When we look at the names of each kanda, the question that naturally arises is: Why is the ‘Sundar Kand’ so named?
The word ‘sundara’ translates as beautiful, lovely, charming, delightful. The word is used some eight times in this kanda.
1 The first use is at the very beginning of this kanda, in the fifth line. Sri Hanuman-ji sees a beautiful hill – ‘bhoodhara sundara’. It is from this hill that he, taking the name of the Lord, makes his leap across the sea. What beauty is here! What strength is here! There is a special beauty when a devotee serves the Lord. The sense of doership is absent. The devotee feels that it is the Lord who is acting through him. There is surrender to the Lord. As Sri Hanuman-ji took the leap, the hill sank down. This has been interpreted as: the hill is the ego of Sri Hanuman-ji, and its sinking into the nether region is suggesting / indicating that that the ego of Sri Hanuman-ji was totally overcome / vanquished.
2 When Sri Hanuman-ji crosses over the sea and sees Lanka, Goswami Tulasidas-ji gives a beautiful and detailed description of the city, and in that portrayal, the word ‘sundar’ is used. It is used to describe the buildings – sundara-ayatanaa. Literally, it would mean beautiful temples, and so its use is ironic. Temples are places of worship. Here, it is the body that is worshipped. And so there is an excess of sensual indulgences, and together with it, there goes away any sense of dharma.
3 When Ravan approaches Mother Sita in the Ashoka garden, and when he is repulsed by the Mother, he threatens to cut off her head with his sword. She replies: ‘My lord’s arm is lovely as a string of blue lotuses ’ – syaama saroja daama sama sundara. It is a very beautiful image. A sequence / row of blue lotuses tell of the dark colour of the Lord. But ‘daama’ hints at the string of the Lord’s bow – of which Ravan ought to be afraid.
4 When Sri Hanuman-ji (who is hiding among the leaves of the trees) drops the Lord’s ring in front of the Mother Sita, she thinks that the ashoka tree had sent down a spark in answer to her prayer. But when she takes it up in her hand, she is amazed to see that it is a ring on which is an engraving: rama naama ankita ati sundara – the name of Lord Rama most beautifully engraved on it.
Not only is the ring beautiful, but this incident itself is beautiful: here is Mother Sita in the deepest misery and sorrow, contemplating putting an end to her body; and here comes the ring of the Lord, its bright rays bringing hope and faith and courage to her. This change is indeed beautiful.
5 When Sri Hanuman-ji has consoled Mother Sita and received her blessings, he, like a child, tells his mother that he is hungry and if he could eat of the delicious fruits(sundara phala) in the orchard. Of course, one would naturally imagine Sri Hanuman-ji to be hungry after all he had done. But there is more. One cannot imagine that the Sri Hanuman-ji who had no sense of agency, who had refused rest at the bidding of Mainaka as he was crossing the ocean, would now want to eat. It was an excuse, a well-thought out pretext, to continue the work of Sri Rama. Beautiful indeed!
6 The RCM has four narrators, and Lord Shiva is one of them. He tells the katha to Mother Parvati. Goswami Tulasida-ji uses the phrase ‘katha ati sundara’ to describe the Ramayana – a most beautiful and charming narrative.
7 When Sri Rama has received the news of the whereabouts of Mother Sita, he prepares his army constituting bears and monkeys. As he is getting ready to leave for Lanka, he sees many omens that are beautiful and auspicious – saguna bhae sundara subha naanaa.
8 Lastly, ‘sundara neetῑ’, good / prudent counsel. The phrase is uttered by Lord Rama himself. Although he has spent three days trying to propitiate the sea god to afford him a passage across to Lanka, there is no response. Sri Rama loses patience, and observes, inter alia, that attempting to please the sea god was as futile as speaking about the codes of good behaviour to an inveterate wretch. Such a person, steeped in worldliness, cannot understand and appreciate good values as per our scriptures. Our mind goes back to the wisdom that Vibhishan tried to impart to Ravan, and for which he was cast out. Our mind goes back to when Sri Hanuman-ji gave good advice to Ravan but received in turn a harsh punishment. Ravan was a devotee of Lord Shiva, the guru of all gurus; and when Lord Shiva was guiding him (in the guise of Sri Hanuman-ji), Ravan did not recognise his own guru. What irony, what poetical beauty! In fact, the entire section / episode lends itself to beautiful interpretations at various levels.
The beauty of the ‘Sundar Kaand’ is described in the following oft-quoted lines:
sundare sundaro ramah sundare sundari katha
sundare sundari sita sundare sundaram vanam,
sundare sundaram kavyam sundare sundarah kapih
sundare sundaram mantram sundare kim na sundaram.
In the Sundara Kanda, Sri Rama is beautiful, the story is beautiful, Mother Sita is beautiful, the ashoka garden is beautiful, the poem / story is beautiful, the monkey Hanuman is beautiful, the mantra is beautiful. What is there is the Sundara Kanda that is not beautiful?
Finally, we may mention the following.
- Sri Hanuman-ji’s, super-human exploits are truly marvellous and beautiful.
- Sri Rama is not present in the first half of the kand. But the beauty of it is that he is always there: Sri Hanuman-ji is constantly telling the Rama Katha.
- That Sri Rama and Mother Sita that could not bear separation from each –their love is transcendental and beautiful.
- Ravan’s ashoka garden is itself more beautiful than the heavenly garden of Lord Indra. Its beauty is added to by the presence of Mother Sita – a spiritual beauty.
- The purity, the steadfastness, the strength, the fearlessness that Mother Sita displays is indeed wonderful and beautiful. It is what makes her the ideal of Indian womanhood.
- How touching and pleasing it is to find Trijata, a demoness, become a friend and support of Mother Sita.
- Devotees have an unshakeable faith that the recitation of this kand removes afflictions of all kinds, puts an end to mental agony; it enhances hope and courage; and to bring prosperity of all kinds.
Vedanta for Self-development 
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