Victory to Hanuman Sadhu

THE EDITOR: Please permit space in your widely read and widely circulated newspaper to comment and offer public congratulations to Sir Ganapati Sachidananda Swami of India, Spiritual Leader of Dattatreya Yoga Centre, Orange Field Road, Carapichaima, the management committee, the president Mr Ramesh Persad Maharaj Attorney-at-Law, the vice president Mr Ralph Seunarine, all donors, the architects and builders for the reconstruction of their magnificent temple and the erection of the 85ft Arcavigraha form of Hanuman, an eternal devotee of Lord Ramachandra. The murti is reported to be the tallest in the Americas and the western world. I am sure all our people acknowledge your work and are delighted. Well done. Before the advent of Ramachandra and his devotee Hanuman, planet earth was burdened with a tremendous amount of unrighteousness. The Rakshasas (demons) and Ogre population was very large. At that time holy places, places of pilgrimages such as forest Ashrams, holy mountains, divine valleys, sacred rivers, solitary spots, and transcendental caves were attacked by Rakshasas and ogres. The saints, sages and common people were unable to perform their daily religious rites such as havan (fire sacrifice), Sankirtana (congregational chanting of God’s holy name) and Arti etc. The Rakshasas and Ogres desecrated their altars, books, symbols, congregations and food offerings with filth and excreta. Their paramount aim was to harass and murder the devotees in the most barbarious fashion.

They wanted to stop Bhagavan’s work on this planet. Life for the devotees became harsh, oppressive and unbearable. It was difficult for devotees to commune with Almighty God. Valmiki says transcendental knowledge was vanishing from the planet. Danger was everywhere. Devotees prayed to God to descend on earth to stop the godless and he came. The demons were led by the ten-headed Dravana of Lanka. Ravana clothed his consciousness with pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance. He considered himself emperor of the world. He challenged ogres or humans for battle. His advisers were just like him, self-seekers, devoid of decency, inflated by vice and consumed by lust and greed. They were engrossed in their own stupidity which was pacific. In this setting, fear had pervaded the planet. Men became servants of their senses; degraded, abandoning family traditions. Life was hellish. God’s devotees were in grave danger. They proclaimed their desire by prayer and petition — loudly and silently — that God should come and stop the evil forces on earth. And he came. Lord Ramachandra and his servant Hanuman appeared in India in Treta Yuga. He still is on planet earth. He was on earth during Lord Krishna’s incarnation. He took part in the battle of Kuruksetra. According to his Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna, consciousness in his profound commentaries on the Upansads Treta Uyga has a duration of 1,200,000 years, Dvapara Yuga 80,000 years and that 5,000 years have elapsed in Kali Yuga. Hanuman is still on earth. He travels all over the three worlds. He is an eternal being. Indeed a mighty devotee of the Lord. He deserves our love and our association. Let us salute him by singing him praise. Hanuman is a child of Anjana, a celestial woman born at Mount Semuru India. His father is Vayuh, the demigod in charge of wind. As a pilgrim he had a mighty purpose — to help Lord Ramachandra destroy all evil forces on earth, to help in the establishment of righteousness by words, deeds and precepts and like his Lord, to dedicate himself to the sowing and cultivation of dharma until it engulfs World.

To perform his task he was to take the form of a monkey capable of assuming at will any form. His body is invulnerable as the thunder bolt and he travels as fast as the speed of the human mind. His is humble, fearless, self-controlled, steady in devotion, detached, even-minded and renounced. He is also immortal. The adventures of Hanuman Sadhu are numerous, wondrous, brilliant and phenomenal. A few will suffice in this letter: (a) In search of Sita Mata, Hanuman leapt across the sea covering a hundred Yoganas or 800 miles from India to Lanka. (b) He overpowered Ravana’s defence system presiding over the city of Lanka. He spoke and comforted Sita Mata (c) After sought by Ravana’s councillors, his son and servants. (d) After he spoke to Ravana he reduced Lanka to ashes. (e) He played a major role in liberating Sita Mata from Ravana’s custody. (f) He was empowered to expand himself as huge and high as any mountain. He also could reduce himself as small as an atom. Hanuman and the monkey warriors cleared the global forest of all dangerous snakes, lions, tigers, leopards and bad animals.
As we ponder in our hearts the noble awe inspiring deeds of Lord Ramachandra and his loyal, faithful servant and friend Hanuman Sadhu, let us remember that we are the authors of our own destiny. The time is ripe for us to stand up bravely and face the future with supreme confidence and total belief that Almighty God is merciful, hates and destroys the evil, will bountifully shower us with opulence — love, knowledge, moral fortitude, when we recognise his dominion over us and surrender unconditionally to his will. Let the chant be, “Death to the Demons, Victory to Swamiji, Victory to the Devotees; Victory to Hanuman Sadhu; Victory to Lord Rama.”

JAITRAM  BRIDGNATH
Vaisnava, Gasparillo