Parth Trivedi

14 April 2013

Hanuman. The Faith and

Beyond.
I am an atheist. A very pronounced one indeed and some believe
itextremelyHippocratic of me to write on 'Hanuman' and his perception today. But then I am
the little rebel everyone hates. On a more serious note, this article is more about the few faiths
inHinduismthat are pure and undoubted. Faiths thataren'tstained by personalgains, faiths
that have purity and anessenceof understanding. As much as I hate the misconception
within them, I cannot help but applaud the extent of emotion and innocence that they bear.
The next thing that you might endure to ask will be, "why this all of a sudden?" and
well, the answer lies in that fact that while I was introspecting upon the way Iperceivemy
culture and the way I would preserve its integrity when it comes to presenting it to someone
not from this background, I need to have a sound and unbiased understanding of what it
stands for what what its original purpose is.
So let us start with the background ofHanumanfor those of you who do not, or
onlypartiallyknow this India's first superhero! The story goes way back into theSatyugor the
first Epoch of time in the Indian mythology. They tell me that there are 4 epochs in general
and that there is a mass destruction after every fourth epoch ends (known as thePralay: the
destruction after theKalyug). And the saints who have lived eons hence claim that there have
been 27pralaystill date and so the cycle keeps going on the same way again and again and
again. And so my loved ones, the concept of parallel universes is not so new to then Indian
culture. Coming back to the point, the inception ofHanumanis said to be in the
earlySatyugwhen Ram was also born.Hanumanis said to be aRudra avatarofShivor to be
clearer, a vibrant incarnation of the god of destruction. Said to be born to accompanyRamin
his voyage that was precast to enervate the evils ofRavanfrom the planet, it has a more
interesting back-story ofParshadsor the gatekeepers ofVishnubeing cursed but that'll be too
off track and i will talk about it some other day. For now,Hanumanwas born to
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accompanyRamon a voyage. But our purpose here is not the story. Our purpose needs us to
jump to the end of theRamayanor the story ofRam'slife. It was the time when peace had
been established in the world andRamhad decided that his time had come and he must
leave.Hanumanwas the most devoted follower ofRamand the love they shared was beyond the
scope of gauges we can understand. So whenRamdeclared to go to exile and then
vanish,Hanumanlamented, begged him to stop, said he was incomplete without his lord. And
he was right. The purpose of his birth was to serveRam. And to be a savior of the weak. To
be left like this would leave him without a goal to look at. That was the moment where he did
what is today the pose of most of the pictures he is fabled in. He sat on one knee and tore
apart his chest to show thatRamandSitalived in his heart. As humbug as it may sound, it
isdeductiveof love that we share in absolute devotion. To every human on planet, there is an
entity that he wants, and needs more dearly than anything else that he has by any means.
Now this is the time that we get to part of faith.Ramsaid toHanuman, while i go, you must
live on, while i perish, you must continue to serve your purpose, a new purpose, the one of
true humanity and true devotion."Hanumanstoodbaffled Not exactly understanding the
nuances of what was to come, but very certain that it will be the to the best interests of the
universe as a whole. You shall live till eternity, and protect mydisciples, live on for every
single person who believes in the truth and material of god, live on for every form of life that
hasconsciousof ourpresence." The wordsaren'texact, but the meaning more or less is.
That is the reasonHanumanhas such a huge number of followerson this planet. There
is more to the ape-man than a simple devotion. He has been left on the planet as proof of the
god particle. He has been left on the planet as proof that when you have faith and when you
have the willingness to accomplish something, forces as strong as that of the creator himself
cannot stop you, for you are in all terms his masterpiece.
This stature thatRamleftHanumanwith, was taken very seriously by the Hindu religion
and it is, in itssolemnitythe most secular following ever built. Requiring no or very
lessmaintenancethe temples ofHanumanare always built in the most unexpected places and
crevices where people are most probable to face fear. Somewhere in the middle of forests, on
lonely roads, on twisting and winding paths to mountain tops, whenever there is fear, we have
seenHanumanstanding there. Waiting. They say that if you have faith in him, he WILL come.
If you believe he is there, he will be. And for allpracticalpurposes, he does prove to be right.
Now I wont tread into superstition, but the fact that you believe in something so basic and so
down to earth, makes you realize the ground realities of your actions. When you go ahead

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and take a stand of accepting your fears, you look at the bigger picture. You do not directly
find strength, but you certainly find peace. That is whatHanumanis all about. Finding peace
in the reality of situations. When you do that, when the holistic image is clear in front of you,
there is a sense of new found responsibility. And that is where you get your strength
from .The acute punch of all the power you could ever imagine, channeled through your
veins into your muscles is all because now you know, what you are fighting for. The truth of
the matter and the humanity that lies within it, that is all that life is about.
TheRamayanor the story of Ram has 7 chapters or 'kands'. The fifth chapter is called
the 'sunderkand' or 'the beautiful-chapter'. It is all about the relationship and adventures
thatRam and Hanumanhad together and it is the most frequently chanted part of the whole
scripture. What is worth noting is that today, whenever devotees plan and sit for a chanting of
this chapter, there is custom of putting a miniature pillow somewhere near the idols they pray
in front of. The more life-size-liking people use a whole chair kept empty and near the place
of prayer with a direct view of the idol of Ram. The purpose is, people believe so, to keep a
place forHanumanto sit. Pretty amusing at first look. But we can do so much to understand
the deeper reason to it. They believe that whenever there is a chant ofRam, He comes, to
hear and to indulge in the bliss of being reunited to his lord in the purest form of love. And
the moreinterestingpart is that they believe in it and arrange for it in very regard. It is
beautiful, how they have respect for feelings more than that for actions. The sentiments of
Indian men and women are tampered with at every stage of life and the only reason none
fight back is that they are too vulnerable topossibilities of the negative outcome of an event.
We as people, fall prey to prayers onlybecausewe do not see our fears in clear vision. The
Ape who was meant to show people their fears and push them to overcome is today referred
to as an eradicator of fear. One who shall protect you and your family against all odds and all
that you need to do is pray. Faith has a bent meaning of being an umbrella to rain. No one
enjoys dancing in the face of showers anymore. The easy life, people think isavailablein the
chapters of the epics, why search for it inhard workandperseverancewhen you can get it in
chants and idioticconservatism. Religion is a virtue; it is never a physical attribute. It can
influence your mentality andpsychbut never your potential.
This is all ladies and gentlemen.Hanuman: The Faith and Beyondwas only meant to
question. You shall give me the answers :)

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