CHAPTER 45 HANUMANJI, WRITER OF A NEW RAMAYANA

A little confusion about the ideals and dignity of the way of life causes a great downfall in the masses. Therefore, the Srimad Bhagavadgita says,

One should not confuse the minds of laymen by anyone's thoughts, speeches and actions. Even liberated souls should act and live such a way of life by which the common class of people can be inspired and encouraged for those thoughts and engagements which could evolve their levels of consciousness.

Sri Ram as an Emperor, as the Supreme Ideal of human life, as an Upholder of moral codes of human society, had a great mission and the greatest responsibility. The duties of a Vedic King are very hard and extremely difficult. Vedican King means approximately God-realization, knowledge of the scriptures, ruling capacity, extraordinary physical strength, great adoration for the rishis, and great capacity of great donations. All rolled in one. He is expected to be full of paternal love for all his subjects.

Modern man of this Iron Age cannot conceive of this, since the long chain of histories of all Kings of all countries have been totally defamed and have polluted the spotless, clean and super-human characters of the Kings who ruled the earth in Golden, Silver, and Copper Ages described in the history of Interplanetary civilization.

Sri Ram was the top-most among all of them, and therefore, it would be unjust to Sri Ram if we criticized or even tried to understand Him without a background of a short knowledge of Interplanetary history and Vedic way of life, along with recognition of human values from the standard of life which was popular one million years ago.

Sri Ram was extremely generous to His subjects, but His generosity was not less or chaotic. Generosity and love for all beings was extremely active in Him and He was very careful at every step of starting each action, not confusing the minds of a single being and enlightening the path of their ultimate fulfillment, not harming the astral and celestial laws of the other planets --All these make a picture of Sri Ram's personality.

Such a careful and alert lifestyle Sri Ram lived. By such a great dedication and all sacrificing fashion of life, Sri Ram regenerated and brightened it, and gave hope to all the Royal races that while remaining in an Royal environment such a life could be lived.

That is why -recently when India attained independence in 1948 -the great pioneer Mahatma Gandhi had a dream of Ram Rajya. He wanted to bring Sri Ram's government once again. But his dream remained a dream because it required the highest wisdom, greatest power, and a spirit which was able to sacrifice all pleasures of life for any of his countrymen.

Only Sri Ram had that qualification in the whole world's history. To save the long traditions of Ages from bewilderment so they wouldn't be confused or frustrated, and keep them from falling from the path of higher consciousness, He had to become very hard in His own love. He exiled Her whom He loved more than His own life in all the bygone past.

Some Farahada or Majanu, or Chandidas, some Romeo Juliet, can abandon society or sacrifice his own life instead of abandoning his beloved, but for Sri Ram His own life was not His. His life was the costliest jewel of the nation, most valuable pearl of that civilization, of the whole world. So He felt that whatever or however was the path to the higher evolution of the world, that was the only way to move for Him.

So He abandoned His most beautiful, chaste and loving wife Sita, who sacrificed everything for His love. At that time the path of the evolution of the world's consciousness required a great sacrifice, the sacrifice of the separation of two of the world's greatest lovers -Sita and Ram, whose songs of love and bliss are still resounding, echoing, and re-echoing all over the jungles and hills of Chitrakuta and Dandakaraya.

The lovers whom Viradha failed to separate, Khar and Dushana failed to separate, and even the great scientist sorcerer Ravana could not separate, a lowly layman of Ayodhya, a washerman, succeeded in separating.

The washerman's wife went out and returned late one night, and the washerman denied her entry, saying he was not Ram Who allowed Sita back even after remaining one year in Ravana's castle. One of the spies overheard it and he conveyed this to Sri Ram and Ram felt that it was the cosmic-will that Sita should be out of the scene, for the public should recognize that Sita was not only the chaste wife of Ram and the successful Empress of Ayodhya, but also a living Goddess, by Whose Grace one could achieve success and prosperity in life for thousands of generations.

For this benevolent cause Empress Sita became an ascetic, a yogini, and was seen wandering in the groves of Maharishi Valmiki's hermitage sobbing and sighing in the remembrance of Her Beloved Sri Ram. Her sobbing and sighing melted the hearts not only of cows, deer, birds, trees, creepers, and all the surroundings, it also melted the heart of the great ascetic rishi Valmiki who had been absorbed in the mystic trance of meditation for a very long time during that Age. He was later inspired to write the whole story of Sita and Ram which became popular everywhere.

After losing its Empress, Ayodhya became lusterless. Everything was still there, all the activities were being performed, musicians were playing, but they were lifeless and tasteless to Hanumanji. He remained in shock, in dismay.

Sri Ram remained now just an Emperor. He preferred to remain either very busy or alone. He avoided the services of even Hanumanji.

"Hanuman, at least You should allow Your Ram to be busy some time with His own necessities." This used to be His answer whenever Hanumanji wanted to serve Him. Sri Ram's whole night was being passed in trances of meditation.

All the brothers, ministers, citizens, were very grave in deep unspeakable torment, but very firm and strong in the path of righteousness. The places of religious performances, moral duties and services in society became their life breath. It was very good for all, but to Sri Hanumanji, Ayodhya without Sita became unbearable. He was unable to control His tears seeing Sri Ram sitting alone on the Royal throne.

In those days, Hanumanji used to fly away from Ayodhya as soon as He had finished His duties. He used to pass His time at the beach of the Indian Ocean near Kanyakumari where there are innumerable rocks and flat stones which the Vanaras had brought from far and wide for the bridge. When the construction was over the rocks were all collected in one place. Hanumanji used to sit there, sit until the darkness obscured everything.

The pangs of love and devotion made Him a poet and poetries began to flow from His heart and His fingers began to write what He did not know perhaps was the most outstanding and thrilling story of Sita Ram. The days passed and His wild pen filled up innumerable stone slabs with wonderful, exciting poems of Sri Sita Ram's pastimes. His eyes wet with tears, His heart throbbing with feeling, His mind was floating in the ebbs and tides of the pastimes of Sri Sita Ram, and His fingers were moving the pen.

The ocean and the breeze, the flowers and birds used to be happy to see the smiles on His face. Absorbed in the circumstances of the pastimes of Sita Ram, Hanumanji used to laugh at times. His wild laughter amazed and gladdened the heart of the deer, birds and other animals. Sometimes He became very serious, and at other times He used to cry bitterly. When it became unbearable to His spiritual master, Surya Narayana, the sunbeam used to disappear in the western horizon and then Hanumanji had to stop. Then He would return to Ayodhya. Then next morning His writing would begin again.

One day when Hanumanji came to Sri Ram, Lakshmana told Him that Hanumanji was in the process of writing an epic. But Sri Ram didn't reply, He only closed His eyes in deep meditation on Sita.

Devarshi Narada and many astral travelers informed Lakshmana that on the rocks of the beaches of the Indian Ocean an outstanding transcendentalizing epic was being inscribed by Hanumanji in the most picturesque and vivid language.

The news had gone all over the solar system -and the whole night the beach was crowded with readers from different planets, and as the day broke they excitedly rushed to Ayodhya to have the darshan of the Hero and Heroine. Everyday, newcomers in large scale were visiting Ayodhya. Everybody was asking -`Where is the Heroine? Where is the Empress Sita?'

Many dignified personalities from different planets, after reading the verses of the epic and paying a visit to Sri Ram, renounced everything and settled in Panchavati, Chitrakut and on the banks of the Sarayu River. Through the groves and gardens of Ayodhya these people were wandering, deep in love with Sri Sita Ram, singing the songs of the divine love of Sri Sita Ram, conversing about the incidents of the wonderful epic. Their joy knew no limits.

At times they were found shouting, "We need our Empress." They said, "There could not be any greater injustice than the exile of the Empress of Ayodhya. We don't need any dry religion. We don't need rigid rules and dry philosophy. Even duties and services are not required if the heart is filled to over-flowing with devotion to Sri Sitaji.

"In the flowing tears of love of Sri Sita Ram is hidden the mysteries of all philosophies and all religion. From where those tears flow, those eyes and those hearts are divinized and transcendentalized. Evaporation of individuality in the trance of love of Sita Ram is the liberation we need. This is the kind of religion we want. The world needs this." And this they had learned from the poems Hanumanji has composed at the beach.

All the rishis and munis became interested in this epic which had stirred the atmosphere of the whole Intergalactic society.

Maharishi Valmiki arrived one day and said,

"Hanumanji, I have heard You are very busy writing an epic on the biography of Sri Sita Ram!"

Hanumanji felt very shy and replied, "How can I write an epic, my Lord, I am just somehow passing the times of day!"

"Hanumanji, I want You to know that I too have composed an epic on the Holy Ramayana in verse by the order of Bramha Himself. As a writer I want to see the art of another writer," Valmiki muni said.

"All right, sir, if you want to read I can help you with these stone slabs. This is the order," Hanumanji said, showing all of His writings.

Valmiki very soon became absorbed in reading those poems. Many times his eyes grew lustrous and shone. Many times he smiled, many times he laughed, and many times he became serious and tears flowed from his eyes as he was reading the descriptions, the selection of words, the use of proverbs, idioms, ornamental language, and the flow of feelings.

The delicacy and supremacy of Sri Sita Ram's love Valmiki rishi recognized, and he relished everything and became absorbed in it. Valmiki rishi was thrilled and overwhelmed with joy, but after all this, all of a sudden he became despondent and sat down tired and discouraged.

"I see sadness on your face, sir. Is there any mistake in this epic? Wrong uses of words, or misconception of the facts, my Lord? Please do tell Me," Hanumanji requested extremely politely.

"Hanumanji, Your composition is so perfect that it is my firm belief that no one can find a single mistake in the whole epic. The story is fully alive, the description is extremely picture building. There cannot be any literature under the sun which can equal this creation of Yours. I became sad because I had great hope that my composition would be famous all over the world and would be sung and studied by the masses down the Ages. But today after seeing Your literature all my hopes have been turned into ashes. Nobody will be interested in my literature in comparison with this epic of Yours," Maharishi Valmiki replied.

"Sir, do not be despondent. Do not be so sad because of this little thing. Everybody will be interested. Yes everybody, my Lord. I will make it done." Sri Hanumanji said remembering the lotus feet of Sri Sita Ram.

Upon saying this, Hanumanji placed all the rock slabs one on top of the other until they became a huge, mountainous pile of slabs and then He put them on His shoulder and leaped to the space of the wild Indian Ocean. There He dropped them into the womb of the ocean.

He returned very soon to Valmiki feeling very happy within Himself, and said,

"Excuse Me, my Lord, now your literature will be famous all over the world, and I am sure it will wash out the sins which human beings have committed by invalidating Mother Sita, and it will even help wipe out misunderstandings and confusions which ignorant people will have in the Iron Age because of not recognizing the mystical glories of Sri Ram and criticizing Him for exiling Mother Sita."

Hanumanji looked at Valmiki, whose eyes were wet and red, but he seemed to be more and more sad, more despondent.

"Hanumanji, in greed for fame I have done a greater offense. I have made people lose such a great glorification of the Lord," Valmiki replied in great despondency.

"I am very grateful to you. You have saved Me from a great offense. Holy, transcendental names and glorifications of Sita Ram would have been lying written on stones in the open. People would be walking over them. Birds would have flown and passed filth over them and beasts would have made a mess of it. You have saved Me, my Lord. How kind, how merciful you are," and Hanumanji touched the feet of rishi Valmiki.

Rishi Valmiki very quickly took Hanumanji in his arms and embraced Him closely out of great love and blessed Him again and again.