Rama - The story of a history
Like fire, like wind
 What we are going to see today is section 146 of the Vana Parva, Mahabharata, that is to say, about a little more than 130 sections before Ramopakhyana starts. This happens when the Pandavas and Draupadi reach the peak by name Gandhamadana where a divine lotus, Saugandhika pushpa, wafts across in the passing wind and drops in their path. Draupadi picks up the flower and desires to have more of it and Bhima sets about in search of the flower, picks up the scent and goes to fetch it. On his way through lovely hills and dales, he comes across Hanuman, lying with his tail extended across the path.
Bhima mistakes him for an ordinary monkey and rudely asks him to clear from his way. Hanuman knows who this Pandava is, and decides to play with him. A wordy duel follows; Hanuman mock-quarrels with Bhima. We know this story. We have narrated this scene in one of our epic story series. (See:
Appearance may hide
greatness) When finally Bhima gives up and with folded hands and tears in his eyes, he seeks to know who he is, the Mahabharata narrates as follows:
Thereupon Hanuman said, 'O repressor of foes, even to the extent of thy curiosity to know me, shall I relate all at length.
Listen, O son of Pandu! O lotus-eyed one, I was begotten by the wind-god that life of the world - upon the wife of Kesari. I am a monkey, by name Hanuman. All the mighty monkey-kings and monkey-chiefs used to wait upon that son of the sun, Sugriva, and that son of Sakra, Vali.” (Mahabharata, Vana Parva, Section 146, translated by Kisari Mohan
Ganguli)
This portion gives three important details. That Hanuman is the son of the wind-god; that Sugriva is the son of Surya and that Vali is the son of Sakra, or Indra. As we mentioned earlier, this kind of ‘celestials begetting children upon monkeys and bears’ is part of the divine design that took shape in the Bala Kanda. If as it is argued that Rama was not conceived as an avatar by the author of the ‘original core book’ then there is no purpose in Hanuman, Sugriva and Vali taking birth from Vayu, Surya and Indra at all! If this idea of divine birth exists in respect of other characters then there can be no doubt that it did exist in respect of Rama as well, even if Ramopakhyana does not mention that! This portion underlines the idea of an avatar in the Ramayana being recognised in the Mahabharata. And this portion has a direct reference to that portion in Bala Kanda, where this decision of the Grandsire takes shape.
 And then there is the argument of Brockington that Uttara Kanda could not have existed at the time of the composition of Mahabharata. “If the Uttara Kanda was extant in substantially its present form by the fourth century,” he argues, “and in all possibility by the third, it is scarcely feasible to assign the Bala Kanda, which is in general earlier, to the end of the fourth century or later…”
Let us come back to Hanuman’s speech to Bhima. He refers to his friendship with Sugriva. Now, there is a very famous description about this friendship between these two. ‘They played together like fire and wind in their younger days and grew up.’ Listen to Hanuman.
“And, O repressor of foes, a friendship subsisted between me and Sugriva, even as
between the wind and fire.” This is a direct quote from the Uttara Kanda. Describing the birth of Hanuman, his extraordinary energy, his frolicking among the sages which earned him their curse of temporary loss of memory of his strength, et al, sage Agastya tells
Rama:
sugrive?a sama? tv asya advaidha? chidravarjitam
aharya? sakhyam abhavad anilasya yathagnina
(Valmiki Ramayana, Uttara Kanda, Canto 36, Sloka 40
“From his very boyhood he developed with Sugriva an unwarying and unbroken friendship, similar to that of the wind with fire.”
And finally, we hear from Hanuman on Rama, when narrating his story to Bhima. “And for some cause, Sugriva, driven out by his brother, for a long time dwelt with me at the Hrisyamukh.
And it came to pass that the mighty son of Dasaratha, the heroic Rama, who is Vishnu's self in the shape of a human being, took his birth in this world.”
Unmistakable, undeniable, unchallengeable evidence! This portion cannot be termed as another interpolation since as we mentioned earlier, it is here that Hanuman promises to adorn the flag of Arjuna on his chariot, when the war starts. And we see the mention of the ‘Hanuman flag’ in places without number in the later half of
Mahabharata.
Now, even if this may be termed as ‘interpolation’ if not the whole portion, just the particular sloka, then we will turn our attention to Tamil literature, Sangam classics and a few others which are distanced not more than a couple of centuries from Sangam classics.
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