Vanamali - Hanuman: The Devotion and Power of the Monkey God

Aum Sri Ganeshaya Namaha!

Salutations to
Lord Ganesha!
May He remove all obstacles on the path of this scribe
and enable her to write this book on
the lilas of
Sri Hanuman.

Aum Anjaneyaaya Vidmahe.

Vayu putraaya deemahi,
Tanno Hanumath prachodayaath.

I contemplate on Anjaneya,
I meditate on the son of Vayu,
May He give me enlightenment.

Dedicated to my dearest friend, Nilli,
one of the greatest bhaktas of Sri Hanuman.

Benediction given by Sri Neeb Karoli Baba
as conveyed by his chief disciple Sri Siddhi Ma.

Hanuman sama nahi bad bhagi

Nahi kou Ram charana anuraagi,

Pavana tanaya bala pavana samana

Buddhi viveka vijnana nidhana

Kavana so kaaj katthin jaga maahi

Jo nahi chod tatha thum pahi.

There is no one as fortunate as Hanuman,

No one who has as much love for the feet of Rama,

Son of the wind god, who equals him (the wind) in strength,

Repository of intelligence, discrimination, and understanding.

O Dear One! If you shower your grace

No task is difficult in this world.

HANUMAN CHALISA BY TULSIDAS

HANUMAN

Vanamali Devi has done a beautiful and inspiring job of making Hanuman a palpable life, worthy of love, devotion, and respect.

NAYASWAMI KRIYANANDA, AUTHOR AND SWAMI
OF THE GIRI (MOUNTAIN) BRANCH OF
THE ANCIENT SWAMI ORDER

Vanamalis work is Universal and helpful for people in all walks of life.

SHIVARUDRA BALAYOGI MAHARAJ

Contents

Chapter 1.

Chapter 2.

Chapter 3.

Chapter 4.

Chapter 5.

Chapter 6.

Chapter 7.

Chapter 8.

Chapter 9.

Chapter 10.

Chapter 11.

Chapter 12.

Chapter 13.

Chapter 14.

Chapter 15.

Chapter 16.

Chapter 17.

Chapter 18.

Chapter 19.

Chapter 20.

Chapter 21.

Chapter 22.

Chapter 23.

Chapter 24.

Chapter 25.

Chapter 26.

Chapter 27.

Chapter 28.

Chapter 29.

Chapter 30.

Chapter 31.

Chapter 32.

Chapter 33.

Chapter 34.

Chapter 35.

Chapter 36.

Aum Sri Ramaaya Namaha!

Foreword

Sri Vanamali is a rare being. She is a Devotee of the Lord in all his forms who has been blessed with the compassionate desire to communicate his lilas (divine acts of play) to the English-speaking world.

In the West, there are many new devotees who desperately need access to the revered ancient Scriptures of India. Sri Vanamali comes as the cool breeze of grace, filling the hearts and minds of the thirsty devotees with the stories of the Lords joyous play. In this book on Sri Hanumanji, as in all her other books, she gives us access to the inner worlds of our Beloveds lilas.

Sri Hanuman is the greatest of all devotees of the Lord. He is a jnani (one in complete knowledge) in the fullest sense of the word. He has merged with his Lord, Sri Rama, in his own being, and he sees his Lord in everything and everyone. His realization of the truth does not end there.

As Sri Krishna says,

And when he sees me in all and sees all in me,

Then I never leave him and he never leaves me.

And he, who in this oneness of love

Loves me in whatever he sees,

Wherever this man may live,

In truth, he lives in me...

BHAGAVAD GITA, CHAPTER 6

This is the key to understanding Sri Hanuman. He serves Sri Rama in all beings by removing the obstacles to those beings realizing the truth in themselves. He sees that, in fact, there ARE no other beings, only Rama. Motivated by love born of Truth that manifests as compassion for beings who believe themselves to be separate, he works tirelessly to remove their suffering.

Another mystery of Sri Hanuman was revealed by Sri Neem Karoli Baba to one of his great old devotees, Dada Mukerjee. A small party of devotees had, along with Maharaji, climbed to the top of Hanuman Dhara in Chitrakut. They rested by the spring that comes out from the rock at the top of the hill.

Maharaji said to Dada, This is where Hanumanji came to calm himself and to cool himself off after burning Lanka.

Then after a few seconds he said very softly, as if to himself, Of course, Hanumanji was always at peace.

No matter what he was doingburning Lanka, destroying the demons, singing Ram Naam, or serving the devoteesHanuman was never outside of Sri Ramas being.

May the Lord be gracious to all.

SRI KRISHNA DAS

Sri Krishna Das is well known to all lovers of music, especially in the West, for his numerous recordings of heartrending devotional lyrics. Even though he is known as Krishna Das, he could just as easily be called Ram Das or Hanuman Das, since he is a devotee of both.

Aum Sri Hanumathe Namaha!

Aum Sri Ramachandraaya Namaha!

Introduction

Yatra Yatra Raghunatha Kirtanam

Tatra Tatra Krita Mastaka anjalim

Bashpavari pari purna lochanam

Marutim nammascha raakshasantakam.

I bow to Maruti, the destroyer of demons,

Who stands with folded palms,

In all the places where the glories of Sri Rama are sung,

Shedding tears of devotion and joy.

RAMACHARITAMANAS BY TULSIDAS

Modern science may claim to have traced the mechanical laws of evolution, but the ancient rishis (sages) of India discovered the spiritual law of eternal values called the Sanatana Dharma (eternal law), the divine thrust inherent in the human psyche that enables it to attain greater heights of evolution. This is the great contribution that India has made to the world, one that inspires in human beings a strong desire to shake off their humanity and bring to light the inherent divinity within. This is what is known as enlightenment. Age after age, India has produced enlightened souls who have continuously renewed and refreshed this great dharmathe Sanatana Dharmaand made it available to the whole of the human race. The sages wanted our country to progress not just materially but through a constant inner renewal of the cosmic law of righteousness that is guided by the wisdom embedded in our heritage.

The great verse epics of our country called the Mahabharata and Ramayana, and the massive assemblage of narratives known as the Puranas, are thus storehouses of wisdom, and by reading them, our spiritual evolution will be hastened. Truth is a matter of direct realization by our own individual efforts, but the sages gave us many different methods to attain it. These saints were great souls who were far above the vulgar herd who merely want to see their names emblazoned in anything they write. Thus, their names remain a mystery. We can show our gratitude to them only by trying out the many paths they gave us.