XV

Hanuman’s Service by Swami Tejomayananda.

Living in this world, it is almost impossible for any individual to remain above criticism and to lead a blemish-free life. Whether right or wrong, criticism and accusations are leveled at every- one. If we study the great epic, the RÅmÅyaœa, we find that even Lord and Mother were not spared. Though Lord Rama was an incarnation of righteousness and Mother Sita of purity, people did not see that. But there is one character in the RÅmÅyaœa who is not touched by criticism and that is Shri , the Lord’s greatest devotee. In the entire epic there is not a single incident for which Shri Hanuman is blamed or criti- cized. This noble son of and Anjana is the very embodi- ment of wisdom, devotion, and service. HanumÅn CÅl≠sÅ, the famous composition of Saint Tulsidas, enumerates the great virtues of Shri Hanuman. It is believed that by repeating the HanumÅn CÅl≠sÅ with faith one can imbibe the virtues of Shri Hanuman and find everlasting bliss. Hanuman is called son of the wind God. The wind is con- stantly blowing; it is a great purifier. When we walk into a room that has been closed off for a while, it feels stuffy, but the mo- ment the windows are opened, air comes in and purifies the en- tire atmosphere. Shri 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 all silently. We all easily recog-

101 SWAMI TEJOMAYANANDA nize the importance and the service of the sun because it is not available to us all the time. Yet the wind, which remains with us constantly, we often take for granted because it is not visible. Shri Hanuman has imbibed from his father, this rare and noble virtue of serving all without a trace of pride in his heart. He crossed the ocean in the service of Lord Rama and entered the formidable and burnt it. He discovered Mother Sita, and killed the evil forces of . He even pleased the Lord by saving the life of his dear brother . He served Lord Rama in so many ways that the Lord Himself felt overwhelmed with extreme love and gratitude, and he wanted to express those 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 im- bibe these qualities and serve others silently without any expec- tation of praise and reward.

A True Master

We are generally advised to imbibe this rare quality of serving our master with unswerving faith and devotion from Shri Hanuman’s character. 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 serv- ing 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 Sugreeva and his abilities remained dormant. Sugreeva himself was fraught with mortal fear of death at the hands of his own brother and was dependent 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

102 HANUMAN'S SERVICE 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 Sugreeva. And when Sugreeva sur- rendered himself at the lotus feet of Lord Rama, Sugreeva also received the fruit of Shri Hanuman’s devotion. In Lanka, the she-demon Lankini and were serving Ravana, the mighty but ignoble king. They were serving with the idea that they should serve their Master, whoever he may be but Shri Hanuman helped them understand the signifi- cance 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 Sugreeva 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 un- der 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 reveling in singing the Holy Name of Lord Rama.

103