Vanara Read online

  ANAND NEELAKANTAN

  VANARA

  The Legend of Baali, Sugreeva and Tara

  PENGUIN BOOKS

  Contents

  Introduction

  Cast of characters

  Glossary

  Acknowledgements

  Follow Penguin

  Copyright

  PENGUIN BOOKS

  VANARA

  Anand Neelakantan is the author of the Bahubali trilogy, the prequel to S.S. Rajamouli’s movie. The first book in the series, The Rise of Sivagami, was released in 2017 and continues to be the no. 1 bestseller across charts. The book was on Amazon’s list of top five bestsellers for 2017. Neelakantan is also the author of Asura: Tale of the Vanquished, which told the Ramayana from Ravana’s point of view. He followed it up with the tremendously successful Ajaya series. Neelakantan’s books have been translated into more than nine languages, including Indonesian.

  S.S. Rajamouli has announced a mini-series based on Neelakantan’s books, on the lines of Game of Thrones. Neelakantan has also written scripts/screenplays for popular TV series like Siya Ke Ram, Ashoka, Mahabali Hanuman, among others. He writes columns for The Hindu, Indian Express, Pioneer, Washington Post and other newspapers. He also writes a fortnightly column called ‘Acute Angle’ for Sunday Express. He has upcoming series planned with Discovery, Star TV, Netflix and Amazon. Neelakantan is also a prolific writer in Malayalam and regularly publishes stories in the prestigious Malayalam magazine. He is also a cartoonist.

  He lives in Mumbai with his wife Aparna, daughter Ananya, son Abhinav and pet dog, Jackie the Blackie. You can look him up on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle: @itsanandneel.

  Celebrity Speaks about Vanara

  ‘Anand is one of those people who has adopted the neutral storytelling style, leaving the perception to the readers. He creates the characters and lets the audience discover them. While he excels in displaying inflated heroism always, it is interesting to witness how he has put Hanuman and Baali in his book, Vanara.’—S. S. Rajamouli, film-maker

  ‘Like always, a very engrossing perspective on our mythology. Anand Neelakantan’s writing makes you question everything you were taught. He researches his characters and goes to a great extent to bring detail into the narrative. For me Anand now, is what Amar Chitra Katha was as a child.’—Nagarjuna Akkineni, actor

  ‘The grey shades are as real as they can get. You cannot put down Vanara. Anand Neelakantan makes you feel it’s all happening now and here.’—Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra, film-maker

  ‘Vanara is a politically relevant tale and should be boldly applauded. With a captivating narrative, Anand Neelakantan brings back his suave style of storytelling. A must read!’—Ram, director

  ‘Very rarely does one come across books that shake the very foundation of one’s beliefs, thought-processes and understanding of hero and villain. Following Asura, Anand Neelakantan delivers yet another perspective shift in his thoroughly engrossing Vanara. I am a fan.’—Dhanush, actor

  ‘Vanara by Anand Neelakantan is almost like a Shakespearean tragedy, a story of love, loss and valour. Baali’s uncompromising principles and his relentless fight for the dignity and the pride of the Vanaras is inspirational and relevant even today. Read this book and learn about one of the greatest heroes of the Ramayana.’—Emraan Hashmi, author and actor

  ‘Anand Neelakantan has always been one of my favourite authors . . . And he has been an integral part of my book club, SBC. His style of writing is fascinating and gripping and gives a new perspective to the mythology we’ve all grown up with. Vanara explores a love triangle of sorts and one that I’ve not really heard of before—between Baali, Sugreeva and Tara. I’m really looking forward to it and I wish him all the very best.’—Sonali Bendre, author and actor

  Dedicated to my elder brothers Lokanathan and Rajendran

  Introduction

  One of the most fascinating characters in the Ramayana is Baali, also known as Vali (Valmiki Ramayana) or Baalin, Valin etc. Unarguably, he was the strongest man in the Ramayana and had defeated even Ravana in a duel. I have always been fascinated with Indian epics and folk tales. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata played a major part in my growing up. I was seeped in the stories of the Puranas from my childhood. Most of my writings have their base in our epics and the Puranas. My first three books were on Ravana and Duryodhana and I had explored the familiar stories from the antagonists’ perspective. Except for my last book, The Rise of Sivagami, where I based my story in the Bahubali world, most of my works, whether for television, short stories or novels have been based on the Puranas. I had also written a few episodes of the legal thriller Adalat for Sony TV and the story of Battle of Saragarhi for Discovery Jeet. However, my first love and fascination has always been our Puranas.

  In my first book, Asura, I had written the Ramayana from the, perspective of the antihero, Ravana, and Bhadra, a common Asura. I had explored the Ramayana from Sita’s point of view in the series, Siya Ke Ram, and explored Hanuman’s heroics in the series, Mahabali Hanuman. Most of the readers will be more familiar with Hanuman. He is our God and perhaps the first superhero in the world.

  The Ramayana has a fascinating story-world. One of the most intriguing stories is that of the Vanaras. As per Brahma’s orders, Devas started parenting children in various races. In this, the Vanaras resembling monkeys, were born. All Vanaras had the traits of the Deva father who parented them. There are many stories about how Baali and Sugreeva were born. As per Brahmanda Purana, the story goes like this.

  Once, there was a virtuous wife (pativruta) called Sheelavati who was married to Ugratapas, a leper. Ugratapas wanted to visit a brothel and the virtuous wife Sheelavati carried him on her shoulders. On the way to the brothel, a mendicant named Agnimandavya lay impaled by the king. Agnimandavya, who was in the throes of death, saw Sheelavati carrying her leper husband to a brothel. The uncontrolled passion of the lecherous Ugratapas angered Agnimandavya and he cursed that Ugratapas would die before sunrise the next day. Sheelavati used all the power she had gained through unconditional surrender and service of her lecherous husband to stop the sun from rising. Due to her virtuosity, the sun could not rise in the morning.

  Aruna, the charioteer of the Sun God, arrived for duty on time, but was surprised to find that his master was still asleep. Aruna tried his best to awaken the Sun God Suryadeva, but the power of Sheelavati’s virtue prevented the sun from rising. A bored Aruna wandered around and stumbled into heaven. Indra, the king of Devas, was enjoying the dance of the celestial maidens Urvashi, Ramba, Menaka and Tilothamma, and he had banned the entry of any other male into his harem. Aruna pleaded with the guards but he was thrown out from heaven. Aruna was desperate to see the dance. He turned into a beautiful damsel with his magical powers and reached the gates of heaven to try his luck again. This time he was allowed without a question. He enjoyed the dance of the celestial beauties, but as he was about to return, he was summoned by Indra. The king of gods, Indra, had fallen in love with the female Aruna. In their union, a boy was born, and he was Baali.

  Meanwhile, Agnimandavya had withdrawn his curse, and Sheelavati took her husband to the brothel so that he could enjoy with his mistress. She also withdrew her curse and the Sun God woke up. When Aruna came back to Surya after assuming his own form, the Sun God was livid for making him wait. Aruna pleaded with him, but Surya wanted to dismiss Aruna from his service. Cornered, Aurna confessed what happened in heaven. Surya was curious to see the female form of Aruna. There was no way Aruna could object to his master’s wish without jeopardizing his job. He turned into a woman and Surya was smitten by the lovely lady. In their union, Sugreeva was born.

  Indra, Surya and Aruna were ashamed at what had happened. They didn’t know what to do with
the two baby boys. Indra took the boys to Sage Gautama and his young wife Ahalya, and asked them to take care of the babies. Indra saw the beautiful Ahalya and fell in love with her. The affair of Ahalya and Indra is another story, told differently in various Puranas and Ramayanas. Baali and Sugreeva were brought up by Ahalya and Gautama, but after Ahalya was cursed by her husband, they were adopted by Riksarajas, a Vanara chief. This is the Brahmanda Purana version, Chapter 42.

  Uthara Ramayana has a different take on how Baali and Sugreeva were born. Kamba Ramayana, Poorva Kanda, has some variation, but it is more or less the same. Riksarajas was born out of Brahma’s tears. He was an ugly but strong monkey. Brahma asked him to fight the Asuras and destroy them and Riksarajas roamed around the forests of the world, killing Rakshasas and Asuras. Once, he happened to see his own reflection in a lake. Mistaking his reflection to be another Rakshasa, he jumped into the lake to fight his foe. The moment he jumped, the water was disturbed and he thought the Rakshasa had run away. He climbed back and sat on a rock to dry himself. By that time, the water was still and he could see his reflection again. He roared and jumped into the water to vanquish the foe. This continued till the sun set and he understood his folly. But by that time, a strange thing had happened. He had lost his manhood and had become a beautiful woman. As the sun had set, the Sun God Suryadeva and Indra, the king of gods, had to come to take a bath in the lake. They saw this beautiful woman and became passionate. The woman Riksarajas ran from the passionate gods, but they caught her. From Indra’s semen that fell on Riksarajas’ hair, Baali was born. From Surya’s semen that fell on Riksarajas’ neck (greeva), Sugreeva was born. Riksarajas went to Brahma to complain and Brahma gave Riksarajas the boon of being a man and woman at the same time. Later, Riksarajas became the King of Vanaras with the help of his sons.

  Similarly, Tara is mentioned as an Apsara who came out of the ocean of milk during the churning as per Kamba Ramayana Yudha Kanda. Along with Tara, Ruma also emerged. Other precious things that emerged during the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan) were Airavata, Uchaishravas, Kalapavriksha, Chintamani, Kaustubha, the Moon, other Apsaras, Mahalakshmi etc. However, in Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkinda Kanda, verse 22, it is said that Tara is the daughter of the Vaidya Sushena of Vanara Kula. Tara is said to be the wisest of all in Valmiki Ramayana. She is a true leader and was respected by her husband and other Vanaras. Hanuman considered her a friend and sister. Tara is one of the five great ladies of Indian Puranas, the Pancha Kanyas. The other four are Ahalya, Mandodari, Sita and Draupadi. Please note that all these women were strong-willed and had an independent mind. Neither Sheelavati nor Savitri, who are considered to be docile, virtuous wives who consider their husbands as God, is in the Pancha Kanyas.

  I have mentioned these stories to give a background of what the various Puranas and Ramayanas say about the Vanara race. However, if you have read my previous works, you might have observed that I try to tell the stories in a rational fashion. There are usually no gods, demons, magic, fantasy etc., in my novels. It is not because I hate fantasies. Our Puranas are full of fantastical elements, magical creatures, flying superheroes, gods, avatars, etc. They served a great purpose, and I love hearing stories that way. When I write stories by eliminating all such elements, it is not because I mean any disrespect. In my TV shows, I use the fantasy elements to the hilt as they work superbly in a visual medium.

  There are many ways to approach our rich literary tradition. One way is to see them as religious books. Bhakti or devotion is the main emotion associated with such an approach. This is tempered with some entertainment. This is the method adopted by storytellers in temples and villages. Another approach is the general entertainment television approach. Here, the stories are changed to fit present-day morality. It is a sanitized version. The plot loses the rich layering, and characters become unidimensional cardboard puppets, but it is compensated by gaudy sets and costumes, predictable but dramatic dialogues, and pop philosophy with entertaining visuals. This is the Amar Chitra Katha template on steroids. Asuras are depicted as black-skinned, thick-lipped, fat, curly haired barbarians wearing gaudy jewellery and horned crowns. They laugh uncontrollably. The Devas are handsome, tall and fair dudes, preferably with a six-pack abdomen.

  Another approach is to add fantasy elements resembling a Marvel adventure template, pepper the same with patriotism and imagine a world more advanced than ours. A Brahmaastra becomes a nuclear missile and chariots become fighter jets. This instils a pride about our country in the readers. It also addresses the hidden insecurity complex that every Indian carries as we have lost out on the last two centuries of scientific revolution due to historical reasons. It is comforting to think that the Mahabharata involved a nuclear warfare. It is easy to forget that the warriors were riding chariots and horses in the war, and yet they had the technology to make nuclear warheads. Stories need not always be rational. They must be entertaining, emotional, should quench human curiosity and validate our prejudices. All these approaches have their place, and all are equally relevant. So many storytellers are experimenting in expanding and interpreting our heritage in so many varied ways and keeping our traditions alive, and it is something we should be proud of.

  So why is my Asura—the Ravana’s Ramayana, Ajaya series—the Duryodhana Mahabharata, and now Vanara—the legend of Baali, Sugreeva and Tara, written like a historical fiction? I believe the Puranas and our two great epics are our way of telling history. This is how India recorded history. Typical to our fashion, our rich imagination added many fantasy elements. My attempt is to remove these layers and peep into what it could have been. So, Devas and Asuras become two tribes fighting for dominance in some remote era. What if the Vanaras are a mixed tribe? Is that why it is told that Devas parented Vanaras in Asura women? However, one cannot completely take away the fantasy elements either. Many tribal Ramayanas, especially of central India, say Pushpaka Vimana, the mythical aircraft of Ravana, was an ass-drawn cart. If the same is used in a story, it will look ridiculous. I tried to solve it by imagining the flying machine as one quirky invention, totally different from modern aeroplanes. Something that would fly with the help of sails, like the pictures seen in some sculptures in temples. It is a choice the author taking the quasi-historical fiction route while interpreting our epics must make.

  All my books are point-of-view literature. The reader must keep in mind that the thoughts expressed are those of the characters. There will be some elements of my thoughts. No author can escape that. However, when I am writing about Baali, I am inside Baali’s mind. When I am writing about Ravana, I am inside Ravana’s mind. For these characters, the conventional heroes are their enemies. If Duryodhana also considers Krishna as the God and avatar, there is no story left in the Mahabharata. There would have been no war. The greatest criticism of Krishna comes from the mouth of Gandhari after the war in the Mahabharata. The greatest criticism of Rama comes from Sita’s and Tara’s mouth in the Ramayana. When Valmiki or Vyasa wrote them, they were inside the minds of the characters.

  My attempt is to stitch together a proto-historical narrative through the Puranas and the epics. If a youngster reads the Puranas, he is bound to be confused. It is a good thing, but it may also make him averse to our stories. Many translations available are horrendous. Sanskrit, classical Tamil, etc., are dying languages. My humble attempts are to make the stories available to the masses. I am sure there will be many portions that a learned reader may not agree with. I have narrated the story of Baali’s and Sugreeva’s origin from two different sources to show how they differ in various Puranas and versions of epics. Please bear in mind that this book is a rational explanation, my explanation, of how things might have happened. I am sure there could be different interpretations, understandings and inferences. I would be worried if there aren’t any. A book should not be read and forgotten. It must be argued over, debated and, if possible, imbibed.

  Our Puranas are like a gigantic Chinese whisper spread over many thousands of years.
One can imagine how much distortions and additions could have creeped in or deliberately been put in to serve the agenda of the dominant classes. The greatness of Indian literature is its diversity. There is no one authentic holy book, nor a church or religious clergy insisting on one point of view. This is a tradition we should preserve with utmost care.

  Baali’s, Sugreeva’s and Tara’s legend is arguably the world’s first triangular love story. Please do let me know your opinion and suggestions. I am reachable through:

  E-mail: [email protected]

  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @itsanandneel

  Cast of characters

  Baali: Also pronounced as Vali, Valin, Bali etc., was the leader of the Vana Naras or Vanaras.

  Sugreeva: Baali’s younger brother

  Tara: Daughter of the tribal physician Sushena. Loved by both Baali and Sugreeva.

  Swayamprabha or Prabha: Friend of Tara

  Sushena: The Vaidya or physicians of the Vana Naras or Vanaras

  Riksarajas: Adoptive father of Baali and Sugreeva, an eunuch.

  Indra: Indra is the king or chief of the Deva clan. Indra is not a person but a position like governor or prime minister or king. There were many Indras.

  Ahalya: Young wife of the mendicant Gautama

  Gautama: A mendicant

  Jatayu and Sambati: Giant eagles, considered representative of gods by the Vana Naras.

  Kesari: Adoptive father of Hanuman and one of the elders

  Rishabha: One of the elders among the Vanaras. One among the three in the council. The other two being Kesari and Jambavan.

  Jambavan: A tribe elder, the third member in the council. Because of his shaggy appearance and huge body, often mocked as a bear behind his back.