May 1, 2017 archive

Ravana spoke fearful, dirty, shameful and unworthy words to Sita in order to provoke her to marry him. Such unholy words should not be spoken to a chaste woman (pativrata).

Sita was upset and watching her cry caused Hanuman great agony. It was a heart rendering scene. Ravana’s appalling behavior angered Hanuman enormously so much so that he was tempted to kill Ravana that very instant. Hanuman was positioned on the very same tree, beneath which Sita was sitting. Hanuman was in a very advantageous position. One leap from that tree and he would land straight on Ravana’s head. With his might, Hanuman could simply hit the fatal blow and kill Ravana then and there. Yet, with great restraint Hanuman controlled himself. Instead he desired to see the grandeur of Ravana’s court and assess his might and thus resisted from killing him.

Through various tricks Hanuman managed to enter Ravana’s court. Here once again when Ravana spoke very low of Rama and used unworthy words, Hanuman was tempted to choke Ravana’s throat then and there. This was another great opportunity. Once again he used great restraint and controlled himself.

He recollected that his Lord Rama was an incarnation of the Supreme and that He had taken a human form solely for the elimination of the demons. He thought, ‘When this is the purpose behind the incarnation, why should I take up this task? Of what use will it be if I kill Ravana? Ravana should die exclusively at the hands of Lord Rama. With that, Rama’s incarnation would be complete. Moreover, Rama had taken on a pledge that He will kill Ravana. If I kill Ravana now, I will be betraying my master. I should take all the steps to ensure that my master successfully accomplishes His pledge. I am a servant of that master. He is my Lord, my master. Hence I should leave this task for my master. This is my master’s dharma, not mine’. With such thoughts Hanuman let go of the multiple opportunities he had through which he could kill Ravana.

Through Mainda’s prayer earlier, we have learnt that Hanuman considered himself as Rama (from the point of view of the Supreme Self). With this energy of Rama, he could easily destroy Ravana. Destroying Ravana along with his army was like a child’s play to him.

While singing the glories of Rama in Ravana’s court, Hanuman said to Ravana- ‘O Ravana, my army of Vānaras and I possess the capacity to easily kill even 1000 demons of your might and size. Forget fighting with Lord Rama, you will be finished much before that. Rama or myself can single- handedly destroy all of you completely. Even one strand of hair plucked from the body of any Vānara has the capacity to wipe out the entire demon race as each and every hair in their body vibrates with the name of Rama. In just about 10 minutes I can create ample destruction in this court.  But yet, abiding by my dharma, I am leaving you alive. I seek that you should meet your end in the hands of my Lord”.

Hanuman’s greatness lies in this. Even while possessing the ability to kill Ravana, he did not do so. He believed that he was just a servant and in that sense, he did not seek the fame associated with it. He whole heartedly believed that this fame should go to his master. He wanted to do all that it takes for his master to be rewarded with this glory. He believed that this glory and fame was rightfully Rama’s.

In the war that took place afterwards, Rama and Lakshmana killed all the demons and obtained great fame.

Om Namo Hanumate namaha.

Dividha, another Vānara has glorified Lord Hanuman as-

Ramadīnām raṇe khyātim dātum yo rāvaṇādikān
Nāvadhī tu svaya may vaika tam vande hanumatprabhum.     

Meaning- I pay obeisance to Lord Hanuman, who, although single handedly possessed the ability to destroy Demon Ravana together with his entire army, refrained from doing so purely with the intent that the glory of killing Ravana should go to his master Rama and his associates.

Vividha was a very great Vānara warrior very closely associated with Hanuman. As such he scrutinized and observed Hanuman from a very close angle and was aware of the valor and the capacities of Hanuman completely. He knew that only Hanuman could accomplish tasks such as crossing the ocean; having darshan of Mother Goddess Sita in Lanka, and thereafter returning successfully.

Ordinary people may wonder why Hanuman, who possessed such unsurpassed might, did not destroy Ravana and Lanka when he reached there in search of Sita. He could have easily killed Ravana and brought Sita back, when he possessed such inherent capacity. In the earlier episode, we discussed that at one point, Hanuman too felt like killing Ravana and rescuing Sita.

Hanuman, who was hiding in the trees of Ashoka Vana, trying to understand the situation, saw Ravana arriving there together with hordes of demonesses in the morning. Thunderous noise followed by loud welcoming slogans greeted Ravana upon his arrival. Ravana spoke fearful, dirty, shameful and unworthy words to Sita in order to provoke her to marry him. Such unholy words should not be spoken to a chaste woman (pativrata).

Sita was upset and watching her cry caused Hanuman great agony. It was a heart rendering scene. Ravana’s appalling behavior angered Hanuman enormously so much so that he was tempted to kill Ravana that very instant. Hanuman was positioned on the very same tree, beneath which Sita was sitting. Hanuman was in a very advantageous position. One leap from that tree and he would land straight on Ravana’s head. With his might, Hanuman could simply hit the fatal blow and kill Ravana then and there. Yet, with great restraint Hanuman controlled himself. Instead he desired to see the grandeur of Ravana’s court and assess his might and thus resisted from killing him.

Through various tricks Hanuman managed to enter Ravana’s court. Here once again when Ravana spoke very low of Rama and used unworthy words, Hanuman was tempted to choke Ravana’s throat then and there. This was another great opportunity. Once again he used great restraint and controlled himself.

Dharma should be protected with utmost compassion (daya). In the pretext of protecting dharma, it is wrong to get angry and impose harsh punishments for trivial faults. It is wrong to wage war for petty reasons. Peace is a very important pre-requisite for establishing dharma (righteousness). Hanuman preached Gavākṣa about peace.

Our dharma preaches that we should adhere to the ‘path of the elders’. This does not mean we should keep following the elders wherever they go. It means we should follow and practice the same rules of dharma (righteousness) as was practised by them. We should obey them.

Hanuman accepted Rama, who was a personification of dharma, as his Lord and completely surrendered to Him. Undergoing a lot of pain he went to Lanka in search of Sita. Seeing the pitiable state of Sita, his heart writhed in pain and in that moment of anger, he wanted to kill the demon Ravana. Yet recollecting his dharma, he stopped short of killing Ravana. He was careful not to transgress his limits as per the dharma. He wanted to meet Ravana in person and hence did all he could to reach Ravana’s court.

Hanuman was powerful enough to kill Ravana together with his entire troops. Yet, he spared him, as it would be against the rules of righteousness for him to kill Ravana. He knew that Lord Rama held dharma in the highest esteem. Hanuman did not want to do any act that would cause even the slightest pain to his Lord.

In Lanka, Hanuman was merely a messenger. It is wrong for a messenger to wage a war with the enemy. The messenger’s duty is to pass on his master’s message to the enemy in a peaceful manner. He can advice the enemy and try to resolve the dispute amicably. Hence, Hanuman tried to preach Ravana and sang the glories of His Lord Rama. Ravana paid a deaf ear. He followed the demonic dharma. Hanuman, in displaying his might at Lanka, actually showed the demons the power and might of Rama and of his army. He returned as successfully as he had gone. In addition, he assessed the power and capacity of Ravana and was able to give this valuable information to Rama. All of these are the traits of an efficient messenger.

Within all the deeds of Hanuman, his bhakta dharma (righteous duties of a disciple) and his dhoota dharma (righteous duties of a true messenger) are vividly visible. In Hanuman, many such dharma sookshmas (underlying subtle principles of dharma) are visible. The more we discuss about it, the more of such qualities we will find in him.

Vānara Mainda has praised Lord Hanuman as follows-

Samīra sute satatam tva dāgnaya tva damṣakha prerita manasendriyaha

Karo myaham ya chha śubhāśubham prabho tvat prītaye matkruta mastu tat sadā.

Meaning-

O son of the wind! I am Your partial incarnation. I am born due to you. My sense organ called mind is deeply influenced by Your orders. Therefore, let it be said that all the good and the bad deeds performed by me, are actions that have been performed by me out of love for you.

Mainda was one of the Sugriva’s ministers. He played a significant role and offered immense help in locating Sita. During the war against Ravana, along with Lakshmana, Mainda was also rendered unconscious.

Such a warrior Mainda, praised Hanuman in this strange manner. From his prayer, it is clear that he was born out of an aspect of Hanuman. Alternatively, perhaps pleased with his services (seva), Hanuman may have reminded him that he had a partial aspect of Hanuman in him.

Stating about himself, Hanuman openly declared that when seen from the body’s perspective (deha buddhi) he was a servant of Rama (Rama dāsa); from the conditioned soul’s perspective (jeeva buddhi)  he was an aspect of Rama (Rama amsha) and from the Self’s perceptive (atma buddhi), he himself was Rama!

Mainda similarly, from the conditioned soul’s perspective (jeeva buddhi) declared that he was an aspect of Hanuman.

Om Namo Hanumate Namaha.