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Hanuman is one of the most majestic and inspiring figures in the story of Rama. With the tail of his monkey form pointing to the sky, Hanuman is the very personification of the great mystic Sanskrit symbol, OM.
According to the popular story, Hanuman was the son of the monkey couple, Anjana Devi and Keshari. Because he was born by the blessings of the wind god, he is also known as the son of the wind god. Even when he was a small infant he was endowed with power that is beyond human imagination. |
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One morning Hanuman’s mother left him alone while she was performing her duties. He looked up into the sky and saw the sun rising, appearing to him like a wonderful fruit. Eager to devour it, he playfully leaped into the sky with the amazing power that he possessed.
From the heavens, Indra saw this and hurled a thunderbolt, thinking that some demon was going to obstruct the order of the world by destroying the sun. Struck by that thunderbolt, Hanuman fell down unconscious with a newly formed little twist in his chin. “Hanuman” literally means “the twisted chin.”
Seeing Hanuman in that condition, the wind god became so furious that he stopped the wind function in the bodies of all beings. As a result, all gods and human beings became utterly miserable because they couldn’t digest their food. In despair, Brahma and all the gods pleaded before the wind god to be merciful. They promised that they would not only revive Hanuman, but would bestow upon him unique powers by which he would be made invulnerable to all forces in the universe. The wind god agreed and Hanuman was thus returned to his mother.
As a child Hanuman could not control that immense power he possessed. Whenever he was just a little naughty or mischievous—as all children are—his pranks would create great havoc. If he touched a tree, the whole tree might fall. If he threw a little rock, the great momentum of that rock might knock over an entire hut. As a result, Hanuman unwittingly became a force of tremendous devastation and people became terribly upset with him. One sage angrily cursed him, saying, "Oh Hanuman, you will forget all the boons that have been given to you and not have the awareness of your strength until there is a divine need."
Thus, as a result of this curse, Hanuman lived on as a more sober and normal monkey, unaware of his extraordinary capacity—until the day came when his heroic power had to be awakened to assist Rama in rescuing Sita from the clutches of her demoniac kidnapper, Ravana. |
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On that day it was learned that Sita was being held captive across the ocean in Lanka, and the rescuing party of monkey and bears was overjoyed by the news. But who among them had the strength to cross that vast ocean and return? One by one, each of the most powerful monkeys and bears asserted his strength and then was overcome by diffidence over the immensity of the task. As this was going on, Hanuman sat quietly, never uttering a word.
Then Jambavan, turning to Hanuman said, “Oh Hanuman, why are you quiet? You, who are the son of the wind god, invested with immense power, wisdom, and strength, how is it that you are so quiet? Is there any work in this world that is impossible for you? Oh child, you have incarnated for fulfilling the mission of Rama, and that is the sole purpose of your existence.” |
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Hearing these inspiring words, Hanuman immediately grew to a gigantic size and his body became like an effulgent mountain of gold. Roaring like a lion, he declared, “Crossing this salty ocean is just a playful sport for me. Oh, monkeys and bears, I will cross this ocean, kill Ravana and all his relatives, and yank the Trikuta mountain right out of the earth and throw it into the ocean!”
“Oh child,” Jambavan said, “Do not do all those things. Just cross the ocean and find Sita, and come back and tell us where she is. Leave the rest to Sri Rama and his army of monkeys and bears. When Rama is victorious in this mission, his glory will spread throughout the universe and his praises will be sung for all time.”
The story of Jambavan’s awakening of Hanuman is a powerful reminder that Hanuman’s immense spiritual power is hidden or sleeping in every individual. Every soul is essentially Satchitananda—Existence, Knowledge and Bliss Absolute. But one has to be reminded of his essential nature, reminded of the inner grandeur that he has somehow forgotten. When this soul-force is awakened, it enables one to cross the ocean of the world process, destroy the unconscious roots of ignorance, and attain Self-realization.
Although Hanuman is represented as a monkey because he belongs to the realm of the mind and senses, he certainly is no ordinary monkey. In most people, the mind and senses are like monkeys—ever distracted and jumping from one thing to another. However, when one has unfolded the Hanuman within, all externalized tendencies easily come under his lordly control. By the power of Hanuman, the energy operating at the plane of mind and senses is integrated, controlled, and channelized towards generating pure impressions in the unconscious.
Hanuman is symbolic of atmabal—that power which enables one to go beyond the world of relativity. The dazzling sun that he was ready to devour as an infant represents the total enjoyments of the world of relativity. A similar symbolism is adopted in the Hindu tradition when an aspirant receives initiation into sanyasa (the order of renunciation). At that time, the initiate is asked to look at the sun—representing the entire realm of time and space—and imagine that the sun is trembling before his own spiritual effulgence.
Hanuman symbolizes the power created by constant spiritual discipline. He represents the spiritual strength that develops in an aspirant through good association, austerity, and persistent practice of ethical restraints and observances. That spiritual strength is a blend of faith, purity, devotion, and insight. Endowed with that strength, one becomes the abode of all divine qualities and one’s intellect becomes intuitive, paving the way for attaining the goal of all religions—Self-realization.
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