MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 - EPISODE 9 - STORY OF HANUMAN'S SEARCH

MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 – EPISODE 9

#GRANDMA_STORIES_FOR_SUCCESS

#STORY_OF_HANUMAN’S SEARCH

8th July 2019

Flash-Back

We enjoyed 2 stories, so far. The first one was from `Kathopanishad’, the story of Purpose, Perseverance and Pursuit of teen boy Nachiketa. Our second story is that of `Varnavat Lakshagriha’ from the epic Mahabharatham. We understood how `Weak Leadership Traits’ of Dhritarashtra led to the decline of Hastinapur kingdom. Similar was the story of the last Tsar of Russia Nicolas II wherein his weak leadership led to Unrest, Economic downfall, Riots and eventual decline of Russian empire.

Our next story should logically be chosen up from the other great epic Ramayanam. I used to think if at all I will be able to find any `development’ theme from Ramayanam, Ramayanam being a treatise on the principled life of Lord Shri Ramachandra. But I now have 3 compelling and competing stories from Ramayanam developed over the last 10 days. I mentioned at the end of last week that the next story will be the `Story of Instant Gratification’. I shall now change the honor to the `#Story_of_Resilience’ from the same epic because I am finding this story powerful and irresistible. Now the story:

This story comes in Sundara Kandam of Ramayanam. Sundara Kandam is packed with the feats of Hanuman. Hanuman is the hero of Sundara Kandam. Our story starts with Hanuman entering Lanka in search of Sita mata. Hanuman shrank to the size of a small monkey not more than the size of a cat and decided to get into Lanka when it was dark so that none would notice. Hanuman climbed over the wall and jumped into the city as ancient code of warfare states that one should make his entry in an out-of-the-way manner when entering enemy’s territory.

Hanuman went mansion after mansion in Lanka looking for Sita. He saw many young and beautiful women. Unfortunately, Hanuman did not have the luxury of comparing with a portrait in hand (or mobile phone) to verify the identity of Sita!!! All he had was a ring to show as a proof and a description of the qualities of Sita. Hanuman was looking for a woman who would be morose pining for Rama. After looking at many mansions, he came to a big and beautiful palace ie Ravana’s palace.

Hanuman saw a beautify women inside Ravana’s private apartment. Beauty of her features and piousness made Hanuman to think for a moment that she was SITA. He leaped up in JOY!! He realized immediately that Sita would not be donning jewels and sleeping peacefully in Ravana’s chamber. Hanuman said to himself “The very thought itself is a sin”. He then searched for Sita in every nook and corner of the palace. Also investigated little shrines and the arbors made of creepers. Sita could not be found.

"I have seen all of Lanka," Hanuman believed with irrepressible grief. "I have seen every inch of Ravana's palace. What more could I do here? Am I to return without seeing Sita? No. I shall rather end my life here. Yes, that is the only thing for me to do." Thought Hanuman.

Committing suicide was considered the biggest crime on dharma. Still Valmiki and Kambar narrated suicidal inclination of Hanuman. But the right attitude was explained in the immediate next sloka.

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Valmiki teaches us through Hanuman. “What an idiot am I? It is unworthy and dishonorable yielding to such despondency”. Resilience (not getting dejected on failure) is the basis for development. One who takes failures on his stride will feel happy all the time. 

Hanuman sprang up again and searched once again every inch of the places he had been through (better attention to details). He opened every door and window and looked in but no use. He got dejected again (despite the promise of not getting dejected he made to himself). He grieved at the thought that Ravana would have killed Sita. He despised the thought of returning to Kiskinta without seeing Sita. “What would happen to Sugriva? Sugriva might die. How would I face Rama? What would Rama think of me?” Rather than returning to Kiskinta, I would stay here for the rest of my life”, “I would rather die”

Just then his eyes lighted on what he had so far left unexplored, a park attached to a shrine and surrounded by high walls. "Oh, here is a park, I have not seen or searched so far. Here surely I shall find Sita." With these words he meditated on Rama, hope sprang. He jumped onto the Ashoka Vana’s wall with lot of hope and confidence. Ramayana continues but our story concludes here.

Learnings from this story – Bouncing back on failures without getting dejected is the basis for the development of all other qualities. We see lot of many real-life stories of people who made big because they took the failures on their strides.

I reiterate here what I wrote in my book `#Management_Immemorial’

If Thomas Edison would have got dejected on his failures, we would still be living in darkness. If Henry Ford had given up, we would still be riding on horseback. If Alexander Graham Bell had given in to the clutches of failure we would still have been sending messages through pigeons.

A lot can be learnt from the translation of Tagore’s #Gitanjali, Extract from `#Closed_Path’_in_Gitanjali. “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail".

“I thought that my voyage had come to its end at the last limit of my power, that the path before me was closed, that provisions were exhausted and the time come to take shelter in silent obscurity, but I find that thy will knows no end in me, and when old words die out on the tongue, new melodies break forth from the heart, and where the old tracks are lost, new country is revealed with its wonders.

                                                                                                    – Rabindranath Tagore

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