From a satsang with Pt. Dr. Umesh Persad, Spiritual Leader, SWAHA Gyaan Deepak Kirtan Mandali
In the Kishkindha Kaand of the Valmiki Ramaayan, there is an episode where Shree Hanuman is made aware of his latent powers. Shree Raam’s search party of monkeys and bears had reached the shores of the Indian ocean. On the other side of the ocean was Lanka, where a kidnapped Sita Devi was being held in captivity by Ravan. They were stymied as to how to cross the vast ocean. Shree Hanuman had within Him all the resources and powers necessary to cross the ocean, but which he had forgotten.
As a child with powers, He had been struck unconscious by a thunderbolt after trying to eat the sun, which He had mistaken for fruit. In anger, the Lord of the Wind, Vaayu, then stilled the air on earth; people and animals could no longer breathe. To save the world, Hanuman was revived and bestowed many boons by the Devtas. However, He soon forgot His powers as result of a curse pronounced on Him due to His youthful troublemaking. Jambavant, a senior bear who was aware of Shree Hanuman’s abilities, decided that he would remind Him of the story of His birth, His immense powers and how he forgot them.
Among the powers he was granted by the Devtas were:
- He could not be struck by any weapon and killed.
- He would not be hurt by Indra’s thunderbolt again.
- He could choose to die when he wished.
Shree Hanumanji was basically invincible. Upon remembering His powers, He increased the size of his body by gigantic proportions and leaped across the ocean. His role was then pivotal in the Ramaayan.
How do we apply this katha to our daily lives? A jayanti means a birth; it must mean a personal birth in our own lives for it to be relevant. In Hinduism, Hanuman represents the mind principle. What therefore is the origin of our mind? Jambavant means ‘crushing’ or ‘grinding’; this indicates that it is only when we have some form of suffering or challenge in our life that we seek to understand our own psychology; that we seek to understand our mind and our self.
We can ask ourselves, why do we have wishes, whether they are spiritual or material in nature. In Sanaatan Dharma, the cause of desire is referred to as a vaasanaa, a little seed deep within the self that expresses itself as the various desires. Hanuman’s mother’s names are instrumental in understanding this concept: Punjikastala and Anjanaa mean ‘a quantity of things’ and ‘to cause to appear or manifest’. Thus, it refers to a quantity of desires being manifested in the mind. To understand this analogy further, Vaayu, the God of wind, who blessed Anjanaa, means ‘movement’. Together they are the cause of the internal movements of the mind. When the mind is moving, it is based on desires. When it is still and quiet, there are no desires; the mind ceases to exist. Thus, the birth of the mind originates from these subtle desires or vaasanaas that exist within us. We will not be happy if we chase after the vaasanaas.
The meaning of ‘Hanuman’ is ‘the one with the broken jaw’. The mind, in its infant stage, is distorted. However, the problems and challenges cause Him, and us, to think deeply about who we are. Hanu means ‘wisdom’ and man means ‘mind’. Therefore, He has a wise mind, full of true wisdom of the Self. Han also means ‘destroyer’ and man also means ‘pride’; thus, He is the representation of humility. Thus, we must destroy the pride in our minds and remain humble. Ha means ‘destroyer’ and anuman means ‘inference’ or ‘logical thinking’. Logic is important but it can only take us to a certain point; it cannot take us to God and must therefore be destroyed at some point. Ha also means Shiva; anu means ‘beyond’, and man means ‘thought’. Shiva is beyond thought. Thus, in our daily lives we must rein in our thoughts and transcend the vasanaas through stillness of mind, humility and wisdom of the true Self. It is only then that we can realise our true divine potential.
