Dasya Bhakti means to regard self as servant and God as the Supreme Master. Indeed, God is the Supreme Master. When we look at the world around us, it is breathtaking. Nature speaks to us about the greatness of God. The vast expanse of the sky, the rugged mountains, the lush green trees, the cool clear lakes and the gurgling streams speak of the wonder that is God. The colors of the rainbow, the sparkle of the sunlight, the coolness of the moonlight, the variety of life forms, the crops, the fruits, flowers and fragrances are all the magnificence of His Creation. The vast starry skies, the planets and Milky Way, the vastness of the Universe are all mind boggling. We have spent many hundreds of years studying the Creations of God and still have much to learn. We understand that the Intelligence, foresight, planning, love and care that God takes in all of His creations are beyond our understanding. God is truly the Greatest of Masters and it is so easy to bow to Him at the sheer vastness and variety of His Creations and love and serve Him as His Servant.
Hanuman is the Avatar of Lord Shiva. This avatar was born in order to help Rama in His mission of establishing dharma on Earth. It was also to teach mankind about depths of bhakti and how to be a perfect bhakta. Hanuman had the Ram Nam – the Rama Mantra before he met Rama. He did the mantra japa and dhyana of Rama every free moment of his life. He had not met Rama but knew of the greatness and value of the Rama Mantra and was steadfast in his loyalty to the name.
Hanuman met Rama during Rama’s exile in forest. Rama was in search of Sugriva to help him search for his missing wife Sita. Hanuman was the minister of Sugriva and came to meet Rama in disguise of a Brahmin. Hearing him speak Rama was very impressed and remarked that the Brahmin had mastered the Vedas and their branches; the accent was wonderful, auspicious and captivating.
When Rama revealed his identity, Hanuman fell at his feet and prostrated. Rama said he was the prince of Ayodhya but Hanuman saw him as the Lord of the Universe. His love and surrender to the name of Rama was so deep that he was able to perceive the Reality. After this encounter, the story of Rama is entwined with Hanuman. Hanuman is with Rama at every step of the further events, serving him as an outstanding, highly intelligent, resourceful and understanding servant. We can read about these events in the the Valmiki Ramayana and the Ramcharitamanas of Goswami Tulsidas.
Hanuman introduced Rama to Sugriva; he headed the search for Sita and carried the ring of Rama to hand over to Sita; he leaped over the sea and killed several demons on way; he discovered Sita and consoled and comforted her about Rama’s love for her and that Rama would soon come to rescue her; faced Ravana and burnt the city of Lanka; brought together Vibishana and Rama; fought long and hard and very bravely in the battle between Rama and Ravana; saved the life of Lakshmana by carrying the Sanjivani (life giving herb) mountain from the Himalayas and served Rama as long as Rama lived his earthly existence.
Hanuman is Chiranjeevi – having eternal life. He lives even now doing his japa of Rama Mantra and helping those who do the Rama Mantra. His sole reason for existence is to enjoy the sweetness and bliss of Rama Mantra. Hanuman derived all his strength from the name of Rama. We are blessed to have the SitaRam Mantra with us. When we do it diligently on daily basis, the blessings of Hanuman will be with us.
