Hanuman Embodies True Devotion

Apr 27, 2002, 12.51am IST.


The ramayana mahamala ratnam calls hanuman the greatest jewel among bhaktas. empowered by the sattvic power of bhakti or devotion, he is depicted in the ramayana as a saviour and divine helper. his recital of the ramayana helps sita overcome depression in captivity; his bringing the sanjeevani mountain’s herbs saves the life of an injured lakshmana; he even saves bharata, who is about to commit suicide in the absence of his beloved sri rama, by reciting the ramayana. when he first meets sri rama, hanuman says: “the jeeva is deluded by maya, so i could not recognise my lord in your form”. sri rama remarks to lakshmana: “no ordinary monkey can speak as he has done. who is he?” according to hindu mythology, when vishnu incarnated as sri rama, shiva decided to incarnate as hanuman to help establish dharma on earth. he chose vayu deva, the wind god, and anjana, consort of kesari, the chieftain of monkeys, to be his parents. shiva found that in the monkey form, he could be free from desires and the ego, impediments on the path of true service, that normally beset human beings. hanuman, thus, is desireless and possessionless. by conquering kamadeva, the god of lust, he achieved complete control over his body and senses. hanuman manifests in his being, the three paths to attain god-realisation: through karma (action), bhakti (devotion) and jnana (knowledge). he tells rama: “when i think of myself as a body, i am your servant; when i think of myself as an individual soul, i am part of you; but when i realise i am atman, you and i become one”. hanuman helps sugreeva, vibhishana and ravana. when vibhishana is doubtful whether sri rama would accept him, ravana’s brother, as his bhakta, hanuman consoles him playfully: “tell me, from what distinguished lineage have i descended?” scriptures say that an animal is incapable of meditation, yet hanuman is an example that any creature can become the greatest devotee of god. all the obstacles hanuman runs into, during his search for sita and thereafter, signify pitfalls a sadhaka encounters on his path to god- realisation. during the search, he puts rama’s ring in his mouth since, to cross hurdles, one must always have the lord’s name on one’s lips. his reaching the ocean signifies that to find the ultimate reality there are various hurdles — foremost being that man must rise above the thought that ‘i am body’. mainaka mountain offers him rest, signifying bodily temptations. then he encounters surasa, the mother of serpents, who is waiting to swallow him. as she swells in size to match hanuman’s, he escapes by shrinking to miniscule proportions. this denotes that to overcome adversity, it is not only might and courage that is required. flexibility and politeness, the ability to bow before the other, are more important. to reach sri rama — the supreme truth — hanuman, the sadhaka, must first find sita, who denotes bhakti captured by maya. to achieve this, one’s mind, body and intellect should be in harmony, as hanuman’s, who possesses a wise mind, a pure heart, and a body ever ready to serve god. only he can destroy lanka, the land of sensory pleasures. ravana is symbolic of the desires within us that can be conquered only by right thoughts (the vanara-sena) combined with god’s blessings. sensual desires make one unconscious of one’s true self. when hanuman brings news of sita, an overjoyed sri rama recognises hanuman’s true devotion and embraces him. an overwhelmed hanuman prays: “please grant that my affection for you never diminishes. do not allow me to think of anything else but you”. anecdotes about hanuman always depict him as one who is balanced and calm in every situation. when sita presents him with a valuable necklace on rama’s return to ayodhya, hanuman discards it, as the jewels are not inscribed with his lord’s name. as the assembly mocks him, hanuman tears apart his chest and displays rama shining within him. hanuman exemplifies how a devotee can acquire godhood. when sri rama ended his sojourn on earth, hanuman wished to stay back so that he could listen to rama katha for as long as it is recited. sri rama granted him the boon of being eternal — a chiranjeevi. it is believed that even today, wherever the name of rama is sung with true devotion, hanuman sits in silence, hands folded in prayer and eyes moist with tears of love.
(today is hanuman jayanti)