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Hanuman: The Greatest Link to Rama
by
Dr. Mukul Shri Goel
The
Sundar Kand begins right after Lord Hanuman regains his lost
supernatural powers, which had become hidden from him because of a
curse given in childhood by an ascetic. For a partial incarnation of
Shiva, many major events, including this curse, could have been
predetermined. Probably Hanuman wanted to experience the devotion of
Rama, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu, as a common being for a while
– as a being free from any supernatural abilities and the
responsibilities that accompany divine powers. When Nature, who is
believed to have incarnated as Sita in the Ramayana, found the moment
appropriate to trigger the destruction of evil, represented by Ravana
and his army, Hanuman got transformed from a fulltime devotee to a
divine warrior. He was given the task to locate where Sita was held
captive and bring this bit of information for Rama. For Hanuman, the
eternal devotee of Rama, this was his first major assistance to his
Lord.
Hanuman began his journey of Lanka by destroying the
protective covering of the city, symbolized by the mystical gatekeeper
– Lankini. While he examined the structure of the city, and the
strengths or weaknesses of the city, he did not forget his eternal task
of finding souls who are worthy of receiving a vision of Rama. He found
a prospective follower in Ravana’s brother Vibhishana and this meeting
became the latter’s inspiration to take refuge in Rama when his brother
Ravana abandoned him. In a spiritual sense, this was not a diplomatic
move though it probably turned out to be one. Hanuman had only done
what he enjoys the most, besides chanting the name of Rama. He had
connected a jiva (soul) to the Absolute.
As
Hanuman reached Ashoka Vatika, he saw Sita – distressed but immersed in
the remembrance of Rama. As always, Hanuman’s timing of arrival was
perfect; he had reached moments before Sita planned to give Her life in
longing for Rama. Hanuman narrated Rama’s biography, offered his Lord’s
ring to Sita, and made Her believe that Rama would be there shortly.
Sita became so pleased with Hanuman’s devotion to Rama, which was way
above being nishkama, that She blessed Hanuman with boons that were to last till the end of time.
On
a spiritual plane, Sita is the Universal energy, beyond happiness and
sorrow, who was performing in a self-created delusion to restore
righteousness. The tree, in Hindu symbology, depicts spiritual
experience and sages or incarnations like Buddha are generally
portrayed under a tree to highlight their enlightened form. Similarly,
Sita’s location under a tree may have depicted Her spiritual form in
the Ramayana. When even regular souls can attain an enlightened state
through uninterrupted Rama-remembrance, an incarnation of the
benevolent Divine Mother may easily aggregate universal forces by tapasya
to establish dharma in the world and bestow extraordinary boons to the
devotees of Her choice. It was not coincidence that among all the
righteous beings in the Ramayana, only Hanuman was considered worthy of
parental affection from this spiritual form of Sita. Some of the
blessings Hanuman obtained from Sita, as Tulasidasa mentions, include
immortality, infallibility, unchangeability, continual affection from
Rama, and a ‘blank cheque’ to bestow any of the divine riches (Ridhhi) or powers (Siddhi) to others at his own discretion in future times.
After
eating some fruits from the trees in Ashoka vatika, Hanuman engaged in
a small battle. Care had to be taken not to annihilate Ravana and his
major generals, for he was performing the role of an envoy and
destruction at a large magnitude may have equaled overriding Rama’s
orders. But a psychological defeat was allowed. In the fight, one of
Ravana’s son was destroyed, and Hanuman displayed such extreme valor
that Meghanada, Ravana’s bravest son, found no alternative to shooting
the Brahmastra – an arrow invoked with the Creator’s destructive
potential. Hanuman decided to show respect…not to the opponent, but to
the presiding deity and got himself tied. This made way for him to meet
Ravana and give him instruction on righteousness in person. Hanuman
explained that Ravana always had the option of returning Sita and
apologizing to Rama for his inappropriate behavior. Hanuman’s behavior
with Ravana was in line with what Lord Shiva, the controller of all
souls, always does. He provides the jiva
multiple chances to improve, birth after birth. There is never a last
chance to leave arrogance and say ‘sorry.’ But like other egotistical jivas,
who fail to recognize Shiva in their heart, Ravana failed to recognize
the incarnation of Shiva, Whom he had always worshipped in life.
In
the final phase of his journey to Lanka, Hanuman burned the city of
Lanka. He then revisited Sita to offer farewell salutations and
obtained an ornament that was a part of Sita’s message to Rama. Hanuman
might have recognized that the next time he sees Sita, the city of
Lanka would belong to a new king, who happens to be a devotee of
Sita-Rama, not someone who practices Rama remembrance with animosity.
Hanuman’s
visit to Lanka created such a psychological havoc that the Lankans
could not come out of its impact until they lost the war. By the time
Hanuman departed, Ravana was left with a dead son, a wife who was
worrying and panicking Rama’s grand ambassador, and a burnt city devoid
of their mystical protection. Although the city was rebuilt, just like
evil springs up again following its suppression, the scars of conquer
never healed. To make things worse, Vibhishana, who had been
spiritually initiated by Hanuman, joined the ‘opponent’ forces.
Hanuman, who is considered to be the controller of Mars (the god of
war) in Vedic tradition, set everything for Rama’s victory. He saved
Rama from spending time on many subtleties of warfare. As a result,
Rama could focus on establishing moral boundaries on earth, even
towards one’s enemies, and on spending time with ‘fellow’ souls to
reciprocate their love. In Hindu thought, whenever God incarnates, His
forces accompany Him to carry out the divine play so that most of His
time may be spent on interacting with jivas and initiating them into goodness.
When
Hanuman returns to Rama, he gives Sita’s message, Her ornament and the
details of his visit. Soon Hanuman finds that Rama has formed a new
relationship with him. This was not a relationship between a lord and a
devotee, or a father and a son, but was the relation of being
‘indebted’ to Hanuman for what he had done for Him. On the other hand,
Hanuman could not understand what Rama was praising him for. In his
heart, Hanuman had already transferred the entire doership of his
accomplishments to his Lord. Such is the vastness of Hanuman’s love for
Rama.
Today, Hanuman is worshipped among Hindus for his delight in connecting jivas
to God. All saintly devotees of Rama in recent times, including
Tulasidasa, Samarth Ramdas, Thyagaraja, and Ramananda, have worshipped
Hanuman with a similar aspiration. He is believed to be responsible for
propagating the name of Rama in the world, and for many followers,
Hanuman remains as the only way to Rama.
Copyright © 2007 Mukul S. Goel
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