकाविश्वामित्रयोः समागमः, तत्फलतया शकुन्तलाया जननम्, मातापितृभ्यां त्यक्तस्य शिशोः कण्वमहर्षिणा परिपालनं चेति काव्यस्यास्येतिवृत्तसङ्क्षेपः।

Nipunapraghunakam

इयं रचना दशसु रूपकेष्वन्यतमस्य भाणस्य निदर्शनतामुपैति। एकाङ्करूपकेऽस्मिन् शेखरकनामा चित्रोद्यमलेखकः केनापि हेतुना वियोगम् अनुभवतोश्चित्रलेखामिलिन्दकयोः समागमं सिसाधयिषुः कथामाकाशभाषणरूपेण निर्वहति।

Bharavatarastavah

अस्मिन् स्तोत्रकाव्ये भगवन्तं शिवं कविरभिष्टौति। वसन्ततिलकयोपनिबद्धस्य काव्यस्यास्य कविकृतम् उल्लाघनाभिधं व्याख्यानं च वर्तते।

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the third volume, some character sketches of great literary savants responsible for Kannada renaissance during the first half of the twentieth century. These remarkable...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the second volume, episodes from the lives of remarkable exponents of classical music and dance, traditional storytellers, thespians, and connoisseurs; as well as his...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the first volume, episodes from the lives of great writers, poets, literary aficionados, exemplars of public life, literary scholars, noble-hearted common folk, advocates...

Evolution of Mahabharata and Other Writings on the Epic is the English translation of S R Ramaswamy's 1972 Kannada classic 'Mahabharatada Belavanige' along with seven of his essays on the great epic. It tells the riveting...

Shiva-Rama-Krishna is an English adaptation of Śatāvadhāni Dr. R Ganesh's popular lecture series on the three great...

Bharatilochana

ಮಹಾಮಾಹೇಶ್ವರ ಅಭಿನವಗುಪ್ತ ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ವಿದ್ಯಾವಲಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮರೆಯಲಾಗದ ಹೆಸರು. ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಶೈವದರ್ಶನ ಮತ್ತು ಸೌಂದರ್ಯಮೀಮಾಂಸೆಗಳ ಪರಮಾಚಾರ್ಯನಾಗಿ  ಸಾವಿರ ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಂದ ಇವನು ಜ್ಞಾನಪ್ರಪಂಚವನ್ನು ಪ್ರಭಾವಿಸುತ್ತಲೇ ಇದ್ದಾನೆ. ಭರತಮುನಿಯ ನಾಟ್ಯಶಾಸ್ತ್ರವನ್ನು ಅರ್ಥಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಇವನೊಬ್ಬನೇ ನಮಗಿರುವ ಆಲಂಬನ. ಇದೇ ರೀತಿ ರಸಧ್ವನಿಸಿದ್ಧಾಂತವನ್ನು...

Vagarthavismayasvadah

“वागर्थविस्मयास्वादः” प्रमुखतया साहित्यशास्त्रतत्त्वानि विमृशति । अत्र सौन्दर्यर्यशास्त्रीयमूलतत्त्वानि यथा रस-ध्वनि-वक्रता-औचित्यादीनि सुनिपुणं परामृष्टानि प्रतिनवे चिकित्सकप्रज्ञाप्रकाशे। तदन्तर एव संस्कृतवाङ्मयस्य सामर्थ्यसमाविष्कारोऽपि विहितः। क्वचिदिव च्छन्दोमीमांसा च...

The Best of Hiriyanna

The Best of Hiriyanna is a collection of forty-eight essays by Prof. M. Hiriyanna that sheds new light on Sanskrit Literature, Indian...

Stories Behind Verses

Stories Behind Verses is a remarkable collection of over a hundred anecdotes, each of which captures a story behind the composition of a Sanskrit verse. Collected over several years from...