[Advaita-l] 'Hanuman is Shiva, Lakshmana is Shiva's snake-ornament' says Thyagaraja

[V Subrahmanian]

Popular singer and exponent Sri Kalyanapuram S.  Aravind provided the
information in Tamil/English in this short video, demonstrating:

https://youtu.be/hbyRsT_2Ffo?si=kTVwkS5Bf3Vr4WpI

In a composition, praising Rama, Thyagaraja says:

Shiva came as Hanuman, and Shiva's ornament, Shesha, came as Lakshmana.

https://thyagaraja-vaibhavam.blogspot.com/2007/11/thyagaraja-kriti-entha-raani-raga-hari.html

A 4 antak(A)ri nI centa jEri

hanumantuDai koluva lEdA (enta)

A Isn't (lEdA) Lord Siva – Enemy (ari) of Lord of Death (antaka) (antakAri)
– serving (koluva) as AnjanEya (hanumantuDai), by joining (centa jEri)
(literally coming near) You (nI)?

C1 5 SEshuDu Sivuniki bhUshuDu lakshmaNa

vEshiyai koluva lEdA (enta)

C1 Isn't (lEdA) SEsha (SEshuDu) – the ornament (bhUshuDu) of Lord Siva
(Sivuniki) – serving (koluva) You in the garb (vEshiyai) of lakshmaNa?
For the Hanuman section, we have the Kamba Ramayana:
Bāla kāṇḍa:

When the Wind God said that he is represented by Maruthi,

All the other devas told that they have decided to be born,

AS monkeys who will destroy enemies in earth,

And Lord Shiva who burnt the three cities told that

He would be born as Hanuman and so he asked

“How can there be sorrow to all people in the world?”

When the wind God told that he is represented by Maruthi,

All the other devas told that they have decided to be born,

AS monkeys who will destroy enemies in earth,

*And Lord Shiva who burnt the three cities told that*

*He would be born as Hanuman * and so he asked

“How can there be sorrow to all people in the world?”

வாயு, 'மற்று எனது கூறு மாருதி' எனலும், மற்றோர்,
'காயும் மற்கடங்கள் ஆகி, காசினி அதனின்மீது
போயிடத் துணிந்தோம்' என்றார்; *புராரி, 'மற்று யானும் காற்றின் **சேய்' எனப்
புகன்றான்;* மற்றைத் திசையுளோர்க்கு அவதி உண்டோ . 25

There are many references for the above, for example, from the Valmiki
Ramayana (Nandi - Hanuman), Muthuswamy Dikshitar, Purandara Dasa, Tulasi
Das, and the Champu Ramayana.

We have not found the source for Shiva's serpent appearing as Lakshmana.
It could be referring to when Vishnu's Shesha became the bow-string for
Shiva in the Tripura Samhāra.  We are unsure of Thyagaraja's source.

The full song in Telugu script:

ప. ఎంత రాని తనకెంత పోని నీ

చెంత విడువ జాల శ్రీ రామ

అ. అంతకారి నీ చెంత జేరి

హనుమంతుడై కొలువ లేదా (ఎ)

చ1. శేషుడు శివునికి భూషుడు లక్ష్మణ

వేషియై కొలువ లేదా (ఎ)

చ2. శిష్టుడు మౌని వరిష్ఠుడు గొప్ప

వసిష్ఠుడు హితుడుగా లేదా (ఎ)

చ3. నర వర నీకై సుర గణములు

వానరులై కొలువగ లేదా (ఎ)

చ4. ఆగమోక్తమగు నీ గుణములు శ్రీ

త్యాగరాజు పాడగ లేదా (ఎ)

Thyagaraja has said the Hanuman-Shiva identity in yet another song: One can
read the lyrics in multiple language scripts:
https://pedia.desibantu.com/ada-modi-galadaa/

warm regards

subbu