1- A worthy suitor is one who knows best, the value of the reward:
The legend of Hanuman begins with ‘Amrit‘ (a magical potion, having which could turn one immortal). It went to the Gods during the samudra manthan and thus the Demons were deprived of it .
Hanuman’s powers were kept reserved and held back to be restored until the time was right in the future.
The series started with the interesting pursuit of power by Ravana ( the symbol of evil in though a great ruler ). And alongside with the search of self and true capabilities by HANUMAN ( the legend vaanar and power which completes Ram).
2- Hanuman takes the lead: No one’s life is expendable:
Hanuman goes to meet the two strangers from Ayodhya. He wanted to check if they had some intent to harm the righteous king of Vaanars (Sugreev). It was this moment of leadership by the, then mere vaanar companion of the king, which later turned out to be the start of the major chapter of self-realisation of the true potential of the legend, HANUMAN.
And in the time ahead, we could see the origin of the bond which defined love, friendship, respect and devotion in its best realization, RAM-HANUMAN.
3- Hanuman realizes: Forgiveness is the true strength !
Killing/ harming someone doesn’t just end/effect one life. It affects all the other lives connected/ dependent on the one harmed as well. So in the process, it’s not just one life that is harmed with anger, but also the other lives that are currently dependent or would be dependent on it, in the future.
So, forgiving the other person not just gives you a golden opportunity to change that person, but also earns you the blessings of the good that you helped create. By doing so you didn’t just save/spare one life, but also supported the lives connected to it.
4- Any action out of jealousy, anger, complex and malign intent is always prone to mistakes and failure:
Ravana was angry with the Gods. He also was jealous of them because he craved immortality which the Gods monopolized.
Though immortality (Amrit) fell in the share of the Gods in the great divide of power amongst the Gods and the Demons, Ravana was of the opinion that he had the right to be immortal too.
Brahma ( The Creator of the Universe ) refused to grant this. Unable to stand this rejection, out of anger and haste, Ravana demanded another boon instead. As a reward for his penance, he demanded that no God, no Deva, no Asura, no Rakshas, no Naag, no Animal, no Spirit and no creature from Heaven or Hell should ever be able to kill or hurt him. But in his haste he forgot to consider a prosiac creature HUMAN who dwelled on earth.
That’s where he left a loophole to his doom.
Similar were the nature and actions of Vaali. Vaali, the brother of Sugreev, was also blinded by power, pride and anger. He forgot the bond between him and his brother. In his anger and pride of power, he considered Sughreev inferior and not worthy to the throne of Kishkindha ( the kingdom of Vaanars ). Moreover, he wanted to kill him. However, his evil intent finally met its end when he lost his life to the aim of Ram’s arrow.
5- Hanuman talks to his team: The real power of the team isn’t in the individual strength of it’s members, but in the dependability and trust on one another:
While setting on the expedition to track and trace Sita, there arises a situation where one of the team members doubts the other for stealing one of his ornament. There was a sense of negativity and mistrust cropping up amongst the team members following the incident. Hanuman humbly eased the tension and set right the situation. Along with the peaceful settlement of the situation, Hanuman also proposed a solution to it.
It’s not about having all the powerful people in one place , but the team play they demonstrate and coordination that they have amongst, which actually leads to success.
6-Hanuman understands: Power without restraint leads to destruction:
Jamvan Kaka, the wise companion and advisor of Hanuman, had conveyed him this message during his earlier conversation.
The fight between Hanuman’s team and the grand demon in jungle was one such example of a strategic win, where just power wasn’t enough.
Not all the battles are won with muscle power. Most of the times, mind plays a larger role. But, despite of winning the battles, one who knows to restrain one’s power, finds the balance and ultimately peace of mind.
7- One who forgets one’s true job and engages merely to please another, has some hidden intent of benefit from the other:
Haria, despite of being a team member, didn’t walk with the team. He forced his way through the team members, to offer Angad the cold water (mixed with poison without anyones knowledge) to please him.
The vested interest though was to kindle Angad’s conflict with HANUMAN. He (Haria) had a long term vision of being the advisor to the future king of Kishkindha, which according to his plan would have been Angad. Only to be taught the right lesson ahead by HANUMAN, followed by meeting his end in the darkness (Shurpanakha) where he (Haria) had taken abode.
8- Hanuman believes: Everyone has good and bad inside themselves, it’s the choice of decisions they make that creates the difference:
When Hanuman takes the lead in the fight against the demonic powers that surrounded the kingdom of King Suketu (Yaksha king whose daughter was Taraka), for a moment the darkness of the demonic powers try to overpower and suppress the brightness of hope within Hanuman.
However, Hanuman’s undaunted belief in Ram and the power of the righteous, helped him. Awakening the divine rays of hope and the power of positivity, he could win over the darkness around.
Ultimately, his belief and inclination towards the righteousness and positivity led him to defeat the darkness of negativity. He emerged as a winner with the shine of Divine Positivity in the end.
The more you fear, the more one tries to scare you. The moment you take a stand and put the right step forward to voice out your perspective, things change for better.
9- Hanuman makes a choice: Short term gratification can take a toll on the long term goals. One must consider the perspectives with conscious consideration:
At times team member’s interest may come in the way of team goals. The choices one makes can either risk the team goal or boost up the teams morale. With the personalized solutions that you prescribe for the betterment / helping out an individual in the team, you show a sense of team centricity to energize the whole team to work with higher zeal and enthusiasm to achieve the team goals faster.
When Angad fell sick due to a demonic curse, Hanuman choose to help save his life. Though on the other hand he risked the time granted for search of princess Sita. However, not only was he able to successfully rescue Angad out of danger, but also led the team well. He also showcased the great quality of a leader who stands by the team members at all times. Ultimately, motivating and creating a stronger bond within the team members. The team now not only had greater zeal, but higher motivation as well, to race towards their goal to find princess Sita.
Sometimes choosing the right thing is a difficult task. However, every difficulty is an opportunity to make things even better with a fresh perspective. It can prove as a long term blessing, over a short time gratification.
10- True greatness isn’t in the display of power but in the capability to control it. Make use of it only when required in the right place, at the right time:
Though Hanuman starts realizing the power he held within, he choose not to flaunt it in front of his team mates. In-fact he didn’t show his superior stance in front of his team members ever. But instead, choose to discuss the same with Jamvan Kaka, an old wizard who also plays the role of his advisor in the expedition.
11- Hanuman speaks to his team: Escaping from difficult situation might just keep you in darkness a little more, while an examined life is much worth living:
Fearing consequence of delay in the expedition set out for the search of princess Sita, at some point the team gets fearful of loosing their lives on returning back from a failed mission. As the directive set by King Sughreev was to end up loosing the life of the members, if the expedition failed.
A captain/leader never abandons the ship. He fights till the end to save the vessel that belongs to him or goes down with it in any unfortunate event of gloom. However, the pride of discharging one’s duties diligently till the end always stays along . Never does a true captain run away, forfeiting his duties.
Thus, Hanuman successfully instills the send of belongingness towards their homeland, along with the sense of ownership towards achieving their goal, amongst all the team members.
12- Age is never a limit to learning new things:
Jamvan Kaka speaks to Angad, – “Aaoo Aur baitho, shayad kuch seekhne ko mil jaye”.
The noble wizard, though the eldest and aged of the lot, had realized this fact early in life. He knew that a learning can come from a mountain as big as the Himalayas or even from a small pebble as well. Knowledge can come from an aged wizard or from a small new born kid too.
Learning is a journey which is never ending..
One who understands this fact always grows in life, not just by age but in wisdom and knowledge as well!
13- Hanuman’s determination: Service to mankind is service to God:
Hanuman helps save Rishi Vaalkhilya from the scorching and burning heat of the sun. Hanuman in turn suffers sun-burns himself in the process. However, he could free them from the curse and in return the rishi’s did shower their blessings on him. The Rishis also resolve to remember and sing his glories for life!
What a true achievement !
14- One who looses the fight against injustice doesn’t get remembered as the one defeated, but an inspiration ahead, for others to do the right thing:
Jatayu the legend of the birds, sacrificed his life fighting against Ravana who kidnapped princess Sita. Though he lost his life trying to protect the princess, but his stories of bravery are truly immortal.
15- Hanuman’s true strength awakens: True glory of power is when you realize it’s worth, and the responsibility that comes along with it:
Hanuman realizes and remembers his powers and they get reinstated in him. The time now felt right for him to take the responsibility of his true power and use them responsibly for the well-being of the society and towards the success of the expedition.
He also could visualise how destructive those powers could prove if not handled responsibly towards the welfare of the society.
Ultimately, with the self realization of his true potential, it was now time to test the limits for good. He resolved to put the divine powers to best use and welfare of nature.
With the powers reinstated, there was a great responsibility that was entrusted upon him too. A responsibility for the realized powers, which should be put to right use and for the right purpose.
All of that in the right time of-course, when he realized the true potential of himself.
In the journey towards one’s goal, there may be various ups and downs. But the one who keeps trying consistently with positive mindset, ultimately makes the true difference and wins over all the odds.
The series (The Legend of Hanuman) is an excellent illustration of the Indian Mythology put in perspective through the tale of RAMAYANA, which can not exist without the Legend of Hanuman.
We would love to hear your takes and perspectives about this beautiful series launched in India.
Let us know what you learnt from it !
Image credits: “Hotstar” & “The Legend of Hanuman”
