The frightened citizens agreed to vacate the village by the next day and returned to their homes. That night they fasted completely and prayed earnestly to Lord Hanuman to protect them from the demon. ‘We have no other refuge apart from you Lord Hanuman’ they prayed. Hanuman heard their pleas. He appeared in the dream of one of the Brahmins and said, “Tomorrow morning go to Durmukha and preach to him. Tell him that many great warriors of limitless reputation tried to subdue and play pranks with this earth, but none of them could emerge successful. One day everyone has to bid goodbye to this land. It is inevitable. Say to him, ‘Where now will we go leaving this land? Anyway, you too have to leave it one day’. If he does not heed this good advice, then I will take appropriate action. Do not be scared”.
Next morning the Brahmins preached the same to Durmukha. Hearing this, Durmukha was further enraged. His face turned even more ugly. He roared once again, “Who are you to preach me thus? I want you to vacate the city right now.” He thus continued to threaten the villagers. The villagers were absolutely terrified and they ran back into their village. They continued to pray to Hanuman earnestly.
Hanuman understood the happenings at the village and took on the form of a very large monkey. It was a gigantic monkey and it was moving about the vicinity of Durmukha’s army. The demon’s army shivered upon seeing this enormous monkey and ran to their king and said, “O King, there is an oversized large monkey hovering around this place. Suppose it brings a large mountain and places it over us, we will all be smashed under it. Let us please save our lives. Let us leave these Brahmins and not trouble them anymore. After all, they have not caused us any harm, have they?”
To reassure his army, Durmukha shifted the army camp from that place to another place close by. The next morning as the army was approaching Hanumatpura, they realized that the large monkey had carried a mountain and placed it exactly at the spot where their army had camped on the previous day. Durmukha shivered seeing this sight. This brought a major transformation in him. He revered the Brahmins of that village and gave away many more villages as gifts to those Brahmins. He became a great devotee of Lord Hanuman.
This story when read with a casual attitude will not have any great effect upon us. We should realize that Durmukha had with him a vast army of mighty powerful demons. The sight of this large monkey could bring about fear in them. Tell me, is it possible to lift and shift a mountain? If someone were to really do this, then what can be said about his might and prowess? Can such a feat be performed using demonic energy? Even using the power of mantra, one cannot achieve this feat. Being the life force (prana), Hanuman could accomplish this. The Brahmins of the village had placed their complete faith in Him. To them, he was their God and saviour and hence he would never let them down.
Hanuman eternally protects those, who have placed their implicit faith in Him, at every step of their life. There are many such stories which teach to us the greatness of this Lord. How many ever are told, they always fall short.
Om Namo Hanumate Namah
