Who was Hanuman? I know that he had a great role in Ramayana 🏹 and he was a Bhakti but could you share more about him.

Rama and Hanuman are the same consciousness in two bodies. Rama is the one who has to lead the age to the next level and Hanuman represents what is to be lead and how it is to be lead. That is the beauty of Ramayana

So if you go back to the origin, Hanuman was the incarnation of Shiva as one of the Rudras. Shiva becomes Hanuman as he has to show the way as the animal humanity is being led towards a higher type.

Rama is there to lead an animal humanity towards a more illumined humanity. Someone has to show how this humanity should follow as only leading is not enough, someone has to show how it has to be done. So the Bhagwan himself becomes the Bhakta and therefore Hanuman shows by his own life, how to consecrate the animal mind, the animal vital so that it can be uplifted and illumined towards something far beyond that present state. And by his example he shows the perfect synthesis of wisdom, strength and Love and service. All the three are beautifully united in him, everything in his life is a consecration to the Divine.

Hanuman is the perfect example of how we should lead our life into total consecration to the Divine which will uplift us. It’s not enough to have bhakti in the heart, it must translate itself to the service to the Lord and it’s not enough just to have bhakti which is ignorant. There should be Bhakti which is illumined. Look at Hanuman’s bhakti-when he goes to Lanka to meet Sita, he could have burned the whole of Lanka and brought Sita with him but he does not do that. Ever wondered why he did not do that? He is the Bhakta who has the gyana in him, because Rama has not asked him to do it and because Sita does not ask him to do it. Look at the obedience to the Divine will, he came by the akash, he could escape all the missile systems, he could just carry Sita and escape but Rama has not told him to do it and Sita has not asked him to do it, that’s enough for Hanuman. His buddhi is consecrated, surrendered. He does not think, “no no I can do this and let me do this”

Hanuman was put to test several times. Hanuman is a beautiful symbol of many things. We all have a little Hanuman in us but we have forgotten. Thus the gods have made him come down to combine humility with power.

So when does Hanuman recover all this strength? When he does the work for the Divine. So when we too do work for the Divine we recover all our god like qualities like Hanuman. Before that he too has forgotten like us, before that he is vismrith. Before that he has forgotten what he can do and what he has come to do, he thinks he is just an ordinary monkey.

Along with all these qualities, Hanuman has plasticity also, he has surrendered in obedience but it’s not a rigid strength. Look at the plasticity when Sursan confronts, him. Sursan has come to test if he is capable of doing this task or not?

So the story goes that hanuman has to cross the ocean and Sursan is a goddess and she wants to test if he can do this work or not so she assumes the form of a demoness and she stands on his path.

Hanuman says, “Ma please let me go.”

She says, “no I want to eat you.”

So now Hanuman is known to speak the truth always so due to this power whatever he spoke became truth

He says, “toh Ma phir tu mujhe kha na le” he says cryptically which sounds like eat me but it actually says you don’t eat me.

So Sursan opens her mouth and Hanuman becomes double in size. It’s a very interesting story leaving aside the fascinating side.So Sursan becomes big still further and so does Hanuman becomes bigger

Tulsi das captures it in this line, “jas jas Sursan badan badhayva, tasu dun kapi roop dikhava”

जस-जस सुरसा बदनु बढ़ावा। तासु दून कपि रूप देखावा

So ultimately she opens the mouth wide so now Hanuman becomes very tinny as he has a vidhya in Hath Yoga. There one has certain vidhyas, certain siddhi’s one of is Anima-one can become very light, Mahima-you can become very big, Garima-like Angadh’s leg very strong you cannot move his feet, Lagima-one can become very small.

So Hanuman has these siddhis so now he becomes very small, enters into the mouth of Sursan and before she can close it he comes out and says, “I have fulfilled my promise, now let me go.”

Then Sursan says, “I have come to test you.”

So Hanuman does not use his talent everywhere, he does not say, “let me challenge you.” he uses his intelligence, his vivek as his focus is on the Lord’s work and not to engage in a duet and prove a point.

There is another touching story of Hanuman as how he does seva when the mountain Mainak appears out of the ocean and stays please rest for some time on my place, I will give you nice food and all but Hanuman refuses, he says, “no I must finish Lord’s work, then I will rest.” So what he does is he touches Mainak for a movement and says, “take it that I have rested.” And goes further. So Hanuman is all the time engaged in the seva of the Lord.

And how well it is described in Ramayana, the time when Hanuman goes into every chamber to find Sita but he has never seen her before. So he sees various women sleeping, enjoying, nicely decked with clothes and jewellery. So how does he know she is Sita? He knows that Sita cannot be there. Though he has never seen Sita but he knows how her consciousness will be, a woman who loves Rama like this, she will never be seen enjoying, merrily sleeping on a silk bed and enjoying all the luxuries of Ravana’s palace. He knows that Sita cannot be there. He did not judge people from outer appearances he knows how to recognise them by the inner consciousness.

Then he goes to Ashok Vatika and sees Sita. He is hiding there and then later drops the ring. So Hanuman life is very inspiring. It’s about the consecration and eventually the transformation of the vital. It’s about the conversion of the vital and the best way to convert this vital which is engaged in ambition and all the outshoots of it and in fears is to put it at the service of the Lord. That’s what Hanuman’s life is and he fulfils his mission.

There are many stories of Hanuman and the one person I personally know who came closest to serving like Hanuman is Champaklalji to Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, serving them 24/7. He would even eat very little so he does not have to go to the bathroom and spend more time, that was the way he served them. In other words we too can embody the consciousness of Hanuman through selfless service and bhakti of the Divine.

Affectionately,

Alok Da