Hanuman - HR Manager's best friend

Can you imagine what the ending of Ramayan might have been had Hanuman not realized his hidden powers or capabilities and chanellised them into action or had remembered them just partially? It is also pertinent to note here that Hanuman was quite capable of flying back from Lanka with Sita on his back. If this had happened, then, there would been no fight between Ram and Ravana. Why, Hanuman did not do so is a

separate issue, but what we need to understand here is that this incident teaches us that having the powers to do something is not as important as using it with discretion and applying oneself to the given situation in hand.

More than anything else—the one of the greatest attributes of Hanuman is his simplicity and humility – even after realizing his powers. Which mortal being, that too a monkey cans firstly channellise his hidden potential to the pinnacle of such peak performance and yet maintain his balance and equilibrium.

Once again let’s go back to Hanuman Chalisa, which says, "asta siddhi nava nidhi ke data, asa vara dina janaki mata, rama rasayana tumhare pasa, sada raho raghupati ke dasa”. Meaning: "Mother Sita blessed you with the power to grant the eight spiritual perfections and the nine material prosperities, and Sri Rama gave you the power to heal. You are always His humble servant." Clearly this shows that despite all his super human capabilities Hanuman remains a modest servant of God…

Yet another chopai from Hanuman Chalisa says,” apana teja samharo ape tinon loka hankate kanpe, bhuta pisacha nikata nahin ave, mahavira japa nama unave

nashai roga harai saba pira, japata nirantara hanumata vira, sankata se anumana churavai, mana rama vachana dhyana jo lavai”  This means "Your radiance is supreme, and the three worlds tremble when you move. You are the supreme brahamachari, conserving your energy. By repeating the name of Hanuman, all the ghosts and demons are chased away. All diseases and sufferings are destroyed by the constant repetition of the name of Hanuman. One who meditates on him with his mind, heart and activities is saved from all difficulties." This explains Hanuman’s status as a messiah of the poor, the voice-less and the

down-trodden who look upon him as their saviour for all suffering, diseases and evil spirits. This is one the reasons why many truck drivers in the hills and treacherous terrains atleast carry Hanuman’s picture on the dashboard of the truck or carry a mini-size hanuman chalisa in their pocket. Even today there are numerous small small temples for Hanuman, and his images are usually installed at all temples where avataras of Vishnu are installed. Hanuman temples can be found in many places for the reason that the area and the surroundings are free from 'Rakhshasas' and 'evils'.

Hanuman’s attributes include a boon of physical immortality and the promise to be present wherever Rama’s story is retold. He becomes, in short, an eternally available friend, companion, a cosmic middleman par excellence, an intercessor and champion for all who feel oppressed by the worldly or heavenly powers. This is described Hanuman Chalisa as, “tumhare bhajana rama ko pavai janma janma ke dukha visravai, anta kale raghupati pura jay, jahan janmen hari bhakta kahai. In other words, "By meditating on you, one reaches Lord Rama, and eliminates the sufferings of many lifetimes. After death, your devotee will reach the abode of Rama, where he will always be a devotee of the Lord."

To Quote from the Ramayan. It says,”yatra Yatra Raghunath Kirtanam Tatra Tatra Krita Mastaka anjalim Bashpawari Pari purna lochanam Marutim nammascha rakshas antakam” which means “That wherever the deeds of Sri Rama are sung, At all such places does Hanuman cry tears of devotion and joy, At all such places does his presence remove the fear of demons.”

This brings us to the most adorable attribute of Hamunan—something that makes brings him close to a millions of hearts—his simplicity and approachability. In today’s time any small time government official may have airs but not Hanuman who can be found easily - Just by chanting the name- 'Ram…Ram…'. Conversely, it is also said that that the easiest way to attain Lord Rama is to worship Hanuman as is explained in the verse "Tumharae bhajan Ram ko paavae", meaning, "by singing hymns about You, Rama can be reached".

Hanuman’s greatness stems from the fact that when Lord Rama was crowned king of Ayodhya. Hanuman who had done so much for him, did not stay back and join Lord Rama as a minister or in any way share the fruits of victory but to the Himalayas to continue His worship of the lord. There he is understood to have scripted a version of the Ramayana (Hanumad Ramayana) on Himalayan rocks using his nails. The story goes that Maharishi Valmiki was quite perturbed to see Hanuman’s version of Ramayan, which was any day better than the Rishi’s own version. So in order to pacify the rishi, Hauman flung his own version into the sea. No one knows what came out of Hanumad Ramayan. 

Hanuman is immortal. His glory transcends the barriers of time and history. How else do you explain his presence in the Mahabharata era when there is a huge time-lapse of 1000s of years between the two. There are atleast two incidents in Mahabharata where Hanuman’s presence can be felt. The first incident relates to Bhima attempting to lift the tail of an old monkey but fails to do so. It is said that Hanuman did this on purpose to teach Bhima (his younger brother as Bhima is also sired by Vayu Deva) to be humble to all Gods beings.

Another episode in Mahabharata sees Hanuman perched on the flag of Arjuna's chariot, with Lord Krishna- another Vishnu Avtaar as its charioteer. Besides Arjuna, Sanjaya and Dhritarashtra, Hanuman is thus blessed to hear the Gita sermon directly from Lord Krishna.

From Ramayan (Satyuga) to Mahabharata (dwaparyug) down to the present day (kalyug) --- many-many things have changed…But not Hanuman. Even in jet age more and more people may go to the moon in a rocket, but not without a copy of Hanuman Chalisa in their pocket….