[Advaita-l] Sundara Khanda - Tapke II-Part 2

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

Sundara khanda

2nd Talk – Part II

 
The third obstacle that Hanuman encounters is Simhika Raakshasi. She represents the invisible obstacles, that are, the source of the obstacles that are not directly evident. The seeker is drawn away from the journey. The passions that are hidden, spring forth and force us down from our path. Sometimes look small initially, but they become bigger and bigger if we indulge in them. These passions detour us from our path. We get trapped. Simhika catches the shadow. Shadows are dark, representing the dark side of our personality. Most important among them is jealousy. When jealousy is there, I only see the dark side of the other person. I magnify their mistakes and undermine or see the dark side of their good deeds too. We start finding faults in others rather than paying attention to the good side of the people. Once Krishna asked Dhrmaraja to find bad people in this earth and at the same time asked Duryodhana to find good people on this earth. Both came back, and Dharmaraja said he could not find any bad people while Duryodhana said he could not find any good people.

We project our own values on others. Hanuman once recognized the problem immediately got rid of the problem giving a big blow. In essence, once we discover the dark side in our personality we have to stop immediately and get rid of those thoughts and see the good side. We do not encourage these negative thoughts. This is a part of our saadhana. The negatives are those that cause deviation from our path and disturb our peace of mind. We should not encourage those thoughts. The mind has to be constantly vigilant and awake to ensure we do not entertain such thoughts. For example, jealousy can be eliminated with love. How do you love a person who is Jealous? One way is to see the presence of the Lord. If Lord could stay in his heart without complaining, we have no business to complain. Thus three obstacles were pointed in the path of a seeker – the first represents satva, the second rajas, and the third tamas. These are representative obstacles that one finds in one’s inward journey to reach the highest reality.



 

Hanuman sees the City Lanka. Lanka has been described as the golden city. One finds the descriptions of three cities in Ramayana; janaka puri, ayodhya and Lanka. The first one represents the jnaana bhuumi, the second the yoga bhuumi and the third the bhoga bhuumi, saatvic, rajasic and tamasic nature. The City is known by the ruler. King Janaka is the embodiment of knowledge, Dasharatha the embodiment of bhakti, and Ravana the embodiment of lust. Thus the king sets the direction for the citizens and becomes an example for others to follow – ‘yathaa raajaa thathaa prajaa’, as the king, so are the people. Lanka city is not polluted since there were no manufacturing industries there. Everything is stolen from other places. All the riches are stolen from other places. Such a kingdom ultimately will perish. Ravana means the one who makes everyone to cry, by stealing everything including ladies, from other worlds.

 

Lanka security is very tight. Hanuman has to contemplate in terms of how to penetrate the enemy’s fort. It is said there are three types of common people in the world. 1) one who thinks but does not act 2) one who acts without thinking and 3) one who neither thinks nor acts. Hanuman does not belong to any one of the three characters. He thinks and then acts. Hanuman thinks that by becoming very small, he can escape the scrutiny of the Immigration Officer.

 

However, the immigration & security officer is Lankhini, and she is very clever and vigilant. She stops Hanuman before he enters the city. Hanuman hits her hard and Lankhini falls down throwing up blood. She gets up and expresses thanks to Hanuman for his ‘sat sangh’ or for his blessings, as she recollects what Brahmaji told here in the past. She says her duty to protect Lanka is over as per Brahmaji, when a monkey who is Rama’s servant hits her hard her obligation to serve Lanka is over. She says Hanuman, ‘you can go inside the court and the days of Ravana’s survival can be counted’.

 

Since she had sat-sangh, she is going to Heaven which she calls it as apavarga. Parvarga involves the five letters pa pha ba bha ma – pa stands for paapam or sins, pha stands for phalam or karma phalam fruits of the results of past actions, good or bad, ba stands for bandhan or bondage and bha stands for bhayam or fear, ma stands for maraNam or death. Apavarga means that which is the opposite of pavarga. Hence, it means freedom from all limitations. Lankhini got solvation because of the association with Hanuman. Lot of blood came out when Hanuman hit her. It Is the blood of the mind or impurities in the mind and stands for virakti or dispassion (raktam means blood). Shankara says in Bhajagovindam about value of sat-sangh (association with the good)–

 

sat sangatve nissagatvam, nissagatve nirmohatvam,

nirmohatve nischala tatvam, nischala tatve jeevan muktaH||

 

as the glory of sat sangh. By sat sangh one get nissangh – that is dispassion or detachment, and with detachment one gets nirmohatvam or loses one’s delusion, and when delusion is gone the mind becomes calm and serene – nischala tatvam, and when the mind is calm and serene and knowledge will sink in and one attains the liberation.

End of the second talk.

 

Hari Om!

 
Sadananda