“The great devotee in the monkey form carried out his duty, giving everything of himself, and the Lord became so grateful that He, the one who gives boons, stood before Hanuman with folded hands asking for a boon.” (Dohavali, 112)

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कियो सुसेवक धरम कपि प्रभु कृतग्य जियँ जानि
जोरि हाथ ठाढ़े भए बरदायक बरदानि

kiyo susevaka dharama kapi prabhu k।rtagya jiya’ jāni
jori hātha ।thā।dhe bhae baradāyaka baradāni

“I think this is one of those things I learned later on in life. To me, it went against my instincts. My first inclination is always to help. If I hear a side of a story, of potential abuse, of someone being taken advantage of, I tend to sympathize with that person. If they ask for shelter, for a place to stay for the night, then I open my door. No questions asked, especially if it is a friend.

“Well, I am sure you can imagine the problems that result from that openness. The person on the other side of the dispute has their own story. They can recite abuses they have received. The one I saw as the victim might actually be in the wrong. The defendant turns into the plaintiff, if thinking in terms of a court of law. Here I went passing judgment immediately, without thinking matters over. It appears that I have chosen sides, when all I wanted to do was help.

“Therefore, the advice offered is to lean towards neutrality. As best as you can, stay out of it. Especially when the dispute is between husband and wife, there is nothing to take too seriously. These things typically resolve themselves. They live together, after all. They are bound to get upset every now and then. Who am I to say who is right and who is wrong? Better to stay on the sidelines, where it is safe.

“I bring this up today after reflecting on the dangerous mission dutifully accepted by Shri Hanuman. He is the Vanara made famous in the Ramayana poem of Maharishi Valmiki. There is an entire book in that lengthy Sanskrit work that deals with Hanuman and his journey to Lanka. Rama is the main character. Rama is in the name of the book itself. Rama is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, kindly appearing on earth as an avatara. Just hearing about the tale of Rama is enough to guarantee ascension to the heavenly realm, with continued association of friends and relatives. This is the promise of Narada Muni.”

एतदाख्यानमायुष्यं पठन्रामायणं नर:
सपुत्रपौत्रस्सगण: प्रेत्य स्वर्गे महीयते

etadākhyānamāyuṣyaṃ paṭhanrāmāyaṇaṃ nara:
saputrapautrassagaṇa: pretya svarge mahīyate

“The man who reads and recites this narration of the Ramayana will be blessed with a long duration of life and after death will be welcomed and respectfully received in the heavenly region, along with sons, grandsons, and relatives.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kand, 1.99)

“The thing is, Hanuman is kind of inserted into a nexus of grievances, disputes, and issues. Whatever the preferred term, Hanuman really has nothing to do with any of it. He is not a resident of Ayodhya. He is not related to Rama. He has never met Sita Devi, who is Rama’s wife. Hanuman actually works for Sugriva, who is the exiled leader of the Vanaras in Kishkindha. Wouldn’t it have been wiser to stay out of the dispute?”

Hanuman was like the chief minister to a king. Therefore, it was his job to see to the best interests of the person he worked for. The meeting with Rama took place under this premise. Sugriva asked Hanuman to descend from Mount Rishyamukha and run a sort of intel operation. See what these two warrior-like figures wanted. They were Rama and His younger brother Lakshmana, but Sugriva did not know or recognize them. Warriors were foreign to the area. Sugriva was also living in fear of his own brother at the time. Sugriva was concerned that maybe Vali had sent assassins to take him out. Let Hanuman scope out the scene, since Hanuman would use his intelligence in determining how to proceed.

Hanuman made such a first impression that Rama immediately noted the exceptional level of ability. How could any king ever get their work done without someone like Hanuman working for them? That is how valuable Hanuman showed himself to be. At that time, there was a single loyalty. Hanuman was working for Sugriva.

एवं विधो यस्य दूतो न भवेत्पार्थिवस्य तु
सिद्ध्यन्ति हि कथं तस्य कार्याणां गतियोऽनघ

evaṃ vidho yasya dūto na bhavetpārthivasya tu
siddhyanti hi kathaṃ tasya kāryāṇāṃ gatiyo’nagha

“O sinless one, certainly, how can any king accomplish his objectives if he doesn’t have such a messenger working for him?” (Lord Rama speaking to Lakshmana about Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kand, 3.34)

Rama was separated from His wife at the time. You had the original dispute in Ayodhya, between Queen Kaikeyi and her husband, King Dasharatha. Rama got caught in the middle of that dispute, ending up as a kind of collateral damage. No issue, but the pain spread across to Sita Devi, who was Rama’s wife, and to Lakshmana. Hanuman realized that Rama and Sugriva were in the same boat. They could actually help each other. An alliance would be mutually beneficial.

It was through this alliance that Hanuman ended up in a search party of Vanaras tasked with finding Sita. They only had to scour the entire earth! They only had bits and pieces of information, of what she looked like, of how she might be faring, of where she might have been taken to. That was enough for Hanuman, who wound up all alone in the latter portion of the mission. He took that task so seriously that he always questioned himself, to see if the right moves were being taken. He was not overly proud of crossing over an ocean or reaching the island of Lanka all by himself.

न विनश्येत्कथं कार्यं वैक्लब्यं न कथं भवेत्
लङ्घनं च समुद्रस्य कथं नु न वृथा भवेत्

na vinaśyetkathaṃ kāryaṃ vaiklabyaṃ na kathaṃ bhavet
laṅghanaṃ ca samudrasya kathaṃ nu na vṛthā bhavet

“How can I ensure that the purpose of my task does not get destroyed? How shall I avoid mental disparity, and how do I ensure that my crossing of the ocean does not go for naught?” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 2.41)

Indeed, this was not his battle to fight, but Hanuman proceeded anyway. He did not ask questions about a personal benefit. He did not look for anything in return. He ended up doing the most amazing work, whereby anything was on the table as a reward. Hanuman asked only to remain in this world, for as long as Rama’s glories continue to be told. For these reasons and more Goswami Tulsidas remarks how the one who is always giving boons to others, baradayaka, ends up looking like the one requesting boons, when in front of the esteemed Hanuman.

In Closing:

Leaders of wives deserted,
Into situation inserted.

An outside party who,
Not of relation too.

But proceeding without fear,
And amazing obstacles to clear.

Thus Hanuman forever dear,
Of endless glories to hear.

Categories: questions

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