Many Ramayanas, Many Lessons
By Anand Neelakantan
HarperCollins, 456 pages, Rs 599

The Ramayana, one of the most enduring epics of Asia, has been retold in countless ways across centuries, cultures, and languages. In ‘Many Ramayanas, Many Lessons’, myth-master Anand Neelakantan offers a fresh exploration of this ancient epic, delving into its diverse retellings and revealing how the story has evolved over time.

Drawing from over two decades of research, Neelakantan examines the Ramayana as a mosaic of narratives, each shaped by different cultural perspectives and values. The book presents the Ramayana not as a single story, but as a vast collection of retellings—each one providing its own truths, lessons, and reflections on life, duty, and morality.

Based on the popular ‘Many Ramayanas, Many Lessons’ podcast, Neelakantan’s book offers new insights into the Ramayana’s deep cultural resonance, highlighting lesser-known versions that illuminate the epic’s universal themes. Through riveting stories and thoughtful commentary, the author invites readers to reflect on the many truths embedded within this ancient tale, making the Ramayana a guide not only to life’s ideals but also to the pluralities of the human experience.

Here is an excerpt from the book:

Stories of Hanuman’s Origins, Early Years and Youth

Hanuman is the original superhero of the Puranas. He is one of the most beloved of all characters and rivals Rama, Krishna, Shiva and Devi in popularity. Who was Hanuman? Various Ramayanas give different explanations of his origin. One of the earliest Ramayanas talks of Hanuman being the son of Shiva and Vishnu—it is during the Mohini avatar of Vishnu that Hanuman is born, in union with Shiva.

It all begins with a curse that causes the Devas to lose their immortality. As the Asuras have never been granted immortality, the curse makes them equal. In a rare show of cooperation, both groups decide to churn the ocean of milk together to find ‘amrita’, the elixir of immortality. Mandara Parvata, a massive mountain, is used as the churning rod, and Vishnu assumes the avatar of a kurma or turtle and holds the mountain in place on his back. Vasuki, the giant serpent that adorns Shiva’s neck, is used as the churning rope.

As the churning begins and picks up pace, many things emerge from the ocean of milk. Mahalakshmi appears from the ocean and Vishnu makes her his wife. Airavatha, the white four-tusked elephant, emerges and is taken by Indra, the King of the Devas, as his mount. Similarly, other precious beings and things emerge from the ocean. But along with these, a dangerous poison that could destroy the entire universe called Halahala also emerges.

It emerges not from the ocean but from Vasuki, the serpent being used as the rope to churn. Exhausted, Vasuki spits out the Halahala and it falls into the ocean of milk threatening all creation. To save the world from the poisonous effects of the Halahala, the Devas and the Asuras pray to Lord Shiva, who consumes the poison. The venom is so potent that Shiva himself can turn evil if he swallows it. Afraid for her husband, Parvati stops the poison from going below Shiva’s neck by choking him. If Shiva spits out the poison, the universe will be annihilated, so the Devas and the Asuras close Shiva’s mouth so he cannot spit it out. The Halahala thus settles in Shiva’s neck, turning it blue. Therefore, another name for Shiva is Neelakanta, the blue-throated.

The churning of the ocean continues, and finally, after millions of years, the elixir of immortality, the amrita, comes out and there ends the cooperation between the Devas and the Asuras.

Now begins a battle as neither side is ready to share the pot of elixir. Vishnu takes on the form of Mohini, a beautiful seductress, and offers to split the pot of elixir equally between the Asuras and the Devas. She makes them sit in two rows, one on either side of her, and starts doling out the amrita. But she gives it only to the Devas.

When she turns to the Asuras, she pretends to pour the elixir into their hands but never empties the ladle. Bemused by her charm and beauty, the Asuras do not notice her deception.

One Asura, however, does see what is happening. Instead of making a hue and cry and starting a war, he decides to trick the Devas.

He sneaks into the row of Devas and sits down. Mohini serves this Asura the amrita too, and he gulps it down. Surya, the Sun God, and Chandra, the Moon God, see this and cry out that an Asura has gained immortality by drinking the elixir. Mohini immediately summons the Sudarsana Chakra, the weapon of Vishnu, and decapitates the Asura, separating his head from the rest of his body. But, since the Asura has already consumed the elixir of immortality, he does not die. Instead, both parts of the Asura come alive as Rahu and Ketu.

The ancient beliefs regarding solar and lunar eclipses come from this story. Enraged by Surya and Chandra’s warning, Rahu and Ketu decide on revenge. Hence the solar eclipse is Rahu swallowing the sun, and the lunar eclipse is Ketu swallowing the moon. Since Rahu and Ketu are no longer one whole body, the sun and moon come out of these separated entities after some time.

Stories of Hanuman’s Birth
The Devas, powered by the elixir of immortality thanks to Vishnu’s Mohini avatar, defeat the Asuras in an all-out battle. Peace reigns once again in the universe, for a while. Then Shiva sets eyes on Mohini and is enthralled by her beauty. Following their union, Vishnu sheds his Mohini avatar and reverts to his original form. The seed of Shiva and Mohini’s union is carried by Vayu, the Wind God and deposited in the womb of a Vanara woman, Anjana. So, according to these Ramayanas, Anjana gives birth to the son of Shiva and Vishnu, with the help of Vayu.

But in other Ramayanas and Puranas, the story differs. In the Bhavishya Purana, Anjana is a beautiful celestial nymph who is cursed to be the wife of the Vanara Kesari. Shiva is enticed by her beauty, as is Vayu the Wind God. Shiva and Vayu together enter the body of Anjana’s husband Kesari and make love to her.

From this union, Hanuman is born. However, since Vayu and Shiva had competed to make Hanuman, the boy is born deformed. When Anjana sees him, repelled by his ugliness, she flings the baby from a cliff. He falls onto a rock, which shatters into pieces while Hanuman remains unharmed. Anjana then understands her son is a divine being. Guilt-ridden, she decides not to return to heaven but remain on earth as Hanuman’s mother.

[The excerpt reproduced with the permission of the publishers.]