Every week on Mondays and Saturdays special pooja is done.People offer the deity paan, cloves and raisins as prasad.

This temple is 33 kms from Alwar.

Karan's Guesthouse

The word 'Krishna' means black. As we can see in this section, the colour signifies that the lord is not a physical being, but has a transcendental nature instead, above all manifestations of colours. According to Sri Ramakrishna, the famous Hindu mystic of the nineteenth century, Lord Krishna is black so long as we view Him from a distance. He has a permanent place in our hearts, bearing a more intimate and direct relation than any object of visual perception has with us.

The Lord Krishna keeps on sending His enchanting and beckoning notes to us on the Flute even as we suffer, oblivious to His (God Krishna) inner presence. The rhythm and beauty of life, however, are restored once we are aware of this sustaining presence. The awareness comes with the realization that we are ourselves the flute He has chosen as His instrument for divine aesthetic expression. While playing the instruments that we human beings are, He exhales His breath into us which is the breath of life. According to Lahiri Mahashaya, another great Hindu mystic of the nineteenth century, the Lord's playing on His flute signifies the yogic technique, of breath control following which the aspirant attains divine realization, passing through six spiritual stages as indicated by the six holes in the flute.

The standing posture of the Lord Krishna itself depicts a superb rhythm showing the body bent at three places with the ecstasy of love. His crown has a peacock feather on the top, the circle in the middle of which stands for the third eye, also known as the spiritual eye. It is with this spiritual eye that He casts His glance of divine love on us. The whole mood is of a friend we must strive to relate to in all trust in expectation of His pure and loving company.

Another depiction of the deity is in the form of a little boy (the Bala Gopala or Gopal Krishna) who is longing for our affection with His outstretched right hand. The asking is spontaneous, and the giving has to be spontaneous and unconditional too. Spiritual life consists either in the cultivation of friendship with, or affection for the deity, depending on the aspirant's dominant psychological disposition. The devotee is expected to sublimate his feelings and emotions in building a relation with the deity through the veneration of the icon.

¡Namasté, simios!

Aquí me tenéis, de nuevo en Madrid, recién llegado de las vacaciones. Han sido dos semanas increíbles de verdad, en las que he tenido oportunidad de visitar templos milenarios, presenciar cremaciones y hacer cientos de kilómetros a lomos de camello y elefante. Entre medias, he sacado tiempo para rodearme de monos y disfrutar de la exótica gastronomía local. O sea, que muy, pero que muy bien.

He vuelto a casa con una libreta llena de notas, más de quinientas fotografías y el zurrón repleto de baratijas alucinantes: ídolos de sándalo, colgantes de hueso de camello y demás muestras de la bizarrísima imaginería hinduista. El opio, claro está, se lo quedaron los de Aduanas.

En cuanto ponga un poco en orden mi maltrecha cabeza, prometo haceros un somero repaso de lo que dieron de sí los doce días que he pasado por allí haciendo el Marco Polo.

[P.D.: Por cierto, aunque no venga a cuento de nada, ahí va un aviso: “Batman, the Dark Knight” es una verdadera maravilla. ¡Si no lo digo, reviento!]

The dried up shrivelled skin gives it a distinct character and roughness just ideal for the thumb to turn over. And the weight is right. It is claimed that rudraksha has some medicinal properties and just wearing rudraksha string does good to the body.

The mythological legend is that to slay Tripurasura demon. Lord Shiva took Rudra incarnation. The tears shed by the eyes of Rudra Shiva became rudraksha. And it literally means 'Tear of Rudra'. The legend lent it the sanctity to become the bead of religious abacus. Id it matched the Hindu colour, saffron.

Shastras have prescribed bead strings of different embers of rudrakshas for different kinds of chants tat invoke the related gods or the goddesses. There lso are orders regarding its care, respect and worship.

દોઢ દિવસનો સમય, હૈયામાં મણ મણના ઉમંગ અને નવા ક્ષેત્રો ખેડવાની ઈચ્છા એટલે અમારી આ વીકએન્ડ ૨ અને ૩ ઓગસ્ટ ૨૦૦૮ ની ગીર યાત્રા. બપોરે બે વાગ્યે રાજુલા થી યાત્રા શરૂ કરી. રાજુલા જમ્યા પછી પ્રવાસ શરૂ થયો. હીંડોરણા ચોકડી થી જમણા હાથે પુલ પછી તરત રસ્તો આવે છે જે જાય છે ડેડાણ ગામ, અને ત્યાં આગળ જતા બે ફાંટા પડે, એક ઉના તરફ અને એક વીસાવદર તરફ. અમે વીસાવદર તરફ વળ્યા, પહેલી મંઝિલ હતી હનુમાનગાળા. વીસાવદર વાળા રસ્તે એક ફાંટો પડે છે જે તદન કાચા અને બીસ્માર રસ્તે લઈ જાય ગીરના બહાર તરફના પણ ગીચ જંગલ તરફ. અમે આગળ વધ્યા. વરસાદ અનરાધાર વરસતો હતો. હનુમાનગાળા પૂછતા પૂછતા ફાંટા સુધી પહોંચ્યા.

ખરાબ રસ્તો હતો, અમે હજી માંડ બસો મીટર આગળ ગયા હોઈશું કે ગાડી લાગી લપસવા અને ગોળ ગોળ ફરવા, અને પછી જેવી ડ્રાઈવરે થોડી ઝડપ કરવાનો પ્રયત્ન કર્યો, એક ઉંડા ખાડો બનાવી તેમાં તે ઉભી રહી ગઈ. ડ્રાઈવર નીચે ઉતર્યો, આ દ્રશ્ય જોયું અને હિંમત હારી માથુ પકડી ઉભો રહી ગયો. "ચ્યમનો હેંડીશું હવ? આવામોં નો નખાવતા હોવ તો સાહબ" એમ વિવિધ પ્રકારના વચનો સાથે તે ઉભો રહી ગયો. " આ હવે ન આગળ જાય કે ન પાછળ, ફસાઈ જઈ" કહેતો તે ફસડાઈ પડ્યો, અને અમેય પ્રથમ પ્રયત્ને આવા ઝટકા માટે તૈયાર ન હતા. ઘેરાતો વરસાદ ચિંતા વધારતો હતો. "ચાલો ધક્કો મારીએ પાછળ તરફ" એક સુઝાવ આવ્યો, પણ "નો નીકરે મારા સાહેબ, લપસવાની તો ખરીજ ને" કહેતો ડ્રાઈવર ઉભો રહી ગયો. અને અમેય વિચારતા ઉભા કે શું કરવું?

પાછળથી એક બાઈક આવ્યું. તેને જવા અમે ગાડીના દરવાજા બંધ કરી દીધા (ફોટામાં જોઈ શક્શો કે રસ્તો એક ગાડી જાય એટલો માંડ પહોળો છે, અને કાદવ તો પાંચ કિલોમીટરમાં એકેય તસુભાર ઓછું નથી) તે ભાઈ અમને ઉભેલા જોઈ ઉભા રહ્યા. "શું થયું છે?" તેમણે પૂછ્યું. અમે તેમને વૃતાંત હજી કહીએ એ પહેલા તો ગાડીના ટાયરે પાડેલા નિશાન પરથી તે બધુ સમજી ગયા. "નીકળશે?" તેમણે ડ્રાઈવરને પૂછ્યું. પણ અમારો ડ્રાઈવર તો નક્કી કરીને નીકળ્યો હતો કે નહીં જ નીકળે, "ચાલો બેસો ગાડીમાં, તું ય બેસી જા પાછળ" તેમણે અમને અને ડ્રાઈવરને સૂચના આપી, તેમણે તેમની પાછળ બેઠેલા તેમના મિત્રને કહ્યું "તું બાઈક લઈને આગળ જા અને જ્યાં બાઈક ફસાય, ઉભો રહી થોડો પાછળ અમને ચેતવજે" ...... તેમણે ગાડીનું સ્ટીયરીંગ લીધું.

"બોલો બજરંગબલી કી જય" ના નાદ સાથે તેમણે ગાડી સ્ટાર્ટ કરી, અને ધીરે ધીરે, ખૂબ કાળજી પૂર્વક એક પણ જગ્યાએ ગાડી પરનું નિયંત્રણ ગુમાવ્યા વગર પાંચ કિલોમીટર પલકવાર માં કાપી નાખ્યા. હનુમાનગાળાથી એક કિલોમીટર પહેલા આવેલા આશ્રમે પહોંચ્યા, જે ફોટામાં દેખાય છે. આ આશ્રમ ફોટામાં દેખાય છે. અહીંથી ચા પી ને અમે હવે ચાલતા આગળ વધ્યા કારણકે હવે ગાડીને જવાની મનાઈ છે, વળી રસ્તો ય પગદંડી જેવો છે. એક કિલોમીટરનો આ રસ્તો તદન લપસણો અને ઢોળાવ વાળો છે. અમે ચાલતા જતા હતા ત્યારે મનુભાઈ જેઓ અમારી ગાડી અહીં સુધી લાવી શક્યા હતા તેમણે અમને અહીંની વાત કહી. કહેવાય છે કે ટેકરી ઉપર એક માલધારી પોતાના પશુઓને ધાસ ચરવા લઈ ગયો. ઘાસ ચરતા ચરતા એક ભેંસ ટેકરીના કિનારે આવી અને લપસીને ખીણ માં પડી, માલધારી એ હનુમાનજીને તેની ભેંસ બચાવવા પ્રાર્થના કરી, અને નીચે આવી જોયું તો તેની ભેંસ ચરતી હતી. અને ત્યાં તેને ટેકરીની બરાબર વચ્ચે હનુમાનજીની મૂર્તી દેખાઈ. પછી ત્યાં મંદિર બન્યું અને એ આ વિસ્તારના લોકોની શ્રધ્ધાનું કેન્દ્ર છે. અમે પણ ત્યાં શ્રીફળ વધેરી, હનુમાનચાલીસા ના પાઠ કરતા હતા કે વરસાદ ચાલુ થયો. હનુમાનચાલીસા પૂરી કરી, ત્યાં ચારેય તરફ પહાડોથી ઘેરાયેલા આ અનહદ સુંદર વિસ્તારને જોતા જોતા પાછા વળ્યા, આશ્રમ પાછા આવી ફરીથી બાપુના કહેવાથી ચા પીધી, અને શ્રીફળ ખાતા ખાતા પાછા મનુભાઈને અમે ગાડી રોડ સુધી પાછી કાઢી આપવા કહ્યું. ફરીથી એ જ રીતે કાદવની પેસ્ટમાંથી ગાડી બહાર આવી અને અમે હવે સત્તાધાર આવેલા આપા ગીગાના આશ્રમ તરફ જવા નીકળ્યા.....

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Hanuman Gada

A prostitute Kanchan Mala among them was too notorious in this regard. In the name of satisfying Ramayan recital, she framed twisty and wicked rules, which made all the competitors lose in their ‘battle’ against the woman. The lady’s “reputation” along with her condition filled Ramayan recital issue spread all over the region and no one was dared to step into her house to compete with her. In case any one ventured, lured by the stunning beauty of Kanchan Mala they too were definite to lose and become either a slave or a servant to her.

One day, Tenali visited Vikrama Sinhapuri on his personal accomplishments. Completing his job, he sat with some scholars, reputed persons of the locality, and enquired about the happenings and specialities of the town. The gathering in a synchronised tone explained Tenali about Kanchan Mala and her urge for satisfactory recital of Ramayan epic. One of the associates there said that, “it was her celestial beauty and the quantity of reward that was driving scholars to her, who are finally seen serving her losing the competition.”

One of the senior and aged poet of the region told Tenali Rama cursing her, “she is not at all a woman, and she is wicked of the wicked. It is you, the right person, to defeat and smash her proudness.”

He continued, “You should teach her a right lesson and release all the scholars suffering in her service.”

Tenali thought, ‘Oh! Kanchan Mala is that highly impious.’ He said to the persons around him, “That being the case, I should definitely compete with her…by the way…what is the test she is winning on?” he questioned. One of them explained that she demands the competitor to recite Ramayan and satisfy her. Every time she says the recital was not satisfactory and orders the competitor to become her slave.” “Poor fellows, what they can do? The condition of the test was to take out a word ‘satisfied’ from her after the performance.”

“Enough! It is alright!” Tenali told all of them, “She just needs to be satisfied with a Ramayan concert, I will do it. One of you keep her informed about my willingness to satisfy her” Tenali said and headed towards his accommodation. Not one, but all of them got up to inform Kanchan Mala about Tenali’s compliance to recite Ramayan at her residence thinking, ‘Yes! Now the time has come for breaking her.’

Tenali, in the evening attired in a disguise went to Kanchan Mala’s residence. “Welcome! Hearty Welcome! O learned man, Welcome” Kanchan Mala invited him.

He told Mala, “I have come to recite Ramayan as if it is happening in front of your eyes.”

“That was good. Then, are you aware of the reward and punishments?” Mala questioned.

“I am aware of those Kanchan Mala! I have a request…” paused Tenali.

“Please tell me Sir” Mala immediately responded,

“Before I complete the total recital you should not say anything. You should do what ever I say as part of the presentation. After I complete the narration you can reward me if you are ‘satisfied’ or punish otherwise” Tenali sarcastically stated. She agreed to it and the story began.

Tenali started with the birth of Ram, Lakshman, Bharata, and Satrughna. It continued with Ram Lakshman accompanying with Sage Vishwamitra to protect the celestial sacrifice, killing Tataka, releasing Ahalya from curse, Ram’s marriage with Sita breaking Lord Shiva’s bow, and Ram’s migration to forests along with Sita and Lakshman on stepmother Kaika’s wish.

Tenali was narrating the episodes with an excellent expression and mannerism in a right modulation. Nowhere, Kanchan Mala looked to be satisfied as she was commenting ‘You are not satisfying me.’ He advanced with the story narration about Asur Ravan kidnapping Sita, Ram killing Vali, deploying Hanuman to Lanka with the assistance of Sugriv. Again Mala screamed, “I am not satisfied with your performance.”

Controlling himself from exploding with anger, Tenali convinced her “Kanchan Mala! You are telling me that you are not satisfied with my performance. However, this would be the best of performance on earth. OK. Let us leave that. Now get ready, you will witness Ramayan happening in front of you.”

“Hehehehe…yeah please continue, I am in fact waiting for that,” she said.

Tenali jumped on to her selectively decorated cot and said, “This is how Hanuman jumped on to the Peak of Mahendra Mountain.” Standing erect on the bed he took another flight and landed on another cot, “Like this Hanuman jumped on to another mountain’s peak.” From there he jumped close to Kanchan Mala and started throwing powerful fists on her back, “this was how Hanuman hit Lankini, who blocked his way from entering Lanka.”

Mala started shouting to the top of her voice, “Oh God! Mother! This man is killing me.”

Teali in a commanding tone, “I told you not to hinder me in the middle. Now shut your mouth, Listen completely…” jumping like an ape, Tenali took out a lighted wisp hanging from the wall. “Hanuman returning from the Ashok garden after visiting Sita started torching Lanka and its men like this…” he gave fire to Mala’s clothes and ignited almost all the clothes and inflammables in the house. While Mala was attempting to extinguish fire on her clothes, Tenali repeated beating her all over stating that was how Hanuman thumped the demons in Lanka. Mala other than shouting loudly and protecting her from the fire could not do anything.

Few seconds later, after lighting all the household material, Tenali coolly went to the backyard stood near the well, “this is how Hanuman put out the fire set to his tail by the demons” and started taking bath drawing water from the well.

Looking at the house in fire, Kanchan Mala went astray and ran out of the house like a mad woman. Tenali’s sarcastic comments irked her further more, “Who else can narrate Ramayan so lively Kanchan Mala, did you enjoy that?”

Cursing, yelling, screaming Kanchan Mala said, “fraud, cheat, you said you will recite Ramayan for me and set the house on fire.” With disturbed clothes and hair, she ran to he local Court of Law and approached the judge. She sought justice from the judge explaining the whole episode. Meanwhile, Tenali reached there without any tension appearing on his face.

The Judge questioned Tenali, “What is your answer to her allegations?” Tenali folded hands at the Judge and appealed, “Your Majesty! I do not bear any fault with me. It was she, who wished to witness a lively Ramayan recital to her ‘satisfaction’.” Describing all the past and present deeds of Kanchan Mala, Tenali said, “Mr Justice! I believe I am not at fault. In case the honourable court finds any, I am ready to take the punishment.”

The Judge understood that it was the wicked and proud nature of Kanchan Mala, which brought her to this turn of life. He scolded her for cheating and humiliating scholars and learned persons in the name of Ramayan recital and rewards. The judgement made it clear that Tenali did not have any fault to punish and freed him. In addition to this, the verdict released all the learned men who were serving her as servants and slaves. Tenali received all the appreciations from the people of the town.

Religious Brass Statues

There is sound logic behind it. God is power supreme that is omnipresent throughout the universe. Although God is an abstract force and unmanifest yet it is present in everything, every creature, everywhere and every time. By that token he is present in idols also. For that very reason an idol is not Godless. He is there by the basic principle of his omnipresence.

Stone Carving Idols of Hindu Deities

For common folk it is not easy to beam their thoughts and devotion on something abstract. An idol as representative of God presents a point where faithfuls can focus their devotion on keeping the distractions out of their minds. The idol becomes a spiritual focal point through which a faithful can lock in to the abstract God.

Bronze Made Idols from India

A devotee's devotion, faith, worship, reverence and belief makes the deity idol Godful. A human being after all is a small existence with every limited spiritual and physical capacities. Power Supreme is an infinite mind boggling amount which will never ever come within the scope of any humans imagination. God in deity form is a small amount which a person can satisfactorily deal with and give manifestation to his faith in his humanly small way.

Wood Carving Sculptures

The deity idol should be treated, revered and worshiped as ordered by Shastras to create a religious custom for making the exercise systematic. A system becomes tradition sanctified by time.

The monkey god, Hanuman, is revered throughout India.  As the Ramayana recounts, he demonstrated his devotion to King Rama by searching the world for Rama’s beloved wife Sita, who had been kidnapped.  So great was Hanuman’s desire to serve his master that he performed a mighty leap across the ocean to find her.

The pose named for Hanuman – sitting on the floor in a full front-to-back split – is a challenging one.  Open hamstrings, quadriceps, and psoas muscles help a student progress in the pose, but it’s the qualities embodied by Hanuman that serve us most – not only in the pose but also beyond it:  purity of motive, the conviction to unite what has been made separate, and the zeal to rise to any challenge.

According to Aadil Palkhivala, student of BKS Iyengar since the age of seven and a Yoga Journal editorial adviser, Hanuman stands for the ability to fly – thanks to the intensity of our devotion – whereas before, we could only walk. ‘Hanumanasana reminds us that we can free ourselves of our small stride, our narrowness, our petty circumstances,’ he says.

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“Hanumanji’s life represents supreme power, energy and strength, blossomed into the fulfillment of the highest potential and the greatest value”.

When the mind drifts into the abyss of misery or fear, the first thing that comes into my awareness is “Hanuman Chalisa” and when I am able to recollect the chalisa, I find serenity and peace. I am grateful to my grandmother for having taught me such a powerful mantra when I was young, full of fear and anxiety.

Hanuman is such a captivating personality who is the highest symbol of power, prosperity and wisdom and is adorned and worshipped by millions of people, from all sections of society. Lord Rama was fortunate to have Hanuman as a humble servant and beloved friend. I was always saddened at the fact that as to why Hanuman was always represented as a simian in all the paintings of the artists. I asked my friends, elders, other intellectuals as to why he was represented that way, but could get no satisfactory answer from anyone, so I decided to search for the meaning myself. My Master always used to say, “The answers to all the questions are inside you, search within”.

On one fine evening sitting in the bhajan hall waiting for The Master, and having nothing else to do I allowed my mind to soar into the sky of nothingness to see if I could find get answers to the question that was quite bothering me. After some time my eyes fell on the statue of Rama, Lakshman, Sita and Hanuman sitting obediently at the feet of Rama. I had seen this picture many many times but it did not evoke any kind of emotion or feeling but on that day I was ecstatic and my joy knew no bounds. I would have jumped and yelled at finding the answer but as disciple and decency did not permit to act that way,  I sat silently thanking My Master and the God above for reveling the secret of in such a subtle manner.

Hanuman represents the mind of man and when the mind is obedient  to  Rama (atma) then great things can be achieved. The Sanskrit word for mind is hidden in the word “hanuman” or manas. Rama represents the self or atman the eternal or permanent.  Hanuman is always represented as a monkey because the first thing that one visualizes when he hears the word mind is the monkey. When the mind is purified and reminded that it is the very atman then it indeed it becomes as powerful as the atman itself. When this doubt melted away into nothingness, I felt a great sense of satisfaction and peace at that time.

When Sri Hanumanji in His childhood looked at the rising sun and leaped into the sky to get it, it was an act to satisfy His hunger of Intellect. The sun is the symbol of the light, where a human being attains the wisdom of Absolute Truth. The hunger for higher wisdom and truth inspired Sri Hanumanji to rise  into the sky.

Another doubt that used to pester me a lot was why Hanuman is represented as the role model for aspiring devotees.

The problem with many of us is until we find solutions for our problems our mind is always in a state of restlessness, this leads to lack of peace, and it leads to other chain of events, which we all know is very unpleasant. Luckily for me when ever I find myself in such a situation I find refuge in the bhajan hall which gives me a lot of peace and of course many of the problems get dissolved/ resolved  by themselves.

Looking at the top end of the pillar are the figures of Hanuman and Garuda both are representatives of supreme power and authority. Why then was Hanuman chosen over Garuda, the answer is simple …

Eagles fly high in the sky. Their strong wings and sharp eyes are a symbol of action and power and knowledge. There are many people in the world who are rich and powerful and possess many skills, but they use their faculties like eagles, who through their strong wings rise high in the sky only to look for some corpse, some dead body on earth to eat. That is the only use they make use of their sharp eyes and powerful wings. All those great ones who were and are materially well-equipped, but remain devoid of the hunger of soul are like eagles flying high in the sky  but looking for very cheap and ordinary things.

Hanuman also possessed action and power and knowledge but he used it to serve the Higher purpose where we find freedom, peace and love. The accomplishments throughout His life and activities have helped the personal and social upliftment of the world. He is still at the disposal of those who need His kind assistance. He saves His devotees from danger, such as the attack of possessive spirits. He delivers people from their enemies, heals the sick, helps the troubled, offers inspiration to aspirants, and speeds-up the evolution of seekers of Truth.

I am Grateful to my Master (God) and my Grandmother for bringing Hanumanji’s into my life at such a young age so that I could benefit immensely from his Life and Teachings.

May many more mysteries of the universe unfold before us so that we can benefit immensely on this earth and our journey towards the Absolute becomes pleasant and enliven.

"Service is the only expression of Deep Love"

of which Hanuman is the representative

Brij Mohan Bhama, the Obama’s fans of India says, ”The God statue was 15 kilograms of weight, 61 cm length, because I believe Obama will changes to better relationship to India if be elected in Presidential Election”.
What is Hanuman? I don’t have good enough reference about that original epic story Ramayana by Maharishi Valmiki of India.

Tapi disini saya ada folklore yang kuingat yaitu tentang pertarungan antara dua saudara kembar karena memperebutkan cinta perawan cantik laur biasa. Ceriteranya saya gubah dibawah ini.

Diva Anjani adalah miss world dalam legenda, bidadari yang dihukum para dewa, dari alam maya dia dilempar ke bumi. Nah lho, ketika itulah dia disandra oleh raksasa Kiswari di gua Kiskenda untuk dijadikan isteri sang raksasa jelek. Dia menolaknya.

Nangis ngak ketika dia dipaksa kawin sama raksasa.
Tentu donk. Anjani mengangis dan tangisanya terdengar sampai radius ratusan kilometer.

Tapi namanya saja bidadari, tangispun tetap saja terdengar merdu suaranya sehingga mengundang si kembar kera sakti bernama Sugriwa dan Subali menelusuri dari mana datangnya suara itu. Setelah mengetahui bahwa ternyata ada gadis cantik yang disekap oleh raksasa. Kedua kera yang berbudi luhur itu menolong Anjani. Mereka bertekad untuk membebaskannya dari raksasa Kiswari.

Si kembar bersepakat, sang adik Sugriwa yang membawa lari Anjani keluar gua sementara Subali menghalangi raksasa. Di dalam gua, Subali bertarung sengit melawan raksasa pake kungfu shaolin dan jurus monyet mabok atau jurus bangkui didalam gua.
Sebelum bertarung dia berpesan kepada Suigriwa, apabila dari dalam gua mengalir darah merah maka berarti Kiswari yang koit. Tetapi apabila mengalir darah putih berarti Subali yang tewas.

Kepada Sugriwa dia berkata,”apabila darah putih mengalir maka tutuplah gua ini dengan batu besar dan bawa pergi Anjani….pergi jauh jauh ke hutan yang tidak bisa ditemukan Kiswari,” katanya.

Couple weeks after all. Suddenly, Sugriwa saw “white blood” flowing down out of the Cave Kiskenda. He going to work hard to close the cave, as mentioned by Subali at the last talk, if the white blood flowing down, the cave must be close hardly by big rock. Meanwhile, in the sadness he hold Anjadi to run far away….run and run to the dark forest escaped out from Kiskenda Cave.

Di hutan dingin dan sunyi Anjani tinggal di rumah pohon bersama Sugriwa, wanara sakti ini menghiburnya dengan membawa bunga dan buah buahan. Tapi entah yaa, apa bisa seekor kera jatuh hati kepada bidadari. Mungkin karena berada di hutan yang dingin dan sepi Sugriwa jatuh cinta kepada sang diva. Cinta nampaknya seperti udara yang kuhela dan kau selalu ada…begitulah senandung Once dalam lagunya; dealova.

Memang masih pada tahap tebar pesona Sugriwa yakin kalau Anjani punya perasaan yang sama ke dia. Memang belum jadian siih, Anjani memang pernah terekam kamera infoteinment sedang membelai kepala kera itu untuk menyatakan terima kasihnya ketika dibawakan bung dan buah buahan. Kalau di dunia nyata barangkali bisa dibandingan dengan aktivis penyayang orang utan di kawasan lindung Tanjung Puting, Kotawaringin Barat – Kalimantan Tengah.

Cinta berbalas kasih. Sayangnya, tak disangka tak dinyana ternyata Subali muncul dibalik kabut asap hutan yang terbakar. Ternyata dia tidak mati. Yang mati adalah Kiswari sang raksasa. Cairan yang mengalir seperti darah putih yang terlihat oleh Sugriwa, itu karena sang raksasa terkencing kencing dihajar Subali dengan jurus tendangan halilintar menyambar twins tower.

Subali terbakar hatinya dan menuduh Sugriwa berkhianat kepadanya karena ingin merebut Anjani.

Sugriwa, aku yang bertarung berminggu minggu didalam Gua Kiskenda, tapi kau yang mendapatkan cinta Anjani.
Tidak Subali, aku hanya melaksanakan tugasku yang kamu telah berpesan sebelumnya untuk menutup gua dan menyelamatkan Anjani.
Tapi ternyata kau jatuh cinta kepadanya.
Ya sejujurnya benar, aku jatuh hati kepada Anjani.
Jadi benar adanya, kau Sugriwa telah berkhianat kepadaku.
Tidak benar tuduhanmu, cinta itu datang dengan sendirinya seperti angin.

Singkat ceritera, Selisih paham meruncing menjadi perseteruan sengit. Keadaan semakin memanas dan seterusnya terjadilah pertarungan akibat salah paham. Perkelahian terus berlangsung berkembang semakin rusuh seperti Pilkada Maluku Utara.

Memang dalam hidup ini dibutuhkan filosofi dalam pandangan, pemikiran, ketulusan dan bijaksana untuk bisa melihat kebenaran guna mengasilkan tindakan yang arif dari kita, pemimpin diri sendiri.

Diva Anjani sangat sedih dan merasa berdosa karena dia tahu bahwa kejadian ini akibat dirinya. Dia berdoa, berdoa terus berdoa. Meminta kepada Yangmaha Kuasa untuk memberikannya seorang anak meski masih perawan. dia berdoa agar diberikan anak yang super sakti untuk menjadi satria perkasa yang mampu menghentikan pertarungan si kembar tadi.

Jangan biarkan mereka yang kusangi tewas dalam pertarungan karena asmara. Asmara seharusnya menyemaikan cinta kasih, bukan kemarahan dan ankara murka. Aku mohon agar kera tidak musnah di muka bumi ini.

Doanya didengar dan dikabulkan Yangmaha Kuasa. Tersebutlah Batara Bayu, pengendali oksigen di atmosphere bumi menghantarkan jiwa melalui angin yang bertiup membelai bunga, menyemai serbuk sari maka begitulah proses menjadi buah. Suatu proses kehidupan tanaman terus berlangsung. Diva Anjani memakan buah dan masuklah jiwa kedalam rahimnya. Dari rahimnya terlahir Hanoman. The most popular commander of king monkey army heroes battle Alengka on epic story Ramayana. .

Hanoman adalah anak Anjani. Jadi bukan anak Kiswari, bukan anak Sugriwa dan bukan pula anak Subali. Hanoman titisan dewa batara.

* I have revised this article for some couplet.

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Problem:

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NEW DELHI: The endearing and much revered Hanuman is apparently one of the ‘charms’ behind Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate for 2008. The Hanuman connection now has Obama striking a chord beyond US borders. On Tuesday, All India Congress Committee member, Brij Mohan Bhama, presented a two-foot high, gold-plated idol of Hanuman to Carolyn Sauvage, chairperson of Democrats Abroad India, a gift that he hopes will finally reach Obama himself.

Bhama’s gift for Obama was given at a special prayer performed by 12 priests at the Sankat Mochan Dham on Pusa Road on Tuesday afternoon. The prayer, arranged by the Sankat Mochan Dham Trust, was also a show of support for Obama’s entry into the White House as it invoked Lord Hanuman for his blessings for Obama’s victory.

Bhama claims that while he has always been a supporter of Obama, the Democratic candidate’s devotion to Hanuman has strengthened his backing. "Barack Obama is a Hanuman devotee and so am I — hence I thought I should gift him the idol," said Bhama.

Carolyn Sauvage was herself presented with a garland and made to wear a decorated turban by Bhama. Ovewhelmed by the gesture, she presented Bhama with two American flags and a badge that read ‘Obama ‘08’. While Sauvage thanked "Bhama and this community (referring to the Trust)" for the gift, she graciously reminded the hosts that she would be in-principle unable to carry anything but good wishes back to Obama. "I can only carry good wishes, as any sitting US senator cannot receive a gift of over $10 from anybody." The idol, as Bhama informed Times City, is worth a lakh.

In face of this news, Bhama and others from the Trust remained unfazed and enthusiastic. They clearly announced that "the idol shall reach Obama 11 days from now. Till then it will be kept in the same temple and worshipped everyday." Speaking to Times City, Bhama said: "If the idol cannot go through Ms Sauvage, someone else will carry it. In any case, the idol will reach United States of America before the final elections are held, if not just after 11 days."

According to news reports, among Obama’s good luck charms are "a bracelet belonging to a soldier deployed in Iraq, a gambler’s lucky chit, a tiny Madonna and child, and a tiny monkey god" though the god is not identified. The ‘tiny monkey God’ speaks of Obama’s much talked about international upbringing, and a part of his childhood days spent in Indonesia, where Hinduism is one of the religions, dominant especially in Bali.

Reference
[caption id="attachment_912" align="aligncenter" width="73" caption="Hanuman"][/caption] ]]> http://sathyasaibaba.wordpress.com/?p=904 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:48:22 +0000 sathyasaibaba http://sathyasaibaba.wordpress.com/?p=904 [/caption]
Indian Americans Take Note Of Barack Obama, Thanks To Hanuman
Posted at 7:12 PM ET on Jun 27, 2008
By Matthew Mosk

When it comes to American politicians, Bill Clinton has been the darling of India.

That love extended to Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primaries -- especially with respect to fundraising among Indian Americans, who grew to become a significant base of support for her White House bid.

But now a surprise revelation during an off-the-cuff exchange in Albuquerque, N.M., has turned Barack Obama into the talk of the Indian news media.

At a town hall meeting, a woman asked Obama what kept him grounded, and in response he emptied his pockets. "People are so generous to me, investing their hopes in me," he said, holding up a cupped hand full of trinkets. "This I usually don't show in these town hall meetings. I have all these things that people give me -- all these different little good luck charms."

One of the trinkets, it turns out, was a tiny figurine of Hanuman -- the Hindu monkey god.

"It's a big deal," said Bhavna Pandit, 28, a political fundraising consultant based in Washington who thinks the revelations will lead to new interest in Obama among Indian American donors.

Pandit said news of the Obama trinket has swept across Indian American living rooms and through Indian newspapers and TV networks. She said the people she knows as "aunties and uncles" -- women and men from her parents' generation -- are suddenly taking note of Obama in a way they had not done before. "They think it's kind of neat. They rarely see our religion played out in the mainstream media in America."

And, she said, "In India, they're like, 'Wow! The person who can be the president has a connection to us that's very personal.'"

Reference
[caption id="attachment_905" align="aligncenter" width="64" caption="Hanuman"][/caption] ]]> http://kathavarta.wordpress.com/?p=288 Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:55:39 +0000 kathavarta http://kathavarta.wordpress.com/?p=288 Shri Guru charan saroj raj, nij man mukut sudhar,
Varnau Raghubar vimal yash, ao dayak phal char,
Buddhihin tanu janike, simrau Pavankumar,
Balbudhi vidya deu mohi, harahu kalesh vikar,

Jai Hanuman gyan gun sagar, jai Kapisa tihun tok ujagar.
Ramdut atulit bal dhama, Ahjaniputra Pavansut nama,
Mahavir vikram Bajrangi, kumati nivar sumati ke sangi
Kanchan varan viraj suvesha, kanan kundal kunchit kesha,
Hath vajra aur dhvaja birajai, kandhe munj janeu saje,
Shankar suvan Kesrinandan, tej pratap mahajag vandan,
Vidyavan guni ati chatur,Ram kaj karve ko atur,
Prabhu charitra sunve ko rasiya, Ram Lakhan Sita man basiya,
Suksham rup dhari sinhahi dikhava, vikat rup dhari Lanka jarava,
Bhim rup dhari asur sanhare, Ramchandra ke kaj sanvare,
Lai sanjivan Lakhan jiyaye, Shri Raghubir harashi ur aaye,
Raghupati kinhi bahut badhai, tum mam priya Bharat sam bhai
Sahas badan tumharo yash gavai, asi kahi Shripati kanth lagavain,
Sanakadik Brahmadik Munisha, Narad Sarad sahit ahisha,
Yam Kuber Digpal jahante, Kavi kovid kahi sakai kahante,
Tum upkar Sugrivahin kinha, Ram milai Rajpad dinha,
Tumharo mantra Vibhishan mana,Lankeshvar bhaye sabh jag jana,
Yug sahastra yojan par bhanu, lilyo tahi madhur phal janu,
Prabhu mudrika meli mukh mahin, jaladhi langhi gaye achraj nahin,
Durgam kaj jagat ke jete, sugam anugraha tumhare tete,
Ram duare tum rakhvare, hoat na agya bin paisare
Sab sukh lahai turnhari sarna, tum rakshak kahu ko darna
Aapan tej samharo apai, tinon lok hankate kanpai,
Bhut pisach nikat nahin avain, Mahabir jab nam sunavain,
Nasain rog harai sab pira, japat nirantar Hanumat bira
Sankat se Hanuman chhudaven,man karam bachan dhyan jo laven,
Sab par Ram tapasvi raja, tinke kaj sakal tum saja,
Aur manorath jo koi lavai,tasu amit jivan phal pavai,
Charoit yug partap tumhara, hai parsidh jagat ujiyara,
Sadhu sant ke tum rakhvare, asur nikandan Ram dulare,
Asht siddhi navanidhi ke data, asvar dinh jankf mata,
Ramrasayan tumhare pasa, sada raho RaghuPati ke dasa,
Tumhare bhajan Ram ko bhavai, janam janam ke dukh bisaravai,
Antakal RaghuPati pur jai, jahan janma Hari bhakta kahai,
Aur devta chit na dharai, Hanumat sei sarva sukh karai
Sankat harai mite sab pira, jo sumrai Hanumat bal bira,
Jai Jai Jai Hanuman gusain kirpa karahu gurudeva ke nain,
Yah shat bar path kar joi, chhotahin bandi maha sukh hoi
Jo yah padhai Hanuman chalisa, hoi siddhi sakhi gaurisa,
Tulsidas sada Hari chera, kijai nath hirdai mahan dera.

II Doha II
Pavan tanai sankat haran, Mangalmurati rup
Ram Lakhan Sita sahit, hridai basahu sur bhup.

Visit www.eTirth.com for more information on Temples, Ashrams, Gurus, Festival and Daily Panchangam (Hindu ephemeris).

Aarti Ke Jai Hanuman Lalaki (3). Dusht dalan Raghunath kalaki

Jo Hanuman kee Aaarati gaaway, Basee Baikoontha param pad paaway...

Visit www.eTirth.com for more information on Temples, Ashrams, Gurus, Festival and Daily Panchangam (Hindu ephemeris).

A business school in India has appointed The Monkey God, Hanuman, as Chairman.

Watch out as Thor is set to be appointed CEO of the new Norwegian energy merger, Ishavskraft. I'd be watchful in the US, lest all those "Jesus" and "Mickey Mouse" spoilt votes be taken seriously.

For those of you who might not be up on their Hinduism trivia, you might better know Hanuman as San-Goku or Sun-Wukong, from Journey to the West. Yes. Monkey from Monkey Magic.

I don't know if Sardar Bhagat Singh College has actually seen the classic 80's Japanese series. But maybe someone whould show it to them. Monkey may be strong and enigmatic, and even capable of flight, but he doesn't exactly possess high end business or management skills. True to his nature as "ego", Monkey's response to problems is to blame everyone else, fling poop and generally flip-out ninja-style.

There have been many ways and ideas to honor past Presidents when there terms are over. A reward of sorts for what we think of their service to the nation. If a San Francisco group has its way, there could be the George W. Bush Sewage Plant, according to The New York Times. A group called the Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco has been collecting signatures to rename the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant after Bush upon his exit from office next year. This must be a reflection of Bush's staunch environmental stands. The plan, conceived in a bar, not much of a surprise there, would place a vote on the November ballot to offer "an appropriate honor for a truly unique president," the group told the Times. Supporters said that they have enough signatures to qualify the measure. It probably only took about an hour. Surely an idea of this quality can't fail. Whether it is successful or not, the group wants supporters to participate in a "synchronized flush" when the new president is inaugurated on Jan. 20 to send a flood of water toward the plant. Wash away the old, bring in the new.

MAN ARRESTED AT NORTH POLE FOR DRIVING LAWNMOWER DRUNK

I'm not sure how this happens since I didn't know they had lawns that far north, but in North Pole, Alaska, Wyatt Lewis has been arrested for driving a lawnmower drunk. Alaskan State Troopers received a call early on Sunday complaining of an intoxicated man driving a mower. When they tried to stop him, he led them on a low-speed chase. The chase lasted about 61 metres and reached speeds of up to 5 mph before a trooper got out of a cruiser and told the man to stop. I'm betting that was a tough arrest. They said Wyatt Lewis's blood-alcohol content was 0.18 per cent, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 per cent. There's nothing like drinking and lawnmowing. Is there really grass up there? I thought it was all tundra or something...perpetual ice and snow. Why does someone even own a lawnmower? Driving a lawnmower while drunk qualifies for a driving under the influence charge in the US. Lewis was also charged with failure to stop at the direction of a peace officer. He allegedly led them on a pursuit that covered several lawns. Maybe he was trying to be nice and give his neighbors' lawns a trim too. Apparently, trying to outrun a cop on a lawnmower is illegal too. Don't Drink and mow.

 OBAMA PICKS UP DIETY ENDORSEMENT

Politicians like to get endorsements from influential figures, but the gods themselves? A dozen priests have been chanting around a sacred fire in New Dehli as a group of Indians offered prayers to the Hindu monkey god Hanuman to grant victory to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Isn't this the same God we reported on a couple of weeks ago that the made the head of a college? Apparently he's getting around. Several dozen people attended the prayers held at a Hanuman temple saying they believed an Obama victory would bring positive change around the world. This takes getting religion on your side to a whole new level. Local businessman Brij Mohan Bhama, who organised the event, said a victory would be good for India and the rest of world "because he stands for change" and would help stem growing "price rises, poverty and terrorism." "We have heard that he carries a small monkey charm in his pocket. So he is a devotee of Hanuman. That's why we want to present him with this idol," he said. Well Barack, now that you've got the Monkey God in your corner, what's next, walking on bananas? 

COP TURNS OUT TO BE PRETENDER

In the town of Gerald, Missouri a police officer was hired that really wasn't a cop. Bill Jakob, had a badge and a gun, and he told officials he had previously worked as an anti-drug agent in Illinois. He even drove a fully equipped Ford Crown Victoria, which he said was for undercover work. Guess what? He was lying. The 36-year-old man was an unemployed truck driver with a criminal record and had recently filed for bankruptcy. Oops. Big Oops. So big that now the Gerald police force is in deep doo doo. Now this village is confronting allegations that Jakob and other officers mistreated and robbed many of the people they arrested. At least 17 people have sued, and Jakob is in jail awaiting charges. At least he's off the street now. Doesn't this mean that everyone he arrested and were convicted had a mistrial.Complaints about Jakob's rough treatment of suspects led a reporter from the Gasconade County Republican newspaper to ask the sheriff about the new officer. That's when they discovered he was an imposter. Gerald Mayor Otis Schulte defended Jakob's hiring, saying: "He had credentials. He had a badge. He had a phone number to call for verification. I don't know what else we could have done." Don't they do background checks?  Maybe a little peek into their own database. You'd think that criminal record might have popped up. It would have saved them lots of grief.

PAINTING LEFT A GOODWILL STORE SELLS FOR BIG MONEY

Somtimes it pays to look through those thrift stores. You never know what might turn up. The Parisian street scene, what was thought to be a piece of junk art, left at a store in Maryland last March along with daily donations of pots, pans, old clock radios and other items, turned out to be a work by Edouard-Leon Cortes, probably from the early 20th century. In other words, a serious collector's item, a museum piece. The painting, called "Marche aux fleurs" or "Flower Market," was sold for $40,600 at a Sotheby's auction a few weeks ago. I guess they missed that one on the Antiques Roadshow. "It could have very easily ended up put in a pile, marked for $20," says Ursula Villar, marketing and development director for Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake Inc. Store manager Terri Tonelli said employees asked her to look at the donated painting because they suspected it was valuable. She found the artist's name on Google and discovered that Cortes was a notable French Impressionist whose work had sold at auction for prices near $60,000. You gotta love google. If the owner of the painting wants the money, too bad. You blew it.  Goodwill says it doesn't keep track of donors. Donations, meanwhile, are gifts that are considered legal and final transactions. Look at the bright side, it went to a good cause. It pays to pay attention to what you're throwing away.

It has been well documented for months now that there is a subversive smear campaign against Barack Obama, accusing him of being a Muslim, and implying that because of this he is a bit too different from your average gun-toting bible-thumping American to be President.

Let The All-Stars go on record as saying that this a deplorable attack on Senator Obama and it is just flat out incorrect. Barack Obama is NOT A MUSLIM. Turns out, he's a Hindu.  The Times of India reports:

Obama's representative received a gold-plated two-feet-high idol which she will pass it on to the Obama after it is sanctified.

"Obama has deep faith in Lord Hanuman and that is why we are presenting an idol of Hanuman to him," said [Indian Congress leader Brijmohan] Bhama.

The Chuck Todd All-Stars are glad to put this nasty rumor about Obama being a Muslim to bed. We now know that his true faith is in Our Lord Hanuman, so everybody just calm down. Phew. That was a close one. Muslim, they said? HA!

The characters:

Ram: He is the personification of all the good qualities in a human being. His qualities as a good son, a faithful husband, a just king and a true friend are some of his characteristics as the ideal man. Symbolically he represents the paramathma, being the incarnation of lord Vishnu.

Sita: She is again the ideal woman, and possesses the characteristics that are to be expected from a good wife and daughter. Her character may seem a little alien to today’s culture, and emulating her may seem ridiculous to most women but that’s only because there aren’t many Rams these days J. She is mostly dismissed as being too submissive and timid but she must be given credit for the iron will that she possessed to shun every move made by Ravan, to force her into submission, it was in fact Sita who weakened him mentally and spiritually by not succumbing to his power. Symbolically she represents the jivathma, which is yearning to unite with the paramathma (Ram).

Hanuman: My favourite character from the Ramayan, he is the incarnation of lord Shiva, and the son of the wind god, a celibate, and the greatest devotee of lord Ram. He is most instrumental in uniting Ram with Sita, so much so that even today separated couples are asked to read the sundarakand (a part of the Ramayan named after lord Hanuman) to be reunited. He symbolizes the unwavering devotion towards god that a spiritual seeker must possess and is the personification of bhakthi, strength, courage, knowledge and humility.

Ravana: The demon king of lanka, a very great devotee of lord Shiva (it is ironic that his downfall was hastened by an incarnation of Shiva), his rule extended to the three worlds and even managed to bring under his control the navagrahas. He was very well versed in the arts and scriptures, and was a master of the ‘rudra veena’ but his greatest flaw was his ego and was often depicted with ten heads (probably an indicative that he had an ego ten times that of a normal person?). His character symbolizes the ego that entraps the soul, and needs to be destroyed for the soul to be united with god.
Kumbakarna: He is Ravana’s brother and is granted to boon to be able to sleep for 6 months of the year and stay awake the other 6 months to eat (or something to that effect). He symbolizes the lethargy that arises from too much sleep and food, inflaming in us the qualities of rajas and thamas, preventing us from being able to worship god with a clear mind.

Indrajith: His name literally means ‘he who conquered Indra’, Indra is the lord of the devas and by winning the battle against him, Indrajith had lain claim on swargaloka and all its treasures. Indr in Sanskrit also means ‘the senses’ so in effect his name implies that he controls the senses (in a detrimental way of course). He proved to be a very difficult opponent in the war, and even managed to fell a large part of Ram’s army along with Lakshman (who were later revived by the famous sanjivni herb brought by Hanuman). Indrajith symbolizes the Maya that enshrouds us all, and technically the effects of Maya are felt by the senses (hence the name). The whole concept of Maya is created in our minds, by our ego, it leads you to believe that every thing you see, touch, feel, hear, taste is real, which further strengthens the symbolism since Indrajith is the first born son of Ravana.

In addition to this there are numerous other characters whose purpose I have not been able to understand, especially Lakshman Ram’s younger brother and Vibeeshan Ravana’s younger brother. Lakshman is the only character in the epic who sticks by Ram from the beginning to the end. Vibeeshan is the devotee of lord Ram who changes sides from his brother’s to join Ram when his pleas to avoid this war falls on deaf ears, he proves to be very useful in the war since he is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy. If any of you know what these two symbolize do enlighten me. Getting on with our story….

The Golden Deer
The outraged Soorpanakha, Ravan's younger sister, rushes to Lanka after her advances towards Ram and Lakshman result in her nose and ears being chopped off. Fully aware of her brothers love for all things beautiful she sings praises of Sita’s beauty, and at once overcome by lust Ravana speeds to the Dandaka forest where he uses the guise of the golden deer to lure Ram away from Sita before abducting her. It is at this point where Sita is separated from Ram and the foundation for the Ramayana war is laid. The three of them until then manage to lead a fairly contented life in the jungle, happy for each others company and things would have gone fine with Ram ascending his throne after the exile, had it not been for the golden deer. The golden deer that symbolizes material wealth and desires, manages to arouse in Sita, long forgotten passions and the need to posses this beautiful creature. Thereupon she pleads Ram to capture it for her, who taken aback by this request from a wife who has never asked him anything, happily complies. The deer like all desires, gives a good chase, and finally struck by Rams arrow morphs into its demonic form. This does remind one of our never ending chase behind not one, but many golden deers, every desire that we nurture and work hard to attain loses its ‘attractiveness’ once attained. This story goes to say that God has always been with us, it is only we who lose him in the race to gain material wealth, and fulfill our inner desires.

Hanuman burns Lanka
After Sita is abducted, the search for her takes Ram and his army to tip of the Indian peninsula, where they are affronted by the mighty ocean, and in order to ascertain if Sita is indeed held captive on its other shore, Hanuman is singled out to cross its waters to find her. Once in Lanka Hanuman is thrilled by the wealth and abundance of the island, but remains unperturbed by its temptations. His search brings him to Mandodari (Ravan’s wife) asleep in Ravan’s bed, and mistaking her for Sita is at once utterly disgusted. But he soon comes to his senses and further on he finds Sita imprisoned in the Ashok vatika. After pacifying Sita who is terribly grief stricken, he proceeds to Ravan’s court where he is bound and his tail is set on fire, and Hanuman leaps from building to building until the entire island is ablaze, much to the dismay of Ravan. This episode termed the sundarkand is one of the most read chapters of the Ramayana, it relates symbolically to the power of bhakthi and perseverance. Had Sita succumbed to Ravana’s threats or to his power, Hanuman would have returned to Ram and the coupled would never have been united. It was Sita’s single-minded devotion towards Ram that encouraged Hanuman to destroy the island, and weaken the will of the demon king.

Bridge Across the Ocean
Having confirmed Sita’s imprisonment Ram prays to Varuna the sea-god to allow them to pass, but Varuna refuses to go against the laws of nature but agrees to hold afloat every rock that has Ram’s name inscribed on it. The bridge is built and the army crosses the ocean to rescue Sita. The ocean represents the sexual energy inherent in us all, the first and most difficult obstacle that needs to be overcome in our spiritual journey. This ocean cannot be removed or be drained at an instant the only way through it, is to convert the sexual energy into spiritual energy. This is symbolized by the rocks, which would sink normally, floating by the power of Ram’s name. Its worthy to note than the entire army had trouble crossing the ocean, but for Hanuman – the celibate, it was only a single leap that was required.

War
The war begins on the shores of Lanka; there are a number of valiant warriors on either sides resulting in a heavy casualties. This war between Ram and Ravan is on a different level the war between the ego and God, just as the ego fully aware of its impermanence and it’s inferiority to God’s power it refuses to vanquish its stubborn hold over the soul, Ravan refuses to let go of Sita, even after he is advised to do so by his own family and subjects.

Kumbakarna
After losing a considerable part of his army, Ravan decides to arouse his brother Kumbakarna to wage war against Ram. Kumbakarna though against this idea, agrees for the sake of his elder brother and fights bravely till his death by the hands of Lakshman. This significant victory for Ram symbolizes the overcoming of lethargy and gluttony that impedes spiritual growth in an individual.

Indrajith
After Kumbakarna Ram and his army are faced with the difficult task of fighting Indrajith -a mayavi and an expert black magician. He manages to overwhelm the army with his magic, and hurts Lakshman with his magical arrows. Following this he beheads Sita in front of Ram’s eyes, and Ram breaks down thinking that all is lost. Vibeeshan later confirms it to be an illusion and Ram fights with added vigor and kills Indrajith. This is the victory over maya, the illusion that entraps every one of us and never allows to unite with God.

Ravana
Ram finally comes face to face with Ravan, although he is aided by the devas and gods in this war, Ram finds it very difficult to kill Ravan. Every time he chops of Ravan’s head a new one springs in its place, this fierce combat his ended when Ram finally takes aim at Ravan’s belly and finally manages to vanquish the demon. The terrible war between Ram and Ravan symbolizes the difficulty in overcoming the ego, and its allies, and once overcome the unison with god becomes undeniable.

Agni Pariksha
The last event in the Ramayana before Ram is crowned king, is the agni pariksha, in which Sita is finally rescued from Lanka, but is asked to enter a pyre to prove her chastity. I really don’t know what this signifies, and is a much-debated topic of the Ramayana. There are even some explanations about Agni replacing the ‘maya’ Sita with the real one, but it sounds really lame, and was probably added only to thwart any attempts to sully Ram’s character for not trusting his wife. So if anyone can throw some light on this please do so.