Hanuman – A Symbol of Perfection

Sanātana-dharma is one of the oldest extant cultures of the world. In a world that has seen the rise and fall of many a beautiful quest of truth that cultures originally are, Sanātana-dharma has stood tall. The credit would, without a doubt, go to the dynamic nature of the original faith and to its willingness to accommodate the foibles of man, whilst supremely convinced of his infinite potential. In essence, the tradition holds that every being is verily the Supreme and hence venerable and supremely powerful. The path to realising this potential comprises of the various sādhanas (spiritual endeavours) and tapas (austerities), and the mastery of the mind dictates the success of realising this potential. As is put succinctly in the Amṛtabindu-upaniṣad, मन एव मनुष्याणां कारणं बन्धमोक्षयोः। बन्धाय विषयासक्तं मुक्तं निर्विषयं स्मृतम्॥ mana eva manuṣyāṇāṁ kāraṇaṁ bandhamokṣayoḥ | bandhāya viṣayāsaktaṁ muktaṁ nirviṣayaṁ smṛtam || The mind indeed is the reason for both the bondage and liberation of man. A mind trapped in the senses delivers bondage, while one that is beyond the senses delivers liberation. - Amṛtabindu-upaniṣad, 2 It is needless to say; a liberated mind unleashes unparalleled potential and thereby leads man to great achievements. Hence mastery of the mind is not only for the ascetic, who solely desires liberation but also for the materialist, who desires to achieve great things in the world. The vānara Hanumān is essentially an exemplar of perfection. In him, we find a mind-boggling integration of formidable intellect, incomparable power, greatest devotion, utmost humility, unparalleled zest, and unflappable resolve. He symbolises the heights one can rise to, the means to realise one’s true potential, and the spirit and faith one must develop to realise this potential. Most importantly, in him, we find the balance between transcendence and worldly endeavours, where he established every endeavour to be sacred undertaking with no identification as the doer. In a nutshell, he symbolises the concept and goal of a yogin, namely perfect identification with the Absolute Self that Hanumān identified to be Rāma. The identification that results in the realisation of the infinite potential of man; a potential that in essence establishes that you are no different from the Supreme, whether that be as a spark of the Supreme or verily the Supreme. Hanumān makes his first appearance as a young lad and not as a newborn baby, and the very appearance seems to allude to the birthless nature of the soul. Equally significant is that Hanumān is said to be a cirañjīvī (one who is immortal), yet again alluding to the eternal nature of the Self, which is indestructible even when the physical frame dies. Hanumān’s avatāra upon Earth thus signifies the human life upon Earth; for the one who is attuned to his or her Self; a sojourn meant for the achievement of the purpose for which he or she has descended. The very first step in achieving one’s full potential is Śraddhā (faith in Self). This is represented as Hanumān’s very first līlā upon Earth. As soon as he descended as the vānara lad, Hanumān who was hungry looked up at the sun and thought it to be a delicious fruit that could appease his hunger. Without doubting on his capability of reaching this ‘fruit’, and absolutely undaunted by the potential challenge, the young lad rose in the sky with single-minded focus. Although met with hostility by the horde of celestials, Hanumān could not be dissuaded from his resolve. The young lad fought them off bravely, thus inspiring awe in Indra. It took the king of the celestials a blow with the divine ‘Vajrāyudha’ to stop Hanumān who was but a child. Hanumān’s descent in the form of a monkey is also of great significance. Amongst the myriad traits associated with a monkey, fickleness is probably the most popular. The human mind that is often incredibly fickle is termed the monkey-mind. Hanumān’s avatāra in the form of a monkey may hence be understood as the allegory of the calming of the monkey-mind that it initially appears to be, to what it indeed can be transformed to achieve. The first step towards calming the mind is Knowledge of the Self, as Hanumān’s story illustrates. The Rāmāyaṇa describes how the young lad Hanumān, not content with the knowledge available to him on Earth, persuaded Sūrya (Sun god) to take him under His wings. Sūrya stipulated that He would impart knowledge to Hanumān, provided, he is willing to do what it takes to learn, namely traversing the universe alongside Himself. Hanumān readily agreed and rose along with Sūrya and traversed the sky in the company of Sūrya, unmindful of the arduousness of the effort. What resulted from the dedication to learning, was knowledge, that made the avatāra in Rāma stand up and take note. He exclaimed in awe of Hanumān’s command over the complex nuances of Saṁskṛta and wisdom thus, 1 Purāṇas state that Sūrya is the repository of all Vedic knowledge, including those sections of the Vedas that have disappeared from the consciousness of men. नानृग्वेदविनीतस्य नायजुर्वेदधारिणः। नासामवेदविदुषः शक्यमेवं विभाषितुम्॥ nānṛgvedavinītasya nāyajurvedadhāriṇaḥ | nāsāmavedaviduṣaḥ śakyamevaṁ vibhāṣitum || It is not possible for one who is not versed in the Ṛgveda, grasped the Yajurveda, and mastered the Sāmaveda to speak thus. - Kiṣkindhā-kāṇḍa, 3.28 The greatest tribute to Hanumān’s excellence is paid by the role he played in the Sundara-kāṇḍa; that of a guru to none other than the avatāra of Śrī Sītā. Amongst the various interpretations of Sundara-kāṇḍa, the canto is an allegory of the struggle of the Individual Self to unite with the Supreme Self. Sītā is said to symbolise the Individual Self, who falls prey to her fascination for trivia in the golden deer and is hence led astray. Consequently, she is abducted by the epitome of Māya, represented here as Rāvaṇa, and held captive across the unending ocean that mirrors the saṁsāra-sāgara (ocean of materialistic existence). When Sītā, the Individual Self, loses all hopes, surrenders unto the Sadguruḥ in Hanumān, It is the wielding of the supremely powerful weapon of chanting the Divine Name that can nullify the forces of Māya and obliterate the seemingly insuperable ocean that lies between both. In a single sweep, he lays the foundation to reuniting the pining Jīva with the Supreme. The magnitude of Hanumān’s achievement can be inferred from Rāma’s words, इदं तु मम दीनस्य मनो भूयः प्रकर्षति। यदिहास्य प्रियाख्यातुर्न कुर्मि सदृशं प्रियम्॥ idaṁ tu mama dīnasya mano bhūyaḥ prakarṣati | yadihāsya priyākhyāturna kurmi sadṛśaṁ priyam || This (fact) eats away the heart of this hapless man, namely I, that I can extend nothing befitting in return to he who bears me sweet tidings (that Sītā lives). - Yuddha-kāṇḍa, 1.12 It is evident from these words of Rāma that he saw in Hanumān not one who was inferior in might or capabilities, but an equal. The reason for the admiration as befits a peer was Hanumān’s perception of himself. He chose to serve Rāma and to present himself as a servitor, but not out of a sense of inferiority. Hanumān’s service was superior simply because he recognised his core reality to be non-different from the object of his adulation, namely Rāma. In a nutshell, he saw himself as merely a vessel that was imbued with the essence of Rāma. Hence, when Rāma fell during the battle and when the entire vānara retinue was distraught and disconsolate, Hanumān resolutely took to the skies to bring the herbs that would revive the fallen Rāma. His faith in Rāma’s divinity remained unshaken as his faith in himself. He prostrated at the feet of the distressed Rāma and leapt into the clouds to procure the necessary herbs. Hence do we say in the tradition, गोष्पदीकृतवाराशिं मषकीकृतराक्षसं। रामायणमहामालारत्नं वन्देऽनिलात्मजम्॥ goṣpadīkṛtavārāśiṁ maṣakīkṛtarākṣasaṁ | rāmāyaṇamahāmālāratnaṁ vandenilātmajam || I bow to the son of Wind (god), verily the jewel of the Rāmayaṇa, who turned the ocean into a calf-hoof print filled with water, and the rākṣasas into mere mosquitoes. - Rāmāyaṇadhyāna-śloka

Hanuman – A Symbol of Perfection

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