Swami Tejomayananda

Living in this world, it is almost impossible for any individual to remain above criticism and lead a blemish-free life. Whether right of wrong, criticism and accusations are levelled at everyone. A study of the great epic, Ramayana, reveals that even Lord Rama and Mother Sita were not spared. Though Lord Rama was the incarnation of righteousness and Mother Sita of purity, people were not convinced.

However one character in The Ramayana is not touched by criticism - Sri Hanuman, the Lord’s greatest devotee. In the entire epic there is not a single incident for which Sri Hanuman is blamed or criticized. This noble son of Vayu and Anjana is the very embodiment of wisdom, devotion and service.

Hanuman Chalisa, the famous composition by Saint Tulsidas, enumerates the great virtues of Shri Hanuman. It is believed that by repeating the Hanuman Chalisa with faith, one can imbue the virtues of Shri Hanuman and achieve everlasting bliss. Hanuman is the son of the wind god. The most important quality of the wind is that it blows constantly and is a great purifier. When we walk into a room which has remained shut off for a while, it feels stuffy. But the moment the windows are opened, air comes in and the entire atmosphere is fresh once more. Sri Hanuman also purifies all that comes in contact with him. And being the greatest servant of the Lord, he serves all his devotees.

Secondly, the wind serves and does so in silence. It is easy to recognize the importance and the service of the sun because it is not available to us at all times of the day. Yet, because the wind it is not visible, even though constantly with us, we often take it for granted. Shri Hanuman inherited from his father this rare and noble virtue of serving all without a trace of pride in his heart. In the service of Lord Rama he crossed the ocean, entered the formidable Lanka and burned it. He discovered Mother Sita and killed the evil forces of Ravana. He even pleased the Lord by saving the life of Lakshmana, His dear brother. He served Lord Rama in so many ways that the Lord Himself was overwhelmed with extreme love and gratitude, and wanted to express his feelings to Hanuman, as well. But Hanuman, the true devotee, on hearing his own praise fell at the feet of the Lord with tears in his eyes, giving credit for all his achievements to Lord Rama alone. Shri Hanuman’s life is full of service to Lord Rama. He has no sense of pride, arrogance or false ego, his goal is to serve the Lord continuously with humility and devotion. Let us also emulate these qualities and serve others silently, without any expectation of praise and reward.

A True Master

We are generally advised to adopt this rare quality of serving our master with unswerving faith and devotion, as did Shri Hanuman. Little do we realize, however, that before doing so, it is of extreme importance to know who should really be our master. He, who is the Lord of the total universe, in serving whom, our potential divinity comes to shine forth, he alone can be a true master.

Before meeting Lord Rama, Hanuman was in the service of Sugriva and his abilities remained dormant. Sugriva himself was fraught with mortal fear of death at the hands of his own brother, Vali, and was dependant on Shri Hanuman for his own protection. How could such a person ever be a true inspiration to anyone! But when Shri Hanuman saw Lord Rama for the very first time, he recognized his master immediately. After that, he not only became Lord Rama’s loyal and devoted servant but he also brought Lord Rama to Sugriva. And when Sugriva surrendered himself at the lotus feet of Lord Rama, Sugriva also received the fruit of Shri Hanuman’s devotion.

In Lanka, the she-demon, Lankini and Vibhishana were serving Ravana, the mighty but ignoble king. They were serving with the idea that they should serve their master, who ever he may be, but Shri Hanuman helped them understand the significance and the strength of a true master.

After recognizing their mistake, they also became devotees of Lord Rama. Thus it is shown that neither a weakling like Sugriva nor even a mighty king like Ravana can ever be a true master.

Lord Rama alone can be that master who is great, not because he keeps all beings under his control like Ravana, but because he makes his devotees even greater than Himself!

May we all come to recognize Lord Rama as our master and serve Him in the attitude of His great devotee, Shri Hanuman, ever revelling in singing the holy name of Lord Rama.