June 2017 archive

The next hymn has been composed by Vanara Dadhimukha-

āloḍya vedasāstrāṇi sarvāṇyapi maharṣibihi

ida mekam sunīrnitam na daivam hanumatparam.

Meaning- After an in-depth analysis of the entire Vedas and Shastras, Maharishis have unanimously concluded that there is no God greater than Hanuman.

Hanuman’s is a unique and extraordinary incarnation. The aspects Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are inter-twined in him. For this reason, Hanuman is the form of Trinity. This great Lord has in him the complete essence of Parabrahma, Mahavishnu as well as Paramashiva. In his form of Trinity he ensures the well-being of the world.

As Brahma, he wards off major natural disasters and catastrophes, and thus protects life on earth. As Vishnu, he ensures his devotees walk on the path of righteousness and encourages them to involve in righteous activities. As an aspect of Shiva, He rescues people from the clutches of the demons, yaksha, ghosts, and fierce demon spirits. These are His daily duties.

In the very ancient past, once Maharishi Narada prayed to Hanuman seeking the destruction the demon Trishularoma. This hymn of Sage Narada, clearly brings out the aspect of Trinity in Hanuman-

Sūtrātmane namastubhyam sūkṣma rūpāya viṣṇave

Śankarāyādi devāya yoginām pataye namaḥ.

When Hanuman was engaged in a battle with Lord Yama, the lord of death, Yama’s wife appealed to Hanuman. From her prayer too, the aspect of the Trinity within Him is clearly highlighted-

Namste brahma rūpāya swa rūpāya te namaḥ

Namostu viśṇu rūpāya surya rūpāya te namaḥ.

From an in-depth analysis of all these hymns, it is evident that Hanuman is the embodiment of all Gods. Hence, when Hanuman is worshipped, all the Gods are pleased. Such is His greatness.

After successfully completing his assignment of locating Mother Sita, Hanuman together with his Vanara comrades reached Madhuvana, the private garden of King Sugriva. When the Vanaras, in their merriment of having found Mother Sita, sought permission to enter this garden, Hanuman consented. None of the Vanaras had ever seen this garden until this point of time.  It was impossible to enter this garden. This garden was a gift from Lord Brahma and for this reason no one could even step into it. This was Sugriva’s special garden. Dadhimukha, the maternal uncle of Sugriva zealously guarded this garden. In Dadhimukha’s opinion, Hanuman was no more than an ordinary Vanara. Dadhimukha tried to prevent the Vanaras from entering his garden and in the process was badly beaten up by them.

Om Namo Hanumate Namaha.

The Vanara by name Rundhra Greeva states-

Hanumat sadṛṣam daivam nāsti nāstīti bhutale

Tam pūjayanti satataṃ Brahma gowri maheśvaraḥ.

Meaning- I emphatically state that on this earth there is no other God equal to Lord Hanuman. Even the great Gods such as Brahma, Gowri and Shiva eternally worship Lord Hanuman.

Hanuman chalisa states- aur Devata chitta na dharayi, Hanumat seyi sarva sukha karayi. – The other Gods need not be worshipped; it is adequate if only Hanuman is worshipped for it is only Hanuman who grants all joys and happiness.

Neither do the Gods nor do any of their divine incarnations remain eternally on this earth. Once the task for which they had incarnated is duly complete, the Gods return back to their abode. Even the greatest incarnations such as Rama and Krishna abided by this policy.

Only Hanuman lives eternally on earth. With Rama’s permission, Hanuman lives forever on Mountain Gandhamadana, in steadfast contemplation upon Rama. He is always present in those places where the glories of Rama are sung, where the name of Rama (Rama koti) is constantly written and wherever his mantra ‘Om Namo hanumate namaha’ is recited. This is the protection for this earth.

On this earth, we are living completely under His protection. It is said that Hanuman is the protector for this earth plane (kshetra palaka). For this reason, whenever the Gods descend to earth, they firmly believe that there is no God who is superior to Him and with these intense feelings, they too revere and worship Him.

We have discussed earlier that Hanuman will be the future Brahma.  We had also discussed that Hanuman was born out of an aspect of Shiva. We yet wonder whether it is right on Hanuman’s part to accept worship on behalf of Shiva? An important point that should be noted is that the deities do not have the concepts of dualities. On this human plane, we entertain feelings of I, mine, you and yours. The Gods on the other hand, follow the principle of oneness. Due to this trait they are addressed as Gods.

From their point of view Hanuman worshipping Brahma, or Brahma, Shiva and other deities worshipping Hanuman is one and the same. In other words whether Hanuman worships all other Gods or whether all other Gods worship Hanuman, it is all the same! There are no differences between them.

The worship does not assume significance in this context. It is their innermost mental feelings that are important. Where feelings of pure oneness exist, can there be scope for questions such as- who conducted the worship? To whom was it performed? Who accepted the Prasadam? Who offered the Camphor light? Who rang the bell? For whom was it rung? Who distributed the prasadam etc.?

It is these deep feelings that Rundhra Greeva stresses in his hymn. Hanuman’s philosophy in terms of His relationship with Lord Rama was- Atma buddhyā tvame vāham. It means – O Rama, when seen from point of the inner most self, I am you and You are me. I am not able to see any forms of differences’.

When one worships Hanuman with total concentration and devotion, he/she will experience all the three states of dualism (dvaita), non-dualism (advaita) and conditional non-dualism (visishta-advaita).

-When we listen to His story, it appears to be dualistic.

-When we intensely worship Him, feelings of dualism vanish away in totality, and Hanuman blesses us with complete feelings of oneness (non-dualism)

-His innermost perceptions are that of conditional non-dualism.

How beautifully the concepts of advaita, dvaita and vishista-advaita are intertwined here!  Anyway, we should remember that in the end, He blesses us by bestowing the fruit called non-dualism upon us!

Om Namo Hanumate Namaha.

Hanumān anjanā sūnuhu, vāyuputro mahābalaḥ

Rameśtaḥ phalguna-sakaha pingākśoh amita vikramaḥ

Udadidkramaṇas-chaiva Seetaśoka vināsanaḥ

Lakshmaṇa praṇadāta ca dashagrivasya darpaḥ

Spiritual aspirants have to face numerous tests in the path of their spiritual pursuits. The life story of Hanuman contains in it answers to them all. Further, with Hanuman’s grace, the aspirant enjoys a very smooth spiritual journey. If spiritual efforts are undertaken together with the re-capitulation of Hanuman’s life story, recollection of His form and remembrance about Him, then Hanuman will ensure that all the hurdles on the spiritual path are simply blown away.

Securing Hanuman amounts to securing everything in life. There is no need to bother about obtaining other accomplishments. It is enough if he were to be just by our side and cast one glance at us. Hanuman could earn so much blessedness (dhanyata) not because he mastered these supernatural accomplishments but purely because he sincerely executed all his Lord’s tasks.

There is absolutely no sacredness in leading a selfish life. Selfish persons are limited to satiating their own needs and filling their stomach. Their thoughts, worries and cares are wholly centered towards achieving their personal goals. They remain like a frog in the well.

Like a tree or a river, he who lives only for others is truly fortunate (dhanya). A tree or a river- what wonderful examples have been selected here! Even the Mahatma (great being or saint who lives for others) has been excluded from this list. The tree gives away every part of it, be it a fruit, leaf, flower in the service of another, to such an extent that even after it sheds its life, its trunk is useful to others. Through its shade it provides a great resting place. Likewise the river supplies us the water for our sustenance. It supports our life.

Hanuman, who lives exclusively for the benefit of others, is truly blessed (dhanya). In Hanuman’s opinion, the bird Jatayu, which gave up its life trying to protect Sita from being kidnapped, was a very fortunate being. Sampati, the brother of Jatayu, however opined Hanuman to be a very fortunate being.  Salutations to the Son of the Wind, who is very fortunate and who ensures that his devotees are bestowed with such blessedness-  is the intent behind this hymn (shloka).

There is no end to describing the qualities of Hanuman. Rameshta is the fifth name in this shloka. Rameshta has two meanings. The first is ‘he who is very fond of Rama’. Secondly, it means ‘he, whom Rama considers extremely dear’. Both are correct in this context. The first interpretation is true because Hanuman’s world exclusively consists of Rama; His entire speech and thoughts are occupied in chanting Rama’s name. At times it appears as if Hanuman does not know to speak anything apart from the topic of Rama.

The second interpretation is that Rama is very fond of Hanuman. Yes, to Rama, Hanuman is his life essence. To emphasize this, Tulsidas in his Hanuman Chalisa has used the phrase- kaha bharat sama tum priya bhayi. To Rama, both Hanuman and Bharata are brothers. In other words, Rama treats Hanuman at par with Bharata. Treating Hanuman at par with Bharata and addressing him as His brother both have a profound significance.

Nāsai rog harai sama pira, japat nirantara Hanumat veera – Mere thinking about this outstanding hero Hanuman is adequate to drive away all the problems. It grants good health too.

Sankat se Hanuman chudāvai, man krama vachana dhyana jo laavai -the ardent devotees of Hanuman are relieved from all the hurdles and problems of life and are bestowed with good health.

Hanuman is the future Brahma (creator). The story goes that Hanuman once went to the abode of Brahma and fetched from there, a ring for Mother Sita. Presenting the ring to Her, he bowed in all humility. This is an extraordinary feat performed by Hanuman and has a very unique place in his life story. Also he emerged successful from a test that was imposed upon him. Returning from Brahma Loka means to overcome illusion in entirety.

Lord Rama, in immense happiness, addressed Hanuman and said- “Hanuma! You have secured the grace of Lord Brahma itself! You have returned from that abode called ‘Brahma loka’ which can neither be thought about, imagined nor described. You have overcome illusion (maya). My blessings are eternally with you. Many a times in the past, I had asked you to seek any boon.

Being over and above the desires, you have never sought anything from me. You are totally freed from desires. You have favoured me in many ways. Not one or two, but in limitless ways you have always helped and served me. How many ever boons I were to shower upon you, they will fall grossly insufficient in regard to your service”.

Hanuman undoubtedly was an orator par excellence. When he addressed Rama and Lakshmana for the very first time, His words were grammatically perfect, peaceful, pleasant, captivating, soft and warm.

Not everyone possesses this art of speaking pleasantly. To speak without indirectly hurting the feelings of others is an art. Hanuman offering solace to Mother Sita and his choice of words when enemy Vibhishana sought shelter under Lord Rama are other examples where he displayed this wisdom and eloquence in speech.

Before the war, Vibhishana, the younger brother of Demon Ravana, approached Rama and sought refuge under Him. That it was a demon who was approaching them was obvious from the fact that he had come flying in the air. Only demons have the ability to fly. We humans do not. From his speech it appeared that he was of gentle nature, but his body resembled that of a demon. He was explaining his entire background as well as the circumstances that led him to seek shelter under Lord Rama. He openly admitted that he is the brother of Demon Ravana. Yet, he was seeking shelter. How could one offer shelter to an enemy? This was the dilemma faced by members of Rama’s camp.

Rama skillfully asked every member present there for his opinion. Everyone unanimously declared that the enemy should not be trusted and should be shot then and there. They gave many reasons why Vibhishana should not be given refuge. They also offered to kill him.

Hanuman however was seated silently far away. Calling him near, Rama asked, “Hanuma, what is your opinion?” Hanuman was now in a fix. He could not approve of the decision of the elders in the group. But he could not openly go against his own elders and give a decision contrary to theirs. What would they think of him? At the same time, he knew that Lord Rama wanted to offer shelter to Vibhishana. For this reason, in spite of having got the opinion of all the elders present there, Rama was still asking Hanuman for an opinion. Therefore Rama had a definite purpose behind this question, Hanuman realized.

Talking exactly as is demanded by the situation is a laudable trait. It is a penance. Carelessly giving any suggestion, giving suggestion such that it is advantageous to us are not appreciable. Having tactfully assessed the situation, Hanuman said, “O Lord, do you really have to ask ordinary beings like us for opinion? Please do whatever you feel like in this aspect.”

Through these simple sentences, Hanuman emphatically conveyed a profound message. The first was that his teammates were ordinary beings whose wasteful opinions did not really matter. Secondly being the king as well as God Rama who was superior to them all had every right to make an unanimous decision without heeding to the wasteful advices of ordinary beings. Thirdly, whatever Rama decides is for the good and hence is acceptable to one and all. Thus, Hanuman’s reply was acceptable to one and all.

To speak skillfully without wasting any words while keeping the situation in mind is a very laudable ability. For possessing this skill, Hanuman has been aptly praised as ‘Vāgvidām varaha.’ He is an erudite scholar.

Tulsidas in his Hanuman Chalisa states- aṣṭa siddhi nava nidhi ke dāta– which means that Lord Hanuman bestows these the eight supernatural accomplishments. Hanuman advises us to use these supernatural accomplishments exclusively for the service of the Lord and in turn to secure the grace of Lord Rama, just like him.

He advocates that everyone should chant the name of Rama to obtain these accomplishments. Nowhere does he boast by asking people to chant his glories. He further says that if anyone chants his name, it is equivalent of chanting Rama’s name alone!

Om Namo Hanumate Namaha.

In every single instance and in every single task that concerned His master, irrespective of whether it was small or large, Hanuman displayed the same eagerness in completion! This was His greatness! ‘My master will be pleased if this task is complete. Therefore I should complete it. Let Him just mention the task to be done and I shall complete it that very instant’- was his line of thinking. With this attitude, he enthusiastically completed every single task allotted to him in no time and eagerly awaited the next. ‘O Lord, what is the next task that I should complete? What should I do? How should I behave?’ He would thus ask in great humility, as soon as the job was complete.  He believed that whatever might happen, Lord Rama’s tasks should be completed successfully.

Unlike him, we try to escape the allotted work. We find lame excuses. We should learn from Hanuman.

We presume that searching for Mother Sita was the only major task that Hanuman had undertaken for his master. But what we do not know is that there were many other tasks, big and small, apart from this, which Hanuman completed for Lord Rama. The entire character of Hanuman in Ramayana reveals his attitude of service towards his master. His service towards his master (seva) is both limitless and indescribable.

In merely 5 minutes, I can never relate to you Hanuman’s Guru seva in detail. How do you suppose that I can justify all His great accomplishments in just a day’s time? Even if you ask me to speak for this entire day, it will still be grossly insufficient. Moreover, you should have the ability to listen for that long. Only when the student is ready, the master can teach. The Guru is eternally ready to teach provided the student shows inclination towards listening and learning. Krishna taught each and every time Arjuna asked, irrespective of the time, location and the situation. He never even once said, -‘this is not the right time. I shall teach later.’ Whenever the disciple faces a spiritual doubt, the Guru clarifies. this is the wonderful relationship that they both share. The student also should take initiative and ask relevant questions. He should not be careless or negligent. If he gives lame excuses or blames his master then he cannot be helped.

Hanuman had in him the burning desire to eternally complete his master’s errands. As this enthusiasm was deeply ingrained within him, the eagerness would rush forth from him. This deep-rooted enthusiasm accompanied by his firm determination that only dharma (righteousness) should eternally prevail, has bestowed him with an agile and alert intellect. They have ensured that his intellect (buddhi) does not turn inert or lazy (jada). His intellect is eternally alert in the waking state as he does not know when he would be assigned the next task.

Hanuman displayed great eloquence (vak paṭutvam) in His speech when He met the brothers Rama and Lakshmana for the first time. Unlike Sugriva, He did not have any apprehensions about Rama and Lakshmana. Due to selfishness, Sugriva was worried that Rama and Lakshmana were magicians deputed to kill him and hence he feared them.  Hanuman, on the other hand, was undoubtedly sure that it was His master who had arrived. From their appearance, way of walking, shadow, way of speech and so on, Hanuman identified them.

Hanuman undoubtedly was an orator par excellence. When he addressed Rama and Lakshmana for the very first time, His words were grammatically perfect (without any grammatical error), peaceful, pleasant, captivating, soft and warm. Not everyone possesses this art of speaking pleasantly.

Om Namo Hanumate Namaha.