How to become as powerful as Hanuman

[Bhakti Vikasa Swami]

To help the preaching work, that is also preaching. If you can get money to
help expand our preaching activities, that is preaching. We require money.
Laksmi is the immediate assistant of Narayana. Narayana is always preceded by
the word Laksmi. The Mayavadi philosophers do not touch laksmi, but we accept
for the service of Krishna. We are not of the mentality of Ravana who took
Laksmi from Narayana and became ruined. Keep Laksmi and Narayana always
together and you will become as powerful as Hanuman. He is always worshiped
along with Lord Rama and Laksmi-Sita. There are many temples of Hanuman in
India.
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From Srila Prabhupada's letter to Karandhara -- 18 June, 1975

[BVKS Sanga]

From:	Gopal Ramamurthy
Date:	11 April 2025 6:58:57 pm
Subject:	Sri Hanuman

Dear devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and his sincere followers.

मनोजवं मारुततुल्यवेगम् जितेन्द्रियं बुद्धिमतां वरिष्ठम् ।

वातात्मजं वानरयूथमुख्यं श्रीरामदूतं शरणं प्रपद्ये ।।

manojavam maaruta tulya vegam

jitendriyam buddhi mataam varishtham ।

vaataatmajam vaanara yootha mukhyam

shri raama dootam sharanam prapadye ।।

I take refuge in Sri Hanuman, who is endowed with swiftness of thought,

whose speed is comparable to the wind, who has conquered his senses,

the best amongst the wise, the son of the wind-god , the commander of the army of forest creatures,

to that Lord Sri Rama's Messenger, the incomparable Lord Hanuman, I seek refuge.

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Recently, one of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples while describing Lord Nityananda’s childhood pastimes of enacting Rama Lila i.e., Hanuman’s journey to the Himalayas in search of medicinal herbs, mentioned that Hanuman was… “just a monkey with no knowledge of ayurveda; hence he picked the entire mountain.” While this was disturbing to hear, a quick search of Srila Prabhupada’s talks confirms the same description in several instances - that Hanuman was an ignorant animal with zero vedic knowledge.

Lecture Bengali - 04-Mar-1972 at Calcutta, WB

… Like Hanumān, who is not human, he is an animal . . . monkey . . . however, because he had such great devotion, as a devotee of Rāma, he is blessed with such great fortune, respected that even till today he is worshipped as Vajrāṅgajī Hanumān.

Lecture SB 01.02.07 - Sep 5, 1972 at New Vrindaban, USA

… Hanumān, he was not even a man, he was animal, but his only business was to serve Lord Rāmacandra at any risk. He jumped over the ocean. He did not know any Vedānta philosophy; he was an animal. But he dedicated his life to serve Lord Rāmacandra. He took the risk of jumping over the sea.

Lecture BG 07.01 Hindi - Aug 26, 1975 at Vrndavana, UP

Just like Hanuman. Hanumanji was not even a human being, an animal. A monkey is an animal. So why do we worship Hanuman? Do we worship monkeys? If by a caste mentality, we say that Hanumanji belongs to the monkey caste so why should we worship him, why should we respect him? No. we should not consider a Vaiṣṇava an ordinary person on the basis of birth, caste—

Arrival Talk - Oct. 9, 1976 at Aligarh, UP

Faithful servant means always alert. And that is bhakti. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanam bhaktir uttama [Cc. Madhya 19.167]. Simply one has to execute ānukūlyena, how Kṛṣṇa is satisfied. This is bhakti. So the Hanumān is example. Hanumān was ordered to bring some medicine from some mountain. And he was a monkey, he was animal, he did not know how to pick up it---"Take the whole mountain. Execute the order. And then Rāmacandra and Lakṣmana, They'll find out what is that medicine." So this is Vaiṣṇava. In one's own capacity he should give the best service to the Lord. That is bhakti.

Lecture SB 01.02.05 - Oct. 9, 1976 at Aligarh, UP

…Hanumanji did service to the Lord, whatever Lord said He did that. He neither knows Vedanta nor He is literate, He is just an animal, what He can do. Dasya Hanuman, He attained perfection.

Room Conversation - May 14, 1977 at Hrishikesh, UP

Guest: Hoga to gyan se. (It will come with knowledge.)

Prabhupada: Nahi gyan se bhi nahi. Hanuman ko kya gyan tha? Woh to pasu tha. (Not with knowledge. What knowledge did Hanuman have? He was an animal.)

Guest: Saranagati. (Surrender.)

Prabhupada: Wo vedantist thoda hi tha. Ramchandra bole pahad se dawai le aao, wo ud karke kahan dawai hai pura pahad hi utha le aaya, lijiye Maharaj pahad, aap dawai dhoond lijiye. Seva vritti, usi me bajrangji . . . bhakti, gyan-vairagya anavritti gyan viairagya se, balki gyan-vairagya bhakti ka . . . (He was not a vedantist. Lord Ramchandra told him to get medicine from a mountain. Hanuman flew to search for medicine in the mountain, he brought the entire mountain and told his Lord to search for the medicine. Serving attitude, only in that he . . . devotion, knowledge and renunciation—knowledge comes from renunciation. In fact knowledge and renunciation is part of devotion . . .)

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In Kishkindha Khanda of Valmiki Ramayana, Lord Ramacandra glorifies Hanuman during the very first encounter as follows:

Hearing all those words said by Hanuman, that illustrious Rama is well pleased facially, spoke to his brother Lakshmana who is standing at his side.

"He is the minister of that noteworthy soul and king of monkeys, Sugreeva, whom alone I cherish, but he himself has drew nigh of me, on his own. Soumitri, with this minister of Sugreeva, the knower of sententiousness and a pleasant worded one, and one with friendliness you exchange pleasantries with that enemy destroyer Hanuman. Nay, the non-knower of Rig Veda, or the non-rememberer of Yajur Veda, or the non-scholar of Saama Veda, can possibly, or truly speak this way. Definitely grammar is severally and comprehensively learnt by him, and though much is said by him not a single word has gone amiss of verbiage. On his face or eyes, or on forehead or brows, or on other faculties of expression no fault is found, even at the least. Unexpanded, un-doubtful, un-delaying and non-dissonant is the tenor of his speech, and it comports in his chest or throat in a medium tone. He has orderly refinement in speech that is remarkable and un-delaying, and he speaks propitious words that are heart-pleasing. His speech is generated in three places is enthralling, and whose heart is it that is disenchanted, even that of an enemy after raising his sword at him, on hearing his speech. Oh, faultless Lakshmana, if this sort of envoy is not there to a king, really how can that king accomplishes his ways and means. Should a king have this kind of work accomplishers with a variety of virtues, all his objectives will be achieved impelled by such an envoy's words." 

Rama thus said to Lakshmana.

Also, in Yuddha Khanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the Mount Risabha encounter is described as follows:

That Hanuman, the great monkey, having crossed thousands of yojanas, walked around that mountain, searching for the heavenly herbs. Knowing then that somebody was coming in search of them, all the distinguished herbs on that mountain disappeared from Hanuman's view. In not seeing them thus, that great souled Hanuman was enraged. He made a loud noise in anger unable to bear it, Hanuman with his eyes as red as the fire, spoke the following words to the prince of mountains. "O prince of mountains! Is it quite sure that you have not shown any compassion for Rama? If it is so, overcome by the strength of my arms; find yourself shattered to pieces today." Fiercely seizing hold of the top of that mountain, furnished with thousands of minerals, with its trees, elephants and gold, with the projections of mountain shattered and the crest of its plateau set on fire, at once sprang up with speed.

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My humble question, katham etad vijānīyāṁ - who is the real Hanuman?

Your presumptuous servant,

Gopal

[BVKS Sanga]

From:	Jay Nityananda Das
Date:	22 April 2025 11:08:52 am
Subject:	Re: Sri Hanuman

Respected Guru Maharaja, and devotees,

Srimad Guru-caranebhyo Namo Namah.

Srimad Vaisnavebhyo Namo Namah.

With the order of Sri Hari-Guru-Vaisnavas, for their pleasure and for my own purification, let me present the shastric understanding on this.

>>My humble question, katham etad vijānīyāṁ - who is the real Hanuman?

First of all, I sincerely appreciate the query put forward by Sri Gopala Ramamurthy ji. It's a very good question, indeed!

As per Sri Brhad-Bhagavatamrtam (1.4.57), Lord Hanuman ji is well versed in Vedas and Puranas (please find below the reference for Srila Sanatana Gosvami's comment that makes this clear), and thus, it is beyond any doubt that Lord Hanuman ji is highly learned. The reference from Kishkindha-kanda, as kindly provided by your goodself, is another pramana on this issue. Moreover, Lord Hanuman ji is from Kimpurusha-varsha (a sort of heavenly region on bhu-mandala), not from Bharata-varsha, and He is a son of the Wind-God (the most learned among demigods) and a direct disciple of the Sun-God!   

https://archive.org/details/p_BB1_201802/page/n347/mode/2up

Now, it could be intriguing to some as to how to understand Srila Prabhupada's description of Lord Hanuman ji in some places that portrays only the "animal-birth" aspect of Lord Hanuman ji. In my humble learning, it should be understood as emphasizing on and thus glorifying the "bhakta-vatsalya" aspect of Sri Bhagavan that He delivers even lower species as animals, birds etc.. The purpose is only to glorify the power of devotional service, and not to show faults in devotees' character. We have many such descriptions in Vedic literature e.g. Kakabhushundi ji, Garud ji, Gajendra ji (canto 8), Bharata Maharaja in his birth as deer (canto 5) and so on.

Technically, it is called "na hi ninda nyaya" or the logic of "no blasphemy intended". It is used in Kavya-shastra or the science of poetry to describe something in a way to direct our attention to the praiseworthy object by means of deriding or insulting something/someone, however, demeaning anything/anyone is not the real purpose of the description. Let me elaborate on it. In Gaudiya literature and other places, we may find descriptions that Sri Radha's beautiful face derides millions of Moons ! Here, the emphasis is on the unparalleled divine beauty of Sri Radha's face, however, blaspheming the Moons is not the intention (abhipraya).

Similarly, Lord Hanuman ji's description of just being an animal is not to deride his learning or other excellent features of his personality but to emphasize the super-excellence of pure devotional service that delivers everyone including someone born among animals or not civilized according to Vedic standards! In all the examples cited above, the emphasis is not on the animal-feature of Lord Hanuman ji but the power of pure devotional service.  

Hope this pleases Sri Hari-Guru-Vaisnavas,

dasabhasa,

Jaya Nityananda Dasa