Hanuman

“ The horse broke away and went to his stables; so Strickland and I formed a Guard of Dishonour to take Fleete home.
Our road lay through the bazaar, close to a little temple of Hanuman, the Monkey-god, who is a leading divinity worthy of respect. All gods have good points, just as have all priests. Personally, I attach much importance to Hanuman, and am kind to his people—the great gray apes of the hills. One never knows when one may want a friend. ”

“ The priests of Hanuman gave all they had—care, patience, tenderness, even their lives, to the monkey people. There were no two ways about the mahouts; they loved the elephants reverently; even regarding them as beings more exalted than men. As for the holy men—the sign manual of their order was love for all creatures. No, there was no getting away from the fact that you must give yourself to a thing if you want to know it. . . . Skag would come up breathless out of this contemplation—only to find it was the easiest thing he did—to love wild animals. ”

“ O powerful one, on thy having become our protector, the Pandavas have found help. Even by thy prowess shall we conquer all foes.” Thus addressed, Hanuman said unto Bhimasena, ‘From fraternal feeling and affection, I will do good unto thee, by diving into the army of thy foes copiously furnished with arrows and javelins. And, O highly powerful one, O hero, when thou shall give leonine roars, then shall I with my own, add force to shouts. Remaining on the flagstaff of Arjuna’s car will I emit fierce shouts that will damp the energy of thy foes. ”

“ Half of its length has wasted away in the course of the ages, but the other ten miles of it remain in the plain by Govardhun to this day as proof of the might of the inspiration of our gods. You must know, yourself, that Hanuman could not have carried those mountains to Ceylon except by the strength of the gods. You know that it was not done by his own strength, therefore, you know that it was done by the strength of the gods, just as you know that Samson carried the gates by the divine strength and not by his own. ”

“ The oldest and best of all Sanskrit dramas, Hanuman-Natak, is ascribed to this talented forefather of ours.
Alas! gone is the glorious time when, proud of our white skin (which after all may be nothing more than the result of a fading, under the influences of our northern sky) , we looked down upon Hindus and other "niggers" with a feeling of contempt well suited to our own magnificence. No doubt Sir William Jones's soft heart ached, when translating from the Sanskrit such humiliating sentences as the following: "Hanuman is said to be the forefather of the Europeans." ”

“ Thereat, the heroic Hanumān spoke unto her staying in front of him,—"I shall tell thee all about that anent which thou questionest me. Who art thou that having deformed eyes stayest at the gate of this city? And what for, O frightful one, dost thou rail at me in wrath?" Hearing Hanumān's speech, Lankā, capable of wearing forms at will, waxing wroth addressed the Wind-god's offspring, saying,—"I, who am incapable of being repressed, abiding by the mandate of the high-souled sovereign of the Rākshasas, protect this city. Thou art unable to enter this city, passing me by. ”

“ O thou, rigidly observing any religious vow or obligation, forsooth hath Hanumān beheld the worshipful dame and none else. No other wight is so qualified an instrument in encompassing this end. O thou of excellent intellect, Hanumān knoweth the art of success, is gifted with intellect, perseverance and courage and is versed in Sastras. That work cannot fail, which is worked out by Jambavān and Angada and presided over by Hanumān. Be not laden with anxiety, O thou of unmitigated prowess. These monkeys have come here excited with pride and drink. ”

“ But why do ye intend to discomfit (Rāma) , who is vigilant, who desireth victory, who is strong in the Divine strength, who hath subdued passion, and who is hard to subdue? Who had in this world ever thought of or reasoned about Hanumān's career over the dreadful deep, the lord of streams and rivers? O rangers of the night, the strength and prowess (of the foe) being immeasurable, ye should by no means recklessly disregard him. And what was the wrong that formerly had been done by Rāma unto the king of the Rākshasas, that he hath carried off from Janasthāna the spouse of that illustrious one? ”

“ They entered a court paved with marble which gleamed whitely in the starlight. A short flight of broad marble steps led up to the pillared portico. The great bronze doors stood wide open as they had stood for centuries. But no worshippers burnt incense within. In the day men and women might come timidly into the shrine and place offerings to the ape-god on the black altar. At night the people shunned the temple of Hanuman as hares shun the lair of the serpent. ”

“ Hearing this speech of Sitā, Hanumān, son unto the Wind-god, with his joined hands raised to his head, said,—"Soon shall Kākutstha come, surrounded by the foremost monkeys and bears; and, vanquishing the foe in fight, shall remove thy grief. Find I none either among men, or Asuras, or celestials, that dares remain before him as he discharges his shafts. For thee, in especial, he can stand in conflict even the Sun, Indra, nay—Yama himself, that offspring of the Sun. For thee, he prepareth himself to conquer the Earth bounded by the main; and victory, thou daughter of Janaka, shall be Rāma's." ”

“ For charlatans are more at home and able
Where all clear outlines ’neath a dappled haze
Subtract themselves from critics’ serious gaze.
But let us soberly review this fable:
I honour Hanuman, his fame assert,
Truth, though, will ne’er diminish his desert;
In Rama, in man’s form, god being embodied,
And not in ape, to man the preference gave.
This man a warrior was, with whom a brave
But mere ally, the apish hero plodded.
Apes’ prior claims! ’tis a mere craze that haunts him,
And in the magic bridge he vainly vaunts him ”

“ The whole of this narrow street, which is long and leads all the way to the river, had been paved with flagstones by one, Gobordhour Dass, as an offering to Kali.
Juggernaut, Hanuman, and in addition to these Hindoo deities—Buddha—I saw together in one shrine. On the bank of the river are {121} some large houses for pilgrims, painted all over with various subjects. Kali, holding her head in two of her four hands, spouts blood in tall fountains: Hanuman, the monkey god, fights with the eagle god, and the wife of Vishnu plays peacefully with her husband's legs. ”

“ Unfortunately the giants succeeded in catching Hanuman and the brothers, and the former they decided to put to death. They were setting about this when the god cried out, "Oh! that is not the way. You must collect a lot of cotton wool, soak it in oil, put it round us in a ring, and then set fire to it." This the giants did, but the cotton had scarcely begun to burn when Hanuman caught up the two brothers and Sita, and with one great bound leapt outside the circle of cotton and ring of gazing giants and took them back to Jesrat's kingdom.
The Jackal and the Crocodile. ”

“ There was a light in the temple, and as we passed we could hear voices of men chanting hymns. In a native temple the priests rise at all hours of the night to do honour to their god. Before we could stop him, Fleete dashed up the steps, patted two priests on the back, and was gravely grinding the ashes of his cigar-butt in to the forehead of the red stone image of Hanuman. ”

“ And Rama also, from this, guessed that the princess of Mithila had been seen. Then Hanuman and the other monkeys, having refreshed themselves thus, came towards their king, who was then staying with Rama and Lakshmana. And, O Bharata, observing the gait of Hanuman and the colour of his face, Rama was confirmed in the belief that Hanuman had really seen Sita. Then those successful monkeys with Hanuman at their head, duly bowed unto Rama and Lakshmana and Sugriva. And Rama then taking up his bow and quiver, addressed those monkeys, saying, "Have you been successful? Will ye impart life unto me? ”

“ When Sita is left alone, Hanuman, in the guise of a tiny monkey, climbs down to her side, exhibits Rama's ring, which he has brought as a token, and receives from her in return a jewel, after he has assured her that she will soon be delivered. ”

“ This impiety, say the Brahmans, is merely the effect of ignorance. Foreigners are apt to mistake a hanuman for a common yahoo, a filthy, impudent bush-whacker, while the facts are as follows: The hanuman is a lineal descendant of the great hero-ape who helped the Light-gods in suppressing the power of Ravan, the prince of darkness. ”

“ Give thy head and regard not human opinion.
The Guru, faith, truth, and the capital of God's name are necessary for salvation:—
Without the Guru there is no divine knowledge, without faith no meditation;
Without truth there is no credit, and without capital no balance.
If Ram had been God he would not have lost his queen Sita, and he would himself have healed his half-brother Lachhman instead of calling on Hanuman to do so:—
Ram Chandar mourned in his soul for Sita and Lachhman:
He remembered Hanuman, [5] and he came to meet him. ”

“ Hanuman again has recourse to the earlier stratagem, becomes small and slips into her body, but hardly is he there than he grows to a gigantic mass, swells up, tears her, kills her, and in that way makes his escape. ”

“ In their rigging, now of sportive apes a
Family their giddy dances run,
Sacred and descendants of the fabled
Hanuman, with whom the great one Vishnu,
Taking on himself the form of Rama,
Lanek, isle of giants, proudly won.
Here, in former times, these sacred monkeys
In a lordly church were fondly cherished
By the tender care of pious Hindoos,
’Neath the goddess Durga’s patron hand:
But when Church and city fell to ruin,
By the guile of wicked foes deflowered,
They remained above the ruined city
Only dwellers in that lonely land. ”

“ Even if he be a great man he may be called mean. The praise-worthy works of Hanumān—the crossing of the deep and the devastation of Lankā, have been crowned with success to-day. The labour of Sugriva with his army, who displayed valour in the encounter and gave me good counsels, hath borne fruit to-day. To-day also the labour of Bibhishana hath borne fruit—who renouncing his brother, devoid of all good qualities, came to my side". Hearing those words of Rāma, Sitā began to look wistfully like a hind, with eyes full of tears. ”

“ Thereupon, with a glad heart assuming the semblance of a man and stationing himself upon his own summit, that mountain-chief addressed Hanumān, saying, "O best of monkeys, forsooth hast thou been engaged in this arduous task. Coming down on my peak do thou take rest. This ocean was reared by one born in the family of Raghus. And beholding thee engaged on Rāma's behoof he is worshipping thee. The best and everlasting virtue consists in returning benefits unto one who hath benefitted us. Bent on returning benefits unto Raghu's race, he deserveth respect from thee. ”

“ He found the demon god in his apartments, surrounded by beautiful women, but Sita was not among them. Continuing his search, he at last discovered her, her beauty dimmed by grief, seated under a tree in a beautiful asoka grove, guarded by hideous rakshasas with the faces of buffaloes, dogs, and swine.
Assuming the form of a tiny monkey, Hanuman crept down the tree, and giving her the ring of Rama, took one from her. He offered to carry her away with him, but Sita declared that Rama must himself come to her rescue. ”

“ And these highly powerful ones, having huge persons, resembling the Mount Mandara, covered the welkin as if like so many mad elephants. They carried, as it were with their own looks, the highly powerful Hanumān, gifted with great velocity, having control over his own self, and adored by the Siddhas. They were resolved upon satisfying Rāma's end and acquiring glory for themselves. Their desires were satisfied and mind elevated in consequence of their beholding Sitā and burning down Lankā. ”

“ Hanumān.Hanumān, the monkey-god, has been already referred to as a great devotee of Vishnu intimately connected with the incarnation Rāma-avatār. In Southern India he is very popular, even insignificant villages containing a shrine for Hanumān. He is represented in two postures. [26] When included in the group of Rāma, Lakshmana and Sitā, he stands at a distance on one side, or opposite to them, in a humble and devotional attitude, with the two hands folded together, the tail hanging down close to his feet. [27] In shrines exclusively ”

“ The two brothers went on, seeking, seeking everywhere for Sita, but could find no trace of her. After long searching, they came across a group of "monkeys", and in the midst of them was Hanumân, the "divine monkey". Hanuman, the best of the monkeys, became the most faithful servant of Rama and helped him in rescuing Sita, as we shall see later on. His devotion to Rama was so great that he is still worshipped by the Hindus as the ideal of a true servant of the Lord. You see, by the "monkeys" and "demons" are meant the aborigines of South India. ”

“ It is not that one should hate, or even criticize, the ideals of other people; he knows they are all right. But, at the same time, he must stick to his own ideal very strictly.
There is a story of Hanumân, who was a great worshipper of Râma. Just as the Christians worship Christ as the incarnation of God, so the Hindus worship many incarnations of God. According to them, God came nine times in India and will come once more. When he came as Rama, this Hanuman was his great worshipper. Hanuman lived very long and was a great Yogi. ”