Rama Rajya

||Aum Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

Aum Namo Narayanaya

For those who observed Ramayan Week programmes last week, the above topic would immediately strike a chord. For others to whom this may be utterly alien,  it refers to a period of absolute peace, righteousness and prosperity. In other words, like heaven on earth during the period in which Bhagwan Ramachandra ruled over the kingdom of Ayodhya. 

Today on this Hanuman Jayanthi thithi, it is with a rather melancholic quill that I pen this blog - albeit an auspicious day - but ironically, we find the world forlorn with grief and anxiety during the biggest pandemic to hit us since the Spanish Flu of 1918. 

In an unprecedented move almost, the entire world is in isolation. Even at this distressing time in our lives we find our havens of peace, solace and comfort - our places of worship closed off to devotees. Major temples like Tirumala Tirupathi, Madurai Meenakshi, Palani Murugan, etc. which attract hundreds of thousands of devotees on a daily basis - today stand desolate. Everyone is confined to the four corners of their homes with no way out to venture, but inward. 

In the coldface of a deadly virus that is ravaging the earth, humanity unable to seek divine assistance anywhere beyond the boundaries of our homes seems to be forced into a detour within and inwards. For millions if not billions of people of all religions, an external regiment of attending places of worship, participating in rituals or retreating that has provided spiritual sustenance for many aeons has come to an abrupt suspension. Even the basic offering of fruit and milk has become a challenge with shops not able to  supply some of these items. 

Placed in this helpless situation yet still hankering for a channel of communication with the divine, there is a forced transition from the gross ritualistic religion to the subtle Vedantic religion. Suddenly the words of Bhagwan Krishna start to become practical and rational... offer me a leaf, flower, drop of water, o' child just even think of me and I will be with you. 

We should never discount the central value and role that ritual worship has played in the spiritual sustenance of humanity by  extending hope, succour and strength to those who have engaged it. But that’s just it, it has plateaued and the failure to translate into inner transformation and awakening of our consciousness leaves us in the wake of a world always in chaos teeming with atrocities like murder, rape, fraud, greed, falsehood, hatred, etc.Until the internalisation of our religious practices takes place it would simply be a mechanical practice.

Swami Vivekananda said: "Anything that makes you weak physically, intellectually, and spiritually, reject as poison; there is no life in it, it cannot be true". Many of our ritualistic practices have been weaved with superstition and at our most vulnerable moments failed to arm us with an arsenal effective enough to traverse it. Hence in the past few days amidst the grave challenge confronting the world Swami Vimokshananda through online broadcasts emphasised the need to identify the philosophy in the various puranic stories and practices to equip ourselves to effectively deal with the world. After reading Swami Vivekananda, we are inspired never to just accept anything... it is important to dive deeper and test the matter for yourself before blindly accepting anything.  

It is with this view that I started an inquiry as to why Lord Hanuman is depicted as a monkey. The Lord could have appeared as a human which is believed to be the most evolved being and thus would be practical and efficient form to assist Bhagawan Rama on His mission. Persuaded by Revered Swami Vimokshananda, I travelled deep within to search for the philosophical message in Lord Hanuman.

I put forth the following: 

The depiction of Lord Hanuman as a monkey gives us a wonderful idea. The word Hanuman of Sanskrit origin means one with an enlarged jaw indicating something which is highly expressive. We all have come to know that a monkey can never sit still and is always hopping around from place to another. The story goes that Lord Hanuman's jaw was enlarged after it was struck with a weapon by Lord Indra. The punishment was evoked when Lord Hanuman sprang towards the Sun and swallowed it. In order to restore the Sun and reinstate the balance, Lord Indra acted such. I want you to try a little experiment after you conclude reading this paragraph. Close your eyes and imagine that you have grown into a gigantic form and leap towards the Sun, swallow it, now go forth towards all the planets and devour all of them, then fly around releasing all of them back to their places. 

See you have done it!!!! 

The human mind is very expressive and at will can manifest or destroy anything, it can travel to far flung places and also help you find solutions to many challenges... but we are warned by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita that the mind can be man's best friend or greatest enemy. Hence, spiritual practice encourages one to tame the mind and keep it engaged and focused in good work. Meditation is a technique used to reign in the mind. You would have by now realised that Lord Hanuman is symbolic of the human mind.

Referencing the Ramayana, Bhagwan Ram only meets Lord Hanuman in the Sundar Kand before which Lord Hanuman wandered in the forest with the other monkeys (thoughts) without any purpose. Bhagwan Rama in light of His divine, astute and righteous leadership is indicative of the intellect which acts in the interest of the atman (Mother Sita). When the intellect acts in unison with the atman the goal of life is apparent (Laksmana derived from lakshaya meaning goal) and is prominent. When the mind is not focused and is roaming aimlessly in the forest of thoughts it is very easy for desires (Ravana) to play havoc with the intellect. The individual becomes a wreck when the atman is polarised from the intellect by desires. This is referenced in the Ramayan when Ravana deceives Bhagwan Ram by becoming a deer and then capturing Mother Sita. 

Things change when the intellect engages the mind (the meeting of Bhagwan Rama and Lord Hanuman in the forest). The engaged mind starts to become focused and conscious (this is the part in the Ramayan when Jambavan enlightens Lord Hanuman of his capabilities). A conscious and focused mind becomes an envoy and messenger between the atman and the intellect. Thus Lord Hanuman is referred to as Ramadhoota (messenger of the Lord).

Now that the battle is won and Bhagwan Ram and Mother Sita are ruling over Ayodhya - peace, prosperity and purpose have returned to the land. The mind finds no interest in the trivial things of this world and unhesitantly merges with the intellect, which is known as enlightenment. This is referenced in the Ramayan when Mother Sita offers Lord Hanuman a string of pearls as a gift but He completely destroys it because He cannot find Bhagwan Ram in it. Involuntarily, He rips open His chest to expose His Lord and Mother. This is when the distinction of the mind and intellect ceases to exist which draws inspiration directly from the atman. 

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As I was growing up, this picture was very familiar during the times of Ram Naumi, Purutassi and Deepavali - as simple and beautiful as it is, carries a great idea to ensure an ideal world can exist... a world of peace and love free from dishonesty, hatred, crime and suffering. Man must elevate himself to the highest efficiency first for this to happen. The path to this level is possible  when the intellect rules the being with divine inspiration from the atman, with the goal of life in firm sight and  the mind humbled in deep devotion and service at its feet. 

On this auspicious day, I pray Lord Hanuman assists to raise our mind to become conscious and through our conscious minds we lead conscious lives and play our part in restoring Rama Rajya to this world.

With love and prayers

Yogan Naidoo