What is Sundara Kandam?
Sundara Kandam forms the fifth section of the Hindu epic, Ramayana. It has 2885 verses and 68 chapters. “Sundara,” denotes “beautiful,” and “Kandam” means “section”. Sage Valmiki, who wrote the Ramayana, probably named this section Sundara Kandam or the “Beautiful Section” because in this section there are poetic descriptions of many beautiful things, places, and people, like the Pushpaka Vimana, Sri Lanka, the Ashoka vana (forest), the Madhu vana, Sita, Rama, Hanuman, and Ravana.
Sundara Kandam also talks about the adventures of Hanuman, the monkey god who is an ardent devotee of Rama. Hanuman’s mother used to call him Sundara affectionately. This section deals mainly with Hanuman’s journey to Lanka. It also describes his strength, courage, selflessness, and devotion to Rama.
Many Hindus, especially Hanuman devotees, read, recite, or listen to the Sundara Kandam as well as the Hanuman Chalisa on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanthi, the birthday of Hanuman. They believe that this will please Hanuman, and he will bless them with prosperity and also remove their problems. It is said that reading one sargam or chapter of the Sundara Kandam is equivalent to chanting the Gayatri Japam 1000 times. Specific problems can be resolved by reciting certain chapters according to popular belief.
The Birth of Hanuman
Long ago, in the Meru mountains, lived Sage Gautam. Near his ashram, there was a monkey-couple, Kesari and Anjana. Anjana was actually a heavenly maiden who had turned into a monkey due to a curse. She would get relief from the curse if she had a child who was an incarnation of Lord Shiva.
Anjana was cursed because, on seeing a monkey meditating in a forest during a visit to earth, she began to laugh. She poked fun at the monkey, and when the monkey ignored her, she threw stones at it. Finally, the monkey lost his temper. He was, in reality, a powerful holy sage who had become a monkey to do meditation. He cursed her to take the form of a monkey and added that when she gave birth to a mighty son, who was an incarnation of Shiva, she would be freed from the curse.
Anjana did severe penance to appease Shiva, and he decided to bless her with a son who would be immortal. Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Ayodhya, King Dasaratha was performing an Ashvamedha Yagna for progeny. Lord Agni gave him a divine sweet that was to be eaten by his three wives. Vayu, the Wind God, was told by Lord Shiva to carry a portion of the sweet and give it to Anjana. Anjana consumed the divine sweet, and Vayu told her that she would have a son who would have courage, intelligence, great strength, speed, and the ability to fly. Thus, Hanuman was born. His birthday is celebrated as Hanuman Jayanthi.
Sundara Kandam chapters that are recited for solving various life problems:
Salvation may be achieved by reciting/reading the first chapter for six months daily.
To gain permanent wealth and happiness, recite/read chapter 15.
To remove the dullness of the brain, read chapter 13.
To protect oneself from the attack of ghosts, devils, and evil spirits, read/recite the 3rd chapter.
To avoid the sin of having an affair with someone else’s wife, read/recite chapters 7 – 11.
To get peace and happiness, read/recite Chapter 61
For boosting assets like land, house, etc., recite/read chapter 54.
To become just and charitable, read/recite chapter 51
To win over enemies, read/recite chapters 42-47.
To obtain God’s pardon for any insult done to him, knowingly or unknowingly, read/recite chapter 38.
To avoid impending danger, read/recite chapter 36.
To reunite with lost relatives, read/recite chapters 33-40.
To cultivate good behavior, read/recite chapters 20-21.
To get rid of nightmares, read/recite chapter 27.
For wish-fulfillment, read/recite chapter 41
To realize God and to acquire sweet speech, read/recite chapter 19.
To gain permanent happiness and to attain God, read chapter 67.
So make it a point to read/recite/listen to Sundara Kandam during Hanuman Jayanti celebrations and get relief from your problems.
