Vanara

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Rama and Vanara chiefs

In

Sanskrit: वानर, lit. 'forest-dwellers')[1] are either monkeys, apes,[2] or a race of forest-dwelling people.[1]

In the epic the Ramayana, the Vanaras help Rama defeat Ravana. They are generally depicted as humanoid apes, or human-like beings.

Etymology

Look up vānara in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
When Ravana carried Sita first on his shoulders and then in the chariot, she threw some of her jewels towards the monkeys

There are three main theories about the etymology of the word "Vanara":

  • Aiyanar suggests that vanara means "monkey" derived from the word vana ("forest"), Literally meaning "belonging to the forest"[3] Monier-Williams says it is probably derived from vanar (lit. "wandering in the forest") and means "forest-animal" or monkey.[2]
  • Devdutt Pattanaik suggests that it derives from the words vana ("forest"), and nara ("man"), thus meaning "forest man" and suggests that they may not be monkeys, which is the general meaning.[4]
  • It may be derived from the words vav and nara, meaning "is it a man?" (meaning "monkey")[5] or "perhaps he is man".[6]

Identification

A 20th-century painting depicting a scene from Ramayana, wherein Vanaras are shown building a bridge to Lanka
A 20th-century painting depicting a scene from the Ramayana, in which Vanaras are building a bridge to Lanka.

Although the word Vanara has come to mean "monkey" over the years and the Vanaras are depicted as monkeys in the popular art, their exact identity is not clear.

Vedic literature.[9] The Ramayana presents them as humans with reference to their speech, clothing, habitations, funerals, weddings, consecrations etc. It also describes their monkey-like characteristics such as their leaping, hair, fur and a tail.[8] Aiyanagar suggests that though the poet of the Ramayana may have known that vanaras were actually forest-dwelling people, he may portrayed them as real monkeys with supernatural powers and many of them as amsas (portions) of the gods to make the epic more "fantastic".[3]

According to one theory, the Vanaras are semi-divine creatures. This is based on their supernatural abilities, as well as descriptions of

Jain re-tellings of Ramayana describe them as a clan of the supernatural beings called the Vidyadharas; the flag of this clan bears monkeys as emblems.[10][11][12][13]: 334 [4]

G. Ramdas, based on Ravana's reference to the Vanaras' tail as an ornament, infers that the "tail" was actually an appendage in the dress worn by the men of the

Vedda legends.[15]

In the Ramayana

Sampati meeting with Vanaras painted by Balasaheb Pandit Pant Pratinidhi

Vanaras are created by

Dandaka Forest, during his search for Sita.[16] An army of Vanaras helped Rama in his search for Sita, and also in battle against Ravana, Sita's abductor. Nala and Nila built a bridge over the ocean so that Rama and the army could cross to Lanka. As described in the epic, the characteristics of the Vanara include being amusing, childish, mildly irritating, badgering, hyperactive, adventurous, bluntly honest, loyal, courageous, and kind.[17]

Other texts

The Vanaras also appear in other texts, including Mahabharata. The epic Mahabharata describes them as forest-dwelling, and mentions their being encountered by Sahadeva, the youngest Pandava.[citation needed]

Shapeshifting

In the Ramayana, the Vanara Hanuman changes shape several times. For example, while he searches for the kidnapped Sita in Ravana's palaces on Lanka, he contracts himself to the size of a cat, so that he will not be detected by the enemy. Later on, he takes on the size of a mountain, blazing with radiance, to show his true power to Sita.[18]

Notable Vanaras

Sculpture of Hanuman, a warrior among the Vanaras, carrying the Dronagiri mountain

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-81-8475-182-6
    .
  2. ^ a b Monier-Williams, Monier. "Monier-Williams Sanskrit Dictionary 1899 Basic". www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-81-206-0140-6
    .
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-1-59477-558-1
    .
  5. ISBN 978-81-88237-02-9
    .
  6. ^ Harshananda (Swami.) (2000). Facets of Hinduism. Ramakrishna Math.
  7. ^
    ISBN 90-04-10575-1
    .
  8. ^
    ISBN 978-81-208-1122-5
    . G. Ramadas infers from Ravana's reference to the kapis' tail as an ornament (bhusana) that is a long appendage in the dress worn by men of the Savara tribe.
  9. ISBN 978-1-59477-914-5
    .
  10. ISBN 978-0-520-07589-4
    .
  11. ISBN 978-81-260-1809-3
    .
  12. ISBN 0-691-06662-0
    .
  13. ^
    ISBN 978-0-19-804220-4
    .
  14. ISBN 978-81-85880-77-8
    .
  15. ISBN 978-955-96843-0-5
    .
  16. ^ "The Ramayana index".
  17. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. ^ Goldman, Robert P. (Introduction, translation and annotation) (1996). Ramayana of Valmiki: An Epic of Ancient India, Volume V: Sundarakanda. Princeton University Press, New Jersey. 0691066620. pp. 45–47.

External links

  • Media related to Vanara at Wikimedia Commons
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