Stories of Selfless Power and Egoless Courage
June 13th, 2021
#1 Young Hanuman Story
As a young god with extraordinary powers, Hanuman often abused his powers. He especially liked teasing the saints in the forest, by placing their temples in another location, drinking the water that they were offering, dousing their sacrificial fires, blowing them away with his powerful breath, and so on. A curse was created by the saints to protect the world from the mischief of young Hanuman: They prevented him from knowing (and thus using) his own powers until Jambavant, king of the bears, reminded the grown-up Hanuman that he had extraordinary abilities. This story teaches that whatever powers we have, we should try to forget about them and only remember them when they are needed for others.
As a young god with extraordinary powers, Hanuman often abused his powers. He especially liked teasing the saints in the forest, by placing their temples in another location, drinking the water that they were offering, dousing their sacrificial fires, blowing them away with his powerful breath, and so on. A curse was created by the saints to protect the world from the mischief of young Hanuman: They prevented him from knowing (and thus using) his own powers until Jambavant, king of the bears, reminded the grown-up Hanuman that he had extraordinary abilities. This story teaches that whatever powers we have, we should try to forget about them and only remember them when they are needed for others.
#2 Hanuman Courage Story
When Hanuman flew over the ocean to the isle of Lanka in search of the abducted Sita, the gods wanted to test him. So Sursa, the goddess of snakes, blocked his path and threatened to eat him. Hanuman tried to talk her out of it and even offered to come back after fulfilling his duty in Lanka. But Sursa would not hear of it. She had received the boon that whoever came before her must pass through her mouth. But when she tried to eat him, Hanuman gradually became bigger so that she had to open her mouth wider and wider. Suddenly Hanuman became as small as a mosquito, flew into her mouth, and back out through her ear. The boon had been fulfilled and Hanuman could continue his journey.
The story teaches that we need to have the intelligence to become small when necessary and use our powers in a clever way.
When Hanuman flew over the ocean to the isle of Lanka in search of the abducted Sita, the gods wanted to test him. So Sursa, the goddess of snakes, blocked his path and threatened to eat him. Hanuman tried to talk her out of it and even offered to come back after fulfilling his duty in Lanka. But Sursa would not hear of it. She had received the boon that whoever came before her must pass through her mouth. But when she tried to eat him, Hanuman gradually became bigger so that she had to open her mouth wider and wider. Suddenly Hanuman became as small as a mosquito, flew into her mouth, and back out through her ear. The boon had been fulfilled and Hanuman could continue his journey.
The story teaches that we need to have the intelligence to become small when necessary and use our powers in a clever way.
#3 Real Power stays if used in Selfless Service
After giving Sita Rama's ring and bringing her hairclip (chudamani) back to Rama, Hanuman refused to accept any honor for
that deed, claiming that it was first the ring and then the hairclip that gave him the power to do as he did.
There is a saying that real power only stays if used in selfless service.
We should be grateful to have our abilities, but should not identify with them, nor regard them as something very important.
