ॐ हनुमते नमः
Om Hanumate namah.
Mantra for getting physical strength, stamina and power.
Hanuman worshipped Lord Ram. He loved Ram dearly. He would always stay close to Lord Ram ever ready to follow his orders. In fact it was Hanuman’s greatest joy to serve Ram.
Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, abducted Sita. Ravana refused to send Sita back. Ram and Laxman together with the vanara (monkey) army had no option but to wage war against him. They were determined to save Sita and bring her back safely.
It was a very fierce battle. During the fight, Indrajit, a mighty warrior and Ravana’ eldest son, shot his special weapon the Shakti, at Laxman. Laxman fell to the ground seriously injured. Soon he became very ill. Then to everyone’s distress, he fell unconscious. Laxman’s condition deteriorated so much that it seemed unlikely that he would survive the night.
Hanuman was sent to summon Sushena, a physician from Lanka. Hanuman rushed and brought Sushena back with him. After examining Laxman, Sushena said, “Laxman’s injuries are indeed very serious. He needs to be treated immediately. There is only one medicine that can save him. This medicine is made from the sanjivini plant. The sanjivini is such a magical plant that it can save even a dying person. But Laxman must be given the medicine before the sun rises tomorrow or else he will surely die.”
The problem was that the sanjivini plant grew only on the Dronagiri range of the Himalayas. Ram and his army were stationed at the southern end of the sub-continent. To get the sanjivini entailed traveling from the deep south all the way to the far north. This would take several days. It was already late night and the medicine needed to be administered to Laxman before sunrise. It seemed impossible that the medicine would reach in time to save Laxman.
Ram was desolate. Hanuman, who loved Ram could not bear to see Ram so sad. It grieved him. Running up to Ram, Hanuman said, “Don’t worry my beloved Ram, I will go and get you the plant. Your brother will get well and everything will be fine. I will leave immediately. I assure you that I will bring back the sanjivini plant well in time to treat Laxman.”
Hanuman being the son of the great God Vayu, the Wind God, could fly. He flew as fast as he could in the direction of Mount Dronagiri where the sanjivini could be found.
When Ravana heard that Hanuman had gone in search of the sanjivini plant and that Laxman could be saved if treated with the sanjivini, he was most annoyed. Ravana did not want Laxman to live. Going to the wicked demon, Kalanemi, he said “I hear that if Laxman is treated with the sanjivini plant he will be saved. Laxman must die. I want you to use your magical powers to make yourself appear as a holy sage. Hanuman is very devout and has great respect for rishis and saints. In the guise of a holy man, you must then meet him enroute to Mount Dronagiri and distract him from his mission. Make sure that you waylay him and prevent him from reaching the mountain.”
It so happened that a beautiful apsara (celestial nymph) overheard Ravana’s wicked plan. She flew immediately to Hanuman and informed him of Ravana and Kalanemi’s ploy to fool him. Hanuman, being forewarned by the apsara, was not deceived by the cunning Kalanemi. Ignoring the demon in disguise, Hanuman quickly sped on. He doubled his speed determined to get to the mountain even faster.
Though his initial plan had failed, Ravana was not about to give up so easily. Sushena had warned Ram that the sanjivini must be given to Laxman before sunrise. Now Ravana had great powers. Using these powers he commanded the sun to rise earlier than usual. This would mean Hanuman would have less time to collect the plant and return to Ram. The sanjivini if administered after sunrise would have no effect. Once the sun had risen even the sanjivini would not be sufficient to save Laxman’s life.
Once again Hanuman got to hear of Ravana’s diabolic plan. He knew exactly how he could demolish this plan of Ravana’s too. As a baby, Hanuman, had been blessed by all he god’s, with many special powers. Two of the boons Hanuman had received was of anima and mahima. With the gift of anima he could become minuscule in size and with mahima become gigantic. Interestingly, it was the sun god who had blessed baby Hanuman with these boons. It was the power of mahima that he used that day. Since Ravana had ordered the sun to rise earlier than usual Hanuman used the boon of mahima to counter Ravana’s command to the sun. Hanuman made himself very, very big. So huge that he could grab the sun in the palm of his massive hand. He then hid the sun under his colossal arm. The sun was so completely hidden that not even a single ray of sunlight was visible. In this manner Hanuman foiled Ravana’s second plan too.
With even greater determination Hanuman continued on towards Mount Dronagiri. Finally, he reached Mount Dronagiri. There too Hanuman faced yet another hurdle. Looking around, he saw that the whole mountain was covered with a myriad variety of plants. Looking at all the leaves, the shrubs, the ferns, the trees, the grass and all the shrubbery surrounding him Hanuman got completely confused and befuddled. He wondered, “With such dense growth of greenery how do I pick out the sanjivini plant? If I start searching I will lose valuable time. I cannot afford to waste a moment or Laxman may not get his treatment in time.”
Hanuman was not going to let Lord Ram down. Nothing could stop him from serving Ram. He was determined to complete the task he had undertaken. Not wasting another moment, the strong and mighty Hanuman picked up the whole mountain in one hand and flew as fast as he could back to Ram. In the palm of one hand he carried Mount Dronagiri and under his other arm he continued to firmly hold the sun.
On reaching back he placed the mighty mountain before Sushena. The physician quickly picked all the sanjivini he required. Mixing it he used the medicinal plant effectively to cure Laxman. Within moments Laxman regained consciousness. Ram and the entire vanara army cheered with joy. In moments Laxman had regained his strength too. He was up and ready to fight his wicked enemies. Ram was so happy to see his brother alive and well. He rushed to Hanuman and hugged him and said, “I thank you and bless you for saving my brother. Hanuman you have once again proved your loyalty to me. Your love for me is truly unshakable and very deep. You crossed all the hurdles along the way. Nothing could deter you from completing the task that you had undertaken for me. You are by far my most faithful devotee.”
Hanuman was overjoyed to have been able to assist Ram and save Laxman. His greatest reward was to see that the worry lines from Lord Ram’s face had been replaced by smiles of joy and happiness.
Once Laxman’s life had been saved Hanuman went to the sun god and prostrated before him. He said, “Lord of the sun. I have come to beg you for forgiveness for forcibly covering you with my arms and holding back your bright rays of light. You are my respected teacher. You are the one who blessed me with as many as eight siddhas (powers) including that of mahima. I will always remain grateful to you for teaching me and blessing me. Please forgive me for the actions I was compelled to take.”
The sun god readily forgave Hanuman. Hanuman returned to Ram and together they went on to fight and win the great battle against Ravana. Everyone rejoiced as Ram was once again reunited with Sita.
LESSONS
1. Just as Hanuman got great happiness by helping Ram we too can get immense joy by helping others.
2. Hanuman was faced with several problems as he went on his search of the sanjivini plant but he never lost his determination or ever gave up. When we undertake any task we must be prepared to face obstacles and difficulties. If we do not lose heart and continue to persevere we will like Hanuman definitely succeed.
3. Just as the apsara warned Hanuman of Ravana’s evil plan those who do good often discover that they receive support or help from unexpected sources.
4. Hanuman wanted Ram to be happy. We too, like Hanuman, should try to keep those around us smiling and cheerful.
5. Despite his success Hanuman never lost his humility. He showed respect to the sun god and asked for forgiveness of him. We too must remember to always be grateful and respectful to those who have taught or helped us.
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