The relationship between Rama and Hanuman is the best example of divine relationship that should exist between the Lord and His devotee. Hanuman understood the Lord completely, for he never tried to understand the Lord, he just followed Him implicitly. At the bodily level, he was the servant of the lord. From the perspective of the mind, he was the spark of the divine. At the level of the Atma, he and the Lord were One.

In the present quiz, we have culled out a few anecdotes from the life of this great devotee of the devotee published in earlier issues of H2H. You will discover that every instance concerning Lord Hanuman is an inspiration for all time to come.

 

1. In the cover story ‘Pearls from the Ramayana’ from our March 15, 2004 H2H issue, we shared a few narrations that Swami Himself spoke on the Ramayana.

“In the Ramayana, we have the story of Lord Hanuman. He sets an example to all of us by the manner in which he conducts himself. When he comes close to Rama, he shows extreme humility and respect. What is the reason for Hanuman exhibiting such humility in the presence of Rama? The reason for such behaviour lies in the description of ‘Ramo Vigrahavan Dharmaha’ of Rama. Rama is the embodiment of dharma and therefore in the presence of dharma, he shows humility.”

According to Swami, what lesson should we learn from Lord Hanuman when he displayed a completely opposite attitude in front of the demon King, Ravana?

A. We must never respect Ravana!
B. We must show courage when we are faced with situations that are not righteous
C. In life, only righteous situations should be dealt with
D. We should have humility only towards God

2. In our article “Life Is A Celebration” from the Sep 2006 H2H issue, Professor Anil Kumar shared how Swami goaded him when he was reluctant to accept the job of being the Principal of His college in Bangalore: “I recall at this moment the year 1989 during our trip to Kodaikanal, when Bhagavan said, all of a sudden, ‘I appoint you as the principal of Brindavan campus of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning at Bangalore.’ I was not physically or psychologically prepared. I was upset on hearing this news, because I had many responsibilities at home.

“In the course of the talk, He made a reference to a particular situation from the epic Ramayana. Lord Rama started asking everybody: ‘Is anyone here prepared to go over to Lanka crossing this vast ocean in search of Sita?’ Nobody had the guts to raise their hands. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Somehow Rama started asking one after another: ‘Are you ready to go?’ One Nala said: ‘Swami, I am quite young. I am not sure that I will be able to do that.’ Next: Neela. ‘Are you prepared to do it?’ ‘I am not sure of my strength but anyway, I will be able to fulfill one fourth of the task assigned to me.’ ‘Jambahavan, are you ready?’ ‘Yes Swami, but I am a retired man working on super annuation. I am physically indisposed. I am not sure that I will be able to cross this?’ Finally the good Lord came to Hanuman. And Lord Rama said: ‘Hanuman, are you ready to jump over this ocean and go over there in search of Mother Sita?’ Hanuman said: ‘Yes my Lord, I’ll do that.'

When Lord Rama asked him as to why he accepted His orders without any apprehensions, what was Lord Hanuman’s reply?

A. “I only want to serve You!”
B. “I am sure You will give me all that is needed to succeed in this Divine task”
C. “I am Hanuman, the courageous one; I can do anything!”
D. “Since nobody else is willing, somebody’s got to do it!”

3.In our article: “The Three Bodies” from Aug 15, 2004 issue, we shared excerpts of discourses on Lord Hanuman from delivered by Bhagavan in 1972: “Once the intelligence is purified and dedicated to spiritual effort, there should be no slipping back, whatever the obstacle or the temptation. Hanuman, charged with the mission of discovering the place where Ravana had confined Sita, decided that he should take a leap over the sea towards Lanka to search for her in that island fortress. While he was propelled across the miles by the Name of Rama that he carried in his heart and on his tongue, a mountain immersed at the bottom of the sea felt a strong urge to offer him some service, for, he was the Instrument of God, and engaged in an exhausting adventure! Its name was Mynaka.”

When the mountain offered Lord Hanuman to rest on its crest, what did he do?

A . Even though he was stressed, he obliged the mountain and rested for a little bit
B. Lord Hanuman promised the mountain that he would rest on his way back
C. Lord Hanuman did not wish to delay; he turned a deaf ear and sped off
D. The mountain arose and carried Lord Hanuman on its back

4. In our serial article “Musings on Avatars” from the May 2008 issue, Prof. G. Venkataraman discussed an episode on Lord Hanuman within the story of the Rama Avatar.

Hanuman was all set to return but a new thought occurred to him: "Now that I am here, why not probe the enemy's strength? That information could prove useful later." With this in mind he started destroying the beautiful garden in which Sita was being held. In the stir that followed, Hanuman allowed himself to be captured, and in this manner he found himself a prisoner tied hand and foot, being produced before Ravana in the latter's court. Once face to face with Ravana, Hanuman advised the demon king to follow the path of righteousness or Dharma and return Sita to Rama.

But, charged as he was with lust, Ravana was in no mood for sane advice; furious, he ordered that the monkey be killed. At this stage, Vibhishana, the younger brother of Ravana, intervened to say that in spite of all the havoc caused by him, Hanuman was an envoy and the canons of Dharma required that envoys should not be killed; they could however be punished. Accepting the suggestion, Ravana ordered that bandages be tied to the tail of Hanuman and then set on fire.’

Even though the whole of Lanka was burning, nothing happened to Hanuman. Why?

A. Because the deity of fire had promised to return a favour done by Hanuman
B. Because Lord Rama had the tail pre-protected with a special lining
C. Lord Hanuman would keep hopping into water every now and then
D. Because the fire deity withheld his burning power

5. In our serial article “The Dramas of Life Divine” in the Sep 2009 issue, we shared a drama presented in the Divine Presence of Bhagavan Baba which highlighted the supreme virtues of Lord Hanuman.

The scene depicted the time when Sage Vishwamitra welcomed Lord Rama back from exile and the Lord extolled his brothers and all others who helped Him on His mission to retrieve Mother Sita from the clutches of the evil Ravana.

“Vishwamitra: Your glory will be sung till the sun shines and there will be life on this earth. Rama, You have acknowledged the role played by everyone in the assembly and yet have you forgotten the crest jewel of the Ramayana ratna haara – Hanuman?

Rama: Guruvarya (Venerable Sirs)…It is the volume of his contributions that nullifies every expression of praise that I wish to confer on him. He has become an inseparable part of Me and any effort to glorify him would only lead to Atma stuthi (self-praise).”

What did Lord Rama offer Lord Hanuman, the crest jewel of the Ramayana, then?

A. “I give you my pearl necklace”
B. “Take my bow and arrows for your constant protection!”
C. “I promise to take you as part of My next mission”
D. “I have nothing else to give except Myself.”

Dear Reader, did you like this quiz? Is it too difficult? Is it interactive enough? Would you like more such quizzes? Please help us in serving you better by writing to h2h@radiosai.org mentioning your name and country. Thank you for your time.

- Heart2Heart Team