Sundara Kānda: Hanuman's Odyssey

Whereas Mahabharata's Bhagvad-Gita is taken as a philosophical guide, Ramayana's Sundara Kãnda is sought for spiritual solace; many believe that reading it or hearing it recited would remove all hurdles and usher in good tidings! Miracles apart, it's in the nature of this great epic to inculcate fortitude and generate hope in man for it’s a depiction of how Hanuman goes about his errand against all odds.         

Besides, it portrays how Seetha, on the verge of self-immolation, overcomes despair to see life in a new light? With rhythm of its verse and the flow of the narrative this sloka to sloka transcreation of the canto beautiful of Valmiki's adi kavya - the foremost poetical composition in the world, Hanuman's Odyssey that paves the way for Rama to rescue his kidnapped wife is bound to charm the readers and listeners alike. 

Interestingly, as the following verse illustrates, this epic was the forerunner of the magic realism of our times – “Gripped she then him by shadow / Cast which Hanuman coast to coast, Recalled he in dismay then / What Sugreev said at outset / That one fiend had aptitude / To grip its prey by mere shadow.”

On a personal note, my paternal grandfather, Bulusu Thimmaiah-garu, like many in his time, was a life-long practitioner of Sundara Kãnda parayana (the epic’s daily recital in part or full), whose spirituality could have providentially guided me in this, rather an effortless, trans-creative endeavour.

 Cantos of the Kanda 

Canto 1 - Hurdles in Skies

Canto 2 - City in Clouds 

Canto 3 - Prelude to Entry

Canto 4 - Foray into Fort

Canto 5 - Life in Lanka

Canto 6 - Precincts to Beat

Canto 7 - Palace in the Plane

Canto 8 - Pushpak’s Prowess

Canto 9 - Harem at Night

Canto 10 - Women in Want

Canto 11 - Qualms of Celibate

Canto 12 - At Wits End

Canto 13 - Errand in the Bend

Canto 14 - Garden of Grief 

Canto 15 - Withered Flower

Canto 16 - She is Seetha

Canto 17 - Guards all Hideous

Canto 18 - Ravan on Heat

Canto 19 - Dame in Despair

Canto 20 - Womanizer at Work

Canto 21 - Steadfast in Love

Canto 22 - Deadline to Death

Canto 23 - Guards that Pander

Canto 24 - Carrot and Stick

Canto 25  - Hapless Soul    

Canto 26 - Wandering Thoughts

Canto 27 - Dream of a Nightmare

Canto 28 - On the Verge

Canto 29 - Good Tidings

Canto 30 - Hanuman’s Dilemma

Canto 31 - Rama’s Ballad

Canto 32 - Is it True?

Canto 33 - Genesis of Exile 

Canto 34 - Swings in Mood

Canto 35 - Winning the Trust

Canto 36 - More of the Same

Canto 37 - Aborted Move

Canto 38 - Story to Tell

Canto 39 - Doubts to the Fore

Canto 40 - Repeats the Dose

Canto 41 - Rampage in the Park

Canto 42 - Panic in the Town 

Canto 43 -Itching for Fight

Canto 44 -Takes on Prahastha’s Son

Canto 45 - Marshals in the Mire

Canto 46 - Generals in the Dumps

Canto 47 - Akshay’s Life on Line

Canto 48 - It takes Indrajit

Canto 49 - Ravan’s Darbar

Canto 50 - Cause of Loss

Canto 51 - Advice to Deliver

Canto 52 - Placates the Sibling

Canto 53 - Tail on Fire

Canto 54 - Arson to Hurt  

Canto 55 - What of Seetha?

Canto 56 - Havoc of a Take-off

Canto 57 - Flight sans Hassles

Canto 58 - Odyssey in a Nutshell

Canto 59 - Pep Talk to Peers

Canto 60 - Angad on Rebound

Canto 61 - Eying the Madhuvan

Canto 62 - Orgy in the Garden

Canto 63 - Sugreev’s Reading

Canto 64 - Return of the Platoon

Canto 65 - News in Brief

Canto 66 - Tears in Torrents

Canto 67 - Hanuman’s Replay

Canto 68 - Times of Hope

Yuddha Kanda

(War on Ravan)

Canto 01 - Embrace of a Gift

Canto 128 - Coronation and After