When I was traveling in India a few decades ago, I was told the story of Lord Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god.
He had been born as a monkey to serve Lord Ram and he spent all his hours in the service of Rama. Hanuman had incredible powers.
He could cross the ocean simply by uttering the words “Ram-Nam” and he conquered all difficulties that tried to stop him because of his courage, patience and undaunted spirit. He was never selfish; all his actions were offerings in service to Lord Rama.
He became the supreme head of Pundits, and the commander of heroes and warriors.
Where Hanuman is, there is Sri Rama and wherever Sri Rama is praised and his deeds recited, there Hanuman is.
Glory to Hanuman, the blessed devotee of Lord Rama. May India have such heroes for ever more!
46 comments:
I'm reading John Irving's "Son of the Circus" ..
Your Magpie fits perfectly with Irving's book, his story is based on characters living in India, the mystique, the customs, the history.
O, you diligent and studious being, Berowne. I learned very different things on my own journey via Ooty and Tamilnadu;-) Maybe we should exchange notes, sometime. x
Wonderful post, Mr. B. This necklace is particularly special, since I was born in the Chinese year of the monkey.
Excellent. I particularly like the progression of artistic styles in the pictures.
-- K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
lovely post! It's so interesting to see how everyone has been inspired by the prompts and it's always fun with a post filled with facts!
Thank you!
--Sandra
This is an excellent prologue to Willow's bling of allusion.
I always enjoy your informative posts- keep them coming!
I always enjoy your blog Berowne and I always always learn something really cool. Thank you
I have several friends from with the Sisters of Charity in India and occasionally they are over here. One of them brought me a little statue of Hanuman one time. Quite interesting character.
QMM
Very enlightening. I love learning about Hindu Gods.
that monkey knew his business :)
Ohhh! It's a MONKEY god! Oh, shucks. Great history, Berowne.
You know Iwouldn't have picked it for an indian pendant then realised it was a Monkey thingy. But I'm shallow like that.
Dear Berowne,
I paid homage to Hanuman too! Hanuman has many names in Asia, where I come from he is featured handsomely on the Shadow Puppets of Kelantan!
Elizabeth: "Maybe we should exchange notes, sometime."
Yes, and we do, right here in the "Comments" column.
willow: "Wonderful post, Mr. B."
Always great to hear from willow; thanks.
Full of interest, as usual. Have you come across "The Kalevala" - stories of Finnish mythology featuring Leminkaainen and Vainamoinen and many more. Fascinating stuff, with English translations in the same metre as Longfellow's "Hiawatha". Some of the stories are "described" by Sibelius in his "Karelia Suite."
I actually loved reading all of this
nice Berowne
Suz: "I actually loved reading all of this."
I actually love reading all your comments. :-)
Doc FTSE: >>Have you come across "The Kalevala" - stories of Finnish mythology?<<
I traveled to Finland a couple of times, but the difficulties of the language prevented me from studying Finnish myths. I was restricted to just a couple of words like "this," "that" and "thank you." :-)
Rene: >>That monkey knew his business :)<<
Cleverrr...
The second of your illustrations is the Monkey King searching for the lost sutras of the Buddha in the Chinese classic, Journey to the West. I like your history of the Indian god.
I myself can't resist him..liked the illustrations very much..indeed, such heroes...
wow, you always have a rabbit in the hat, uh?? As for me? I always leave your blog enriched and cultured!
Very interesting 'monkey business.'
love the picture and history here Berowne, you always have something to teach us....thank you ..bkm
You took your studies a bit further than mine... nice write and shared well.
Strummed Words: "The second of your illustrations is the Monkey King searching for the lost sutras of the Buddha."
Yes, the lead character in the Chinese version of the myth was Sun Wukong.
My thanks to Lyn, OJ, Mary, bkm, Tumblewords and Reflections for such friendly comments.
ninotaziz: "I paid homage to Hanuman too! Hanuman has many names in Asia, where I come from."
Any friend of Hanuman is a friend of mine. :-)
Loved your write!I like Lord Hanuman for his bravery and is worshiped for his powers to break barriers in life.He is a devoted friend to Lord Rama and has a story of how he teared his lungs to show his heart where we can see the image of lord rama himself in hanuman's heart..such is his devotion.Jai Hanuman!
Living in a country where Hinduism is prevalent, it is refreshing to read an accurate account of the Hindu deity, Hanuman. Thank you.
I enjoyed this piece very much.
For some reason, "ramma lamma ding dong" keeps going through my head...ah yes. An American hit for a man named "Bowser" from the 70's.
Welcome to my land and Faith Berowne!! you have done a great job and quite accurately too!! The Monkey God is revered all over in sub-continent and neighbouring countries too. Is that why I see a 'Hanumanji' in a chinese or is it Indonesian depiction?
Nanka: "Welcome to my land and Faith, Berowne!! You have done a great job and quite accurately too!!"
Wonderful comment -- thanks. Jai Hanuman!
Ah, I also used the Hanuman link in my Magpie this week. Brought back memories of my "Living Religions of the East" class in college.
Thanks, Boom Boom. I don't feel dull, I don't feel hollow. I found myself in your "Blogs I Follow." :-)
Before I write anything ever again, I would be well advised to read your blog before I start! Awesome... and your potted Hamlet and your...
A very generous comment, Stafford. Thanks.
You are the most poetic and wonderful teacher I ever had Berowne! :-)
Dear Berowne: Having read the Bhagavad- Gita years ago I am always amazed at the plurality of gods. Wonders if this god has any "kundalini" instincts or not, and where the term "monkey on the back" comes from? I love the idea of a religion which honours love! This is pure magic!
Carrie Burtt: "You are the most poetic and wonderful teacher I ever had, Berowne!"
Wow...
I have happy memories of our trip to India - apart from a disaster in Jhodpur. Thanks for the memory.
chiccoreal: >>Wonders if this god has any "kundalini" instincts or not.<<
As I understand it, kundalini has to do with your inner self, so my guess is it doesn't have much to do with Lord Hanuman. However, I could easily be proved wrong. :-)
educational...loved it!
awesome site. really impressed by this site admin. thanks a lot sir.... hanuman chalisa is also very powerful
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