Hanumān and Humility
We see that clouds sometimes appear to fight with thunderbolts. Are they tṛṇād-api-sunīcena if they fight and thunder at each other? Hanumān is tṛṇād-api-sunīcena. Because Rāvaṇa was the enemy of his Lord Rāma, he killed and destroyed all of Rāvaṇa’s followers and land. Śrīla Gurudeva said that to fight to defend one’s Prabhu is proper application of tṛṇād-api-sunīcena. Nonetheless, this should only be done with the order and desire of the master. Without their approval, the devotee should be humble and silent. A devotee of the Lord does not make a show of his qualities, advertise himself on big banners, or give himself the title 108 or 1008 brahmalīna. At the same time, on the order of Śrī Guru, we must be prepared to serve him in all manners, even if he wants to put us in an exalted position.
After Lord Rāmacandra’s army won the war against Rāvaṇa, they went back to Ayodhyā where Rāma gave presentations to all of His soldiers and told them to go back to their respective homes. Hanumān alone hid himself. He didn’t want to take anything from Rāma and then go far away from Him. Nowadays, we see that many devotees want to be physically near Guru and Vaiṣṇavas. They stand next to guru so that they will be in the photographs, and become very pleased when guru presents his flower garland or speaks of the devotee’s glories. Hanumān did not want any honor or presentations, and thus hid himself. Later on, Rāma asked Hanumān, “Where were you? I was calling you.” Hanumān said, “I am here, under Your lotus feet.” He was fanning his Lord with a cāmara that he was holding with his tail. He was ready for service, but did not want to accept any presentation from his Lord and then go far away. Rāmacandra requested him to accept some presentation, but Hanumān said, “I am Yours, and You are mine. Therefore, all You possess is also mine. If You give me some presentation so that I become satisfied and leave, then this means that You do not accept me.” People who are tṛṇād-api-sunīcena have this type of relation with their master. They never distance themselves from their Prabhu. But for those who are proud, it is not possible to stay close to their Prabhu.
One time, Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhu gave a strong order to Jīva Gosvāmī. He said, “I will not allow you to stay with me anymore. Why don’t you give respect to other Vaiṣṇavas?” Actually, Jīva Gosvāmī always gave appropriate respect to everybody, but one day some ācārya came and criticized Rūpa Gosvāmī. A real disciple cannot tolerate such behavior. But Rūpa Gosvāmī told him, “If you show your qualities to everybody, then these qualities will distance you from me.” If anybody wants respect then we should give them these mundane things and save our own bhajana. However, even though Jīva Gosvāmī was chastised by Rūpa Gosvāmī, he never forgot his Prabhu. He deeply prayed, giving up all other activities, until he was soon accepted back.
As a result of chanting harināma, the sādhaka finds protection and acquires some good qualities. Often times they then become proud, which causes them to go out of this circle of protection. They think that they are now able to protect others and no longer have to pray and weep. In this way they forget their fallen and destitute condition.
kṛṣṇa-nitya-dāsa jīva tāhā bhuli gela
ei dose maya tara galaya bāndhila
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.24
Forgetting that he is the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, Māyā has bound him by the neck.
kṛṣṇa bhuli sei jīva anādi-bahirmukha
ataeva māyā tāre deya samsaradi-duhkha
Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 20.117
Forgetting Krsna, the soul is attracted by the illusory energy since time immemorial, which gives him innumerable miseries in the material world.
The jīva is an eternal and insignificant servant of Kṛṣṇa. But sometimes he forgets this, and thinks himself to be a master who can give shelter to others. The Guru-varga never does this. Whoever comes to them they offer to Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet and say, “From today on, you are the servant of Bhagavān. You are nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa. I am dāsa, and you are also dāsa.” A genuine guru does not think himself to be the master, he thinks himself to be an insignificant servant and tries to make others realize that they are servants as well. This is called paramparā. This is the proper mood of tṛṇād-api-sunīcena.
Becoming Tolerant as a Tree
The next part of this verse is taror-api-sahiṣṇunā, which advises the sādhaka about how to protect this mood of tṛṇād-api-sunīcena. Does taror-api sahiṣṇunā refer to a dry tree? First the tree must have life. It must have rasa, and then it can tolerate anything. How can a person with a heart that is dry and devoid of love be tolerant? Such a person will run here and there complaining about other people and tormenting those around him. One who has rasa has no time for this, and when someone criticizes him, he says, “Yes, you are right. I have done wrong.” He feels genuinely guilty and remorseful and he weeps and begs for Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. A tree gives its fruits even to those who throw stones at it. The tree serves others not only with its fruits, but with its whole body, namely its flowers, leaves, wood, and shade, regardless of how it is treated. By tolerating everything like a tree, one can protect his spiritual life. If the sādhaka does not get disturbed and tolerates everything, he will never lose his taste for harināma, mantra, kīrtana, hari-kathā, and service.
Should the sādhaka start arguing when somebody comes and forcefully takes away his service, saying that he is useless? The sādhaka should say, “Okay, you may serve and I can help you. Please, accept my help.” If the other person replies that the sādhaka’s help is not required and blames him and kicks him out, the sādhaka should avoid a fight and just wait for another opportunity to serve.
When Rāmacandra was in the forest, Hanumān always stayed with Him and served Him. Then, when Rāmacandra went back to Ayodya, he received the service of his three brothers Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata, and Śatrughna, during the day, and was served by Sītā-devī at night. The three brothers and Sītā-devī told Hanumān, “All the service to Lord Rāma is occupied. There is no service left for you, and since you are a monkey, you are not allowed to enter the palace.”
Hanumān left and sat in front of the gate, weeping and chanting, “Sītā Rāma Sītā Rāma.” He repeatedly requested the Lord’s kin for service, but they denied it to him. By mind he was close to Rāma twenty-four hours a day, but they were not giving him physical entrance to Lord Rāma’s palace. Hanumān kept asking them for service until they finally said, “Okay, you can do one service. Whenever Lord Rāma yawns, snap your fingers.” But since he had to stay outside, he did not know when the Lord would yawn, and therefore he was snapping his fingers the whole day while chanting ‘Sītā Rāma Sītā Rāma’. Then Rāmacandra began to yawn continuously, so that He could hardly breathe. Guru Vaśiṣṭha and many doctors came and checked the Lord for any illness, but they could not find out why Rāmacandra could not stop yawning. He didn’t sleep, eat, or say anything, and after sometime His stomach started hurting.
Then Vaśiṣṭha asked, “Where is Hanumān? He is expert in medicine. He saved Lakṣmaṇa and Rāma by bringing the sanjīvana from the Malaya Mountains. Call him.”
The Lord’s servants said, “No, he is not allowed to enter the palace. We divided the Lord’s service amongst ourselves, and we restrained Hanumān from it.”
Vaśiṣṭha said, “This is not good. You should allow Hanumān to serve his master. He is Rāma’s near and dear sevaka, and Rāma likes him very much. Why don’t you give him some service?”
How could Hanumān argue with Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata, Śatrughna, and Sītā, who were the Lord’s brothers and wife? We see that sometimes the sevakas of guru lock him in his room like a prisoner, not allowing anyone to enter. And all the devotees become restless, desiring darśana. Hanumān was in this same position. What could he do? He was weeping day and night, but never complained. This is Vaiṣṇava culture. Vaiṣṇavas don’t like to fight and complain. They only pray and request, for they are tṛṇād-api-sunīcena and taror-api-sahiṣṇunā. Then Vaśiṣṭha called Hanumān, and hearing that he had been told to snap his fingers when the Lord yawned, requested him to stop. As soon as Hanumān stopped snapping his fingers, the Lord stopped yawning and regained His health.
Hanumān said, “I met Rāma in the forest and He allowed me to render some little service to Him. I used to carry Him and Lakṣmaṇa on my back, massage their feet, offer them fruits, and fan them with my tail. But I was not qualified for this service, and thus they abandoned this insignificant and ignorant monkey, and went back to their palace. I had no other choice than to go back to the forest and pray for my master’s mercy.”
This is the relation between Bhagavān and His servant, guru and disciple. Previously, Hanumān’s burning down of Lanka was tṛṇād-api-sunīcena. And later, his humbly waiting for the Lord’s mercy and desire was also being tṛṇād api. Being tolerant, taror-api-sahiṣṇunā, means sometimes we will have to wait patiently for mercy. Guru Vaśiṣṭha instructed, “Hanumān should assist Lakṣmaṇa, Bhārata, and Śatrughna in their service. And at night he should also serve until Rāmacandra falls asleep. Then he can stand guard in front of the Lord’s room.” In this way, Hanumān never left the service of his master, and nobody could object to the words of Guru Vaśiṣṭha.
Taror-api-sahiṣṇunā means we should not for service or position. Always be patient. Today there may be some restrictions, but tomorrow it will be different. By tolerating these delays, auspiciousness will come according to Bhagavān’s desire.
Why should we be tolerant like a tree? Why should we tolerate the chastisement of Guru and Vaiṣṇavas and any hardship given by God? These are the tests of our spiritual life. If we get disturbed because of small things, that means we are not connected to Kṛṣṇa and Guru-pāda-padma. Rather, we are connected with those things that are disturbing us—that is stealing our time, energy, and taste in bhakti.
Our faith and goal should be fixed. We should not waste one ounce of our time and energy. When we get disturbed by sicknesses or problems, this is because we are not connected to harināma. A sādhaka who is connected to harināma and hari-sevā will never be disturbed or involved in any material problems.
Once, there was a sādhu who used to perform bhajana under a large banyan tree. Many people used to come to him, offer praṇāma, and give him flower garlands, fruits, and donations. He was a big, healthy sādhu, with long dreadlocks. The sādhu was always performing meditation or yajñas. But whoever came to him, he always advised not to go to the abode of a prostitute who lived in the town nearby. “By going to this prostitute, you will go to hell,” he would say. In this way, many years passed. One day, Yamārāja sent his soldiers from the hellish planets to this bābā. They said to him, “Your time is up. Now come with us.”
“What!” the bābā said, “I am not the one you are supposed to take. Go to the prostitute in the town.”
“Despite performing your bhajana for a long time,” the messengers of Yama said, “you shared the sins of that lady you were always insulting. You were always thinking of her. Therefore we have been sent to bring you to hell.”
On the other hand, Lord Nārāyaṇa sent four messangers and a chariot to the prostitute to take her to Vaikuṇṭha. When they arrived, the lady said, “No, you must be mistaken. You should take that bābā under the banyan tree with you. He did bhajana, and I only enjoy and sell my body, and thus I destroyed many people’s lives. How can I be allowed to go to Vaikuṇṭha?”
For his whole life, the sādhu was meditating on the lady who was performing sinful activities, while the prostitute always regretted her activities and thought of the sādhu with great respect, thinking, ‘when will I able to perform bhajana.’ Thus, she was thinking day and night about Bhagavān and the bhaktas, and remorseful of her own activities. But the sādhu was proud and always absorbed in the prostitute, thinking he should advise all others to avoid her. In this way he remembered the prostitute day and night and suffered as a result.
Ordinary people of this world have many friends and enemies. But for the sādhaka, whoever helps him in his performance of nāma-sevā, guru-sevā, and dhāma-sevā is his respected guardian. This help is the arrangement of Kṛṣṇa and Mahāprabhu so that the sādhaka can be continuously engaged in harināma-saṅkīrtana, hari-kathā, and hari-sevā. Also, if someone is not favorable for our execution of devotion, we should not see him as an enemy. Gurudeva oftentimes instructed us to keep someone who always corrects us and points out our faults as a friend, and stay close to him.
People are very happy when someone offers them respect and obeisance, but if someone tells them their faults, they become angry. They think that whoever protects their anarthas, false ego, sins, and offenses is their good friend. Therefore Mahāprabhu said: taror-api-sahiṣṇunā.
Surrendering everything for the service of Kṛṣṇa includes renouncing anger, lust, and other desires. The sādhaka has to completely renounce everything, and stop collecting and accepting anything other than the service to Mukunda.
Prabhupāda Sarasvatī Ṭhākura had a disciple named Mahānanda Prabhu, who was later given the name Paramahaṁsa Mahārāja. After Prabhupāda’s disappearance, he stayed with Param Gurudeva most of the time. At that time, Param Gurudeva opened a center in Calcutta, which consisted of two rooms. Mahānanda Prabhu, Śrīla Vamana Gosvāmī Mahārāja, Param Gurudeva, and two or three other godbrothers stayed there and preached. They used to go out preaching in the morning, after they finished kīrtana and hari-kathā. But Mahānanda Prabhu did not move until he finished his 64 rounds of harināma. Therefore he stayed back, in the corner of one of the rooms, his head covered with a cloth, and deeply chanted.
One day, everybody else went out and had left the gate open. Taking this opportunity, a thief came and stole the cooking pots, clothes, and other items. He thought he was alone, for he could not see Mahānanda, who was covered by a cloth and chanting silently without moving. The thief collected everything, and was about to leave. But, on his way out, he made a little noise. Mahānanda Prabhu heard this and, thinking it to be the ankle-bells of the Vraja-devīs, looked back, but all he saw was a thief stealing everything. He shouted, “Thief! Thief!” Mahānanda threw his cloth aside and ran behind the thief. He was just wearing a dhoti and kaupins, and as he ran, the dhoti slipped off his waist. People were surprised to see a naked bābā running in the streets of Calcutta with nothing but his mālā in his hand. In the end, the thief escaped, but this shows how people sometimes forget everything and lose sense of their body while chanting harināma.
When Param Gurudeva and my Guru Mahārāja came back, they did not see a single plate, cup, or pot left. Everything was stolen. Parama Gurudeva asked Mahānanda Prabhu, “Where were you?”
“I was in the corner of the room.”
“Didn’t you hear the thief?”
“Only when he left, he made some noise and I thought, ‘Today, I will be able to enter Vṛndāvana and the Vraja-devīs have come to give me darśana.’ I looked around, but instead of the Vraja-devīs I saw a black thief stealing everything.”
“This was not an ordinary black thief,” Param Gurudeva said, smiling, “this was Lord Kṛṣṇa who came to give you His darśana. Otherwise, how could a thief come to the second floor? But now we do not have any bhoga to prepare for Mahāprabhu.”
A few minutes later, someone came and donated a car full of rice, dal, fruits, pots, and plates. “Look Mahānanda,” Param Gurudeva said, “Kṛṣṇa is replacing everything. He did not like the old pots, so He sent new ones.”
The Vaiṣṇavas never get disturbed. Problems and solutions come automatically in life. Why should one become disturbed? And if nothing comes, that is alright, too. We all came to this world naked and will go naked. We have to practice tolerating everything. This world is a battlefield. Those who are getting defeated by māyā think that things belong to them, and when they lose these things, they lament. A devotee who has the quality of taror-api-sahiṣṇunā will never be disturbed by loss and gain. He is always absorbed in harināma and thoughts about Nāma Prabhu, the dhāma, the Vaiṣṇavas, and the Guru-varga. These things he will never lose. Practicing in this way will in due course of time cause rati to arise, and this increased love will make him strong.
During Caitanya Mahaprabu’s stay in South India, He met a man whose body was covered with blood and puss. Worms were eating the man’s flesh and when a worm fell to the ground, the man picked it back and put it back on his body, saying, “Please, go back on my body. If not, you will die on the ground with nothing to eat.” Mahāprabhu was surprised seeing this. He embraced the diseased man, whereupon the man’s body became completely healthy and shined like gold. The man said, “Prabhu, why did you do this? Before, everybody abhorred me and thus no one wanted to take a share of my body. But now, ladies, my family, and society will try to acquire my body and make me their slave. Thus, I will be cut into pieces and shared amongst them.”
Mahāprabhu said, “You don’t have to worry. I bless you to always be engaged in bhajana despite all obstacles and distractions.”