Always Honored

By krishnasmercy on April 11, 2026 • ( 0 )

“Covered with flowers, Hanuman, the son of the wind, became brilliant in the middle of the Ashoka grove, looking like a mountain of flowers.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 14.11)

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पुष्पावकीर्णश्शुशुभे हनुमान् मारुतात्मजः
अशोकवनिकामध्ये यथा पुष्पमयो गिरिः

puṣpa avakīrṇaḥ śuśubhe hanumān māruta ātmajaḥ
aśoka vanikā madhye yathā puṣpamayo giriḥ

It was a foreign territory. It was a dangerous mission. It was an objective that ran against the trend of activity in the local area. It was a vision that would be unwelcome to the residents. No passport to stamp. No visa to approve. No welcome center for visitors. No granting of asylum at the last minute. Shri Hanuman was indeed in a place hostile to his very existence, but that did not stop him from pushing forward in the mission assigned to him by Sugriva, the leader of the Vanaras. That mission was for meeting the interests of Shri Rama, who is an avatara of the Supreme Lord. As Hanuman’s work was pious in nature, so there was no escaping the honor that he is always worthy of receiving, even if that homage had an unexpected source.

It is one of the mysteries of life. Those following with fixed determination, in a dedicated vow described as dridha-vratah in Sanskrit, might not have an appropriate response ready when questioned on the matter. They have a general idea. They can explain, if offered sufficient time. If they can prepare their thoughts, comparing against known practices, they should be able to help the doubter cross over the ocean of skepticism.

That mystery is in perceiving reciprocation in worship. Of God. Of the Almighty. Of Bhagavan, who is described by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A child witnesses the devotion of their parents. They see that the mother and the father offer incense in the morning, after taking a shower. The parents periodically approach the altar area with formal offerings, such as fruit, flowers, or a prepared dish, such as a cake or cookies. The parents can point to a verse from an esteemed text as justification for the practice.

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं
यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति
तद् अहं भक्त्य्-उपहृतम्
अश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ

“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.26)

The child wants to know if the object of worship responds. Can the parents hear God speaking, through the picture, the statue, or the painting? Does God talk to them on a regular basis? Is it in the style of the modern-day podcast interview? Is it a casual conversation? Just how often do these talks take place? If God doesn’t speak, then how do the parents know that the worship is valid? How do they know that the entire process isn’t a giant waste of time? Just why would they continue without firm validation?

The general response from the followers is that the validation has to be perceived through changes in external conditions. A sign from above, if you will, allows me to know that my worship is being accepted. I may not notice anything immediately. Gradually, over time, I feel the presence of God in the gifts of nature. I remember Him through the rising sun, which appears in the morning to give much-needed heat and light. I remember Him in the taste of the food I eat. I remember Him through the attention and care offered by loved ones. Indeed, He is the life of everything that lives. That is how I know He is real. He has always been there; I merely failed to notice. Through my dedication in worship, I am beginning to notice more and more. That is a good thing. It is a positive step. I am moving in the right direction.

पुण्यो गन्ध: पृथिव्यां च तेजश्चास्मि विभावसौ
जीवनं सर्वभूतेषु तपश्चास्मि तपस्विषु

puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṁ ca
tejaś cāsmi vibhāvasau
jīvanaṁ sarva-bhūteṣu
tapaś cāsmi tapasviṣu

“I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.9)

Since Bhagavan is vibhu and we are anu, we tend to focus on our experience. Bhagavan is unlimited, while we are limited. As a thought exercise, we can flip the focus. Rather than worry about what we experience through worship, we can consider the situation of God in places outside of our sphere. That might be a difficult concept to approach, so we can think about the devotees of God. For someone like Hanuman, what happens when he goes towards areas that are hostile in nature? He is already worshiped throughout the world, in a formal way, through temples. Goswami Tulsidas facilitated continuous worship through composing the beautiful song known as Hanuman Chalisa. Wherever you go, and whichever direction you turn, at whichever time you choose to halt, you can find worship of Hanuman, who is considered the greatest devotee of Rama.

But what happens if there are no devotees around? What if Hanuman the person, in the svarupa, is in a place devoid of supporters? What if there is no one to bring fruits and flowers? What if there is no one to sing a beautiful hymn? What if there is no temple dedicated to his honor, name, fame, and glories? From an incident described in the Ramayana poem of Maharishi Valmiki, we find that Hanuman is always honored. Even whilst in the hostile territory of Lanka, Hanuman receives worship in an indirect way, perceived by the wise.

He is in Lanka to find Sita Devi, who is the wife of Rama. Sita has gone missing. Hanuman has not met Sita before. Hanuman must therefore search. Sita is missing because someone has taken her away, against her will. This means that the perpetrator likely does not want to be discovered. The closer Hanuman gets to Sita, the more dangerous the conditions will become. Nearing the completion of the mission, Hanuman finds a tree in a beautiful grove. His presence startles the nearby birds. In quickly exiting the area, the wings of the birds strike against the branches of the trees. This causes flowers to fall directly onto Hanuman.

The Ramayana says that Hanuman looked like a mountain of flowers. He was like spring personified. He always deserves such a welcome. Even if he is busy in his mission, material nature finds a way to glorify him. Hanuman was indeed like the onset of spring in that winter-like environment for Sita. Hope would renew with the presence of Hanuman, who had an important message to share. Rama was on His way. Rama would arrive soon. Through the presence of Hanuman, it is like Rama was already there.