Sundara Kandam

Book excerpt: This book comprises the fifth kanda or section of the Ramayana. The direct meaning of the name "Sundara" is "beautiful" referring to the literary excellence of this Kanda. It brings out two great characters , Hanuman standing for the ideal of masculine strength and Sita for the feminine expression of courage. This book deals with the heroic exploits of Hanuman for one day and night in which he crosses over to Sri Lanka, finds Sita ,defeats the enemy ,sets fire to the city and returns with the news of Sita's discovery. The hidden meaning is represented as the quest of the awakened spiritual aspirant represented by Hanuman to cross over the ocean of samsara and seek the divine spirit within through an analysis of the various layers of human personality.