Krish shuddered to think about what would have happened if Brooke had not been there to be the hero. He was overwhelmed with guilt and gratitude simultaneously.
The other passengers were thankful to the young lady as well. Some were sobbing, crying loudly, and covering their children’s eyes to prevent them from seeing the horrible scene. All were glad that it was over. There was smoke, blood, and bullet shells all over the scene. The plane turned toward the nearest airport for an emergency landing.
Krish sat near Brooke, holding her hand. “May God bless your beautiful soul, Brooke. Salute to you for your courage under fire. You will always inspire me. A lot of people owe their lives to you.” He touched her forehead to bless her with the Hanuman statue he carried with him. “I pray that her sacrifice is not wasted and that my research does not fall into the wrong hands. I hope this science saves more lives than it takes,” he said with a shaky voice, utterly heartbroken.
Chapter 7
An Exemplary Life Shows the Path Forward
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Ancient India
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Life lived is the best example.
A few years had passed; Hanuman was an adult Vanara now. He had grown to be a fine young person in every way. He was physically formidable, mentally stable, and agile. He always sided with the truth, and was not attracted to senseless pleasures, wealth, or power. Following in his simian father’s footsteps, Hanuman had become a great warrior, one of the greatest wielders of the mace, an expert swimmer, a great jumper, and a natural leader of the troops.
Having been initiated, coached, and trained into yogic sciences by the experts living in the hermitages, he had experienced the subtle forms of energy and could calm his body and mind down to the extent that he realized the subtler, and even subtler, forms of his own self and his own being. He had discovered there was as much to know inside oneself, as there was in the entire universe. He had developed the ability to observe his mind and body as they are, without any engagement on his part. These forays and dives deep into his own self had revealed extraordinary insights and capabilities. He had become a master yogi. This particular power had catapulted Hanuman among the greatest warrior-yogis of all time.
The sweat, blood, tears, and sacrifices by several generations of scientists, and countless humans and apes, had come together spectacularly in Hanuman. His immortality would be a boon to society, as was hoped by his creators. Hanuman, though, was not satisfied with all these extraordinary accomplishments. He was still not sure what he was supposed to do with all these supreme powers and capabilities. He had a yearning for something unknown—something he had not discovered yet. Hanuman thought, this is akin to numerous chariots, thousands of elephants, hundreds of thousands of fighters arranged in perfect battle formation, but with no king to command the forces and direct them! Something profound was missing. His quest was unfulfilled, and it was not clear to him what he was chasing.
One such day, Hanuman sat on a large rock in the mountains. He wore a short silk dhoti around his waist and tail. His jaws were swollen like that of an ape, a thick solid gold bracelet adored his mighty wrist, and his silver anklet shone in the sun. He wore solid gold ornaments around his huge biceps, it was intricately carved with human and ape figures and decorated with uncut diamonds. The dome-shaped shirstran that protected his head was engraved with an image of an ape in the middle of a jump—when he was completely horizontal, he appeared to be flying.
Hanuman sat cross-legged, with a straight back, and instantly went into a meditative state. He felt a surge of energy. He experienced a meditative bliss. His subtle energies rose higher and higher, but he could not reach the highest peak of realization that lay just out of reach! He knew intuitively that there was something more, but he could not get to it. He felt frustrated by such a block in his consciousness.
Just then, he heard the sound of the alarm call ring through the air. It was repeated three times by the patrol party on the outskirts of the hill, indicating a non-friendly presence in the vicinity. From the intensity and urgency of the call, it was apparent that they had spotted something potentially dangerous. Hanuman rose slowly with his mace as he came out of his meditation.
Sugriv, the younger brother of King Vali, came out of his cave, resting his mace on his shoulder with a worried expression.
Sugriv said, “Hanuman, I am fortunate you sided with me. You witnessed the injustice my bullying older brother bestowed upon me. He took away my wife by force, and instead of sharing any wealth at all, he kicked me out of the kingdom. And now he wants to kill me!”
Hanuman said, “Dear Sugriv, I respect you as my king. You are a brave and righteous Vanara. A person who steals his younger brother’s wife is morally corrupt and justice needs to be delivered to him. I will always back you.”
“My brother will not let me live in peace. Since he cannot come to this hill, because of his feud with the powerful Rishis, he sends mercenaries to kill me. That sick ape…” Sugriv muttered.
“Two humans are approaching our area,” reported the guard that had sighted the intruders. Without catching his breath, he added, “We are not sure if they are warriors or hermits. They are wearing coarse jute clothes and their long hair is tied in a bun similar to hermits, but they carry quivers full of arrows and very special looking, gold decked, shiny swords. They have strong, muscular bodies. Their bows are six feet long, with a strong grip in the center and two curved arches on top and bottom.”
The guards knew the importance of their finding and wanted to protect their leader.
“Hanuman, ask the spies to follow the humans closely without being noticed, and you go to the hermitage to inquire if anything is known about these mercenaries,” ordered Sugriv.
At the hermitage, the Muni was overjoyed as Hanuman described the two powerful humans.
“That sounds like Ram, the prince of Ayodhya. We are extremely fortunate to have such a powerful, great soul in our presence,” exclaimed the old, learned, stern-looking Muni with childlike excitement. “I need to make detailed astronomical and seasonal observations for posterity. Hanuman, make no mistake, we are witnessing history as it is being created. This is our good fortune. Let me tally my astronomical observations with the data from the time of his birth.
“Ram was born in the month of Chaitra on the ninth day. Rahu, the point of intersection between the moon’s orbit and sun’s orbit, as seen from Earth, was near the sixth Nakshatra Ardra—associated with the star Betelgeuse and in the vicinity of Punarvasu; the brightest stars in the constellation of Gemini—Castor and Pollux. Nakshatra, as you know, is a group of stars used to describe the position of heavenly objects such as the sun and moon in the sky. The sun and Mars were together near Uttara Bhadrapada (corresponding to γ Pegasi and α Andromedae). Five astral bodies were in an exalted state—the sun, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus. Jupiter was setting on the western horizon as the moon was rising on the eastern horizon.
“Hopefully Ram’s decedents, thousands of years from now, will be able to trace back the time when Ram walked on Earth based on these observations. And I hope they will follow his ideals. A great sage has taken up the responsibility of compiling all this information in the form of a poem. It will be transmitted orally—that is the best way of preserving the information, for thousands of years, with the greatest accuracy.”
The Muni paused in thought for a moment. “In this hot and humid climate, it is difficult to preserve monuments and books can be destroyed during wars. But not poetry. That is etched in one’s mind and soul. As long as humans live in this nation, history will be preserved as poetry and passed from generation to generation.”
It seemed that the Muni had found the purpose of his life—to document and capture minute details of Ram’s life to help with preserving them for generations to come. Hanuman was jealous of the clarity in his purpose, but was also impressed by the foresight of the Munis that planned for thousands of years, not decades or centuries.
They
measure time from microseconds to a trillion years. With that in mind, thousands of years sounds about right, Hanuman thought with a chuckle. Hanuman also realized the significance of this great human being—Ram. Great pains were being taken to record his movements for the annals of history. Hanuman was determined to find out more about this important man. Is he a threat to Sugriv or can he be an ally? What skills and power does he bring to the partnership? What is he doing in this forest? Hanuman had a lot of exploration to do.
Hanuman tried to get as much background information as possible from the Muni. “Who is Ram?”
The Muni stopped writing and looked up. “Why do you ask?”
“He is in our territory and approaching the hills where my leader, Sugriv, lives. Sugriv is under constant threat from his brother, Vali. I need to know what Ram’s intentions and capabilities are. And what he is like as a person. Can he be an ally?”
The Muni walked away from his writing desk and sat with his legs crisscrossed under a banyan tree nearby. He ran his fingers through his matted hair, smiled, and looked intently at Hanuman. He closed his eyes for a few minutes and sat in a meditative state.
After some time, he opened his eyes and said in a calm, deep voice, “Dear Hanuman, oh powerful one! Ram is the heir apparent of the prosperous kingdom of Ayodhya to the North. He is the best archer in the world today. He has killed powerful demons single-handedly. Pleased with his bravery, the Great Seer, Vishwamitra, gave him access to all the powerful weapons, including the Universe Missile, Brahmastra, which destroys all forms of life for many years. He is also a very popular prince. He has complete support from his citizens. He is respected and loved by his brother, Lakshaman, and wife, Sita.” The Muni observed Hanuman’s reaction.
“From your description, he seems like a powerful prince. Should we be ready to fight him? Why is he here, so far away from his kingdom?” asked Hanuman.
“I will tell you more about Ram, then you can make up your own mind. Let us fetch some water from the stream…come along.” The way to the stream was along a curvy footpath, between trees laden with fruits and flowers. Parrots tweeted in the tress. A deer heard their footsteps, raised its head—ears standing erect and moving in the direction of sound—but went back to grazing once it saw these two beings were not a threat.
The Muni proceeded once they reached the creek side, “Ram, being the eldest and the most eligible heir to the kingdom, was scheduled to be coronated king by his aging father. On the very day of the coronation, a political coup was orchestrated by one of his stepmothers in the name of her own son! The situation was delicate. Ram’s powerful brother, Lakshaman, the prime minister, the representatives of the common citizens, and the clergy all supported Ram. Ram had the power to claim the throne by force. Single-handedly, with his handheld shastra and astra missile, he could have imprisoned his elderly father and annihilated the city his stepbrothers resided in.
“Ram, alone, was powerful enough to win the battle, but to add the support he had from all the centers of power, the crown was his for the taking. It seemed the coup was ill advised. But, Ram’s father was caught in a political web and cornered into supporting the coup,” the Muni paused, again resting his eyes upon Hanuman. He wanted the Vanara to consider the situation, to completely understand Ram’s true nature.
“What did Ram do? How did he end up in the jungle?” Hanuman asked.
The Muni’s chest swelled with pride; his eyes full of respect and honor. He gazed into the sky and said, “Ram went to his father and informed him that he would leave for the forest the very same day. This would ensure that there would be no further political instability. He vowed to take his brother and wife with him! The kingdom, the power, the wealth, the royal life meant nothing to him. The palace and jungle were one and the same to him. Such equanimity is unheard of. Yogis cannot attend such equanimity with even hundreds of years of practice.”
The Muni stood tall. His hands locked behind his back. “Hanuman, I want you to realize the significance of Ram’s actions. History is full of instances of innocents being killed over kingdoms and wealth, but there are only a handful of examples where a man realized the significance of the moment and seized the opportunity to show the righteous path to the population. He inspired people to rise above the material considerations of wealth and power. He inspired them to keep their word at any cost, honor their father’s orders, and most importantly, be equanimous in all situations! An action is better than a thousand speeches. Ram is laying the foundation for a materially, morally, and spiritually prosperous society. And he is leading by the power of his actions. Ram is on his way to being called the avatar of Vishnu-the protector and guide of society.”
Hanuman listened to what the Muni had to say. He helped the Muni fill a pitcher with water. They headed back to the hermitage. The sun had set. Darkness was spreading in the forest, blanketing everything. The full moon looked splendid and calm, reflecting gentle, peaceful light. An image of Ram was forming in Hanuman’s mind—that of a brave, powerful, righteous, poised being who would sacrifice his self-interest for the well-being of society. Ram appeared to be a powerful, but fair and kind soul who faced hardships himself. Regardless, he gently showed the righteous path to others, not unlike the moonlight showering down on the forest that night.
After obtaining the information he desired, Hanuman decided that he wanted to meet Ram in person.
The next day, Hanuman looked at Ram from a distance. He was a tall, muscular, dark colored man with a peaceful gaze and a cool sense of detachment from everything around him. He had a six-foot-long bow, a quiver full of arrows, and a gold decked, spotless sword with him. His brother, Lakshman—who looked equally as strong—walked a step behind. He was of lighter complexion and appeared to be a warrior you didn’t want to challenge. In fact, it appeared it was best not to engage, or even cross paths, with this man at all. If Ram’s persona was cool like the moon, Lakshman’s energy was hot like the blazing sun.
Hanuman jumped from a tall tree at some distance and walked with folded hands toward Ram. Hanuman did not carry his powerful mace with him. The gesture was the traditional Namaste, but also served the purpose of announcing that he came in peace.
“Who are you crossing into Vanara territory?” Hanuman asked in a slightly rude tone to get firsthand experience of Ram’s even temper.
Lakshman did not like the forest-dweller speaking to his elder brother in such a tone. He answered in a polite, but firm and slightly condescending manner, “This is Ram, the heir apparent of the great kingdom of Ayodhya! He is reputed to be of one word, one woman, and an archer who hits the target every single time. Need I say more?”
Ram smiled gently at the pride his brother felt in him. He was observing Hanuman’s reaction.
Hanuman felt very calm in Ram’s presence. He also felt an extraordinary power. Ram had a strange effect on Hanuman. Hanuman kept his face expressionless. “I see. But, what are your intentions behind crossing into our territory?”
Lakshman again interjected, “We are here in search of the noble, virtuous, and brave Lady Sita.”
“Who is Sita?” Hanuman asked. “Please provide me with more details and background so that I may understand the nature of your travel. I need to know if you are a threat.”
“I understand your intentions. Let me elaborate. Lady Sita is my elder brother’s wife. She is an extraordinary lady. She is a princess born by a non-uterine birth—naturally gifted with subtle yogic powers. She is an exemplary and devoted woman. She is ideal in every sense, and I respect her as I respect my mother. As you may have heard, there was a coup in our kingdom. Once Ram decided to live in the forest, leaving Devi Sita alone was not safe, as her life could be in danger from the power struggle. Being with the brave Ram appeared the only safe option for her. Or so we thought…” Lakshman paused.
Various emotions appeared distinctly on Lakshman’s face—anger, sadness, helplessness, and determination. He clinched his bow tightly. “That fateful day, brother Ra
m did not return from his hunt for quite some time. Back at the hut where we lived, I was guarding my sister-in-law. We grew worried as the sun was about to set and there was still no sign of Ram. A pride of lions had been sighted near our hut the day before. Suddenly, we saw monkeys and birds frantically fleeing an area in the forest—the same direction Ram had gone in. Then, we heard a cry for help. It could have been another hunter or the jungle playing tricks on our minds. While I knew my brave brother was more than capable in any circumstance, emotions got the better of Lady Sita. She ordered me to help Ram.
“I was hesitant to leave Lady Sita alone, but she insisted that she could take care of herself. To convince me, she reminded me of times when I had seen her swordsmanship, her footwork, and speed. Her specialty was using two swords—one to defend and one to attack. She also reminded me of her recent killing of the mountain lion that had attacked her. On her insistence, I left her alone, trusting that she could protect herself in case of an encounter with a beast. I left my special double-edged, straight-blade sword with her in addition to the Asi dagger. Unfortunately, brother Ram and I took a long time to return that day, due to the elusive hunt. By the time we came back, there was no sign of Lady Sita.”
Lakshman took a break. His anger was rising. “It was not a beast that took her as there was no sign of blood or tracks. We did see human footprints, however. Tribals told us they saw a flying machine, possibly transporting a lady inside, flying southward. My suspicion is with the demons, as my brave brother and I have killed scores of them. We have bad blood with them, and we are a major impediment in the northward expansion of their king, Ravan’s, territory.”
Lakshman turned to Ram. “There are a lot of rich kingdoms in the North, and Ravan wants to expand his territory. It is possible that it was a trap, and Ravan’s helpers drove the hunting game away so that my brother and I would be gone long enough to allow them the opportunity to take Lady Sita. In addition, that lustful, loathsome demon, Ravan, has an extraordinary flying machine that can fly long distances from his island in the ocean to the south.”
Tenth Avatar Page 8
