Single-pointed Striving

The Upanishads have openly declared what the great Swami Vivekananda echoed again and again: “Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached.” The tendency to rest and take breaks in the course of our work is one of the major obstacles to success. The great Rishis have advised us that once we set out to achieve something, we should not stop until we reach it. Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda put it aptly: “If we rest, we rust!”

The point is admirably illustrated in Goswami Tulsidas's Sri Ramcharitmanas. Hanumanji's eagerness to serve the Lord, Sri Rama, coupled with his sincere effort, helped him cross over the obstacles of temptation and move forward on the path to success.

Hanumanji encountered three obstacles while flying across the 800 miles of ocean to reach Lanka in search of Mother Sita. The first to appear was Mount Mainaka, a pleasure resort in the middle of the ocean. Hanumanji was invited to rest for a while; it seemed an innocuous and reasonable request. However, Hanumanji was always alert while serving, and replied with folded hands: "Rama kaja kiye binu mohe kahan bishram – How can there be any rest until I complete my Lord's work!”

In life, all of us set out towards our goal with enthusiasm, but are easily discouraged by the length of the journey or the presumed difficulties that lie ahead. Thinking about our own limitations, often we lose heart, sit back, and become despondent, and don’t even attempt to reach the goal. Hanumanji had full faith in the Lord and simply jumped across the ocean. Whenever our work is noble, we should not hesitate to pursue it to completion. We must remember that it is the Lord's work and He will provide the strength, the knowledge and the ability needed to fulfil it.

Even if we start enthusiastically, there is always the temptation to rest or take a break, perhaps to enjoy some wayside distraction. Once we give in, the law of inertia takes over and it becomes difficult to move ahead.

Wisdom and Discrimination

Among the qualities required on the path to success are the wisdom to discriminate and the cleverness to judge situations so that you can act accordingly. In addition, the right values and noble virtues are also necessary.

As Hanumanji continued in his flight across the ocean, there came Surasa, the mother of snakes. To test the cleverness of Hanumanji, she obstructed his way and threatened to swallow him. Hanumanji pleaded with her to let him go and promised that once he completed the Lord's work, he would come back and readily enter her mouth. But she showed no compassion. So Hanumanji began to increase his size. As he grew larger and larger, she opened her mouth wider to accommodate him. Suddenly Hanumanji became very small, went through her open mouth and came out before she could close it. Then he said, “I went into your mouth and you did not swallow me, so now you must let me go”. Surasa was pleased with Hanumanji's presence of mind and intelligence, and blessed him for the successful completion of his journey.

Fantastic as the story may appear, it shows us clearly that might is not always right. We must know when to use brute force and when not to use it. We must also remember not to turn everything into a prestige issue. Often, when we insist on asserting our own opinion, we lose sight of the objective. The goal is all-important and we must know when to become big and when to become small to achieve it. There is a time to be humble, and a time to be assertive, a time to bend low and a time to stand tall. We must have the wisdom to discriminate.

Alertness

As Hanumanji flew further across the ocean, he felt a mysterious force pulling him down towards the water. That force turned out to be the demon Simhika, who had the power to bring down all creatures flying overhead. Having dragged them down, she would proceed to devour them. Simhika stands for jealousy which can never bear the rise of another. It is jealousy that pulls us down and devours us. Jealousy in one's own heart and jealousy invoked in the hearts of others is quite often the cause of a downfall. One should be wary of harbouring any trace of jealousy or other negative tendencies in one's heart. They should be destroyed immediately and ruthlessly, just as Hanumanji killed Simhika with one blow.

Inspiration

We must constantly keep our eyes on the goal and dwell on it lovingly, joyously. Hanumanji revels in narrating the glories of the Lord. Only those who have loved dearly can appreciate this aspect of Sri Hanumanji's character. We all know how doting grandparents constantly think and speak about their little grandchildren and love to listen about their exploits. In the same way, we should hold on to our goal mentally. This is the one sure way to keep ourselves inspired.

Conclusion

We have a lot to learn from Hanumanji. The more we contemplate on his qualities and actions, the more treasures we can unearth to guide us through life. His love for Sri Rama was the motivating factor that ensured his success in all his endeavours. Let us also emulate him, strive for a noble goal and learn to succeed in life.