“Seeing that woman of intoxicating eyes, Hanuman shed tears of joy and offered respectful obeisances to Shri Rama.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 17.31)

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हर्षजानि च सोऽश्रूणि तां दृष्ट्वा मदिरेक्षणाम्
मुमुचे हनुमांस्तत्र नमश्चक्रे च राघवम्

harṣajāni ca soʼśrūṇi tāṃ dṛṣṭvā madirekṣaṇām
mumuce hanumāṃstatra namaścakre ca rāghavam

We know from personal experience, from the testimony of others, and from reading and hearing literature of the Vedic tradition that saintly people in this particular line are known to be steadfast in their dedication. The Sanskrit is dridha-vrata. They are strong in their vow. That promise is to continuously chant the glories of the Almighty, who is known as Ananta since His transcendental qualities [gunas] are endless. This glorification can continue from morning until night, from childhood until old age, and from times of distress to moments of elation and relief.

सततं कीर्तयन्तो मां
यतन्तश् च दृढ-व्रताः
नमस्यन्तश् च मां भक्त्या
नित्य-युक्ता उपासते

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate

“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.14)

But what about specifics? How does this vow manifest in reality? We know from our personal experience that it is difficult to maintain a steady consciousness on that which is above the duality of matter and spirit. We want to think about God all day, emulating our heroes, our spiritual guides, and the ones who came before us and blessed us to succeed in the path, but we are finding the practical implementation to be more difficult than expected.

In this regard, we can look to the example of Shri Hanuman, and more specifically to the different phases of his most famous assignment. His worship was not necessarily limited to a temple environment. Hanuman was not necessarily lighting a sacred lamp and moving it around in a circle, in full reverence. Rather, Hanuman was working. Just what was he doing? Well, the task was practically impossible to complete. Hanuman had to cover the entire earth, lacking any assistance from technology, in search of a distressed princess. He had never met her previously, and there was a time limit. Time was of the essence, in fact.

1. At the beginning of the mission

The missing princess was Sita Devi, who was the daughter of King Janaka of Mithila. Sita was also the wife of Shri Rama, who is an avatara of Vishnu, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No one would criticize Hanuman for wanting to stay in one place, in direct presence of Rama, to offer worship. After all, is not the moving superior to the nonmoving? Is it not better to have the person in front of you as opposed to their picture or a statue representing their features? Can there be a more satisfying way to worship than seeing the response from the object of your attention, immediately after offering kind words?

Except Hanuman had work to do. He was going to find Sita. He was going to search in order to help Rama. Hanuman had to carry an item with him. This would be a ring with Rama’s name inscribed on it. This would be a kind of certificate of authenticity. Sita would know that Hanuman was a legitimate messenger and not someone cheating her. Hanuman was not malicious like the people otherwise surrounding her, in that foreign place known as Lanka.

Since saintly people are always worshiping in some way, in a continuous celebration known as nityotsava, Hanuman felt the need to offer respects. The Sanskrit word in this case is vanditvā. Hanuman paid respects to the lotus feet in front of Rama. He paid respects directly to Rama.

स तद्गृह्य हरिश्रेष्ठः स्थाप्य मूर्ध्नि कृताञ्जलिः
वन्दित्वा चरणौ चैव प्रस्थितः प्लवगोत्तमः

sa tadgṛhya hariśreṣṭhaḥ sthāpya mūrdhni kṛtāñjaliḥ
vanditvā caraṇau caiva prasthitaḥ plavagottamaḥ

“Thereupon taking the ring and placing it on his head, with folded hands, that foremost and best of monkeys praised Rama’s lotus feet and then departed.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kand, 44.15)

2. When the mission looked doomed

नमोऽस्तु रामाय सलक्ष्मणाय देव्यै च तस्यै जनकात्मजायै
नमोऽस्तु रुद्रेंद्रयमानिलेभ्यो नमोऽस्तु चन्द्रार्कमरुद्गणेभ्यः

namoʼstu rāmāya salakṣmaṇāya devyai ca tasyai janakātmajāyai
namoʼstu rudreṃdrayamānilebhyo namoʼstu candrārkamarudgaṇebhyaḥ

“I offer my obeisances to Shri Rama, along with Lakshmana and the divine lady, the daughter of King Janaka. I offer my obeisances to Rudra, Indra, Yama, and Anila, the deity of the wind. I offer my obeisances to the moon, the sun, and the wind-gods.” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 13.59)

Okay, it makes sense to worship in the beginning. The ring was an item of authentication, almost like a token in a multifactor scheme. It is well and good to pay respects when there is the full potential ahead. But what about when things look bleak? What happens when you are on the brink of failure? Will you remain committed to the mission? Will your vow remain strong?

Hanuman suffered a brief bout of depression when reaching the island of Lanka. He had just done the impossible. He crossed over a massive ocean through a single leap. He overcame incredible obstacles along the way. Still, he was sad because those feats mean nothing when there is still work to be done. If the potential for failure is there, then it is like the crossing of the ocean would go to waste.

It is not surprising to see that Hanuman worshiped Rama again. Upon mentally lifting up his spirits, in a vow to continue forward, Hanuman first prayed to Rama and His younger brother Lakshmana. This is a wonderful approach because it means that the outcome does not spoil the work. Even if I am unsuccessful at what I am trying to do, at least I took the time to remember the Supreme Lord, His beloved servant, and the lady who is always thinking about Him.

3. When the mission was successful

Wouldn’t you know it, but Hanuman eventually found Sita. The journey was difficult. The travel was time consuming. The mental hurdles were as formidable as the physical obstacles. But there he stood, on the precipice of completing what he set out to do. Rama would be so happy to know that Sita was still alive. Though she was in great distress, she was still thinking about Him. Her husband was everything to her.

Once again, Hanuman made sure to offer respects to Rama. Hanuman did not attribute the success to himself. He would have been justified in patting himself on the back, in feeling relief and relishing a triumph that would be remembered for ages to come. But self-congratulatory behavior does not suit his nature.

In Closing:

Not his nature suiting,
His own horn tooting.

Or in celebration to forget,
Rather in remembrance set.

Prayer offering at the lotus feet,
At beginning and when later to meet.

Sita a beloved wife and daughter,
After crossing over ocean’s water.

Categories: the three

Tags: dailyprompt, hanuman, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, prayer