Category: Vanara Gita

Due to the effect of the Brahmastra, other prominent Vānara warriors such as Angada, Jambavanta, Neela and Sugriva were rendered motionless even though they were alive. They were absolutely distressed upon seeing the plight of Rama and Lakshmaṇa. In their uncontainable grief, they too fell into a swoon. The weapon had only rendered them immobile; their grief however caused them to periodically lose their consciousness.

Addressing these warriors Vibhishana (brother of Ravana) said-‘Great heroes. Do not panic. Do not grieve that Rama and Lakshmaṇa have fallen unconscious. To show their respect to Lord Brahma, they have willingly fallen unconscious with the Brahmastra’.

On that pitch dark night, Hanuman and Vibhishana carried fire torches in their hand and went all over the battlefield searching for the Vānara warriors. They spent the whole night carrying the warriors back to the camp, consoling and reassuring them.

At one spot, Vibhishana located the great hero Jambhavanta. Even in that immobile state wherein he could barely speak, Jambavanta asked Vibhishana,- “Is Hanuman alive?” This brings out Jambavanta’s faith in Hanuman, which is – ‘For us to win the war, it is sufficient if just Hanuman remains alive. Singlehandedly he will bring us victory.’ He did not want any other reassurance or consolation from Vibhishana. He continued-‘Do not worry about me. Leave me here itself. Please tell me if Hanuman is alive’.

Expressing his astonishment, Vibhishana asked, “Sir, is it not strange that you enquire about Hanuman instead of enquiring about the welfare of Rama and Lakshmaṇa?” To this Jambavanta said, “Vibhishana, if Hanuman is alive, not only will we all remain alive but also all the dead soldiers will be brought back to life. You will see this happening shortly. On the other hand, if just Hanuman is absent, the combined force of all the other Vānara warriors will be of no use. We will fare miserably. Even collectively we cannot win the war.”

Jambavanta then called Hanuman and asked him to fetch a herb from the Himalayan range so that Rama and Lakshmana could be revived. During the war, Hanuman fetched the mountain twice, of which this was the first. Hanuman flew up to the Himalayas and returned back with the entire mountain in hand. The herb Sanjivani, which was plucked from this mountain, restored back to life 67 crore dead warriors, in addition to restoring Rama and Lakshmaṇa back to consciousness.

Flying up to this remote part of the Himalayan range is itself a complex task, especially if one has to travel both up and down on the same night. Added to this, Hanuman had to brave the many obstacles that came on his path during his onward journey. Further, Hanuman could not even locate the herb on the mountain. At last, he decided to carry the entire mountain itself to the battlefield. He carried the entire mountain just on one palm!

Even the photo of Hanuman carrying the mountain on his palm amazes us. It looks so fearful. We doubt whether it is a fact or a fiction. Wasn’t this an unimaginable achievement? It was immaterial whether Rama and Lakshmaṇa willingly fell unconscious or not. However once they were completely unconscious, they needed to be revived.

May Lord Hanuman who is thus being praised by Dharmaka and Jambavanta, protect us!

Om Namo Hanumate Namaha.

Vanara Dharmaka states-

Sapta-ṣaśṭir hatān koti vānarānām tarasvinām
Ya sanjīvana yāmāsa tam vande mārutātmajam.

Meaning- I bow in reverence to that great Vanara hero, Hanuman, who brought the Sanjeevani herb and brought back to life 67 crore strong Vanaras who were lying dead in the battlefield.

Aha! Each great Vānara warrior, through his hymn, showers limitless praise upon Hanuman. It can be said that the entire life story of Hanuman is being brought out through these compositions.

67 crore vanaras could be revived just by the smell of the Sanjivani herb! The next logical question would be-‘why couldn’t the smell of this herb bring back to life the dead demons as well?’ It is true that the demons could not be revived. This was because Ravana had given stringent instructions that the body of any demon who dies in the battle should be disposed off into the ocean instantly. The number of dead demons should not be countable. He did not want Rama to know how many demons had died in battle. The bodies that were being thrown into the ocean instantly became the food for the animals inhabiting the ocean. How then could they be revived?

During the war, Indrajit, the son of Ravana, began to fearfully strike Sugriva’s army with fierce weapons. He was invincible in war. Using the powerful weapon Brahmastra, he wiped out crores of vanaras. Rama who was watching this, called Lakshmana and said-‘Indrajit is waging a ferocious war. Due to the boon received from Brahma, he has made himself invisible and is striking our army with his Brahmastra. We cannot attack him when he is invisible. Therefore, let us stand here in the battlefield in a composed manner and allow the weapons to pierce us.  For the time being, give up your anger as well as your desire to fight. Let us pretend to have fallen in a swoon due to the effect of the Brahmastra. Seeing us unconscious, Indrajit will be under the illusion that he is victorious. He will make himself visible and will leave the battlefield”. This was Rama’s strategy.

Our ancient Puranas contain innumerable stories wherein Brahma gives away very powerful boons to the demons. It also appears to us that such boons eventually land Brahma in trouble. However, it should be noted that all these happen as per God’s will. The events are pre-destined. Brahma has to give away these seemingly invincible boons to the demons, the Lord has to incarnate as a result of these boons and through that incarnation the Lord has to destroy these demons. All these three steps are inter-twined. Indrajit likewise had the boon from Brahma due to which he could become invisible. Using this boon, he began to strike the helpless vanaras from various directions.

Rama and Lakshmana fell into a swoon. Whether this was the effect of the Brahmastra or whether they did this due to their will, has been retained as a secret in Ramayana. This is also a debated topic. If it is said that Rama and Lakshmaṇa fell into a swoon due to the effect of the Brahmastra, then people question- how could the brothers, who were incarnation of the supreme, be affected by a Brahmastra? If it is argued that they did not allow the Brahmastra to affect them, then the question that props up is – how can the all-powerful Brahmastra be rendered ineffective? Now, from the conversation between the two brothers we clearly understand that they pretended to be in a swoon.  Indrajit’s response was exactly as predicted by Rama, and in great elation Indrajit returned back home.

Due to the effect of the Brahmastra, other prominent Vānara warriors such as Angada, Jambavanta, Neela and Sugriva were rendered motionless even though they were alive.

Nala, the great Vānara who played the most significant role in the construction of the bridge, states that he eternally offers obeisance at the lotus feet of Lord Hanuman.

Just as a root supports a tree, and just as a foundation supports the building, the feet of the Lord are the foundation for the spiritual journey. ‘I bow at the feet of Supreme Lord, which are the foundational support for my spiritual pursuits’ is the essence behind this prayer. Here the term ‘feet’ refer to the Guru’s feet. Hanuman is being worshipped in his position as a Guru.

The Guru’s feet are always compared to a lotus. A lotus blooms in a pond amidst all the filth and muck, yet it does not allow any dirt from the pond to attach to it. The lotus leaf, the stem, as well as the lotus flower shake away every drop of water falling on them, even though the plant grows only in water. For this reason, lotus is considered to be very auspicious flower.

In a similar manner, great Mahatmas survive in this illusory world, which is a vast murky pond full of impurities, without allowing even a trace of impurity to touch them. The great mahatmas emerge, live and perform expansive and marvelous deeds, yet they are untouched by this impurity. Hence, their lotus feet are worshipped.

Not a trace of impurity can touch the lotus feet of Lord Hanuman, who travelled far and wide to great unseen places, who is omnipresent and who showed his universal form. Nala offers obeisance to such holy feet.

We have earlier discussed the fruits that are obtained by worshipping Hanuman in various ways such as- worshipping his form, reciting his name, circumambulating his temple, being seated within his temple while intently gazing at him, offering various decorations and  vadamala to him (vada is a doughnut shaped fried snack prepared from black lentils popularly offered to Lord Hanuman).

Reciting the name of this Lord is exceptionally auspicious. That is why, in this year, Swamiji has given a universal mantra- Om Namo Hanumate Namaha. The recitation of this mantra will continue for the next year too. Reciting this mantra should turn into a well-drilled habit. As of now, crores of this mantra has been recited by people and tremendous results have been found. Everyone is urged to practise the recitation of this mantra and reap its benefits.

To sing the ‘glory of Hanuman’ means, to recollect again and again, the great accomplishments of Hanuman. With this, our glory also will increase. As the recitation of his name increases, as the meditation increases, as the worship increases, our well-being increases.

The speciality of this hymn is that the word ‘vayu’ (wind, air) appears in each of the 4 lines. This is to stress on the significance of Pranayama in our life. This word ‘vayu’ also highlights the importance of meditation and sadhana in addition to Pranayama. Recollecting Hanuman’s name again and again blesses the person with Yoga. It increases the inclination towards spirituality within the person. This mantra –‘Om Namo Hanumate Namaha’ is applicable to people of all languages.

Sadguru Hanuman has taught the world to live selflessly and solely for the benefit of others.

At the time when separation from Rama and being held in the captivity of demons was like a huge fire within which Mother Sita was burning, Hanuman poured the nectar called Rama Katha and doused the fire. Sitting atop the tree, he sang the life story of Rama, which was like cool nectar to her who was drowned in unbearable grief. This incident highlights the presence of mind, the wise intellect, skill and talent of Hanuman.  He handled this situation very deftly and skillfully. Within minutes the fire raging in Sita’s heart was doused.

The visible fire (chita) burns down a corpse but the great fire called worry (chinta) eats up a person when living. What a mountain of difference exists between the two!

Such worries can be plucked out only by the doctor called Sadguru. He showers coolness upon his devotee and dispels all the inner sorrow. Here Hanuman, in accordance with the requirements of the situation, sang the story of Rama and doused Sita’s grief.

With the intent that the person who caused this grief to his mother Sita should be taught a lesson, Hanuman destroyed the Ashoka Vana of Ravana. Not content with this, he decided to burn down the entire city of Lanka. He destroyed the entire army that was sent to capture him. He transferred the entire worry that he had taken away from Mother Sita, to Ravana. Ravana was now burdened with the worry that Rama would arrive any minute and that he would be killed. From that minute, Ravana knew no peace. After achieving this great feat Hanuman peacefully left Lanka. With great humility He approached Rama and said ‘drshta Sita’ (I have seen Sita).  With these two words, Rama’s worries simply vanished.

By crossing the ocean, Lord Hanuman, thus dispelled all the anxieties and worries from Sita, Rama as well as from the entire Vanara army, and transferred them to Ravana. Obeisance to such a great Lord Hanuman!

The next hymn is composed by Nala, the great Vanara-

Namā myaham vāyuja pādapankajam karomi ta dvayuja pūjanam sadā
Vadāmi vātātmaja nāma mangalam smarāmi vayūrbhava kīrtnam śubham

Meaning-  At every moment I bow at the lotus feet of the son of the wind, at all times I worship Him; eternally I utter His auspicious and pure names and perpetually I contemplate upon His divine glories.

The Vanara army consisted of crores of vanaras. How to take so many warriors across the ocean to Lanka? This problem was weighing heavily on Rama’s mind. At that time, the Lord of the Ocean, Lord Varuna appeared and suggested that the abilities of Vanara Nala be utilized to construct a bridge across the ocean. The verse ‘Nalam setu makaarayat’ appears in Valmiki Ramayana, which means, Rama utilized the services of Nala to build the bridge across the ocean to Lanka. Nala played the most critical role in the construction of the bridge.

Om Namo Hanumate Namaha.

Hanuman crossed the vast ocean as easily as one would cross a tiny puddle braving all the obstacles on the way. He crossed the entire ocean in merely four and half minutes!

Great poets always compare this endless cycle of births and deaths to an ocean that needs to be crossed.  Hanuman helps and ensures that his devotees cross this ocean very easily!

The stature of Ravana was enough to instill fear in the hearts of even the mightiest demons. Yet, in Hanuman’s eyes, Ravana was no more than a small insignificant blade of grass. Hence he could boldly advise Ravana. May such a great Lord protect each and every one!

Moving on to the next hymn Vānara Prahasta states-

Ullangya sindhō ssalilam salīlam ya ssokavahnim janakātmajāyaha
Adāya tenaiva dadāha lankām namāmi tam prānjali rānjaneyam.

Meaning- I fold my hands in reverence to that extremely brave and courageous Lord Anjaneya, who very easily crossed the ocean; who took away the ‘fire’ called sorrow from Mother Sita and who, using this fire, burnt and destroyed Lanka completely.

This is a very powerful hymn, which is more commonly used as one of the dhyana shlokas during recitation of Ramayana.

In this creation, there are many who strive to attain liberation and also there are many who have been successful in their attempt. Among them, those who not only successfully cross this ocean called samsara, but also help others cross this ocean, are true Mahatmas. They are Sadgurus. These are supreme beings who are really of use to us.

Hanuman crossing the ocean is no ordinary feat. It includes not merely his journey across the ocean, but also includes all the feats accomplished in Lanka such as having the darshan of Mother Sita, giving her great solace, driving away her grief, boldly advising Ravana, destroying and burning the city of Lanka, giving the demons a taste of the power and strength of the entire Vanara race including that of himself and also displaying the might of His Lord Rama. Thus the term ‘crossing the ocean’ includes all the above feats of Hanuman.

Hanuman is Sadguru. He lived selflessly. He proved through his actions that life is meant only for the service of another.

Let us all learn from Him not to live selfishly. Live only for benefit of others.

Om Namo Hanumate Namaha.