In those days, Arjuna
was looking for a suitable place in the Himalayas for his long meditation,
which was not for liberation, not for peace, but was to attain the Pashupat
weapon. It was so powerful that all alone it was enough to destroy not only the
planet Earth, but the entire solar system. He was preparing for the great war
of Mahabharata.
On his way to
Pashupatinatha he saw a handsome ascetic on the bank of the river Who was
constantly chanting the Holy Name of Sri Ram. Arjuna was impressed by His personality
and inquired politely about Him. When he learned that He was the famous, the
great Hanumanji, naturally he became eager to know and learn many things.
"Revered
Sir, I have heard the Ramayanam from great rishis many times and one thing that
I can't understand is why Sri Ram went to so much trouble to construct a
bridge. I believe He was the great archer. Why couldn't He make a bridge of
arrows?"
"To
make an eight hundred mile bridge of arrows was not impossible," Hanumanji
said. He discovered a touch of vanity in Arjuna's statement but He politely
replied, "But so many Vanaras like Me were to go across the ocean, and it
is a fact that an arrow bridge cannot hold much weight."
"I guess not,"
Arjuna said.
"Forget
the ocean," Hanumanji said. "Here is a mountain lake. The arrow
bridge constructed even on this lake cannot bear My weight."
"What is the value
of such an arrow bridge if it breaks down under the tossing and jumping of the
Vanaras?" Arjuna challenged, and began a constant release of arrows and he
really constructed a wonderfully strong bridge of arrows within a few minutes.
He turned to Hanumanji
and said,
"You
can test it by jumping, tossing and playing on it as much as You wish."
"If
it breaks down simply by My stepping upon it, then what?" Hanumanji asked.
"It cannot
be," Arjuna replied in a confident tone.
"Suppose
it does happen? Are you taking full responsibility for My falling down in that
lake and getting wet and hurt?" asked Hanumanji.
"If
the bridge breaks down under Your weight, I will die entering the burning fire
right now," Arjuna vowed.
"If
it successfully bears My burden and remains safe, I will sit near the flag of
your chariot and help you in the battlefield for your whole life, "
Hanumanji vowed.
As
soon as Hanumanji put His right foot on the bridge, a part of it broke with a
great deafening noise and with the breaking of one single part the whole bridge
collapsed in the middle of the lake.
Arjuna became very sad
and without saying a single word, he began to pick up fuel to die.
Hanumanji
became despondent. He just wanted his ego to be broken down, not his death. But
now it was not possible to stop him.
All of a sudden a young
swami appeared from the bushes and stood in front of Arjuna.
"Sir,
who are you? Why are you picking up the fuels?" He asked. Arjuna described
everything to him.
"That's nice. You
are a good gentlemen. It is best to always fulfill one's words, but may I ask
you one thing? Who was the witness to this incident? What is the proof that
this gentleman (pointing towards Hanumanji) has not played any tricks? Without
a witness, any discussion cannot be concluded into a decision."
In an authoritative tone
he ordered Arjuna to reconstruct the bridge.
"Now
if it breaks by His climbing and jumping upon it, then I will tell you who wins
the bet." The strange swami looked at Hanumanji.
"I have no
objection," said Hanumanji.
Arjuna
took up his bow and began a constant shower of arrows and constructed a strong
bridge within a few minutes.
Arjuna could have made
the bridge stronger, but he did not do so because he had no enthusiasm since he
had seen the fallen condition of the last one. He had no hope. But still the
bridge was very strong. As far as any fast train or bus is concerned it was
durable enough to last for hundreds of years.
But
for Hanumanji, it was like a toy. Just standing on the earth, He put His right
foot on the bridge and pressed it with His toe. The bridge remained unbroken.
He was surprised and put His full weight on His foot which was on the bridge.
Even then the bridge remained safe. Then He pressed it with His knees and hands
and nothing happened.
He
was about to jump up and down, but before He did, He peeped underneath the
bridge. "Oh, Lord Krishna!"
Lord Krishna Himself was
supporting it and saving it from collapsing as the previous one had. "My
Lord," Hanumanji cried. The swami turned into Lord Krishna and embraced
Hanumanji.
"Arjuna,
your friend has helped you and I am defeated!" Hanumanji embraced Arjuna
and said,
"Blessed
are you, Arjuna, whose life Krishna values so highly. I promise I will always
be present by your flag. Nobody will be able to cut it down, and when your
chariot enters the war I will always be at your disposal."
Thirteen
years later, when the Pandavas boarded their chariots, Arjuna painted on his
flag a picture of Hanumanji, and His constant presence was always experienced.
In the battlefield of
Kurukshetra, in the Inter-continental war, when Lord Krishna became the
charioteer of Arjuna, he suggested to Hanumanji,
"Please
remember that this is the Copper Age and not the Silver Age. It is not the time
for You to show Your great power. The capacities and strength of people have
reduced with the human values. Even if You just roar in Your natural loudness
as You did in Ram-Ravana war, all the soldiers will fall flat on the earth and
their hearts will be torn asunder. Therefore, just keep sitting quietly."
There
are many incidents in the Mahabharatam where Arjuna is being helped by the silent
presence of Hanumanji.
0 comments:
Post a Comment