Strength And Humility

Strength And Humility
By Sri Swami Chidananda

The worship of Lord Hanuman is an ideal that requires our attention and adoration not once in a year, but always. The worship of Hanuman verily constitutes worship of the Divine Reality in the form of strength and powers dedicated to duty and to the Divine Being. The worship of Hanuman implies the worship of strength adorned with humility—the worship of strength and powers simultaneously combined with devotion and dutifulness.

The great Hanuman’s life is nothing if it is not devotion and dedication, humility and the spirit of service. The worship of Hanuman indicates your acceptance of this ideal. The worship of Hanuman is a token of adoration to the principles of self-sacrifice and service, devotion and dedication, and absolute impersonal selflessness. The worship of Hanuman is the ideal for all beings who wish to transform their lives and themselves into beings of courage and strength, and at the same time be adorned by the spirit of service, total devotion and total dedication to the feet of one whom one considers oneself to be the disciple, follower and devoted servant of.

If you consider yourself as a devoted servant of God, devotee of God, follower of God, you have ever to keep before you the effulgent, radiant ideal of this unparalleled personality of the Ramayana. He had the strength that could lift mountains. He had the strength that could cross oceans. But despite this he remained what he really was: a dedicated, devoted, self-effacing servant of the Divine, depicted always at the feet of the Divine, head bowed down and hands folded.

This is Hanuman’s place, vow and personality in the ever-present presence of God. It is due to his dedication, devotion, humility and utter selflessness that he has become the favourite among the devotees of God. It is due to these sublime qualities of self-effacement that Hanuman has become perpetual, an ideal in Indian culture. He is the deity of millions in India. And through the Ramayana, Valmiki has sought to make him immortal, ever present in the vision of all human beings.

May the grace of the Supreme inspire you to emulate this ideal and to sincerely work towards the fulfilment of such an ideal in your own personal life. The hazard and the danger of a subtle spiritual ego, a sadhaka abhiman, will be made impossible if this ideal is present in your heart as a guide to your spiritual living, to your sadhana and to whatever selfless service you are engaged in. To beautify, elevate and transform all these three aspects of your spiritual life, the worship of Hanuman presents special significance, holds special meaning and constitutes a universal ideal.

May God and guru enable us to live such a life, having before us this ideal to be striven for as we offer the external worship this morning at the little shrine on the bank of the Ganga!"


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Last Updated: Monday, 29-Mar-2010 11:16:00 EDT
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