Chandan is also used a lot. What is its importance?
Chandan and bhasm are to be considered together. Chandan is used more in the Vaishnava parampara (worship of Vishnu), and bhasm in the Shaiva parampara (worship of Shiva). Chandan sticks have to be moistened with water and rubbed on a rough base to produce the paste. The more you rub the more paste you will extract—you have to work for it. While its fragrance is released immediately, you must wait for a while after applying it for the colour to start showing. You have to trust it will be revealed. This is a symbol of karma. Once you work, you will get the fruit of your labour. Don’t worry about it; it’ll start showing slowly. This concept is associated with the Vaishnava parampara.
Bhasm is produced by burning sticks. Anything you burn is reduced to bhasm (ashes). You don’t have to work for it. This gives you an idea of death and mortality. Nothing is permanent. Ultimately, you’ll be turned to ash. Shiva, who is a vairagi, smears it all over his body. When he burns Kama (god of pleasure) with his third eye, he reduces him to ash. You’ll never know from the ash whether it is of a king’s or a pauper’s, a sinful person’s or a righteous one’s. At the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, they use ash from the crematorium in the maha aarti. People these days don’t like that practice so they use ash of cow dung (gobar). But, in the Tantra parampara, they’ll say that ash is ash, regardless of whether it’s from cow dung or a crematorium. Shiva does not differentiate between them since he’s a vairagi.
According to the Vaishnava parampara, you must have rules to run a household (ghar-grihasti); there will be the caste (varna) system; there’ll be good and bad; you’ll keep something inside and something outside the house. There is a belief in hierarchy. Chandan and bhasm are for anointing (uptan), but both send out different messages.
In the Shaiva parampara people apply three horizontal lines on their foreheads while the Vaishnavas apply two vertical lines. What do these signify?
These are pundra or marks. Hinduism is broadly divided into three groups—Shaiva, Vaishnava and Shakta. In the Shakta tradition, haldi and kumkum are used. Parvati puts haldi on her body; she creates Ganesha with it. Kartikeya, her second son, is said to have been born from kumkum. This is related to her fertility, motherhood.
The Vaishnava tradition is associated with chandan—gopi chandan (made of clay) and regular chandan.
The Shaiva tradition is associated with bhasm—gobar (dung) and shamshan (from the crematorium), for the vairagis.
The Vaishnava tradition is associated with action, doing things, living in society. Vishnu takes different avatars, like Rama and Krishna, to accomplish things. To show action, vertical lines are used. As we know from physics, to keep things vertical requires energy. So these vertical lines go upwards, not downwards. There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, why is the head important? All life’s problems arise from there, as do solutions. Therefore, the head is anointed to remind you that you are human because of it. Invention, ego, all of them arise here. After cremating a body, the head or skull is broken because it’s where the atma will depart from the body. In the middle of the lines, a red tilak is applied going upwards (symbol of the material world, or Devi)—almost as if it is being kept in a vertical chandan cup of sorts. Some say this symbolizes Vishnu’s feet. What we associate with the sense organs is red, while the atma is depicted through chandan. So the mark symbolizes the balance of the atma and the sense organs; material world with wisdom. That’s why Vishnu is called the preserver.
Shiva can destroy all three worlds, so three lines to signify Swarga, Naraka and Bhu-loka. Also, the three bodies in Hinduism—sthul shareer (physical body), sukshma shareer (mental body) and karan shareer (property, made of our karma)—are represented. The lines are horizontal to show death.
Just as there is atma in the body, there’s meaning in every ritual.
I’ve seen people apply tika not only on their foreheads but also on their arms, ears, chest, neck. What does this mean?
Different sampradaya and parampara have different rules. Meanings are different in the north and south, east and west. Broadly, the principle is that all those gods and goddesses we talk about, they exist within us as well. In our arms, throat, ears. So that I can listen to god properly, chandan is applied on the ears. My words (vachan) should be those of god, so it’s applied on the throat. I am praying to the god of the throat, ear, hands. Gods and goddesses sit in every part of our body.
Again, we are acknowledging our body—annakosh, or flesh. We are not like the vairagis who smear bhasm, rejecting their bodies altogether to enable themselves to go towards the atma. This is the opposite (viprit) of that. The body has value, it is our atma’s chariot. Through this medium, we can experience the world, so we must worship it. Just as we perform god’s aarti, we do the same to our body by bathing, applying chandan, sindoor, cosmetics. This is basically to celebrate our body.
8
Hanuman
Hanuman is called by various names—Vayuputra, Anjaniputra, Kesarinandan. Why does he have so many names? What is the story of his birth?
There was a monkey (vanara) called Anjani. Vayu deposits Shiva’s seed in her body, in some stories through her ear. As a result, Hanuman is born. Anjani’s husband is Kesari, so he is called Kesarinandan. Because he is borne by Anjani, he’s also called Anjaniputra. He’s born of Shiva’s seed so he is Shiva’s ansh (of Shiva); and because Vayu brings the seed, his name is also Vayuputra.
There are several stories about Hanuman’s birth. In one, Shiva and Parvati took the form of monkeys and Hanuman was born to them.
Is that why many people believe Hanuman to be a form of Shiva?
There is no such mention in the Valmiki Ramayana. Nearly 500 years ago, Tulsidas, in his Ramayana, associated Hanuman with Shiva. From there many stories originated which connected the two. In some, Hanuman is said to be an avatar of Shiva who is born to help Rama, an avatar of Vishnu. This association could be because Hanuman is a brahmachari. Many Vaishnavas do not like this association. But in the Shaiva parampara, Hanuman is considered Shiva’s roop, avatar, son. Different sampradayas and paramparas have different stories about this.
Another story says that Rama and Sita took the form of monkeys and Hanuman was born to them. According to yet another, when Dashratha was performing a yagna, a part of the payas (potion) that emerged from the fire—from which his four sons were born—was taken to Anjani by a bird from which Hanuman was born.
Hanuman was believed to be very naughty as a child. Tell us some of his childhood stories.
Hanuman was very mischievous and unaware of his own strength. There is a famous story about how he thinks the sun is a ber, a fruit, and flies towards it. Surya, scared that the child will swallow him up, invokes the king of the devas. Indra intervenes and stops Hanuman by throwing his powerful Vajra at him. Vayu catches Hanuman midway as he is falling towards earth, and is angry at how his son has been treated. The gods and goddesses ask for his forgiveness and promise to make Hanuman even more powerful. All of them bless him. Concerned that it would be dangerous for Hanuman to have so much power at such a young age, the rishis make it so that he will not know his own power till the right moment; until then he will have no memory of it.
Who was Hanuman’s guru?
The god he was trying to catch as a child—Surya—became his guru. Hanuman is a very curious child and is always bursting with many questions. Exasperated, his mother tells him that all his questions can be answered only by Surya because he sees everything. So he goes to Surya and asks him to be his teacher. Surya says that he does not have time since he travels all day from east to west and is tired at night. To that Hanuman offers to fly in front of Surya’s chariot, facing him, so that the god can teach him. In some stories, Hanuman asks that if he were to plant one foot in the east and another in the west and faced Surya as he made his journey, could he teach him? Surya asks if he’ll be able to withstand the heat of his rays. Hanuman says, one has to undergo hards
hip to study. Surya is impressed and agrees.
Hanuman learns everything—the Vedas, Puranas, Vedang, etc. He is associated with a lot of knowledge—Sanskrit, grammar, vocabulary, poetry, physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics. At the end of his long education, Hanuman asks Surya what his gurudakshina is. Surya tells Hanuman to always serve and protect his (Surya’s) son Sugriva, who is in trouble. That is how the two get associated.
What is this problem that Sugriva is facing?
If you look at the structure of the Ramayana, it’s about war and brothers. In Ayodhya, there’s tension between Rama and Bharata because Kaikeyi wants her son to be king. In the south, at Kishkinda, the brothers Vali and Sugriva are warring over the kingdom. Their father Raksharaja wants them to share the kingdom equally. But due to a misunderstanding between the brothers, Vali concludes that Sugriva is trying to usurp his share and banishes him. He then establishes his rule over all of Kishkinda. He drives away all the bachelor monkeys and keeps all the women, including Sugriva’s wife Ruma, and his own, Tara, for himself.
Sugriva wanders around all alone, having lost everything. Vali wants to kill him, so Sugriva hides on Rishyamukh mountain. This is one mountain which Vali cannot reach, as a rishi had cursed that he would die if he were to step foot on it. Sugriva is trapped on this mountain. This is when Hanuman arrives to serve him. Since he cannot catch Sugriva, Vali decides to torment him. He jumps across the mountain every day and kicks Sugriva in the head. One day, Hanuman catches Vali’s foot and threatens to throw him down on the surface of Rishyamukh which will mean certain death for Vali. Vali tries to wrench his foot away from Hanuman’s grasp, but to no avail. Finally, Hanuman tells him that he has no personal quarrel with him; he’s there only to protect Sugriva. If Vali agrees to leave Sugriva alone, he’ll have no problem with him. Saying that, he releases Vali. Vali never goes to the mountain again.
Tell us the story of Rama and Hanuman’s first meeting.
Sugriva and Hanuman once see a couple of men walking through the forest. When Sugriva wonders if they’re Vali’s men, Hanuman decides to find out. Following Sugriva’s advice, he disguises himself as a rishi and sits beside the path the men are on. When they encounter each other, Hanuman asks them if they need help. They say that they want to reach the top of Rishyamukh as they have important work there. Hanuman says they seem like royalty and have the bearing of Vishnu and Mahadeva, and asks why they want to go up the dangerous mountain. A bit annoyed, Lakshmana wants to know why a simple question was being answered with so many counter questions. That’s when Rama tells Hanuman that his wife has been abducted and they are looking for her. He introduces himself and his brother, and says that they were told Sugriva would help in their quest. Hanuman is immediately repentant, bows before Rama as his param bhakta (supreme devotee) and asks him for forgiveness.
This story is interesting because Hanuman disguises himself as a rishi, a man. But how is that possible when monkeys have tails? In the Hanuman Chalisa it’s mentioned that Hanuman is blessed with ashta siddhi, eight great powers. So he can change his size, fly, walk on water, also change his roop. When he meets Rama, Rama wonders what such a polished man who speaks well, has good vocabulary, etc., is doing in a forest. Hanuman also notices that Rama is no ordinary person. He looks at him with curiosity, is inspired by him. This relationship changes him from an ordinary monkey to Ramadas (servant of Rama), then Mahabali, a supergod. Among the different characters in the Ramayana, you worship Hanuman, but not Lakshmana. Hanuman becomes a god in his own right with temples devoted to him. And it starts with this meeting where he gets his darshan, sees Rama for the first time. It marks the beginning of his growth. So this relationship is very important.
In the Ramayana, there’s a chapter called Sundarkand which is about Hanuman’s adventures. Tell us about it.
Many Hindus consider it shubh, auspicious, to read the Sundarkand, especially in troubled times. Vishnu’s avatar on earth, Rama, also has problems which are solved by none other than Hanuman. He brings hope, changes Rama’s story. This has given rise to the belief that when bad times befall you, reading the Sundarkand will alleviate your troubles; Hanuman will solve your problems like he did Rama’s.
Hanuman introduces Rama and Lakshmana to Sugriva in the Dandaka Aranya. A friendship is forged, and an agreement is reached. Sugriva does not trust Rama, and asks him to prove his strength. Rama shoots an arrow through seven palm trees and only then does Sugriva accept him with the hope that his strength will be useful against Vali. He tells Rama if he helps him win over Vali, he will help him in return. But after Rama slays Vali, and Sugriva becomes king of the monkeys, he forgets his promise while enjoying life with his wives. An angry Lakshmana comes to kill Sugriva, but Hanuman intervenes and asks for forgiveness, as does Sugriva. At last they go looking for Sita, with Hanuman who forms a search party of monkeys (the vanara sena).
Hanuman’s personality emerges in the Sundarkand. As he travels southwards towards Lanka, in search of Sita, we learn of his divine qualities (divya guna) in each of his adventures. One story tells of how he meets a beautiful apsara, Swayamprabha, who gives them food and asks Hanuman to stay back with her. But he is not swayed and turns her down as duty beckons.
The search party is being led by Angad, Sugriva’s young son. Hanuman does not have a problem with following a younger and less powerful leader—here you see another of his qualities. In another instance, he doubts whether he’ll be able to cross the ocean in one leap. The bear Jambuvan has to reassure and motivate him. So, he comes across as a vulnerable being despite knowing the extent of his powers. Encouraged by Jambuvan, he expands in size like a mountain, his head reaches the skies and he makes the leap. Along the way, he faces hurdles, like rakshasis called Surasa and Simhika. He tricks Surasa by becoming very small and going into her mouth, while he tears Simhika apart. So sometimes he uses guile, sometimes strength (yukti, shakti) to solve his problems.
When he reaches Mainak Parvat, the mountain asks him to rest on him but Hanuman refuses as he’s on a mission. In Lanka, he is met by Lankini, the guardian deity, and defeats her. Since he has reached at night and has never met Sita before, he wonders how he will recognize her. He uses his intelligence and thinks there must be something unique about her since she is Rama’s wife. He finds a woman in Ashoka Vatika chanting Rama’s name. He suspects her to be Sita, but as he’s not sure he drops Rama’s ring before her. When she picks it up he begins a conversation with her and explains who he is. He demands something as proof to show Rama that he has met her. Sita gives him her chudamani (hairpin jewel) to take back to Rama. Another version says that Sita tells Hanuman a story to take back to Rama. It’s a story that only a husband and wife would know.
All these stories show us Hanuman’s qualities—foresight, strength, cunning, humility, perseverance, not susceptible to temptation, determination. So they say reading the Sundarkand can hone all these qualities in you.
Then he rejoins Rama and stays with him.
Yes, and he builds a bridge, famously writing Shri Rama on each stone because of which they float on water. He carries a flag with Rama’s name on it. He leads the army; they win the war, bring Sita back to Ayodhya, where Hanuman stays with them. He does not associate with Sugriva after this, becoming Ramadas.
In Delhi, people visit the Hanuman temple on Tuesdays, whereas in Mumbai, they visit on Saturdays. Why this difference?
Tuesday or Mangalvar is associated with Mangal (Mars), who symbolizes aggression and war, and is considered Shiva’s son. Saturday is Shanivar, the day of Shani, Surya’s son. Both are associated with Shiva and to Hanuman since he is Shiva’s ansh. So when there is a problem with grahas, Hanuman is worshipped as he is connected with both these days—in some shastras, with Tuesdays and in some with Saturdays. In Mumbai, Hanuman is worshipped primarily on Saturdays, perhaps because the influence of Shani is more there, while in Delhi it is on Tuesdays—the city is known to be aggressive, so that may be the reason for the association wit
h Mangal! Basically, it’s become a tradition in these cities over time, and both days are important.
9
Jagannath Temple of Puri
Who is Jagannath of the Jagannath Temple in Puri?
He is the ishta-devata (primary deity) of Odisha. In ancient times, Odisha was known as Purushottam Kshetra because of this famous temple of Bharatvarsha. In the Bhakti period, scholars and poets would visit it during their tirth yatra (pilgrimage).
Is Jagannath a roop of Krishna?
Yes and no. Jagannath means lord of the world (jag—world; nath—lord). Different sects, panths see this god differently. The Vaishnava parampara considers him a roop of Krishna. Some say Krishna is an avatar but Jagannath is an avatari (Vishnu’s roop). The Shaiva parampara believes this is a roop of Bhairava; Subhadra is in the centre and on either side of her are Kala (dark) Bhairava and Gora (fair) Bhairava. Buddhists believe this to be an idol of Buddha. Jains believe that the three idols represent Triratna (a fundamental tenet of Jainism). There is a long Jain parampara in Odisha.