Living Hanuman - Introduction

A journey from a selfie to the Self through Śhrī Hanumān Chālīsā

LIVING HANUMĀN

by Pawan Kumar Mishra

Unalome, the symbol above, expresses one’s journey to enlightenment.

Though it is from the Buddhist tradition, it is inspired by the third eye of Śhiva, present in all human beings as the eye of perception.

The path is neither always straight nor perfect, and at times, not even in the ‘right’ direction.

May this book serve as a seeker’s companion on this mystic, sacred and intimate journey.

Offering

श्री गुरु चरण सरोज रज

Unto the golden dust of the lotus feet of my Guru, Swami Veda Bharati and the lineage of the Himalayan Masters, woven through Swami Rama into eternal antiquity...

Prologue

That

In this section, let us explore the question, ‘Who is Śhrī Hanumān?’

Let us familiarize ourselves with the context of this book-journey through: -Foreword -Gratitude -About this book -Introduction -Śhrī Hanumān - a Mytho-biography -Śhrī Hanumān Chālīsā - a Message

13

Kārtika Kṛiṣhṇa Chaturdaśhī (October-November) as dates of birth of Śhrī Hanumān according to their tradition and celebrate the same as such. These different dates of birth possibly relate to the different forms of manifestation of Śhrī Hanumān in different epochs of time and creation. Śhrī Hanumān – Place of Birth There are many places in India which different texts claim to be the birthplace of Śhrī Hanumān. The most accepted amongst all the places is the Aṅjaneri (or Anjneri) mountain, located seven kilometres from Tryambakeshwar in Nashik district, Maharashtra. Other places that also carry the legend of being His birth places are Anjan, a small village about 18 kilometres away from Gumla (Jharkhand); Anjaneya hill, in Hampi (Karnataka), located near Rishyamukha mountain on the banks of the River Pampa, where Sugrīva and Rāma were said to have met in Vālmikī’s Rāmayana; and Lakshka Hill, near Sujangarh in Churu district (Rajasthan).

11 Ketu 12 Venus

9 10 Mars

1 Sun

8

7 Moon/Saturn 4 Jupiter

2 Mercury 3

6 Rahu 5

Śhrī Hanumān’s Horoscope

Birth date: 17th January, 5114 BC Birth time: 00.30 hours (approximate) Birth place: Tryambakeshwar, Nashik, India

Prologue / THAT - 49

Selflogue

I am That

When the mirror of my mind is purified, I see myself reflected as That.

Let us explore the question, "Who am I?" through Selflogue.

-In-journey with over 200 questions addressed to ourselves -HIM-meditation -Ayurveda -Yoga -My Action Point (MAP) -Maṅtra and Worship of Śhrī Hanumāna

77

and descended on them. The bees first danced with joy inhaling the intoxicating fragrance of the flower, their feet gathering the golden pollen in the process. Then, gradually, each bee settled its proboscis into the receptacle of the flower and lost itself in the taste of the nectar as it was flowing into its body. While the bees were in their transcendental state of bliss doing their work, their cousins, the dung beetles were completely flummoxed! They seemed to have lost the plot! They could not smell the fragrance. They could not understand what the bees were doing, so transfixed. The dung beetles had their hands and nose still full of dung! How could they smell the flower or feel the pollen? How could they even bother to dig a bit into the flower and taste the nectar?

The dung beetles conferred amongst themselves and agreed that there was nothing but a certain lunacy on the part of their bee brothers.

Leaving them absorbed in the lotuses, the dung beetles quietly and quickly took off. They were already much over their scheduled morning break. They went back and reported to the elders. The elders smirked again confirming that they knew it all to be so! The dung beetles got back to their work, while the bees continued with theirs.

We, the modern seekers are much like these gobrellas. We have all our senses clogged with mundane worldly things - mobile phones and mobile devices, the urge to get more and more out of our life, our work or our relationships. We are always in a hurry to get somewhere faster than someone else! And we seek ‘spiritual experience’ in the brief and hurried weekend we decide to ‘invest’ in visiting a lotus in a pond nearby!

Selflogue / I AM THAT - 79

Doha 1 श्रीगुरु चरन सरोज रज निज मनु मुकुरु सुधारि । बरनउँ रघुबर बिमल जसु जो दायकु फल चारि ॥१॥

śhrī guru charaṇa saroja raja nija manu mukuru sudhāri barnauṁh raghubara bimala jasu jo dāyaku phala chāri Dusting the mirror of my mind with the golden dust, Guru’s grace helps me find, fruit-giving Light I must.

In-point

I am aware of the luminous presence of my Guru within, and I commune with Him continuously.

80

Doha 2 बुद्धिहीन तनु जानिके सुमिर� पवनकुमार । बल बुद्धि बिद्या दे हु मोहिं हरहु कलेस बिकार ॥२॥

buddhi-hīna tanu jānike sumirauṁ pavana-kumāra bala budhi bidyā dehu mohiṁ harahu kalesa bikāra Knowing me to be stupid, I seek you Pavana-kumāra, Knowledge, Strength, Intellect, a mind free of war.

In-point

Sumirau, I am constantly aware of my breath.

96

Bikāra or impurities of the mind include the six inner enemies or śhaḍa-ripu. These inner enemies are desire or lust (kāma), anger (krodha), greed (lobha), attachment or infatuation (moha), egotism or arrogance (mada) and jealousy or envy (mātsarya). The five bhāvavikāra or impurities of the state of existence are sorrow, delusion, thirst, decay and death arising out of a sense of ego denoted by I, me and mine.

2. Anger krodha

4. Pride mada

3. Jealousy matsarya

Unfulfilled Desires Dislikes (dveṣha)

Storing saṁskāra (chitta)

6. Attachment moha

Inner Enemies

Inner Enemies

external factors

5. Greed lobha

1. Desire

Fulfilled Desires Likes (raga)

kāma

I

ego-sense

external factors

Ahaṁkāra

Triggering vāsanā (mānasa)

Internal factors

Four Primitive Fountains of Emotions food āhāra

Sleep nidrā

fear bhaya

Sex maithuna

- food implies a desire for material objects - Sleep implies ignorance - fear implies worries, insecurities and anxieties - Sex implies all sensual enjoyments Ignorance is the root cause of ego leading to likes, dislikes and fear.

Adapted from Chariot of Sadhana (Page 175) by Marian and Martin Jerry, Swami Veda Bharati

102 - Living Hanumān

Verse 1 जय हनुमान ज्ञान गुन सागर । जय कपीस तिहुँ लोक उजागर ॥१॥

jaya hanumān gyāna guna sāgara jaya kapīsa tihuṁ loka ujāgara Oh, Hanumān! Infinite Fullness, Ocean of eternal gems, filling worlds with luminance, Oh Kapīsa! In every sense.

In-point

I experience the victory of my Self, over my non-self.

106

Brahman, the Universal Consciousness Unmanifest

Manifested

Cause 25. Puruṣha

Qualities 24. Prakṛti

Pure Intellect 23. Mahat “Am”

22. Ego Ahaṁkāra “I am”

3 qualities / modes

Tamas

Sattva

Rajas

21. Mind Mānasa five Gross elements (bhūta) 01. Earth (pṛthvī)

02. Water (jala) 03. Fire (tejas) 04. Air (vāyu) 05. Space (ākāśha)

five Subtle elements (taṅmātrā) 06. Smell (gaṅdha) 07. Taste (rasa) 08. Light (rūpa) 09. Heat (sparśha) 10. Sound (śhabda)

110 - Living Hanumān

five Motor Organs (karma-indrīya) 11. Tongue (vāk) 12. Hands (pāni) .

13. Feet (pāda) 14. Excretory organ (pāyu) 15. Genital organ (upastha)

five Sense Organs (gyāna-indrīya) 16. Ears (karna) .

17. Skin (tvak) 18. Eyes (chakśhu) 19. Tongue (jihvā) 20. Nose (nāsa)

Verse 2 राम दत ू अतुलित बल धामा । अं जनिपुत्र पवनसुत नामा ॥२॥

rāma dūta atulita bala dhāmā añjanī-putra pavana-suta nāmā Oh Messenger of Rāma!

Oh Home of Infinite Force!

Oh Deliverer from Drama!

Oh the Breath! Oh the Source!

In-point

He is the strength of my strength.

I am the abode of his strength.

118

and join the other stones. Amused, Śhrī Rāma asked Śhrī Hanumān Who was standing beside Him, ‘Tell me my dearest, why is it that when a simple Vānara drops the stone into the sea, it floats, but when I drop a stone in the sea, it sinks?!’ Śhrī Hanumān promptly replied, ‘O Lord! Whoever you “drop” from Your hands has no choice but to sink!’ Subtly though, the power of the Name being more than the Named was gently expressed.

Oh Messenger of Rāma!

Oh Home of Infinite Force!

Oh Deliverer from Drama!

Oh the Breath! Oh the Source!

As the emissary of Śhrī Rāma, Śhrī Hanumān had all the qualities of an able ambassador. They are meant for the seekers to emulate and imbibe too. The qualities are intelligence, well-endowed in speech, influential in dialogue, quickness in understanding other’s mind, swiftness, patience, obedience, loyalty, purity and incorruptibility, lack of vices, skill, compassion, handsome, eagerness to accomplish and being energetic.

Selflogue / I AM THAT - 123

Verse 3 महाबीर बिक्रम बजरंगी । कुमति निवार सुमति के संगी ॥३॥

mahābīra bikrama bajaraṅgī kumati nivāra sumati ke saṅgī Oh the Bravest, most Valorous!

Oh Invincible, made of thunder!

Oh the Fragrance, Equanimous!

Resolving chaos, caused by blunder.

In-point

I overcome every conflict through resonance, resolution and firm resolve.

126

Verse 4 कंचन बरन बिराज सुबेसा । कानन कुंडल कुंचित केसा ॥४॥

kañchana barana birāja subesā kānana kuṇḍala kuñchita kesā Body Yours, has golden glow, raiments as dews on a bough, rings in ears, to and fro, curly hair, cascading low.

In-point

I turn out in my best attire, I look my best at all times. I am the messenger of the Universe, the envoy of God!

134

Kānana-kuṇḍala, the two earrings, represent the two methods of gaining knowledge—through the intellect (Sāṅkhya) and through intuitive perception (Yoga) as described in Gopāla-uttar-tāpinī Upaniṣhad (57.243). Earrings represent listening with restraint and filtering falsehood (including praise, lest ego be fed). Empathic listening includes an ability to discern and discriminate and protect one’s mind from negative transference. Our minds process 500 words per minute, whereas a speaker speaks at best 150 words per minute.

The idle brain's capacity of 350 words (called route 350 in psychology) is utilised in forming our judgments, reinforcing them and deciding what to speak next. We can, however, utilise this capacity to connect with the Being of the one who is speaking, hidden behind the veil of the words and the body. Adept practitioners use this capacity to chant their personal maṅtra while listening to the other person with total attention.

Piercing of the earlobes is in vogue even today amongst both girls and boys. Almost every girl in India (and worldwide) have their earlobes pierced and adorned with a ring or stud. Body piercing is an art, and there are some who take pride in the number of studs and rings their pierced body holds. Tattooing is also a form of piercing art. Piercing is a part of the regular experience for diabetics who have to pierce their fingers to test for blood sugar and inject insulin. Others also do experience piercing due to a need for an injection of medicine or vaccine.

Vigyāna Bhairava Tantra (Verse 93) asks the seeker to draw his attention to the point of the body being pierced and experience the sharp pain. Then immediately, shift their attention deep within to the source where the pain is being experienced and become aware of the experiencer of the pain. The true nature of consciousness can be 138 - Living Hanumān

Yoga kānana kuṇḍala Dvihasta-karṇa-tiṣhṭha-uttiṣṭha kriyā (squats while cross-holding earlobes) Cross your hands in front of your chest and keep your legs as far apart as your shoulders. Firmly pinch-hold your right earlobe with your left hand and the left earlobe with your right hand. As you exhale, squat down; as you inhale, rise up. Perform 24 repetitions or more.

Keep your awareness on deep memories of purity and peace that you experienced as a baby. Remember again and again that you are not the body or the emotions or the profession or the relationships you wrongly identify with. You are the Conscious Self—eternal, peaceful and ever in bliss.

Latest British research establishes that squatting without any support directly enhances longevity.

Benefits Sharpens memory, relieves stress and anxiety, improves the digestive system, reduces fat, strengthens the pelvic floor leading to benefits of the uro-genital system, improves stamina and improves postural balance.

Selflogue / I AM THAT - 141