A Spirited Debate

“The well-wishers were happy and the enemies had crying faces. The poets describe the scene of the raising of the bow as being like a pond in the morning filled with so many chakava and chakora birds and kairava and kamala flowers.” (Janaki Mangala, Chand 13.2)

hita mudita anahita rūdita mukha chabi kahata kabi dhanu jāga kī |
janu bhora cakka cakora kairava saghana kamala taḍāga kī ||

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You’re at the local bar, watching the big game with a bunch of friends.  There are strangers there as well. The game is the biggest of the year; all eyes are on it. Each person watching has their own interest. There are the fans of the respective teams. There are the gamblers who have money riding on the outcome. There are also those who know one or several of the participants in some way. Some have a positive viewpoint in this regard, while others have a negative one. When the event is over, when the outcome is known, there will surely be some discussion. And the opinions are sure to vary. Some will be happy, while others will not. A long time ago, with the cracking of a bow that was heard around the world, the same variety in opinion was seen. The wise poet compared it to what is seen in a pond in the morning.

Goswami Tulsidas is the poet here, and he refers to a poet describing the event. Tulsidas is famous in India, where he is hailed as a saint by many and appreciated by countless others for his poetic ability. He himself was only interested in devotional service, the highest occupation for man. Worship of God is not monolithic, and it is not exclusive to any one region. There are many worshipers of the Supreme Lord in His personal incarnation of Shri Rama, but not all of them follow the same path. Some choose to meditate quietly on Rama’s form. Others like to remember His pastimes, while others enjoy describing His glories to others.

Tulsidas was so immersed in thoughts of Rama that he enjoyed writing wonderful devotional poetry about Him. As Rama’s many names were required in this endeavor, the poet was automatically a dependent on the sound vibration representation of the Supreme Lord. As these poems described Rama’s pastimes, Tulsidas also regularly remembered Rama’s activities. As the poet injected his own opinions, which are merely new expressions on the same truths that exist eternally, he also participated in glorifying Rama.

From this verse from the poet’s Janaki Mangala, we get a mental picture of what the scene was like when Rama lifted and broke Lord Shiva’s bow. Why would Rama do such a thing? Actually, everyone assembled in Janakpur that day was waiting for someone to lift Shiva’s bow. That darn thing was so heavy that no one could even move it. All any of the princes had to do was lift it and string it to win the contest.

The prize warranted the massive attendance. So many princes from around the world arrived so that they could have their chance to win the hand of Sita Devi, the beautiful daughter of King Janaka. The anticipation reached a crescendo when Rama, the eldest son of King Dasharatha, took His turn. Of all the princes there, Rama seemed the least likely to win. He was so beautiful, and young too. He was a teenager, while the bow was like a mountain. Granted, so many of the spectators, including Sita and Janaka, wanted Rama to win, but there was the quiet fear that it just wasn’t going to happen.

With God, one should always expect the unexpected. When the unexpected does arrive, however, the emotions are always stronger. Since we know that Rama is God based on the statements of the Vedas and their authority figures, the tendency is to think first of the positive reactions to Rama’s feat. He lifted the bow without a problem and broke it while trying to string it. This was the same bow that no one else could move. Obviously Sita was happy, as were the other well-wishers. The king, the queen and their attendants were thrilled. The people of Janakpur were happy as well. But there were enemies watching too. They weren’t pleased. They had crying faces.

We get this mental picture from the first line of the above referenced verse. To give us more clarity, poets often invoke analogies. Here Tulsidas says that a poet would liken the scene to a pond in the morning. This particular pond would be filled with chakka and chakora birds and kairava and kamala flowers. These birds and flowers are referenced quite often in Vedic literature, especially with respect to the Supreme Lord and His pastimes. The saints who composed these works also often lived in the forests, so they would witness so much in nature and tie what they saw to God. This is how one truly becomes one with the nature around them. Everything is God, but at the same time everything is separate from the Lord. The simultaneous oneness and difference is best understood when everything around us is used in glorifying God, an act which is part of serving Him, which is the soul’s constitutional engagement.

“Because the blue lotus flower blossoms with the rising of the sun, the sun is the friend of the blue lotus. The chakravaka birds also appear when the sun rises, and therefore the chakravakas and blue lotuses meet.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Antya 18.98 Purport)

The birds and flowers mentioned are opposite in behavior. The chakkas, which are often referred to as chakravakas, are like geese. These birds particularly prefer the morning time, when the sun rises. This is the time period used in the analogy. The chakoras, on the other hand, prefer the moon. Shri Rama appeared in the solar dynasty, and in this instance the breaking of the bow was like the sun rising for Janaka and family. It was also the beginning of the marriage of Sita and Rama. Therefore the well-wishers are like the chakkas, while the enemies are like the chakoras, who were upset that the sun rose.

The kairava is a water-lily that opens up at the sight of the moon. The kamala is the lotus flower, and it behaves in the opposite way. The kamala opens up at the sight of the sun, so the well-wishers were also like the kamala flower. The enemies here are like the kairava; both their pride and their hopes closed up once Rama broke the bow. He was like the dreadful sun to them.

The kairava and chakora are often used in glorifying Shri Rama as well, but here the references were befitting the occasion. Whereas in the outcome to material events all the opinions are more or less equal to one another, here the side of the well-wishers was better situated. They had the right reaction, one that has since been passed on to generations of saintly people who never tire of hearing of God’s triumphs.

In Closing:

When in Rama’s hands bow did break,

Varying reactions in audience to make.

 

Enemies of faces crying,

Well-wishers in happiness flying.

 

Like pond of chakka and chakoras it seemed,

When morning sun rises with rays to beam.

 

On friend and foe alike shined Rama’s glory,

Enemies blinded, devotees rejoice in the story.

Poetic Insults

“Devoted to one husband, being born into a pure family and having obtained one also, I am incapable of doing such a reproachable act, one that ought not to be done.” (Sita Devi speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 21.4-5)

akāryam na mayā kāryamekapatnyā vigarhitam ||
kulam samprāptayā puṇyam kule mahati jātayā |

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It is said that one of the qualities of a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is poetic ability. This should make sense, as by definition a devotee is someone connected to a person of all good qualities. In that connection, all they have to do is mention some of those good qualities and automatically their speech is sweet. It is always more pleasing to hear praise of someone than it is to hear insults and rants against their character. In devotion to God, speaking of the good qualities, or saguna, is so pleasing that the devotee is not satisfied in their description. Therefore they constantly find new ways to output their glorification, in the process further sharpening their poetic abilities. In this instance, we’re reminded of how that poetic ability can also very quickly cut at the heart of the miscreant, who is by definition an enemy of God.

The word “demon” is often used when describing enemies of the Supreme Lord. It should be noted that the original Sanskrit term is “asura.” This is translated into “demon” for our understanding, but actually the word is a basic negation of another word. The word “sura” means devotee, a person who believes in God and acts off of it. The sura is also a kind of species, one of the original to inhabit the creation. The first created living entity, Lord Brahma is a sura by quality, but with respect to race their origin is considered to be from a woman named Aditi. Most asuras, or those who are against the people of the godly nature, trace their ancestry to Diti, who is Aditi’s sister. Her descendants are specifically known as Daityas, which is a kind of asura.

“Diti and Aditi are two sisters. The sons of Aditi are called Adityas, and the sons of Diti are called Daityas. All the Adityas are devotees of the Lord, and all the Daityas are atheistic.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 10.30 Purport)

We refer to the asuras as demons because of their bad qualities. They don’t think that God exists. If they should hear of Him, they try to deprecate His qualities. In the worst cases, they openly attack Him and His supporters. This struggle between the suras and asuras has been going on since the beginning of known time. In smaller pockets derivatives of the same struggles are seen, wherein criminals battle against the law-abiding citizens. The suras are the equivalent of the good guys and the asuras the bad guys. In modern times, godlessness is so prevalent that fictional demons are often portrayed as heroes or those to be envied due to their tremendous power. There is anger at the good guys for doing away with such characters.

Ravana was an asura by quality, and by species he was a Rakshasa, which can be considered a worse kind of asura. An asura might only be an atheist, someone who doesn’t believe in God but doesn’t necessarily try to thwart the influence of the suras. A Rakshasa is more ignorant and thus they can do things like eat human flesh and kill priests. Ravana was such a character, and one time he did the reproachable deed of stealing another man’s wife behind his back. As a proud king, he should have fought for this woman openly, but he was advised against that course of action. Deep down he knew that this prince, though living in the forest at the time, would defeat him in battle.

The above referenced verse from the Ramayana is part of a series of statements made by Sita Devi to Ravana. The evil king brought Sita back to Lanka to try to make her his queen, but she refused him. He offered her the chief position. He openly declared that he would become her slave, the most henpecked husband, if she gave in. Here Sita not only rebukes him, but also informs him that by her very nature it is impossible for her to be with him.

A man cannot give birth to a child. That’s just the way it is. Nature has dictated it so. You can try as hard as you want to change the reality, but there is nothing you can do. In the same way, Sita tells Ravana that by nature she is devoted to only one husband, Shri Rama. She also mentions that her birth-family is pure, as is her family post-marriage. She uses these as justification for her position and also as a way to insult Ravana.

Sita’s birth-family traces to King Janaka of Mithila. Even during this time he was well-respected throughout the world. The events of the Ramayana occur in every cycle of the creation, and sometimes the events don’t follow the exact same sequence. In one telling, it is said that Ravana visited Janaka’s kingdom during the time of Sita’s svayamvara. This was a self-choice ceremony to determine Sita’s husband. Ravana tried to lift the bow of Lord Shiva in the assembly but failed. Rama, the eldest son of Maharaja Dasharatha, easily lifted it and thus won Sita’s hand in marriage. From this we know that Ravana had enough respect for Janaka to try to go and win his daughter’s hand in marriage.

In Vedic culture, at the time of marriage the woman is given over to the husband’s family. Lest anyone think that Sita’s link to high character would change after severing ties with her birth-family, we’re reminded here that her family after marriage was also pure. King Dasharatha of Ayodhya was just as respected as Janaka. He was from a line of kings descending from Maharaja Ikshvaku, one of the first kings on earth. Ikshvaku was the son of Manu, the father of mankind.

“The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikshvaku.” (Bhagavad-gita, 4.1)

A single act from a prince in this line showed just how pious the family was. Dasharatha’s eldest son Rama went to the forest to keep His father’s word intact. Rama was the powerful warrior who was the only one in the assembly in Janaka’s kingdom to lift the extremely heavy bow. Thus He was not weak at all. He was so strong that Ravana was afraid to fight with Him. And yet that same Rama accepted the vanaprastha mode of life, where He wandered from place to place with His wife, surviving on very little.

Contrast this with Ravana, who lived in hedonism. He already had many beautiful wives, but that wasn’t satisfying him. Ravana had a pious father in the sage Vishrava, but his mother was a Rakshasa. Ravana adopted the lifestyle of the latter in adulthood. Thus there was no comparison between his qualities and Sita’s. They didn’t mix at all. In pointing to her family ties, Sita praised the kings in Janakpur and Ayodhya and simultaneously insulted Ravana. She basically told him, “Look at the families that I come from. You think you can match up to them at all? You think I would ever insult their legacies by giving in to you? It is simply impossible; don’t even entertain the thought.”

Sharp, cutting words such as these serve to further reveal Sita’s spotless nature to the world. They show that those who love God can tailor their poetic ability to fit the situation. Sita always has only one husband, who is the singular object of affection for the purest suras, those who transcend the material qualities through service that continues without interruption and without motivation. One who always thinks of Him and His beautiful wife, the daughter of King Janaka and the daughter-in-law of King Dasharatha, has a similar link to the purest families, which thus prevents them from doing the most reproachable deeds.

In Closing:

From pious families Sita Devi came,

In comparison Ravana in qualities lame.

 

First the father King Janaka did protect,

Then family of Dasharatha she did accept.

 

Completely pure was each line,

From them one way for virtue to define.

 

Ravana’s qualities with her never to mix,

Better if on own wives his mind to fix.

Fulfilling Desire

“Take your mind away from me and put it back on your own wives. Like a sinner asking for the highest perfection, it is not appropriate for you to pray for me.” (Sita Devi speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 21.3-4)

nivartaya mano mattaḥ svajane kriyatāṃ manaḥ ||
na māṃ prārthayituṃ yuktaṃ susiddhimiva pāpakṛt |

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“I just want my son to be married. He’s reached that age where he should settle down. After having studied for so long, he now has a good job. If he gets married and starts a family, I will no longer have to worry about him. Then he will be settled and secure. Otherwise he will remain an irresponsible bachelor, with no one to take care of him. How will he cook for himself after my wife and I are gone? Who will maintain his living quarters? Where will his social interaction come from if everyone else he knows is married with children? Therefore his marriage is top priority.”

It is natural for the father of a mature son to feel this way, but from the above referenced verse from the Ramayana we see that marriage alone doesn’t suffice for quelling desire. Desire in the material sense is known as kama, and strangely enough the more one tries to satisfy it, the stronger it gets. The recipient of the cogent words from above was a king who had many wives, all of the utmost beauty. And yet he had to be reprimanded, told to keep his attention on his existing wives instead of drawing it towards someone who is already married.

“I don’t understand why people ever break up. If you meet someone and there is mutual attraction, what can go wrong after that? I’m especially puzzled by the relationships that fizzle after many years of being together. If you love someone, live with them, and maintain some type of association, why is there ever a need to break up? Do not the people involved realize that the same cycle will repeat itself in the future with a new partner? Do they not think that the new relationship will have the same vulnerabilities?”

If you really think about it, it is kind of odd that relationships sever after so many years. That is never the intention going in. No one goes into marriage thinking: “Okay, so I’m marrying this person. In twenty years’ time they will be my greatest enemy. Eventually there will come a day when I will celebrate their weekends away from home. I will be so happy to be free of their association that I will purposefully stay late at the office during the week. And after I divorce them – this person whom I love now but will hate in the future – I will have to buy them a house. Seems like I should just pick someone that I despise today, buy them a house, and be done with it.”

Obviously the hopes of the people entering the marriage are quite different. They expect to be happy in each other’s company, especially if the marriage was arranged through mutual consent. The expectation is similar in the boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, and yet we still see break ups all the time. From the study of shastra, or scripture, we understand that the cause of the later tensions is the nature of desire. Material desire is known as kama, which can also be translated to lust. The purified form of kama is prema, which is the real kind of love.

Real love is not dependent on any outside factor. In an amorous relationship, the perceived love is based on some type of affection received in return for service. Indeed, as soon as the flow of reciprocation stops, the relationship breaks down. In prema, there is unconditional love, offered without halt. Case in point Sita Devi, the wife of Lord Rama. Since she is married to the Supreme Lord in His avatara form, her love directed at Him is accurately described as prema. Despite being far away from Rama in the Ashoka grove in Lanka, where she is held captive against her will by the evil king named Ravana, she still loves Him. She certainly hopes that He arrives to come and save her, but that has no bearing on her feelings toward Him. If Rama should fully renounce her association, she will continue to love Him.

Technically, reciprocation is present in prema as well, but it is subtle. Indeed, you couldn’t love someone all the time unless there was some sort of return on your investment. The secret with prema is in the nature of the person loved. He is all-pervading, antaryami. Loving Him within the mind is as good as loving Him when He’s standing right in front of you. Offering Him a glass of water to His visible physical manifestation is as good as offering water to His deity representation or His form remembered within the mind. The same is impossible with any ordinary living entity; giving us another way to distinguish between kama and prema.

In prema you only need the name of the beloved. Rama is one of those names, and it means one who holds all transcendental pleasure. Sita feels that transcendental pleasure when serving Rama, so she cannot be enticed by any other man’s advances. Ravana foolishly thought of Rama as an ordinary living entity, and a poor one at that. At the time, Rama was living in the forest as a recluse, kicked out of His home after an order delivered by his step-mother. Rama’s decision was unfathomable to Ravana. In his life, no one told him what to do. If someone ordered him to leave somewhere, he would have that person killed. If no one else did the work for him, Ravana would fight that person himself. Thus he took Rama’s acceptance of the order to be a sign of weakness. This mistake would cost him dearly in the end.

In kama not only is the name insufficient in providing pleasure, but even direct physical association for prolonged periods does little to bring satisfaction. In Ravana’s case, there was not one, but hundreds of the most beautiful princesses in the world as queens. And he still desired someone else, a woman he by the way couldn’t have. If all we know is kama, we would think that Ravana should have been happy in his opulent life in Lanka. In the sections immediately preceding this one in the Ramayana, it is described how Ravana would awake every day. Attendants would sing songs from the Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, and then carry canisters filled with wine. He was fully immersed in the hedonistic lifestyle, and based on his burning desire to have Sita as his chief queen, we understand that he didn’t have his senses under control. One who is controlled by the senses is not considered very powerful, for dogs and other similar animals are the ones driven by the sense demands. The human being is supposed to be more intelligent, for they can use discrimination, choosing inaction over action when appropriate.

Inaction was appropriate here for Ravana, but despite the best counsel he would not listen. Sita here made it abundantly clear that there was no way for her to be with him. He shouldn’t have even prayed for her, for it was like a sinner asking for liberation from the cycle of birth and death. If you are impious in mind and action, why should you expect good results? If God is all-good and you are all-bad, why should you expect Him to give you the highest reward?

Interestingly enough, Ravana could have been satisfied living in opulence with his many wives. Sita here begins to tell him how. If he kept his focus on his own wives and in the process returned Sita to Rama, he would have been fine. This is because it would have been an act of service, the beginnings of a life spent in prema. In love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one can be fully renounced, living with family, or somewhere in between. In any situation, there can be love of God.

Only in service to the divine, which is known as bhakti-yoga, can the raging flames of kama be doused for good. This is because in the divine consciousness desires are purified. Rather than lead to ultimate misery, they bring all good things. Watching these proceedings from above was Shri Hanuman, the faithful servant sent by Rama to look for Sita. His whole life is spent in prema, and so he is one of the most honorable figures in the world. Ravana, on the other hand, never fulfilled his desires, including the one to have Sita as his wife. And since he rejected a life of prema offered to him on so many occasions, he ultimately found doom.

In Closing:

When son reaches mature stage in life,

Father looks to find him a good wife.

 

Only then will settled his life be,

From worries the good father to be free.

 

But from Ravana’s actions know,

That material desires not easily to go.

 

So many wives always by his side,

But senses within him did preside.

 

Towards proper action Sita tried to draw,

Ravana ignored, all this Hanuman saw.

Susiddhim

“Take your mind away from me and put it back on your own wives. Like a sinner asking for the highest perfection, it is not appropriate for you to pray for me.” (Sita Devi speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 21.3-4)

nivartaya mano mattaḥ svajane kriyatāṃ manaḥ ||
na māṃ prārthayituṃ yuktaṃ susiddhimiva pāpakṛt |

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How you live your life matters. You can’t just do this and that and expect to find every auspicious result. Just from ordinary work alone, we see that not everything arrives right away. You graduate college and expect to have an expensive home and six-figure salary, but that isn’t the case. You can get angry about it and try to blame everyone else in the world for what you don’t have, but the fact is that you have to work to achieve things. In this instance, Sita Devi reminds us that for someone who is sinful their entire lives, asking for the highest reward, the perfection of all perfections, is not appropriate. It is quite silly, actually.

Let’s say that you’re working at an office for a company. There are other employees there as well. Let’s say that for some reason or another, you are mean to everyone. You make accusations that are false. You do this all the time because you’re not thinking clearly. You blame everyone else for your problems, so naturally any issue that arises at the office your first instinct is to find fault with someone else. While being mean is second-nature to you, others will not like it. When the time comes for hanging out after work, why would others want to invite you? If you’re not doing a good job and nobody likes you, why should you expect something favorable? Perhaps through their kind nature they may invite you on occasion, but this is the exception.  At the end of the day, your actions have consequences.

In this verse from the Ramayana, Sita Devi, the wife of Lord Rama, makes reference to a papa-krita, or someone who does sinful acts. A sinner is someone who sins. The word “sinner” may rub some the wrong way, as it seems overly judgmental. In the case of the Vedas, the sins are designated as such because of the detrimental effect they have. It’s not that the pious go around just looking for people to put down. If I take a screwdriver and turn it left to right in order to loosen up a screw, I’m obviously doing the wrong thing. In this realm my act constitutes a sin. It’s not decided as such just because of what others say. There is a real-life consequence. “Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey” is the saying, which means that the way I’m doing it here is only making the screw tighter, which is the opposite of what I want.

In the larger scheme, if I want to reach a higher destination, to find a better lot in life, I should avoid the sins that are delineated in the scriptures. All those things we know to be sin are in accordance with some guiding system to better one’s situation. Sex before marriage is bad because the human being has a higher potential for intelligence. Surely there would be no reason for God to create a regulatory system that would make sex life less inhibited and more frequent. No one needs to be taught how to eat or how to have sexual relations. Yet these are mentioned in scripture anyway, meaning that the ultimate purpose to the mention is to limit the behavior.

“I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire. I am sex life which is not contrary to religious principles, O Lord of the Bharatas [Arjuna].” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.11)

Sex life within marriage and for the purpose of procreation is not sinful. It ideally does not have a detrimental effect on the consciousness. On the other hand, illicit sex leads to so much trouble. Case in point Ravana, the recipient of these words from Sita. He was married already to many women. This was allowed in ancient Vedic culture for kings who could support and protect more than one woman. Having multiple wives itself wasn’t sinful, but here we see that Ravana still covets another woman. She is not his wife either. She belongs to Lord Rama, the eldest son of King Dasharatha. Rama is very generous. He will give practically anything to anyone who is surrendered to Him. Ravana could have received so many more beautiful women as wives if he wasn’t inimical towards Rama. He couldn’t have Sita, though. She is Rama’s and only Rama’s. Sita conveys that message here to Ravana by ordering that he take his mind away from her and place it back on his own wives. He was already married; he had no reason to commit sin to satisfy his desires.

The fruit of pious life is known as a siddhi, or perfection. The prefix “su” means auspicious or great, and so susiddhim means the most auspicious perfection. We can equate this with liberation, or the release from the cycle of birth and death. We are in the midst of this cycle right now, as each day passes and our body continues to die. We take birth in the next womb, and the cycle starts anew. The purpose of pious life is to gain release from the cycle. That is the highest perfection, and in the human form the spirit soul has the best chance of achieving it.

Through their behavior the sinner basically conveys the message that they don’t want the highest perfection. They may ask for it later on, but it’s a silly request, a day late and a dollar short. It’s like not studying for any of your exams all semester and then expecting to ace the final exam. It’s like eating cheese and butter all the time and expecting to have low cholesterol. It’s like taking in so many calories every day, not exercising, and expecting to lose weight.

Here Sita takes the two extremes to emphatically make her point. She doesn’t mention a person who may have sinned just once. She refers to a papa-krita, which is a person of sinful deeds. She also doesn’t refer to just any siddhi. The “su” in front refers to the best perfection. In essence, she is the best perfection and Ravana the lowest sinner. You have two opposite ends of the spectrum. The distance apart is so great that it cannot even be measured.

It was stupid for Ravana to pray to have Sita as a wife, but this doesn’t mean that her association is totally off-limits. Watching these proceedings from his perch on a tree was Shri Hanuman, who is a dharma-atma, or pious soul. He is completely without sin, as evidenced by Shri Rama’s trust in him. Rama is the Supreme Lord in His avatara as a warrior prince and Hanuman is Rama’s greatest servant. As a reward for his piety, he gets to see Sita and serve her. Hanuman doesn’t have to ask for this specifically; Rama knows what will be good for him. Thus in devotional service, or bhakti-yoga, one doesn’t even have to worry about praying for this thing or that, for the very acts of chanting and hearing and serving in general bring the guiding hand of the Supreme Lord, who distributes the just rewards in all circumstances.

In Closing:

Ravana already had many wives,

With them should have been satisfied.

 

To take another’s wife he tried,

Laws of decency he defied.

 

Sita could be his wife never,

Devoted to Shri Rama forever.

 

Impossible to fulfill was his request,

Like sinner wanting perfection the best.

Never To Lose An Argument

“Being very much aggrieved, sobbing and shivering and in a poor state, the very beautiful Sita of a sweet smile, who thought of her husband alone and was fully devoted to Him, placed a piece of straw in between herself and Ravana and replied:” (Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 21.2-3)

duḥkhārtā rudatī sītā vepamānā tapasvinī |
cintayantī varāroha patimeva pativratā ||
tṛṇamantarataḥ kṛtvā pratyuvāca śucismitā |

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There is no mistaking which “Sita” is referenced in this verse. In the Vedic texts it is not uncommon to find multiple people with the same name. For instance, the name Arjuna is famous to those who know Vedic literature, for he is the recipient of the profound wisdom of the Bhagavad-gita. He is also a central character of the greater storyline within the Mahabharata. He is the younger brother of King Yudhishthira and one of the sons of Kunti Devi. Yet there are still other Arjunas mentioned in the Vedas; hence there are also other names that can be used to address the great bow-warrior who was so dear to Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That Arjuna is also identified through his qualities and his famous activities. In the same way, here references are made to Sita Devi’s qualities. It’s not surprising to find mention of her chastity, as this quality more than any other is what defines her.

If I am a champion-caliber athlete, it is my dexterity in the field of play that defines me. At least this is the definition as it relates to my public persona. If I am a leader of a nation, it is my leadership that makes or breaks my success. For the wife of the Vedic tradition, it is her chastity that determines how well she handles her occupational duties. The rebellious woman is thus one who pays no attention to such matters. One who breaks out of their obligations and follows their own whims is considered a rebel. For the living spirit, the ultimate determination of character comes from how faithful one is to their ideal relationship. All other rules, regulations and identifying characteristics are derivatives of this defining feature. Interestingly enough, the relationship we speak of is the same one to which Sita was faithful.

In simpler language, we are all meant to always think of God and be faithful to Him. In Sita’s case, God is the husband and dear protector. The laws of dharma were a convenient bonus added for Sita’s pleasure. Not only did she want to serve her wonderful husband, but she was obligated to based on the laws of propriety. Under both lenses, she was faithful. Her guiding vow in life was to be faithful to her husband. In this verse from the Ramayana that vow has an added significance, as there was an outside party trying his best to break it.

That party was the king of Lanka. Named Ravana, he had taken Sita away from her husband’s side through a ruse. How can God be fooled in such a way? Actually, the celestials wanted to rid the world of Ravana, who was evil. He drank wine day and night, ate animal flesh, including of human beings, and had no regard for the property of others. Case in point his abduction of Sita, who had done nothing wrong. Rama hadn’t even crossed Ravana. The Lord was living peacefully in the woods, without any possessions. He had renounced His kingdom at the time, so there was no reason to even envy Rama. But Ravana was possessed by lust, and in that subjugated state the living entity is helpless in their actions.

By taking Sita, Ravana fell into a trap that would lead to his demise. Though Sita refused him again and again, Ravana kept trying to win her over. He kept her in a grove of Ashoka trees, where she was surrounded by hideous female ogres who were ordered to harass her. Ravana used every trick of argument in the book to try to convince Sita. He told her that she was very beautiful but that a woman’s beauty doesn’t last for long. Unfortunate are the ways of nature. The woman’s beauty diminishes much more rapidly with age than does a man’s. He basically tried to scare her into thinking that if she didn’t enjoy with him now, pretty soon no one would want to enjoy with her. Why not take advantage of the opportunity while it was there?

Ravana offered her the position of chief queen and openly admitted that he would be completely henpecked. Whatever she would want, he would do. He pretty much surrendered to her. Ah, but his is not the way to surrender to the Supreme Lord’s eternal consort. Sita is meant for Rama’s enjoyment alone. Others can enjoy her association when they view her properly. A clandestine warrior was watching these proceedings from his perch in a tree, and he knew how to view Sita properly. He continues to enjoy her association within the mind to this day. The difference is that he always sees her with Rama. Therefore he is allowed to keep Sita with him at all times. Though Ravana had her in such close proximity, he couldn’t even touch her.

Sita was in distress, sighing and crying and taking to the vows of asceticism, all because she didn’t want to have any personal enjoyment in the absence of her husband. Prior to responding to Ravana, she placed a piece of grass or straw in between. This would ward off evil spirits. Ravana was the very definition of evil, and so the straw as protection was appropriate here. The gesture was insulting at the same time. It’s almost like saying to someone, “Okay, I will respond to what you have asked, but first put this paper bag over your head. You are so disgusting that I can’t even bear to look at you. Only then will I be willing to speak.”

Hearing Ravana’s entreaties, any person would be somewhat tempted to give in. The concept of “selling your soul to the devil” has similarities to Ravana’s proposal. That is essentially what he was requesting. He was the devil in the sense that he was the greatest enemy of God. He wanted Sita to abandon all of her principles in favor of material opulence. She, of course, cannot be bought off so easily. Rama Himself once tried to sway her opinion by offering the option of material comfort in the kingdom of Ayodhya. Since it would come at the cost of His absence, Sita refused. She instead invoked every argument from shastra, or scripture, to support her position of accompanying Him. In that argument, Rama lost. And in going up against the same wise goddess, Ravana would lose as well. As no woman is more glorious than Sita, the pure-hearted souls like Hanuman never stop thinking of her.

In Closing:

Every material opulence to her to give,

As chief queen, leader of Ravana to live.

 

Citing influence of time he tried to sway,

Better to enjoy your beauty before it goes away.

 

These and other such tactics had no effect,

Her mind from her husband Rama nothing to deflect.

 

In between her and the fiend Ravana a piece of straw,

He a vile creature, she of fidelity to inspire awe.

Creating the Ideal Conditions

“She looked as if she were travelling to the side of the self-realized Shri Rama, a lion among kings, using a chariot of desires yoked with horses of determination.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 19.7)

samīpam rājasimhasya rāmasya viditātmanaḥ |
saṅkalpahayasamyuktairyāntīmiva manorathaiḥ ||

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“What is the purpose to chanting sixteen rounds over and over every day? Wouldn’t it be better to do just one round and really focus? Why do I need to avoid intoxication? If my friends and coworkers are going out to the bar at night, why can’t I have just one or two beers with them? It’s not going to do any harm. I’m not sure what the purpose to all of these rules is. It seems that I can connect with God, make Him happy, and take care of other things without being so strict.”

These concerns are certainly understandable, as strict adherence to various rituals and practices doesn’t give a visible benefit in the immediate term. The long-term benefit that isn’t so easy to spot out always takes a backseat to the immediate benefit from a quick and visible action. Yet the factor of visibility can be deceiving when making an assessment. For instance, if the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] prevents a drug from coming to market that would have led to one hundred deaths, they are lauded for their action. At the same time, when they ban a drug that could have prevented one thousand deaths, nothing is said. The first case has a visible benefit, while the second has an invisible one. The visible death later on can be directly traced to an action, whereas the invisible prevention of death is rarely investigated, if at all. In a sober assessment, though, the act of prohibiting the sale of the life-saving drug is much worse in this case. It does much more damage.

Similarly, because of the short-term benefit we think that ignoring stringent rules and regulations promoted by followers of the true occupation of the soul won’t harm us that much, but it actually will. The greatest harm done is that it prevents us from sharpening the tools necessary for ultimate success. After all, whether we chant the maha-mantra, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare,” for one round a day or sixteen, there is still the desired goal of advancing in spiritual consciousness. From the observations made about a distressed queen a long time ago, we see what is needed for success and how all the underlying processes of devotional service are meant to sharpen the two necessary aspects.

In the scene in question, Sita Devi, the missing wife of Lord Rama, is going to Him even though she is separated by a lengthy physical distance. The distance was so great that the leader of the land where she currently resided thought that no one could reach him. The opening chapters of the Sundara-kanda of the Ramayana describe how arduous the journey to Lanka was for Rama’s heroic servant Shri Hanuman. Reaching Lanka wasn’t enough; Hanuman had to then search through the city for Sita, all the while remaining undetected.

Ravana, the fiend who had taken Sita away from Rama’s side through a backhanded plot, mentioned the strategic location of Lanka as a way of enticing Sita to become his queen. His basic point was: “Hey, Lanka is so far away. Even if your beloved Rama did want to come and save you, how would He ever get here? Actually, no one can reach here except me, so you shouldn’t entertain any false hopes of reunion with Him. Better to just enjoy here with me.”

The clueless Ravana wasn’t aware that Rama is the all-powerful. Rama has so much potency that those who only think of Him in a mood of love can do extraordinary things. The scene from the above referenced verse had two extraordinary characters. First there was Hanuman, who made it to Lanka despite all the odds against him. He reached Sita as well, as he was watching her from his perch in a tree. He saw Ravana approach her and try to change her mind. In this particular scene Ravana is just entering the Ashoka grove to again see if he can try to win Sita over. He sees that in her mind she is travelling to Rama.

Sita is the other remarkable character gifted with abilities unknown to fools like Ravana. She travelled to Rama with her mind. She used a chariot made of desires and horses made of determination. That was all that was needed. From her behavior we see the goal of bhakti-yoga practice. Bhakti-yoga is the height of all religion; it is above the sectarian designations, the rules and regulations, the reading of scriptural texts, the acceptance of this church or that. The reason it is so is because it directly addresses the needs of the soul, the identifying force within each of us. All other religious practices are meant to culminate in bhakti.

The objective is to create the sort of mind that Sita had, and that end signals a new beginning of activity. In that activity one regularly travels towards Rama, who is the Supreme Lord. He may be addressed by different names and thought of in different forms, but it is true nonetheless that God can be approached through the mind. And that approach can take place at any time, provided one has the two aforementioned attributes. The desire is the first thing and the determination is the other. Hanuman too had a desire to serve Rama, and in his determination he pleased the Lord and His wife.

All the regulations mentioned in shastra aim to create the conditions seen in Sita. Her consciousness is always pure because she is eternally Rama’s consort. She doesn’t require pious behavior or concentrated action in bhakti. She doesn’t think of Rama because it will be good for her. She doesn’t think of Him because it will impress others. She doesn’t think of Him because it is considered good. She thinks of Him because she loves Him. This love is tied to her very existence; without it she cannot be. The same goes for Hanuman.

In fact, the same goes for all of us in our constitutional position. Through contact with material nature we have been made to forget this. In our ignorance we think of genuine spiritual life as a chore, but if we have some faith in the spiritual master and the devotees who have blazed the proper trail, then certainly we can get the determination that goes along with a fervent desire necessary to travel to Rama, despite how far away from Him we think we are. Ravana couldn’t understand Sita’s mind, and so he continually tried to win her over, but she never entertains such nonsense.

In Closing:

“Why insistence on sixteen rounds to chant,

Break the rules every now and then I can’t?

 

To be so strict doesn’t seem right,

Why random fun to take out of sight?”

 

Purpose to all rules to make conditions ideal,

To think of God, His divine presence to feel.

 

Will and determination are needed,

In Sita both comfortably seated.

 

With mind swiftly to husband’s side to go,

Such amazing ability fool Ravana never to know.

The Mind’s Chariot

“She looked as if she were travelling to the side of the self-realized Shri Rama, a lion among kings, using a chariot of desires yoked with horses of determination.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 19.7)

samīpam rājasimhasya rāmasya viditātmanaḥ |
saṅkalpahayasamyuktairyāntīmiva manorathaiḥ ||

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This section of the Ramayana transitions from Shri Hanuman’s identification of Sita Devi, the missing wife of Lord Rama, to her interactions with the fiend who brought her to Lanka against her will. Hanuman found the princess after an exhaustive search, but his plan still wasn’t complete. He was asked by Rama to find Sita and give to her a ring inscribed with His name. This way Sita would know that Hanuman was indeed her husband’s messenger. From this verse found in the Ramayana, we get an idea of what Ravana saw when he again tried to win her over.

In the preceding verses it is described that Ravana awoke to the chanting of Vedic hymns. The Vedas are the original scriptural tradition of India. The original works consist only of various hymns, with the rituals and other supporting practices applied through tradition and observation of outward practice. The Ramayana represents an extension of the Vedas, where the same original principles are taught through story form, with the stories relating to real-life historical incidents. They touch on the amazing and the unbelievable, but none of the events should be mistaken for mythology, for anytime the Supreme Lord is involved we are bound to be amazed and impressed.

The straight singing of Vedic hymns can be likened to ordinary piety. You do things the right way just because you know that it is right. You’re not really sure what the ultimate purpose is, but you know that there is something pious with the behavior. This is sort of the attitude involved in singing Vedic hymns when there is no devotion to the Supreme Lord. That was the condition in Lanka, where Ravana had actually committed the greatest offense at the feet of the origin of spirit and matter. Ravana nevertheless thought himself to be very pious, so he awoke to the sound of Vedic hymns.

As he left his palace for the nearby Ashoka grove, female attendants followed him. They carried wine with them, though it was the early morning hours. Even in the civilized societies today, where drinking is very common, it is still considered in poor taste to get intoxicated in the morning. Someone who prefers to make their morning coffee “Irish” is considered a drunkard, a person with a major drinking problem. The label of “drunkard” aptly applied to Ravana, as he was constantly intoxicated.

Though he had plenty of wine and so many beautiful queens, he was still infatuated with Sita. She was the forbidden woman; she was already married to someone else. Ravana could have won Sita if he had defeated her husband in a fair fight, but he was advised not to go down that route. Instead, Ravana created a ruse where he took Sita away in secret. She immediately refused his advances, and so Ravana thought that after some time had passed maybe she would change her mind.

To his dismay, he found her to be in great distress. She covered up her belly-area as soon as Ravana arrived, and she was already disheveled in appearance. This was the result of her grief. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she looked like her mind was elsewhere too. Here it is described that her mind was like a chariot made up of desires. That chariot was driven by horses made of determination, or resolve, and it travelled to the side of Shri Rama, who is self-realized and a lion among kings.

The various components of the verse tell us so much. To compare the mind to a chariot of desires is not very extraordinary. We all have desires. Sometimes they are very strong, as in the case of Ravana. But desires cannot be fulfilled without action. And so the desires that make up the chariot of the mind cannot really go anywhere unless there is action to be taken. In Sita’s case, she was married to someone who is absolute. This means that His name directly represents Him. So does His presence within the mind.

If I am separated from my wife in physical distance, there is no way for me to immediately reach her. I can try to move the chariot that is my mind which is desirous of meeting her, but there is no way for that chariot to move unless my body moves. Maybe I can make a phone call or send an email, but again that requires physical contact. I cannot just think of my wife and automatically be with her.

Rama is the Supreme Lord. In some traditions He is described as the original and in others He is considered an incarnation. Nevertheless, the incarnation is the same in potency as the original, so there is actually no difference between the various factions of Vaishnavism, or devotion to the personal aspect of God. Thinking of Rama is as good as being with Him, though it may not seem the case for even the liberated soul who feels intense separation. But again, the strong lament that one is still not by Rama’s side indicates real devotion. It seems like circular logic, but one who thinks of Rama in this way, all the time, is never actually bereft of His company.

Having the desire in this instance is a great start, and though you don’t need Rama’s physical presence to be with Him, you still need a way to move the chariot. In Sita’s case, her determination pulls the cart. Without determination, the desires within the mind will remain stationary. Think of it like wanting to get up out of bed to arrive at work on time but getting distracted by the warmth of the blanket. The thoughts of the tough day ahead at work also help to keep you laying on the bed. It is only determination that can get you out, that can help pull the desires towards the intended destination.

Similarly, if there is no determination in trying to be by God’s side through thinking of Him, or no desire at all, then the association will not come. We can use the individual as an example to understand this, for it is said that the personal expansion known as the Supersoul resides within every living entity. The soul identifies us and the Supersoul identifies God. The Supersoul is all-pervading and it acts like a neutral witness. We don’t see the Supersoul or realize its presence because we lack the desire to see it. Either that or we don’t have the determination necessary to reach it.

Rama’s qualities strengthen that determination. He is a lion among kings. A lion is the king of the jungle, and the king is the ruler of a community. Rama is thus the king of kings; the best protector in the world. The best protector is the greatest shelter for the restless mind. Rama is also a knower of the self; He knows His true identity. Ravana, on the other hand, only knows kama, or lust. Kama is a fire strengthened by the fuel of ignorance. Knowledge is like a large bucket of water to douse the flames of kama. One who knows the self also knows others, and thus their association is worthwhile.

Sita conveyed all of this just by her vision, and so things didn’t look very good for Ravana. He foolishly forged ahead with his ill-fated idea, consumed as he was by lust. Sita was with Rama the whole time using the chariot of the mind, and pretty soon, through the help of Hanuman the couple would be together again in physical proximity as well.

In Closing:

When separated from Rama yourself find,

Travel to Him using chariot of the mind.

 

Ravana employed all tactics of intimidation,

Could not phase Sita and her determination.

 

God is absolute, no difference in His name,

Chant it regularly for His association to gain.

 

Sita’s mind revealed just from her sight,

Soon with husband Rama to reunite.

A Tale of Two People

“Offering obeisances to Rama and Lakshmana, the very powerful Hanuman, delighted in seeing Sita, became hidden.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 17.32)

namaskṛtvā rāmāya lakśmaṇāya ca vīryavān |
sītādarśanasamhṛṣṭo hanumān samvṛto’bhavat ||

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Person 1: “I am so distressed. I can’t believe how bad things are right now. No, this is not about money. I’m doing okay. Actually, I’m pretty content with respect to possessions. I don’t need much to survive. I don’t shop online all the time or worry about my next big purchase. If I were a kid, the Christmas holiday wouldn’t be that exciting to me. I don’t need more stuff.

“I am distressed over certain situations with my family members. They aren’t in as good a shape as me. I’m worried that with what is going to happen in the future, they will be put into more distress. The future is uncertain. There is a cause for this uncertainty, and that person is hated by me. I wish they would be injured in the worst possible way. They are the greatest offender to my family members, so I don’t feel bad wishing these ill things upon them. Until some justice comes their way, I won’t feel satisfied. The whole time I will worry over the uncertainty of the future.”

Person 2: “I am not in distress. I have everything I could ever want. I have enough money. I have a beautiful wife, wonderful children, and a nice home. I came up from nothing too. I was once poor, but now I am not. I found success the old fashioned way: hard work. I delight in getting to see my family every day, and my job is also a lot of fun.

“I’ve been told that I am very beautiful. I am skilled in pretty much everything I try my hand at. I am well-known throughout the community, and if I have to go without for a few days, I can do that too. I pretty much have it all, so my life is worry-free. I am enjoying life to the fullest.”

Aspects of both of the above mentioned people were found in a devoted warrior a long time ago. He was distressed and at the same time highly blessed with personal fortunes. Through his behavior we learn who is the right person to approach and when the appropriate time for that approach is. We also learn of a great source of delight that is not dependent on any specific situation.

The person of whom we speak is Shri Hanuman. At the time of the scene mentioned in the above referenced verse from the Ramayana he was in distress. Thus he could sympathize with the first person. He was worried over the future outcome of a mission. Shri Rama, the eldest son of King Dasharatha, had invested His trust in Hanuman. Rama relied on Hanuman to find Sita Devi. She was Rama’s wife and had gone missing while the couple was together in the Dandaka forest.

Hanuman tried very hard, but after an exhaustive search he still hadn’t found her. He was thus worried. What would happen if he didn’t succeed? There was no one else capable. Hanuman was the only one who could leap across the ocean to the island of Lanka, where Sita had been taken. If Hanuman failed, there was no backup plan. He couldn’t call for reinforcements.

Hanuman’s personal abilities made him similar to the second person. He was highly knowledgeable. Real knowledge relates to information about the difference between matter and spirit. Such knowledge is safely tucked away in the Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India. One is truly knowledgeable when they possess this relevant information and act upon it thusly. Hanuman’s behavior showed that both were true in his case.

“One cannot speak this way without having been well-trained in the Rig Veda, memorized the Yajur Veda, and thoroughly understood the Sama Veda.” (Lord Rama speaking to Lakshmana about Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kand, 3.28)

Hanuman also had beauty and strength. He heroically leaped from a mountaintop to cross the expansive ocean. He was able to do this by first expanding his size, an ability available to expert yogis, or mystics. There are eight different siddhis, or perfections, granted to dedicated yogis, and Hanuman had all of them. He wasn’t really a yogi by occupation, though. He received these abilities as boons during his childhood.

Hanuman felt tremendous delight when he saw Sita. When he was finally sure that the person he was looking at from a distance in the Ashoka grove in Lanka was Rama’s wife, he felt the need to offer obeisances to both Rama and His younger brother Lakshmana. He then remained there hidden so that no one would see him. He was assigned the task of finding Sita, not doing away with her captor.

Hanuman was in distress, and in that situation seeing Sita made him delighted. He was also materially comfortable, and even with that he felt the same pleasure from seeing Sita. This means that Sita is not an ordinary person. Her vision delights Shri Hanuman, a person of the highest character. She is also cherished by Rama, who searches after her like a thirsty man does a well.

The same delight is available to us, who can see Sita in many temples dedicated to her and her husband around the world. We can see her when we think of Shri Hanuman, who is depicted in many pictures heroically serving Rama’s interests. We can see her when we chant the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.”

Whether we are full of desires, devoid of them, or want only liberation from the cycle of birth and death, devotional service will always be to our benefit. One of the benefits is delight, which Hanuman felt when seeing Sita from a distance. From the same Vedas that Hanuman is expert in we learn that Sita and Rama are the Supreme Lord’s energy and the Supreme Lord respectively. They are not ordinary people. From Hanuman’s behavior we thus get another lesson: seeing God is not the end. He saw Rama and then faithfully took up service. He felt delight from seeing Sita and then remained hidden, awaiting his next opportunity to serve. Similarly, we can regularly visit the temples of Vishnu, another name for God, and see God and His energy, and from there be rejuvenated in our eternal occupation of serving Him. Both the prince and the pauper have something to gain from seeing Sita, who as the goddess of fortune shows how the vital spirit in all of us can be properly utilized.

In Closing:

One person daily distresses only to find,

Another person without a worry in the mind.

 

Hints of both in Shri Hanuman found,

Who saw Sita Devi seated on the ground.

 

Still, obeisance to Rama and Lakshmana paid,

Despite accomplishment, humble he stayed.

 

Sita alone from seeing felt so much delight,

Vision worthy of eyes of sad and happy alike.

Viryavan

“Offering obeisances to Rama and Lakshmana, the very powerful Hanuman, delighted in seeing Sita, became hidden.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 17.32)

namaskṛtvā rāmāya lakśmaṇāya ca vīryavān |
sītādarśanasamhṛṣṭo hanumān samvṛto’bhavat ||

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If you have never heard of Shri Hanuman, this one verse is sufficient for understanding him. He possesses many wonderful qualities, with a commonly known one being his immense strength. He is depicted in pictures carrying a mountain in his hand and flying through the air from leaping. And yet this strength is always used for the right cause, which we see in the images depicting his humility, where he pays obeisance to Shri Rama, His younger brother Lakshmana, and His wife Sita Devi.

The scene of the above referenced verse from the Ramayana is the Ashoka grove in Lanka. A princess had been taken there against her will a long time ago. No one knew where she was, at least outwardly. Rama, the princess’ husband, worked with the king of Vanaras, Sugriva, to get a search party together. Hanuman was the most capable member of the searching monkeys, and he eventually made it to where Sita was.

As the verse says, Hanuman was delighted in seeing Sita. Nothing of her condition brought joy to the heart, but her mere presence was enough to give Hanuman hope and enthusiasm. The mission assigned to him was reconnaissance. The difficulty lay not only in searching but also in properly identifying the perceived object. Here he finally found a distressed princess, and through reviewing her features he was sure that she was indeed Rama’s wife.

Hanuman’s delight is rooted in pleasing Rama. There is no other cause. Hanuman was not happy that Sita was in distress, surrounded by female ogres who regularly feasted on animal flesh, including that of human beings. He was not happy that Sita was worn thin from fasting in defiance of the advances of the evil king of Lanka, Ravana. He was not pleased that Sita had been dragged there against her will, after she was peacefully residing alongside Rama and Lakshmana in the forest of Dandaka. He was not happy that she looked disheveled, nor was he pleased that she was missing ornaments that deserved to be on her body.

He was delighted, nonetheless, because of her relation to Rama. He knew that finding her would please all the parties of importance. It would spell doom to Ravana, the fiend who deserved the punishment of death for his crime. It would spell victory for Rama’s side, for now they would learn where Sita was. It would give the distressed princess the confidence that Rama was indeed looking for her. Rama did miss her. He did worry over her night and day. He was ready to come and rescue her, though as a pious soul He was naturally unattached to sense gratification. Sita is a chaste wife, a sadharma-charini, as Rama describes her. She helps in the performance of religious duties, which Rama takes very seriously. Therefore her association to Him has nothing to do with sense gratification.

In the verse previous to this, it is said that Hanuman offered respectful obeisances to Shri Rama. Hanuman didn’t take all the credit for success. It is easy to remember God when we are in distress, when we are in need of something, or when we are inquisitive about something we can’t understand. It is not as easy when things are going well for us, especially if we have succeeded in something after working very hard. As viryavan, Hanuman is mighty, possessing immense strength. He easily could have attributed all of his success to his hard work and strength, but he still paid respect to Rama.

Here it is said that he paid respect to both Rama and Lakshmana. Know that there is no one in the world physically stronger than Hanuman. At the same time, know that such a person loves God and His immediate family members so much. Strength or weakness are of no concern to the origin of matter and spirit. Sincerity in devotion, with knowledge of the higher being’s authority, is what counts most. He accepts the service of materially poor souls like Sudama Vipra, who have nothing to offer but pieces of chipped rice. And He also accepts the service of the mighty Hanuman, who crosses oceans and lifts mountains to put a smile on His face.

While he has immense strength, from this verse we see that Hanuman is also not too proud to mask that strength when appropriate. It is said that he went back to hiding after being delighted at seeing Sita. He did not want anyone to see him. He also didn’t want to startle her. She had been harassed greatly by Ravana and his attendants, so he didn’t want her to think that he was part of that group. Only a person blinded by their hubris would pound their fists and cause senseless destruction without cause. The wise know when to be as gentle as a feather and when to be as hard as a thunderbolt.

Thus from this verse we see that the mightiest person is the humblest and wisest as well. If he offers respect to Sita, Rama and Lakshmana, why shouldn’t we? Why shouldn’t we honor Hanuman every day and remember his love for God? He bravely acts through service, which is an example we can also follow through the constant chanting of the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.”

In Closing:

Can leap over ocean of immense length,

Shri Hanuman, of immeasurable strength.

 

If that he’s proud of his abilities you suspect,

Know that to Rama and Lakshmana he offers respect.

 

All accolades and worship to him deservedly so,

But still his dedication to God and His family go.

 

For his heroism and strength known as viryavan,

Best in devotion to God is Shri Hanuman.

Harsha

“Seeing that woman of intoxicating eyes, Hanuman shed tears of joy and offered respectful obeisances to Shri Rama.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 17.31)

harṣajāni ca so’śrūṇi tām dṛṣṭvā madirekṣaṇām |
mumuce hanumānstatra namaścakre ca rāghavam ||

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“Oh God, please help me out. I’m in a lot of trouble. I know that prayer can heal any wound. The power of prayer is immense. I will hold this special prayer ceremony to get your favor. I will gather my friends and family around to increase the volume of the prayer. I know that you can hear us. No one is kinder than you, so if you can help us this one time, we will be eternally grateful.”

It is completely understandable to turn to the Almighty when there is trouble. When there is seemingly no other hope, why would you just sit back and do nothing? The origin of matter and spirit must be able to control any outcome. If you don’t ask Him to help you, how will He know to intervene? If one is truly faithful, however, they will make the same turn when something good happens to them. This was exhibited by Shri Hanuman when he felt a happiness like no other.

The word used in the above referenced verse from the Ramayana to describe his emotion is harsha. This Sanskrit word can translate to “joy”, but it has a deeper meaning. In the Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu of Shrila Rupa Gosvami, harsha is described to be the joy that comes from finally achieving the desired goal in life. Harsha is not related to any ordinary goal; the objective has to be important. The use of harsha is entirely appropriate in this regard, as Hanuman’s primary goal in life is always to please the Supreme Lord. Finding Sita accomplished that for him.

“Harsha is described in the Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu. Harsha is experienced when one finally attains the desired goal of life and consequently becomes very glad. When harsha is present, the body shivers, and one’s bodily hairs stand on end. There are perspiration, tears and an outburst of passion and madness.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 3.127 Purport)

As we are eternal beings, we live for an endless amount of time. This means that if we achieve the goal of pleasing God one time, we’re not prevented from getting it again. Hanuman is so wonderful that he looks to please God all the time. After He experiences harsha, he doesn’t rest on his laurels. He doesn’t consider himself to be the sole doer either. He offers respects to Rama in both times of trouble and turmoil.

He previously offered respectful obeisances to Rama, the Supreme Lord in His incarnation as a warrior prince, at the outset of his journey to find Sita, Rama’s missing wife. From reading Vedic literature it is known that Hanuman is extremely knowledgeable. Though he is in a monkey form, he is not prevented from reaching high intelligence. He also has complete mastery over the siddhis of yoga. These are mystic perfections that allow one to do amazing things.

Therefore Hanuman cannot be considered a poor person who has no recourse other than to worship God. He serves Rama with full knowledge. In the Bhagavad-gita, such a worshiper is considered to be topmost. They see things as they are [jnani] and follow only devotional service, or bhakti-yoga.

“Of these, the wise one who is in full knowledge in union with Me through pure devotional service is the best. For I am very dear to him, and he is dear to Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.17)

In full knowledge, Hanuman worships Rama, a personal form of God. He doesn’t worship Brahman, which is the impersonal representation of the Absolute Truth. He doesn’t worship the Paramatma, or Supersoul, situated within the heart. You can’t serve Brahman or Paramatma. You can’t experience harsha in relation with these two features because they are incapable of being served. You can realize them, experience them, study them, and think about them, but you can’t serve them. Only Rama, who is also known as Vishnu and Krishna, can be served.

“Thereupon taking the ring and placing it on his head, with folded hands, that foremost and best of monkeys praised Rama’s lotus feet and then departed.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kand, 44.15)

Prior to embarking on his journey, Hanuman paid respects to Rama. He did so after accepting Rama’s ring, which was to be given to Sita, should she be located. When he was in trouble in Lanka, Hanuman again paid respects to Rama. Hanuman had searched long and hard but still hadn’t found Sita. In that distressful situation, he again prayed for Rama’s favor, to have the strength to serve Him.

“I offer my obeisances to Shri Rama, along with Lakshmana and the divine lady, the daughter of King Janaka. I offer my obeisances to Rudra, Indra, Yama, and Anila, the deity of the wind. I offer my obeisances to the moon, the sun, and the wind-gods.” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 13.59)

Now that he had found Sita in this grove of Ashoka trees, Hanuman again didn’t forget Rama. The happiness he experienced, the harsha, was related to Rama’s interest, not his own. Hanuman didn’t think: “Look at all I have done. I crossed over the expansive ocean by leaping from a mountaintop. I battled wicked creatures who tried to obstruct my path. I scoured through the city of Lanka unnoticed. I searched through the inner apartments of the vile king, Ravana, the creature who took Sita away from Rama without any cause. Now I have finally found Sita. All my hard work has paid off. I’m so proud of myself.”

Hanuman was indeed happy with the success, but he still remembered Rama. This means that he knew that he was not solely responsible for his success. If even Hanuman gives God credit, how can any other person ever think that they should take all the credit for their good fortune? How can any sober person ever think to ignore the influence of God in their life?

Though Hanuman offered obeisances to Rama, the Lord still gives all the credit to him. Hanuman is offered prayers today, for he can grant devotion to the same Sita and Rama. In those prayers he is praised for his heroic journey to Lanka. He is honored for his bravery, perseverance, determination, kindness, and respectful attitude. He deserves all the accolades, and one can certainly experience harsha when they have found Hanuman and vowed to never let a day go by without honoring him.

In Closing:

When the goal to finally achieve,

Experience joy you cannot believe.

 

As harsha in Sanskrit it is known,

Relates to serving God alone.

 

Hanuman in Ashoka grove this feeling felt,

Upon finding Sita, of beauty the heart to melt.

 

When in this life Shri Hanuman found,

Harsha comes too, joy without bound.