Hunter Of The Shadows

“After downing her [Simhika] by using his vision, determination and dexterity, that brave monkey quickly again grew in size.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 1.195)

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तां तु दृष्ट्वा च धृत्या च दाक्षिण्येन निपात्य च
स कपिप्रवरो वेगाद्ववृधे पुनरात्मवान्

tāṃ tu dṛṣṭvā ca dhṛtyā ca dākṣiṇyena nipātya ca
sa kapipravaro vegādvavṛdhe punarātmavān

There is a saying which is appropriate for a moment in time of the journey of Shri Hanuman. The first chapter of the Sundara Kand of the Ramayana is lengthy precisely because of the difficulties that Hanuman had to face. Though there was conflict with characters of wicked intent, the theme of beauty holds true due to the eventual triumph. There was indeed no rest for the weary, but Hanuman did not complain, turn around, or grow tired in his mission to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Shri Rama.

Imagine a task where I have to go into an unknown territory, by myself, without a map, and absent any advanced methods of communication. No GPS tracking device. No ability to phone a friend or send a message home. I judge the passage of time based on the informal counter of sunsets and sunrises. I have a general idea of where to go, but no one is helping me. There is not a visitor booth at the point of entry, where I receive a welcome packet full of helpful information.

Moreover, there are obstacles. Other people are following through on their own life quests. They have their individual journeys. They swing on the pendulum of acceptance and rejection, bhoga and tyaga. They have their highs and lows, ups and downs. I am on the ascent in the beginning, as I believe there is progress made. I have discovered a path. I have also devised a means of travel. My desires clash with the placement of others, who have their own interests. The predicament indeed resembles the travels of happiness and distress, as described in Bhagavad-gita.

मात्रा-स्पर्शास् तु कौन्तेय
शीतोष्ण-सुख-दुःख-दाः
आगमापायिनो ऽनित्यास्
तांस् तितिक्षस्व भारत

mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino ‘nityās
tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata

“O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.14)

In this hypothetical, I overcome the first few obstacles. I am clever enough to find a way around. Looking ahead, there is no guarantee of further progress. There is vulnerability. This is a pass/fail mission, after all. I have not yet failed. I move on to the next stage. At this point, others are singing my praises. They have been watching from a distance. They appreciate my dedication. It is only natural to feel uplifted. It is also natural to expect a smoother journey ahead, since the obstacles were already faced.

In the case of Hanuman, there was no letting up. Consider a female creature living in the ocean. She is not easy to identify. She is waiting to pounce on the next living being that crosses her path. She is something like a fisherman, having cast her net far and wide. In this case, she has the special ability to apprehend someone based on their shadow.

Simhika did just that with Hanuman, who could feel her presence. She intended violence. She wanted to eat Hanuman. He then devised a solution, on the spot. He decided to expand his form. He had that special ability, known as kama-rupa-siddhi. Simhika was similarly equipped, and so she commensurately expanded the size of her mouth.

Seizing upon the opportunity, Hanuman changed his shape again and quickly entered into the demon, through the enlarged mouth. He then tore her apart, from the inside. With the latest obstacle cleared, Hanuman continued on his way, eventually reaching the island of Lanka.

The encounter with Simhika is but one episode of many in Hanuman’s journey to locate the missing princess of Videha, Sita Devi. Hanuman is of unparalleled strength, intellect, kindness, cleverness, and courage. The conditioned living beings, the jiva souls, also have a mission assigned to them. Through the meeting with the spiritual guide, the guru, they accept the seed of the creeper of devotional service.

ब्रह्माण्ड भ्रमिते कोन भाग्यवान् जीव
गुरु-कृष्ण-प्रसादे पाय भक्ति-लता-बीज

brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

“According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Krishna. By the mercy of both Krishna and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 19.151)

To hear about Hanuman is to nourish that seed, such that it may eventually flourish. The growth might run into obstruction, in the manner of Simhika in the ocean and the creatures in Lanka protecting the wicked Ravana. The perseverance should remain, as the growth of that seed into a tree has the potential to end the cycle of birth and death. Simply by following devotional service, under proper authority and guidance, supported by heroes like Hanuman, there is every chance to complete the mission to success, thereby stopping rebirth in its tracks.

In Closing:

Stopping in its tracks,
Otherwise steady attacks.

Such that rebirth to see,
Desperate to free.

Hanuman similarly ensnared,
Through Simhika’s territory dared.

But clever and strong on his own,
Perseverance in devotion shown.