Hanuman

by Vanamali

  There is another story connected with these three in which Krishna employed Hanuman to destroy their pride. In this story, Sathyabhama, Krishna’s proud consort, demanded to have some flowers from Rama’s sacred grove in the Himalayas, which was guarded by Hanuman. Krishna sent Garuda to get the flowers, but he was challenged by Hanuman, who stopped him from entering.

  “These flowers are meant only for Rama and Sita,” he said.

  Garuda did not bother to answer him but charged into the grove to pick the flowers. Hanuman simply picked him up and crushed him under his armpit. He flew to Dwaraka so fast that he created quite a tempest, which terrified the citizens. Seeing Hanuman in the sky, they thought he was some demon and ran to Krishna to ask him to protect them. Though he knew who it was, Krishna threw his discus, Sudarshana, to stop him. Hanuman calmly tucked it into his other armpit and landed on the roof of the palace, terrifying the people inside. Krishna explained to them that this was Hanuman, a great devotee of Rama, and if he wasn’t pacified he would destroy Dwaraka as he had destroyed Lanka. He told Sathyabhama to dress like Sita, but she took so long that he called Rugmani and asked her to take on Sita’s form. She immediately closed her eyes and begged Krishna to allow her to take on the correct form of his beloved in another age, and thus she was a true replica of Sita.

  Krishna himself donned Rama’s garb and the two of them approached Hanuman, who immediately bowed and placed the flowers at their feet.

  Krishna welcomed Maruti and hugged him, and then, with a twinkle in his eye, he asked Hanuman what he was hiding beneath his armpits.

  Maruti replied, “A bird came to my Lord’s garden and tried to pick flowers, and then when I arrived here some sort of metal wheel tried to stop me, so I took both of them under my armpits.”

  So saying he produced the bird and the wheel and placed them before Krishna. Both of them looked very crestfallen with their pride duly humbled. Sathyabhama found to her chagrin that Rugmani had already masqueraded as Sita with no difficulty at all. She also realized that the whole drama had been arranged by her Lord to destroy her pride.

  Whoever recites this a hundred times,

  Is released from bondage and gains bliss.

  HANUMAN CHALISA BY TULSIDAS

  Aum Sri Hanumathe Namaha!

  Aum Veeraaya Namaha!

  34

  Bhima

  The Mahabharata

  Tava maya bas firaum bhulaana,

  Ta te me nahi prabhu pahichata.

  Overpowered by your maya,

  I as a jiva forgot my real nature.

  Hence I could not recognize thee, O Lord, appearing in human form.

  RAMACHARITAMANAS BY TULSIDAS

  Since he was a chiranjeevi, Hanuman lived through many eons. The Treta Yuga in which he was born gave place to the Dwapara Yuga, and Vishnu, who had incarnated himself as Rama in Treta became Krishna in Dwapara. As predicted by Krishna, Hanuman made many appearances in the yuga known as Dwapara and was given a chance to help the Pandavas.

  In the Bhagavad Gita, one of the great philosophical works of human history, Krishna proclaimed that every time the law of cosmic righteousness declined in the world, he would incarnate himself to uplift dharma and punish those who did not uphold it. In this fight against adharma, Krishna’s chosen instruments were the Pandavas, who belonged to the Kuru dynasty, which was the ruling dynasty of that time. They were five in number and had extremely noble qualities. The eldest was called Yudhistira, and he was actually the heir to the throne of the Kurus. Bhima was the second and Arjuna the third, while Nakula and Sahadeva were the fourth and fifth. However, their cousins, who numbered one hundred and were the sons of their uncle, Dritarashtra, were bent on destroying them and denying their rightful heritage to the throne. The Mahabharata, written by the sage Vyasa, is mainly the story of the events leading up to the battle between these two sets of cousins known as the Pandavas and the Kauravas. In this battle Krishna sided with the Pandavas and thus they were able to overcome the Kauravas, even though the latter were superior in numbers. Krishna became the charioteer of Arjuna and helped him to win the war. The Bhagavad Gita is the discourse given by Krishna to Arjuna at the beginning of the war and is one of the greatest scriptures in Hinduism.

  Each of the five Pandavas is said to have been fathered by a celestial. Bhima, who was the strongest, claimed Vayu as his father. In this way Hanuman was Bhima’s brother, since he was also Vayu-putra (son of Vayu).

  The five brothers had been cheated at a dice game and banished by the Kauravas to the forest, where they had to spend fourteen years. Arjuna had gone into the deep recesses of the upper Himalayan ranges in order to do tapas to Lord Shiva to get the boon of his divine weapons. The other four brothers, accompanied by their wife Draupadi, followed him and came to these remote regions. The sage Lomasha was the one who led them on along this dangerous path where the cruel winds howl and storms constantly ravage the slopes. Draupadi fainted during one of these storms. Yudhistira was anxious to return, but Bhima insisted that they should go forward and summoned his rakshasa son, Gatotkacha, who took the exhausted Pandavas through the air to Badarikashrama, the abode of the great sages Nara and Narayana. Here they rested for six days. It was here that Draupadi saw a thousand-petalled lotus that was drifting in the wind. The divine perfume made her reel and she begged Bhima to get more for her.

  Bhima was ever ready to do her bidding and departed, roaring and beating a path for himself with his mace through the jungle and destroying much of the flora. He blew his conch loudly and slapped his thighs like a wrestler. Hanuman was living in this forest and heard this commotion. He decided to curb his brother’s pride.

  After walking a long way, Bhima climbed a high ridge and discovered a beautiful orchard of banana trees that seemed to stretch on forever. He plunged through this like a maddened elephant, shattering and uprooting trees and terrifying the animals and birds. Suddenly in the middle of his path he saw a huge, golden-colored monkey with amber eyes, languidly feeding on the bananas. He heard the commotion made by Bhima’s passage and thumped his tail on the ground, producing a sound like thunder. Bhima also heard the sound and considered it a challenge. He charged forward and soon came face-to-face with the monkey, who was lying right across his path.

  “His short, thick neck lay on the cross of his arms, his waist over his hips looked slender below his towering shoulder, and he shone as with a flag with his erect, long-haired tail that was slightly bent at the end. His face like the beaming moon showed red lips, a mouth with copper red tongue, pink ears, darting brows and round-tipped protruding tusks. The brilliant white teeth inside his mouth shed luster on it and a massive mane crowned it like a mass of ashoka blossoms. Thus he sat, resplendent amidst the golden banana trees, ablaze with his beauty like a blazing fire, staring fearlessly from honey-yellow eyes.” This is the description of Hanuman as given by Vyasa in the Mahabharata.

  The monkey chided Bhima for his lack of consideration for the creatures of the forest, but the arrogant Bhima merely ordered him to get out of the way or else he would be the next to suffer from the effects of his wrath. The monkey protested weakly that he was too old and tired to move but that he could jump over him if he wished.

  Bhima protested, “I believe the divine to be present in all creatures, even an old and prostrate monkey like you, so I will not commit such an act. Otherwise I would have leaped over you as easily as Hanuman once leaped over the sea.”

  The old monkey’s eyes gleamed momentarily and he asked in a weak voice. “Hanuman! Who might that be?”

  Bhima replied scornfully, “Everyone knows that Hanuman was the great bhakta of Lord Rama and was the son of Vayu, and therefore my own half-brother! As for me, I am Bhima, second of the great Pandavas. Demons tremble at the mention of my name and poets write odes to my strength. Now get up before I kick you aside!”

  The monkey seemed unimpressed by all this and languidly continued to peel another banana. He said in a weak voice, “I’m too tired to mo
ve, but if you like, you can remove my tail from your path. If you feel you can’t do this, then have a banana since it’s sure to give you strength!”

  Bhima was enraged by this, but he did not like to step over the tail nor did he want to touch it, so he decided to lift it a little with his mace and toss it and the monkey high into the air! When he tried to shove his mace beneath the tail, he found to his surprise that it was hard as iron and when he tried to lift it he nearly fell. He strained until sweat poured down his face and the veins bulged on his forehead. It was only then that he realized that this was no puny monkey as he had thought but some powerful being, much more powerful than him. His pride was duly humbled and he stood before the monkey with folded palms and begged him to reveal his identity.

  “Surely you are no ordinary monkey but some god in monkey form. Kindly deign to tell me your name.”

  Hanuman got up and said, “I am Hanuman, son of Vayu, and you are my brother. I have been lying here waiting for you as I wanted to meet you.”

  Bhima was overjoyed to hear this, and the two brothers hugged each other with great affection. Bhima told Hanuman that he had been his hero since childhood and that he had always wanted to see him. The brothers embraced each other once again and Hanuman asked Bhima why he was wandering around that lonely forest. Bhima told him that he had come to get the mysterious flower with an intoxicating perfume for his wife Draupadi.

  Hanuman said, “The golden lotuses bloom in the lake of Kubera, king of yakshas. It is closely guarded by them. You’ll have to fight with them if you want to get the flowers.”

  Bhima replied, “I’m willing to fight anyone to get the flower for Draupadi. With your blessings, I’m sure I’ll be successful.” Hanuman then blessed him and told him to go to the pond and mention his name to the yakshas, and they would gladly give him as many flowers as he wanted.

  Bhima now had another request. “I have always pictured you in your youthful form when you crossed the ocean to find Sita. Please bless me with this vision.”

  Hanuman said, “That form belonged to the age known as Treta. Now it is the Dwapara Yuga. Even though I’m immortal I have to conform to the standards of the current age. Moreover, if I were to assume that form by which I crossed the ocean, you will not be able to endure it.”

  However, Bhima continued to plead for this vision and finally Hanuman relented. Before he had finished speaking, he changed from an old, gray-bearded monkey to a young and handsome simian. He then started to grow in size before Bhima’s astonished gaze until it appeared as if his head would touch the skies. Bhima could hardly see the top of his head, which was as radiant as another sun, so much so that he had to close his eyes as he couldn’t bear to gaze at that effulgence. He fell at his feet and begged him to return to his former size. Hanuman resumed his usual form and blessed Bhima, warning him against wanton acts of violence. He told him the secrets of Kubera’s lake and offered him a boon. He said that he would destroy the Kauravas and return the kingdom to the brothers if he so wished. Bhima replied that just by meeting him, he was assured of success. Hanuman promised to be present on Arjuna’s standard and in Bhima’s battle cry. With these words, he disappeared. A wiser and more chastened Bhima found his way to the lake and was able to get the flowers and return to Draupadi without any further mishap.

  There is another interesting story of how Hanuman met Arjuna, who was the middle brother among the Pandavas. He was the one to whom Lord Krishna gave the advice of the Bhagavad Gita on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. During the battle Arjuna’s pennon had Hanuman sitting on it. There is an interesting story connected with this incident.

  During their fourteen years of exile Arjuna went to the Himalayas in order to do tapas and propitiate Lord Shiva so that he could get a divine weapon from him, for he knew that a battle between his brothers and his cousins was inevitable. Once while roaming in the forest, he came across a most distinguished-looking monkey meditating under a tree. He was struck by his looks and sat close to him, waiting for him to open his eyes. At last the monkey opened his eyes and Arjuna asked him who he was and why he was meditating here.

  The monkey answered, “A monkey’s natural habitat is the jungle. I am Hanuman, the servant of Lord Rama. Now would you care to introduce yourself?”

  Arjuna went up and touched Hanuman’s feet, saying, “I am indeed fortunate to have met you. I’m Arjuna, the middle one [sibling] among the Pandavas. I have come here to meditate and propitiate Lord Shiva and gain some weapons from him. I am glad to have met you, for I have one doubt about Rama. I have heard that he was a great archer and I’m wondering how he could not have constructed a bridge of arrows across the straits instead of having to take the help of monkeys to bring stones and rocks.”

  Hanuman could hear the arrogance underlying Arjuna’s question. It was as if he wanted to prove his superiority as an archer. Hanuman replied, “Making a bridge of arrows would have been a simple task for my Lord, but remember hundreds of gigantic monkeys would have had to cross the bridge, and it’s very doubtful whether a bridge of arrows could have supported their weight.”

  Arjuna replied proudly, “I’m sure I could easily make a bridge that would hold the weight of any number of monkeys.”

  Hanuman said with a smile, “Here is a pond. Why don’t you go ahead and make a bridge of arrows over it? If it can take just my weight, I’ll be satisfied and acknowledge your claim. If, however, it doesn’t stand my weight, what will you do?”

  Arjuna said scornfully, “I’m quite sure the bridge won’t break with your weight, but if it does, I promise to immolate myself in the fire. Now tell me what you will do if the bridge holds your weight?”

  Hanuman said, “If you prove successful, I promise to sit on your flag in the coming war and lead you to victory.”

  Without wasting time in more words, Arjuna lifted his legendary bow, the Gandiva, reached into his inexhaustible quiver and started shooting arrows with lightning speed. He linked them and thus created within moments a marvelous span across the lake. Mightily pleased with his feat, he stepped aside and invited Hanuman to walk over it. Hanuman said he would prefer to test the bridge with one foot rather than walk on it and fall into the cold water. Arjuna was furious when he heard this but contained his anger and watched while Hanuman advanced and put one foot gingerly on the bridge. To Arjuna’s utter astonishment, the bridge immediately shuddered, cracked and disintegrated and the arrows fell one after the other into the pool! He couldn’t believe that just one monkey’s foot was enough to make his splendid bridge collapse.

  “Now Arjuna,” Hanuman asked, “if your bridge can’t stand the weight of my one little paw, how do you think it could have withstood the weight of hundreds of monkeys?”

  Arjuna was totally demoralized. However, he was determined to keep his word. Silently he collected firewood and made a pyre. Just as he was about to jump in, he was stopped by a yogi with matted hair, carrying a staff and water pot.

  “You are young and intelligent, as I can see by looking at you. Tell me why you have decided to immolate yourself.”

  Arjuna told him the whole story and the celibate turned to Hanuman and asked, “Did you have a third person to witness this pledge? In such cases of life and death, it’s always normal to have a witness.”

  Hanuman shook his head and said that in this case there was no need for a witness since he quite believed that Arjuna was an honorable man who would keep his word. The yogi insisted that a witness was always necessary in these dire cases and suggested that Arjuna should be allowed to make another bridge and the whole experiment repeated with him as witness. Both of them agreed and once again Arjuna took up his bow, but before starting he made a silent prayer to Krishna to help him. He then made another bridge even stronger than the previous one. Hanuman put his right foot forcibly down on the bridge at one side but found to his astonishment that the bridge hardly quivered. He then started to walk over it with no problem at all. He turned around and came to the middle and jumped up and
down on it with all his force, and still the bridge did not stir. He expanded his size and brought his full force down with a crash. The bridge did not stir. He was really puzzled. He thought for a while and knelt down and peered under the bridge and was amazed to find a huge tortoise upholding it. He then turned around to look at the sannyasin and saw instead Lord Krishna looking teasingly at him.

  Hanuman ran and prostrated himself to him. He realized that his Rama was standing before him in the form of Krishna and that he had taken on his incarnation as the tortoise in order to uphold Arjuna’s bridge and stop him from immolating himself. The same love that Rama had for Hanuman, Krishna had for Arjuna.

  Seeing the beloved form of his friend before him, Arjuna also came running and hugged him. He realized that once again, Krishna had come to his aid as he had done many times before. Krishna raised him up, looked lovingly at him and said, “Remember Arjuna, that pride should always be curbed. You would have had to pay a heavy price for your arrogance had I not come in time.”

  Arjuna hung his head in shame and promised to curb his pride in future. He turned to Hanuman and begged his pardon for having questioned his Lord’s ability.