Gaurav Rastogi on Clubhouse

Bio

Note for Hanuman Jayanti
By Gaurav Rastogi
In Hindu temples, homes, and countless folktales, you will hear of Hanuman, “the Monkey God”. What is important about him is neither that he’s a “monkey” nor that he is considered a divinity or “God”; he is revered as a powerful heroic figure filled with devotional surrender.
Hanuman is one of the dearest deities in the Hindu tradition, imbued with valor, mischief, strength, and devotion. He is the personification of strength and devotion, and that is why his tales are loved all over the world.

It is his complete Devotion that sets him apart. The story of Hanuman comes to us from Ramayana, the earlier of the two major epics in Hinduism (the other being the Mahabharata). In the epic, Lord Sri Rama, (God incarnate in human form) is engaged in an epic battle with the king of Lanka, who has wrongfully kidnapped his wife. Hanuman is part of a tribe of monkeys that meet Sri Rama, and this ragtag army of monkeys help Sri Rama (and his younger brother, Lakshmana) win against the rich, mighty and arrogant Ravana.

Hanuman is a complete yogi. One of his names is Bajrang (or Vajra-anga, the thunderbolt Bodied one), which is one of the highest achievements for a yogi, to have a thunderbolt energy body (in yoga the subtle body is an energy body). He is the son of the Wind, a reference also to his mastery of the breath, which you know as Pranayama. He has all the mystical powers that a yogi can acquire (there are eight siddhis, or yogic superpowers, such as the ability to be tiny, heavy, fly, and so on). He is also the symbol of Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion, being completely surrendered to his master. So Hanuman is the complete yogi, with excellence in all the yogas of Action, Meditation, and Devotion.

Many western adherents to the Bhakti tradition (like the singer Krishna Das) make it a point to memorize the Hanuman Chalisa, the forty verses in praise of Hanuman. Singing the Chalisa is a tradition followed all over India, and a large percentage of modern Hindus will be able to recite and chant along. The chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa brings joy, relief, and a connection with a powerful-yet-surrendered Yogi. Something we should all aspire to become.