Sada Raho Raghupati Ke Dasa

 

Ashta siddhi nava nidhi ke data

Asavar deen Janaki mata

Ram rasayan tumhare pasa 

Sada raho Raghupati ke dasa 

It was about 6:00 am in the morning. I was driving to work and passively listening to the Hanuman Chalisa like any day. My thoughts were lingering on self reflection. One of the conclusions I had arrived at is that matter is perceptible yet individual perception is subject to doubt. Therefore both perception and matter are subject to doubt. Only the power that enables perception cannot be doubted. Thus that power must be is the only absolute reality one can hold on to. Call it Brahman as the Vedas do or God as the mythology calls it or know it as Atman/ Universal Soul. 

Our absolute identity is probably that unchanging reality. Yet we spend our lifetimes, ( if not as the physical body),largely as the intellect that is navigating the various roles, duties, challenges, choices and what not. It can get pretty confusing for us as to what next, what’s the purpose, what is the priority? There is always an imminent option standing within the thinking machine when confronting any situation whether to act with an attitude of humility or arrogance, submission or resistance, acceptance or rebellion. There is always a choice whether to continue with the responsibilities or to walk away. An aware one recognizes and is constantly channeling the response towards better of the two attitudes. 

As we continue to shoulder responsibilities, the work that occurs in the lifetime or several lifetimes accrues certain skills, powers and experiences. 

What does this have to do with the Hanuman Chalisa?

The Hanuman Chalisa is a hymn composed by Sant Tulsidas in praise of Hanuman a faithful devotee of Rama. “The ashta siddhi and nava nidhi “mentioned in this chaupayi refer to the powers gifted to Hanuman by Sita. Let us for a moment draw parallels between these divine powers and the abilities any ordinary human like me accrues in a lifetime of honest and sincere work. However small our accrued abilities and wisdom may be, this particular chaupayi carries the secret to guide us in moments when we are engulfed in confusion. 

It is not uncommon for the mind/ intellect to forget their secret weapon, tools or strengths and go into worry mode. It is like someone is having a conversation with a friend over the phone and simultaneously searching for their phone in the purse!  Or midair while sky diving someone panics that they are going to crash because they have momentarily forgotten about their parachute 🪂 that’s opened up. When you sense you are alone and feel lost as to what you are here for, what is the purpose of your life, where are you headed to, what you should be doing, then remember you have the secret recipe, the juice, rasayan which you know by the name of Ram. 

Ram is to be understood not just as a historical or mythological figure you have heard stories about . Ram denotes that ultimate reality, the power that sustains you. You have earned the knowledge about this reality through a lifetime of search, investigation and penance. Bring that knowledge to your mind. 

With that recollection resume to work as a servant of Ram.  Mother Nature or Prakriti ( figuratively the consort of Rama, who is Sita) has bestowed certain blessings, skills, strengths, powers upon you. Use these acquired powers and talents to help others. You are the data( दाता), bestower of skills. Teach everything you know to those who are worthy of learning.  Put them to right use and with the right attitude. 

It was intriguing to think that all these years I listened to this chaupayi and adored Hanuman in its context. Yet this time mysteriously the same lines lit up with a whole new meaning and message at a very personal and practical level.

Sadaa raho Raghupati ke dasa !! 

One can interpret this as may you forever remain a devoted servant of Ram. Or may you, who are a devoted servant of Ram, be immortal! The first interpretation is a piece of advice to never deviate from the role of being a servant of God or servant of Truth. The latter interpretation reiterates the declaration of Sri Krishna in the Bhagwad Gita that a true devotee is freed from the rounds of birth and death as he attains to the state of the ultimate divine consciousness. 

Reality can be seen as a personal God by those whose faculties are naturally aligned for devotion and faith. The same reality can be perceived as impersonal by those who have a more scientifically inclined or critical way of thinking. 

For those in the former category, the chaupayi  extends its relevance in one more way. It allows to recognize Hanuman in every individual who selflessly works to serve people with whatever he holds as gifts from the Lord and does so in the spirit of service to the Lord. In doing so it is also making it clear that Hanuman too is not simply a mythological figure but a manifestation of certain virtues derived from the totality of all existence.  

As I am beginning to understand, although manifestations may be specific and limited, the Unmanifest in every manifestation is no less than totality of the Reality. In other words, Hanuman ( manifestation) may appear as a servant of Ram ( the totality) , yet Hanuman is in essence Ram !! Shri Krishna has affirmed this fact in the Bhagwad Gita saying my devotee is Me! This philosophy is nicely correlated in the Upanishadic prayer:

OM Purnamada Purnamidan Purnaat Purna mudachyate

Purnasya Purnamadaya Purnameva vashishyate

ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पूर्णमुदच्यते ।
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

What is important here is to consider the reconciliation of our identity as both manifest and unmanifest. How to reconcile the Hanuman and Ram in us at the same time? Indeed it can get very confusing. How can one be the boss and the servant simultaneously? 

Firstly, how can one be the servant of God? By surrendering to God. Surrendering one’s ego to God. How? Since birth we have appropriated the ownership of the physical body to ourselves! That’s how the world taught us to think. My face, my hands, my mind, my heart etc etc !! We have progeny and we extend our ownership to them as well. Think for a moment! When you arrived in this world had you self designed your face, your hands, your brain or any part of your body? What about the body of your child? It may have been created out of components from your body( ovum, sperm) but even those you did not create. They were created inside of you. Yet we learn to appropriate the ownership to ourselves. Surrendering to God starts from recognizing that this was a basic folly upon which we have constructed and lived our entire lives. Let rest of the world live with this universal misunderstanding. Each one to themselves. But if I and when I recognize my mistake I need to acknowledge it without ambiguity in my mind. The minute I acknowledge that my body is not mine at all the surrender is initiated. 

If I don’t own my own body how can I own another body? How can I insist someone else behave as I want them to? I cant! I must acknowledge their freedom to live on their terms. Just like it is between me and God, it is between them and whoever they see as owns their body. I would only have to resist if they challenge my freedom. One has to remain vigilant here that hypocrisy doesn’t enter at any point. It is easy to remember I am free and easy to forget others are free like me. 

Having arrived at the revelation that I am not the owner of the physical body the next question arises, what should the body do? It should carry out the will of the Lord. Which is to serve all creation with whatever gifts are given to the individual. There has to be humility in a servant. There has to be devotion in the servant towards the master. 

How is the Master? He loves his servant. He has compassion. He is benevolent. He protects his servant and fulfills all his needs. He guides him on the path. He lifts him when he falls. He forgives his servant’s honest mistakes. He heals the servant’s wounds. He confers justice. 

It is not always easy to see the master in his creation. The world does not always display benevolence, kindness, fairness. It often mistakes humility for weakness. It confuses honesty and straightforwardness for stupidity. How then can you serve the Lord by serving the world with all you have? How can you retain your own freedom and serve others at the same time? It seems rather impossible. 

It is daunting for a human being but not for God to allow service in a world filled with ignorance, cruelty, hatred, misuse of power and thirst for dominance. God teaches his meekest servants to serve and simultaneously stand up to the tyrants. Tukaram Maharaj’s words resonate here: “bolo jata baral karisi te neet, neli laaj dheet kelo deva”.  You, my Lord, changed my blabber to meaningful speech. I was shy and awkward and you made me brave to face the world. 

Once you surrender to God it becomes his responsibility to watch that you remain humble and honest in your dealings with others yet strong enough to not cave before the evil and corrupt people. 

Jethe jato tethe tu maza saangaati 

Chaalavisi haati ghevoniya ( ~Tukaram Maharaj)

You walk beside me wherever I go, holding me by the hand.

Slowly one would learn to see Him within ourselves and also within others, no matter how their manifest selves are. It is better to remember that each person is at a different level of awakening and evolution. We must learn to calibrate our responses to them wisely. And for this alertness is essential at all times. The warkari sect embraces the idea that God is in all things, all people. Hence it is a tradition amongst them to bow in obeisance to each other. Ek eka laagatil paayi re !! The true warkaris are far more evolved beings than most other people even though they may not have availed of formal education. In fact formal education does not have much to do with human evolution. World often confuses knowledge with information and vice versa. Warkaris have knowledge even though not many of them have privilege to information. How do they thrive in a world that gives so much importance to information? Their master shields them at every step. 

They know when they are in the shoes of the master to confer love, forgiveness to others and protection to the good people. When they are in the shoes of the servant they serve others with humility, devotion and generosity. The hats change seamlessly. Knowledge prevails at all times. Information proves worthless and limited by time.

Therefore Tulsidas has said with conviction:

 Sadaa raho Raghupati ke dasa !! 

May you forever live as the servant of Ram ! 

May you walk away from living as that miserable ego who is condemned to exist in a fool’s paradise! 

To understand Ram you have to become his servant.

To become Ram you have to remain his servant.

To remain as Ram you must digest this paradox.

Hari Om Tat Sat 🙏🏼🙏🏼

Note:

If interested to read more about Hanuman Chalisa please refer to the earlier post from August 11,2024. 

Saree in this post is a cotton weave from the state of Odisha known as Siminoi. I had draped this to work earlier this week.