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Hanuman A great devotee of the Lord

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Shree • December 30, 1997 


A great devotee of the Lord 

              Date: 30-12-1997 :: Pg: 24 :: Col: c 

              Cl: Religion 

              CHENNAI, Dec. 30. 

              It is rare to find one blessed with both physical
              prowess and intellectual ability. Nature endows
              man generally only with either of the two.
              Scriptures are replete with instances of persons
              who were great warriors but who lacked the
              qualities of the head and the heart. One exception
              perhaps is Hanuman who through the role he
              played as the emissary of Rama to Lanka, earned
              the praise, love and gratitude of the Lord. 

              Above all he has attained the status of a
              Chiranjeevi (one who has conquered death) and
              is revered as a devotee par excellence for he
              expressed the desire to remain in the world when
              the Lord wanted him to accompany Him to His
              eternal abode. This great devotee of the Lord
              derives great joy in listening to the glory of the
              Lord and it is for this reason that he preferred to
              remain in the world. 

              That he remained a celibate totally dedicating his
              life to the Lord can be seen from the Ramayana.
              He distinguished himself as one who had total
              control over his senses, intuitive faculty and
              knowledge of the scriptures. And, for all his
              attainments he was very humble. Hanuman is
              introduced in the Kishkinda Kandam in the
              Ramayana and in the Sundara Kandam he
              becomes the central character when he is chosen
              for the task of locating Sita. 

              In his discourse on the occasion of Hanumath
              Jayanthi Sri Sukisivam said, Hanuman's greatness
              was expressed by Rama Himself to Lakshmana
              soon after they met. When the other Vanaras
              including Sugriva hid themselves, out of fear,
              when they saw Rama and Lakshmana
              approaching, it was Hanuman who volunteered to
              find out their identity. Disguising himself as a
              Brahmachari he approached them. 

              Kamban portrays the thoughts that crossed
              Hanuman's mind when he tried to assess them,
              which reflect his rational and intuitive powers.
              ``What are they in search of? How shall I find out
              who they really are? I can make out that there is
              something worrying them. They appear to be
              distressed; but still, they do not look like such
              weaklings as to succumb to sufferings. They
              cannot be celestials because they resemble
              humans. They appear to take dharma and virtue
              as part of their lives. They seem to have lost a
              precious object and are obviously looking for it.'' 

              When Hanuman introduced himself as the son of
              Vayu and Anjana, Rama felt, ``There appears to
              be none more capable than him. Qualities like
              character, efficiency, modesty and knowledge
              resulting from education, cannot be separated
              from him,'' and told Lakshmana, ``There is no art,
              nor any Veda which this great man has not
              mastered. This is evident from the way he
              speaks.'' 
-- 
Happy Holidays,
Shree
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