Becoming Strong to Serve: Bhagwan Hanuman’s Legacy in My Everyday Life
Bhagwan Hanuman, the pinnacle of service and strength, is a renowned figure across Hindu cultures and continents. On Hanuman Jayanti, we celebrate his birth, a reminder of the immortal concepts of bhakti and shakti that illuminate every facet of our lives. To me, Hanuman Jayanti is more than a simple puja or visit to the temple. It is about committing myself to the values of our faith, and living them as opposed to simply remembering their presence within our lives.
Over the past few years, Hanuman-ji has increasingly become a figure of great importance in my life. When I was younger, I had only perceived him as Bhagwan Rama’s strength, the muscle that dutifully carried out Bhagwan Rama’s wishes. I didn’t understand his divine mentality, his serenity, and other key facets of his life.
This deeper understanding of Bhagwan Hanuman was gifted to me in recent years by my guru – an auntie who has committed herself to teaching children from our local Hindu community about the values and the greatness of our faith. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, over the course of a year, auntie taught us the in-depth meaning of the Hanuman Chalisa, one of the most recognizable and important prayers of Hinduism. In these lessons, she took us on a deep dive into the meaning of Hanuman-ji’s life, explaining how he was not only the personification of strength but also of pure devotion and righteous action.
The more I learned about Hanuman-ji through her classes, the more enchanted I became by his actions and life. From crossing the ocean to face hordes of enemies in Lanka to literally ripping open his chest to reveal Bhagwan Rama’s place in his heart, he continues to be the model of devotion for millions. In times of great worry and fear, when the Bhagwan often feels more distant, I like to remember Hanuman-ji. He served Bhagwan Rama, though good and bad, through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.
Hanuman-ji’s unwavering devotion to Bhagwan Rama reminds me to never forget the Bhagwan, and to know that surrendering to the Bhagwan’s will, just like Hanuman-ji did, can carry us through for a lifetime. An aspect of this surrenderance is understanding that we are instruments of the Bhagwan. To me, Bhagwan Hanuman represented that aspect of life, perfectly. He was content with serving Bhagwan Rama in any way he could, without having any expectations or fears.
This ties into another key aspect of Bhagwan Hanuman’s divine persona: his strength. Hanuman-ji’s strength allowed him to be of great service to Bhagwan Rama, including carrying a mountain to Lanka to help save Lakshman-ji’s life and fighting on the battlefield to free Sita Mata from the sinful clutches of Ravana. Especially around Hanuman Jayanti, I always make it a point to channel Hanuman-ji’s strength into my daily life by doing something more with regard to my own physical fitness. Be it participating in a new sport or setting a new benchmark for my workout, I believe that maintaining and growing our physical health is one way by which we can all honour Bhagwan Hanuman, and apply the values and traditions of our faith to our everyday lives.
By improving and maintaining our physical health, we can also better serve our Bhagwan. It gives us the strength and the ability to do more for our community and create a bigger impact. This is why we must always strive to grow ourselves and become stronger – even if it is taking just one small step forward. This is an important reminder of the power and opportunity we have to be of service to our Bhagwan, just like Hanuman-ji was to Bhagwan Rama.
Throughout our lives, we all come across multiple challenges that threaten to hinder our progress. By remembering the values of Bhagwan Hanuman’s life, we can face these challenges head-on, pushing through them, in a show of resilience and strength that is emblematic of Bhagwan Hanuman’s life.
Shubh Hanuman Jayanti and Jai Bajrangbali!
The author, Sagar Patel is a high school student and a CoHNA youth volunteer.