A STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF HANUMAN AS A MYTHOLOGICAL FIGURE

This thesis traces the career of Hanuman in Valmiki's Ramayana, Tulsidas, Ramcaritmanas, and the Hanuman Calisa. In each of these texts, Hanuman is presented in a different light and thus performs a different function. Hanuman is analyzed in terms of the various aspects of his personality, and his antecedents and heritage. The thesis finds that in making his leap to Lanka in the Ramayana, Hanuman changes from a superior monkey into a bhakta. He also sets up the bhakti universe. Hanuman enters the Ramcaritmanas a bhakta, and is here presented as the model for Tulsi's creed of Rama-bhakti. In the Hanuman Calisa, he reaches the pinnacle of his career. He has the status of a demi-god, a result of his devotion to Rama. The thesis includes a translation of the Hanuman Calisa and a brief commentary on the text.