Rama Katha Rasa Vahini - Post 50

HANUMAN MEETS SITA

Sita speaks to Thrijata,

"Thrijata! Rama Himself must have sent you here to be one of this group that is around me. Truly, it is because there are a few women like you in this Lanka that unfortunate persons like me are able to sustain our chastity and virtue. Or else, what will be the fate of women like me? You heard, didn't you, the expressions Ravana used just now? He has given a month's respite. If Rama does not come within that month, I, or, rather, this body, will be cut to pieces and it will be plucked and eaten by vultures and crows. Being the consort of Rama, I can never tolerate that horrid fate for this body. Tell me some plan through which I can get rid of this body sooner." 

Hanuman heard these words from the branch of the tree; he was overcome by sorrow, when Sita spoke in that strain of despair. At this, Thrijata fell at Sita's Feet, and assured her, "Mother! Do not lose hope, Rama is no ordinary being. His might and majesty are unequalled. It will ever be so. You are certain to be saved by him. He will arrive very soon and hold your hand in his. Do not lose courage." She consoled her by loving words and left for home. 

Availing himself of this chance, Hanuman jumped from his perch to a lower branch; he dropped right before Sita the ring that was given by Rama; it fell shining like a flame of purest ray. And, he kept on repeating "Rama! Rama" in ecstatic bliss. When her eyes fell upon the ring, Sita was astonished at what she saw. "Is this true, or, am I dreaming? Can it be true? How can this golden ring worn on the golden finger of my Lord be found in Lanka? Is this Rakshasa magic or mere hallucination? ... No. I should not hesitate any longer, even after recognizing it as my Lord's to take it in my hand. It will be a sin if I refrain from handling it." 

So saying, she took it and placed it on her eyes in reverence. Tears of gratitude flowed from her eyes. "Rama! Are you granting me your Darsan, the joy of your presence through this ring?" she said and raised her head. 

There she saw a small monkey sitting on a branch of the tree

and reciting in deep devotion, "Rama, "Rama", continuously. In a flash, she remembered the incidents in Thrijata's dream as related by her. "Ah! Good days seem to be fast approaching. For ten long months, I have not heard the name of Rama pronounced in this Lanka. This day, I am able to see a living being reciting that holy name. I also received the dearly loved ring of my Lord," she exulted. She could not keep her joyful excitement down. Sita, who had not talked to any stranger for long, looked at the monkey-form and addressed it thus: "O monkey! Who are you? Wherefrom is this ring?" She could not put full trust in the monkey, for, she had been deceived for months by tricks of impersonation. 

She interrogated the monkey in various ways in order to verify his credentials. Off and on, she would ask the monkey about the welfare of Rama and at the very thought of His being alone, in the forest, tears would flow profusely from her eyes. Sita swung alternately between joy and grief. Hanuman watched her plight; he could not keep away from her the bond of love and loyalty that was holding him on to Rama. He related the dynastic story of Rama and His exploits, as well as his own story until he met Rama. When she listened to that story, she felt as happy as when Rama stood before her; she could picture Rama standing beside her at Ayodhya and in the forest retreats; she felt so thrilled that she forgot herself and her condition. 

Soon, she recovered consciousness and knew where she was. She said, "O Monkey! I am glad you told me all this; but, let me ask one question: How were you able to enter this heavily guarded city, in spite of your being only a weak little monkey? How could you escape being caught by these Rakshasas and succeed in spotting out this place and coming to me?" 

Hanuman replied, "Mother! What skill and strength have I? I am the servant of Rama, His slave. He makes me do everything He wants or likes. Without Him, I cannot survive even a moment. I am a doll in His hands. I play as He pulls the strings; I have no will of my own." Then, Hanuman elaborated on the glory of Rama and manifested his devotion and dedication in the most impressive manner. It was most thrilling to hear those words of his. 

Rama had told Hanuman for communication to Sita some incidents which no one else knew. He had said, "It may so happen that Sita may not believe your words; she may doubt your genuineness. Then, you can remind her of these events, which are known only to her and me." So, Hanuman began relating those special incidents. "Mother Sita! He has asked me to tell you of the attempts made by the wicked Crow to cause injury to you and of His attempt to save you and to kill that demon." 

At this, Sita wept aloud, saying "Hanuman! Why is Rama who was so kind to me then delaying to release me from this torture? Rama is the ocean of mercy. Yes. But why has he become so hard-hearted at my fate? No. No. I am wrong. Rama is the embodiment of compassion. He has to play a role that involves all this apparent hard-heartedness, that is all. Hanuman! You are no ordinary individual! For, Rama will not associate Himself so close with ordinary individuals. Nor will He send His ring with inferior persons. How fortunate you are to be His messenger! Show me once your full stature and form." 

Love.

Rama Katha Rasa Vahini - Post 49

HANUMAN MEETS VIBHISHANA

Hanuman entered Lanka, repeating 'Rama' 'Rama' 'Rama' with every breath. Still a thought tormented him. Who would give him the clue about where Sita was? How to identify Sita when one sees her? He adopted a subtle form to escape notice and moved from one tree-top to another. He roamed in the bazaars and among groups of Rakshasas, unknown to any one. 

Suddenly, his eyes fell upon a building that seemed a temple of Hari (Vishnu, whose Avatar Rama was). It had a garden of Tulsi plants all around it; over the entrance door, the name Hari was carved beautifully. The house was undoubtedly a Temple of God, Vishnu. Hanuman was surprised! "How came the name of Hari over this door?" he wondered, "Surely, this is a holy spot," he decided. 

The curiosity of Hanuman was awakened; he jumped on to the roof of that place and peeped through the window to find out what exactly was happening. Just at that moment, a person was stretching his limbs prior to rising from bed, pronouncing the Name of Hari. When that fell on his ears, Hanuman was extremely delighted. He was also emboldened when he knew that even in Lanka there were people reciting the name of Hari. 

So, he felt like searching for Sita with greater courage and less apprehension. "The man of this house appears to be devout and good. Perhaps, he may be able to tell me the where-abouts of Sita. He might be persuaded to befriend me since we are both loyal to the self-same Form of God". With this idea, Hanuman changed himself into a priest of the Brahmin caste, and made his entrance into that house. Though for a moment he had some doubt regarding the stranger, Vibhishana, the owner of the house, decided that, whoever he is, he surely must be honoured since he was a Brahmin; so, he came forward and prostrated before Hanuman. "Master! which is your native place ? Where are

you coming from? How could you avoid being noticed and harassed by the Rakshasas in the streets?" Vibhishana asked. He described to his guest the horrors indulged in by the Rakshasas and extolled the audacity and fearlessness of Hanuman. Hanuman replied, "I am a Servant of Hari. My name is Hanuman. I have come because Rama sent me," and he spoke thereafter of the virtues and excellences of Rama in some detail. Hanuman noticed that while he was describing Rama, tears rolled down the cheeks of Vibhishana. "O, What a happy day! How great is my fortune! As soon as I rose from bed, I could hear today these glorious words which bring peace and joy", thought Vibhishana to himself. 

Hanuman interpreted these incidents as the Grace of Rama. He was wonderstruck that in Lanka, the Land of Fear, there could be one such person soaked in Hari. He asked him, "Sir, how is it that you live without fear in this vile atmosphere?" 

Vibhishana replied "It is due to the Grace of God. For however long He resolves that we should live, we have to live that long; there is no escape. He is the master of the objective world and so, His law cannot be overruled, or changed by any one. Does not the tongue move about incessantly in the cavity of the mouth where teeth with sharp edges surround it? Who helps it to escape being bitten? So, too, I am living here. Enough about me; tell me on what task you have been sent here." 

Hanuman realized that he was a good man and that association with such men would without doubt yield good results. Before answering the queries of Vibhishana, he repeated the Name many times in joyful gratitude, Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram, and prayed for permission to disclose his mission to the pious pure-minded Vibhishana. He felt it would not be correct to hide things from him. As a preliminary, he asked, "Sir, what is your name? What are you doing in this Lanka?" 

Touched by the humility and good manners of Hanuman, Vibhishana replied, "Sir, I am an unfortunate person, the brother of Ravana. My name is Vibhishana. I am in a pathetic fix, for I am unable to recite the Name of Hari, to my heart's content." Hearing this Hanuman felt he had his answer. 

He performed one high skip in joy and said, "I am a Messenger of Rama. I have come in search of Sita." In an instant, Vibhishana fell at the feet of Hanuman and asked, "Sir, where is my Rama now? I am yearning long to see Him, but I lack the virtues that alone can entitle me to that gift. My tribe is the demonic Rakshasa tribe. Can I have the chance to have His Darsan? I have not engaged myself in Sadhana; I have no freedom here to practice austerities and rites. I have earned no right to the good fortune. Will I be blessed by Rama?" Listening to his appeal, the heart of Hanuman melted in sympathy. 

Love.

Rama Katha Rasa Vahini - Post 48

HANUMAN STARTS FOR LANKA

Jambavantha addressed them thus. "Friends! Old age has overwhelmed me; my skill and strength have declined. Somehow prodded by the joy of executing the commands of Rama and encouraged by His Blessings, I have been able to stay on till now and move about with you. I was in full possession of my strength and intelligence, and in the best adult stage of life, when the Lord incarnated as Vamana  and demonstrated His Trivikrama Form." 

Hearing this, the Vanaras gathered around the Crown Prince of their kingdom, Angada. "O Prince", they pleaded, "Search for some feasible means. Decide who amongst us has to attempt to leap over the ocean." Then, Angada called together a full session of all the Vanaras and announced that he would like to know the capacity of each for this enterprise. At this, Vikata rose and said, "I can leap over thirty yojanas at the most." Nila declared, "Prince! I can manage to leap at one jump forty yojanas, but I regret I will not be able to exceed the distance by even a finger-breadth". Durdhara rose next, and said that he could easily jump a distance of fifty yojanas. Nala came forward and with great flourishing of hands, he said he could jump sixty yojanas. While such competitive boasting and parading of skills were going on, Angada declared, "Listen, I can leap over this ocean once, but I have my doubts whether I would have enough strength left to leap back. One has not only to reach the other shore; one has to fight with the Rakshasas there, if need arises. That would make me still weaker and I would have no strength left. I am afraid my resources won't last so long and for all these three operations." 

When Angada spoke in these depressing terms, the leading Vanara elders rose as one and pleaded, "Prince! You are the heir-apparent to our kingdom. The discussion whether you are capable or not, to take up this mission is irrelevant. It is not right and proper that you should cross over to the land of Rakshasas; it is against the canons of royalty. This is a task which you have to assign to some servant of the kingdom. When you have millions of servants eager to do what you bid, it is not right that you should consider undertaking this task." 

Jambavantha suggested that some one else might be charged with the errand and Angada looked around, and looking at Hanuman, he said, "0 Son of the Wind-God, you are the dedicated servant of Rama. Your devotion is indeed deep. You were blessed first among all of us with the Darsan of Rama. Through your intelligence, diplomacy and moral pressure, you established friendship between Rama and our ruler, Sugriva. And, now, you are observing silence, when we are involved with difficulties in the execution of the mission of Rama. I find it difficult to understand the meaning of this silence." 

Angada extolled Hanuman still further and said, "There is no adventure that you cannot tackle successfully. You are strong, you are highly intelligent. You are endowed with all the virtues. Evaluate your own skills, capacities and excellences, and rise." The words of Angada filled Hanuman with his erstwhile strength. He rose with a sudden gesture and said. 

"0 Vanaras! Wait here, all of you, awaiting my return. Wandering all these days through hills and dales, jungles and plains you have had no time to rest awhile. Eat the fruits and tubers available in this area and station yourselves here. I shall, this instant, leap over the ocean, enter Lanka, see Sita and come back. I have no other work than carrying out the command of Rama. How else can we make our lives worth-while than by earning His Grace?" 

With these words, he raised his folded palms in salutation before the vast gathering of monkeys. He took leave of Angada, the Crown Prince. The monkey hordes were raising in unison the exultant cry, "Jai Rama". "Victory to Rama". Hanuman pictured in his mind the glorious Form of Rama, and, with one leap into the sky, he was off over the sea. Unable to withstand the tremendous airflow caused by his leap and flight, trees on the hills were uprooted and carried along. The impact of his leap was so great that the peak on which he stood sank into the nether regions. 

Seeing him fly across, the sea thought within itself thus: "This Hanuman is a servant of Rama; he is proceeding on the mission of Rama. Ah! How lucky is he! He has the strength and intelligence necessary to win victory in that mission of Rama; he is indeed the foremost among the devotees of Rama". 

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Dear All,

In this post, Hanuman teaches mankind on "SELF CONFIDENCE" in "SURRENDER".

Hanuman did not know the length and breadth of the Sea. Hanuman had not seen Sita before. Hanuman had no idea of how daunting the task would be.

But, when it came to his Lord's task, Hanuman did not think even for a moment. 

He just gets up and starts the journey. 

This is "SELF CONFIDENCE" when we have surrendered to the Lord fully.

Actually, there is no one left in Hanuman to think / to be aware of his SELF CONFIDENCE but the world sees him and hails his confidence, his surrender and his Love for Rama!!!!

Love.