The Story of Ganesa: 12. Hanuman humbled | INDIAN MYTHOLOGY |
The Story of Ganesa: 12. Hanuman humbled
In Treta Yuga, three kings—Kosala, Kekeya, and Vasumitra—
were on friendly terms. They had a daughter each named Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and
Sumitra. Dasaratha, the young King of Ayodhya, had already earned a name and
fame for himself. Little wonder then that the three kings wished to make him
their son-in-law. When the proposal went to Dasaratha, he accepted it and sent
word of his willingness to marry the three princesses.
The kings then called on sage Jaimini with a request
that he chose an auspicious day for the wedding. After studying the birth
charts of the princesses and taking into consideration the planetary positions
and movements, the sage said, “I foresee a day when the princesses will be
married in the presence of Lord Vighneswara. However, let me warn you. They may
be harmed by the activities of some demons. I would, therefore, advise them to
be vigilant till the day of the wedding.”
On hearing this, the three kings were worried about the
safety of their daughters and thought of various ways to ensure that they are
not harmed by any demon. Ultimately, they had a large box made and put the
princesses inside and kept it safe under lock and key.
Sage Narada came to know of their impending wedding. And
as was his wont, he called on Ravana and said, “O Lord of Lanka! King Dasaratha
of Ayodhya is soon to get married. I hope you remember the curse that his son
would be instrumental to your death.”
After the sage had taken leave of him, Ravana sent for
Mahodara, a demon of huge size. He was asked to go and bring the three
princesses to Lanka. He went in search of them and found out that they were
being kept safe in a box. He managed to get hold of the box. He now thought of
taking it to Lanka across the ocean. As he was capable of flying, he swallowed
the box and started. He had reached only half way when he suffered a terrible
stomach ache. He spat out the box containing the princesses.
The box fell into the sea and was tossed this way and
that. King Dasaratha was at that time travelling in a large boat. He was
anxious to reach land and was peering at the horizon when he saw the strange
sight of a huge box, which was getting closer and closer to the boat.The box
hit against the boat with such force that its lid opened to reveal the three
princesses inside.
A rope ladder was then lowered into the box and the princesses
were helped to climb into the boat one after the other. At that very moment,
Vighneswara appeared there and performed the wedding of Dasaratha with the
three princesses. After the wedding, the Lord disappeared, and the king
proceeded to Ayodhya with the princesses.
Weeks and months passed.
Dasaratha performed the Putra- kameshti yaga and he was blessed with
four sons. The eldest of them, Ramachandra, son of Kausalya, at the instance of
his step-mother Kaikeyi, went away to spend fourteen years in exile in the
forest. He was accompanied by his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana.
When they were living in the forest, Ravana succeeded in
kidnappaing Sita. Rama was then helped by Hanuman and Sugriva, the monkey
princes, to reach Lanka where in a fierce battle, Rama fought Ravana and killed
him and rescued Sita.
On his way back to Ayodhya on conclusion of the fourteen
years of self-exile, Rama took a dip in the holy waters of the Sethu, and
wished to instal a Siva linga for worshiping the Lord. He sent Hanuman to
Kailas,s the abode of Siva, to fetch a Siva linga. At Kailas, Hanuman chose the
biggest of all lingas. Unfortunately, however much he tried, he was unable to
lift it. In fact, he could not lift even the smallest of the lingas he found in
Kailas. Time was running short, and Hanuman was perturbed over his failure.
Suddenly, he saw a young lad approaching him. “May I
know who you are?” he asked of Hanuman. “If I am not mistaken, are you not
Hanuman? But, then, how could Hanuman be in Kailas? I must be mistaken!” he
said by way of aside.
“My boy, you’re not mistaken. I’m Hanuman. My Lord,
Rama, had sent me here to fetch a Siva linga. But, tell me, who are you?” asked
Hanuman.
“Oh! I keep a watch over the lingas here. I have heard
that Hanuman is an incarnation of Siva and as he has five faces, he is also
called Anjaneya,” said the lad. “If you are Anjaneya, where are your other four
faces?” the youngster queried.
Suddenly, Hanuman turned into a huge figure with four
more faces—those of Garuda (eagle), Varaha (boar), lion, and horse—and appeared
as Panchamukha Anjaneya. He smiled at the lad and told him, “Vighneswara, I’ve
showed you my five faces; now it is your turn to show me your own five-faced
figure!”
Vighneswara now assumed his Viswaroopa. Hunuman was
overawed. He prostrated before the Lord. “Even when you appeared as a lad, I
knew you are Vighneswara. Could I now have one of those lingas, for which I
have come all the way to Kailas?”
“O Hanuman! I wanted to have the darshan of the
five-faced Anjaneya,” said Vighneswara. “All this drama was enacted only to
satiate my curiosity. You’re very much a part of Siva. Do you think anyone can
prevent you from taking away any of the lingas? Still you found it proper to
make a formal request for one. So, I shall give you the very best among them.”
Vighneswara then picked up the largest one and handed it to Hanuman, who took
it with great reverence and began his return journey.
All this had taken some time and Rama was getting
impatient. Without waiting for Hanuman, Sita made a Siva linga of clay. Rama
consecrated it with holy water and began reciting mantras marking the
start of his worship.
When Hanuman saw this, he felt ashamed of himself.
Overcome by frustration, he tried to pull out the clay linga with his tail. But
it stood like a piece of rock.
Rama was all the while watching Hanuman’s actions out of
frustration and anger. He turned to Hanuman and said, “My friend, even
intelligent persons would sometimes commit mistakes. You possess great
knowledge. Though this is clay, it represents the Lord. Nobody can play with
the Lord’s images. No, you’re not late; you may instal the linga you have
brought next to the clay one. I shall worship both.”
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