Sugriva, the monkey king, sends Hanuman to meet Rama and Lakshmana. Hanuman, attired as an ascetic, goes to meet Rama. When He sees the two princes, he wonders at their dress.
They look like princes, but where are the ornaments? They look like those who should be wearing ornaments, but are without any. Rama tells Hanuman that He has come to make friends with Sugriva. As Rama speaks, Hanuman notices the strength of Rama's hands, and that of Lakshmana's too. Hanuman is focused on one thing — helping Sugriva. So He pays particular attention to Rama's strong arms, which give Hanuman the confidence that Rama could, indeed, help Sugriva. Just as a suckling babe looks instinctively for its mother's breasts, so did Hanuman look only at the Lord's hands. He then leads Rama to Sugriva.
When the two meet, Rama offers Sugriva a hand of friendship. He tells Sugriva that He wants to be friends with Sugriva, but Sugriva hesitates. It would seem unbelievable that anyone should reject the Lord's friendship, but the Sugriva hesitates because Rama is no ordinary person. How can a mere monkey make friends with God Himself, he wonders. But Rama persists, telling Sugriva that He would very much like to be his friend. Would Sugriva too like to be His friend? Here is yet another instance of Rama's approachability, said Adur Asuri Madhavachari.
Rama is the first to make a move towards friendship, and even when Sugriva hesitates, He continues to offer His friendship, and even asks if this is acceptable to Sugriva.
When Hanuman meets Sita in Lanka, She asks Him how a friendship could have resulted between Rama and a monkey? What was the connection between a man and a monkey? Hanuman tells Her that just as She had confided in him (Hanuman) many things that even Lakshmana did not know, so did Rama make Sugriva His confidant. Were Sita and Hanuman the same species? Yet, had they not struck up a bond of mutual respect? So had Sugriva and Rama become friends. The Ramayana shows us that both Sita and Rama are alike in their quality of kindness.
