Two Vantage Points For Viewing The World

“An intelligent person has respect for the body which brings them attachment to Shri Rama. That is why Hanuman gave up his form of Rudra in order to be a Vanara.” (Dohavali, 142)

Download this episode (right click and save)

जेहि सरीर रति राम सों सोइ आदरहिं सुजान।
रुद्रदेह तजि नेहबस बानर भे हनुमान ॥

jēhi sarīra rati rāma sōṁ sō’i ādarahiṁ sujāna.
rudradēha taji nēhabasa bānara bhē hanumāna..

1. The crow

“Have you ever met someone who is always attracted to the wrong things? Though they know better, deep inside holding a higher value system, with some intelligence, they still gravitate towards the inauspicious. Their home is filled with garbage. Everywhere, in every room. It is like the home reflects their general tendencies or the way they view the world.

“They are always seeking out the flaws in others. They find scabs, blemishes, wounds, or what have you, and then exploit them. They focus on whatever they perceive to be negative. That person over there? They belong to this ethnicity. This person over here is aligned with the wrong religion. Those parents have a child who has not yet learned to read. That other mother is struggling to keep her child under control.

“In my opinion, these people who view others this way are like crows. No matter what you do, they go in the wrong direction. They have a terrible outlook on life. If they should happen to have children, they want to raise those children to become as miserable as they are.

“Within the Ramayana poem we can find a similar comparison. Sita Devi, the wife of Shri Rama, compares Ravana to a lower category of bird. That kind of bird is always amidst the weeds. It thinks that others are the same way, that they are interested in the same things.”

क्रीडन्ती राजहंसेन पद्मषण्डेषु नित्यदा।
हंसी सा तृणषण्डस्थं कथं पश्येत मद्गुकम्।।

krīḍantī rājahaṃsena padmaṣaṇḍeṣu nityadā।
haṃsī sā tṛṇaṣaṇḍasthaṃ kathaṃ paśyeta madgukam।।

“How can that female swan who is accustomed to sporting with the king of swans amidst lotus flowers ever cast her eyes on a water-crow that stays amidst bunches of grass?” (Sita Devi speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 56.20)

2. The swan

“I have heard this explained by spiritual leaders within the Vedic tradition. They use the word paramahamsa. This literally translates to ‘supreme swan.’ The deeper meaning is that the swan can separate a mixture of milk and water. They can extract only the milk portion. In other words, if you give them something contaminated, the swan can find something homogenous within the mixture.

“The swan is always seeing the good in others. They see the hand of the Divine throughout the entire sphere of influence and space. It is like they have realized the truth from Bhagavad-gita, with the comparison to pearls on a thread.

मत्तः परतरं नान्यत्
किञ्चिद् अस्ति धनञ्जय
मयि सर्वम् इदं प्रोतं
सूत्रे मणि-गणा इव

mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat
kiñcid asti dhanañjaya
mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ
sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva

“O conquerer of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.7)

“I would never compare myself to the swan, but I would certainly like to be that way. I think if I hang around the crows long enough, I will become like them. I will become just as miserable. I will have a fatalistic view of the living experience. I will always look at others with suspicion. I will constantly measure myself against others, to make sure that they are not surpassing me in whatever category I consider important.”

…

From the Dohavali of Goswami Tulsidas, we see that intelligent people choose a specific sharira, body, that is conducive to a specific behavior. The comparison is to Shri Hanuman. Though he is Rudra, or the great destroyer, the preference is towards the monkey-body.

Who would actually choose to live that way? Why would I want to be known for stealing? Why would I want to take pleasure in disrupting the lives of others? Why would I want to be shameless, when there is good cause to have shame attached to shameful behavior?

The reason is that Hanuman can better serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is within the monkey deha that Hanuman can best act on the unbreaking attachment to the lotus feet of Shri Rama. It is within the monkey body that Hanuman does amazing things for Rama, without any expectation of reciprocation.

While the distinction between crow and swan is important for understanding how to advance in spiritual life, in purifying the consciousness, in achieving the ultimate goal of life, we see that even within the form of a crow a person can have rati for Rama.

Kakabhushundi is originally a sage. Through a series of events he ends up in the body of a crow. He remains within that form. Though he can certainly change, he has no interest in altering the situation. It is within that crow exterior that Kakabhushundi can witness the childhood pastimes of Shri Rama again and again. He can kindly describe those pastimes to others, which allows the entire world to benefit from that unique vantage point.

In Closing:

From vantage point unique,
At rare pastimes to peek.

Of Rama as child playing,
Supreme mercy displaying.

Rudra as monkey to choose,
Nothing as Hanuman to lose.

In devotional spirit to extend,
The highest interests to defend.