Praising a Monkey God in this Day and Age
Posted by: chris in Chanting, Hinduism, Krishna Das
Why would a person who doesn’t believe in or worship “idols” enjoy listening to a forty-verse devotional anthem to a monkey god?
That’s right, a Hindu monkey God - the divine monkey - also known as Hanuman.
To look at the devotional images of the Hindu religion, most people raised in a western religious environment would think that it is full of nothing but polytheistic idol worship. But that isn’t the case. I’ve made the point in a previous post that the Hindu religion uses stories and characters to explain various aspects of the divine.
The story of Hanuman appears in the epic tale Ramayana — where he is given the assignment of locating Rama’s wife Sita, who was abducted by Ravana, a demon king. Hanuman is always on Rama’s side in constant battle against evil forces. He is looked upon as a symbol of physical strength, perseverance, and devotion, and represents the perfect devotee, the ultimate disciple. His loyalty to Rama was such that he never tired, and from that we can start to appreciate the unlimited potential that we all have.
Sometime in the 16th century, the Hindu poet Tulsi Das composed a 40-stanza poem praising Hanuman. Many Hindu families today recite this poem - the Hanuman Chalisa - as a prayer on a regular basis. And in the west, it is becoming more and more popular among those who enjoy chanting, kirtans, and other expressions of bhakti yoga.
The first time I heard it I didn’t know what it was - it was just another enjoyable tract on the CD Now
You can listen to a short clip here:
This stands out from the style of repetitive chanting, but because it’s spoken in the same spiritual language of Sanskrit, the same principles are involved in its recital. It is said that the devotee who recites the Hanuman Chalisa 108 times will overcome all obstacles. No, I don’t believe that there is an actual entity that appears to assist you. Rather, it’s the nature of the vibrations that has the effect. After finding a version that resonates with you and then listening to it for awhile, you’ll feel something very positive in the words - even if you don’t know the translation. And as we honor the loyalty, strength, and purity of Hanuman, we also honor that part of ourselves.
You can find the words to the Hanuman Chalisa here.
Recommendation: Flow of Grace
by Krishna Das. An entire CD devoted to the Hanuman Chalisa.
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Your posts may be spartan but they are always well worth a good read! I have spent some time researching the monkey king in the past, and one curious thing I remember was that he was sometimes not referenced as a God but as an immortal. The interesting parallel that I find is that there have been some records of yogis that have also met this immortal state. So it leaves the question for me, Is Hanuman actually an evolved yogi?
Thank you for the comment, and interesting question that you posed. Yes, I believe that there lived a human basis for many of the Hindu divine incarnations. With regard to immortals, in my own limited experience I’m aware of only one modern-day immortal, and that is Babaji. With regard to Hanuman, the Neem Karoli Baba, whose devotees include Bhagavan Das, Ram Das, and Krishna Das, was considered an incarnation of Hanuman. In any case, this points the way for each one of us to travel the path of spiritual progress.
The Hindu tradition often makes subtle distinctions between various celestial beings. The first distinction is of course between Ishvara, the supreme controller, and all the rest. Amongst celestial beings, there are devas (demi-gods), gandharvas (angel like beings), kinnaras (super-human beings) etc.
Ishvara has also many different types of expansions, which makes the picture a bit more complex.
Hanuman is the son of Vayu (the Wind) and is primarily praised a bhakta (devotee) of Lord Rama and His Shakti, Sitadevi. That is why you see Hanuman ripping open his chest to expose Sita-Rama in his heart.
It might be that Hanuman is considered a Chiranjiv, an immortal within this universe, but I can’t confirm this.
The perfection of a yogi is to attain immortality, but that is often described as moksha, or liberation. This is different from being a Chiranjiv. A yogi can also attain mystical powers, but that is considered a lesser boon than moksha.
I hope I wasn’t too technical.
Thank you for your thoughtful post.
Meru, thank you for the clarifications. Yes, the Hindu cosmology can be very complicated. Throw in the Hindu names, and I often get lost trying to sort through the various layers. Don’t worry about being too technical, though. I appreciate the chance to learn a little bit more here and there.
The first time I personally had a non-Christian religious experience was about thirty years ago when I was a teen and went with some Hindu friends of my father’s to a talk at Georgia Institute of Technology given by an Indian guru whose name I can’t remember. He was seated on the floor, as was everyone else, and he had a harmonium on the floor next to him. He didn’t speak English, so I had no idea what he was saying. I was having a very difficult time focusing, though, because I was right in the middle of a migraine headache. I was in intense pain and was incredibly nauseated. At the end of his talk he began chanting. “Sri Ram, Sri Ram, Sri Ram, Ram, Ram, …” Everyone else in the room chanted with him, so I began chanting, too. Although, I didn’t realize what had taken place until the meeting was over and we were walking out of the conference room, my headache and all of my nausea had disappeared. Who knows? Might have been Sri Ram. Might have just been my body and mind finding a healing vibration. That experience, though, opened up a lot of doors for me. Great post! Thanks! God Speed.
lee,
I have friends who suffer from migraines and they never seem to go away easily. Physical healing is one of the more fascinating aspects of spirituality, and there is so much that we really don’t understand. “Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram …” is one of my favorite chants, too. Hopefully, over the years you’ve found effective ways of managing migraines.
The Hindus worship just about anything apart from humans ie. reptiles, animals and even rodents - uncle harry the rat. The whole religion is nonsense.
lord hanuman