Astrenonmuktamaatmaanam jnatvaapaitaamahaadvaraat
Marsayan raakshasaan veero yantrinastaan yadrcchayaa
Meaning of the hymn- Although Hanuman had in him the capacity to set himself free
from the Brahmaastra, he did not opt for it. He allowed himself to be bound by it and
taken to Ravana‟s palace.
When Hanuman was a little infant and was hit by Indra‟s thunderbolt (vajrayudha),
all the deities (Devatas) blessed him with many boons. At that time Lord Brahma had
specifically blessed him that his weapon, the Brahmastra, will not harm Hanuman
ever in life. He further showered him with the boon of being Chiranjeevi (living
eternally).
Hanuman now recollected the boon bestowed upon him by Lord Brahma. Although he
had the capacity to set himself free from this Brahmastra, which Indrajit had aimed
at him, he desisted from doing so. Instead he began to think as follows, “I should
personally see the demon Ravana and carefully assess his capacity and strengths. By
praising the prowess of Rama, I should weaken his morale and courage. I should
create a deep fear in his mind”.
With this conclusion, he allowed the Brahmastra to bind him completely. Seeing the
Vanara bound by the weapon, there was no limit to the joy of the demons. They
brought all the ropes that were available in the city and bound him in them. They
double-checked that the ropes were all knotted properly and ensured in various ways
that the monkey did not escape.
Indrajit was frustrated with the acts of these demons. He kept screaming, “All of you
are great fools. Please do not bind the monkey with the ropes. Once the weapon
Brahmastra is used, then ropes or any other material should not be used to bind the
person further. In fact such a person should not be touched at all. Now with your
actions, the Brahmastra will be rendered ineffective”. All his screams fell on deaf
ears of the demons who were thoroughly enjoying tying up this monkey.
Indrajit was trying to figure out if any other weapon could be used upon this Vanara,
now that the Brahmastra had been rendered futile due to the acts of the demons.
While he was still reflecting about it, Hanuman began to calmly walk behind the
demons who were pulling and dragging him. Indrajit was surprised to see this. He
was happy with this outcome.
There were celebrations in the city. Every demon was approaching Hanuman and
giving him a blow with his fist. Hanuman did not lose his calm. He continued to walk
behind the demons who were dragging him across the streets of Lanka.
Hanuman was taken to the royal palace where Ravana, dressed in silks, was seated
majestically on a completely decorated grand throne. His ministers Durdhara,
Prahasta, Mahaparshva and Nikumbha, surrounded him. Seated amongst these 4
ministers, Ravana appeared like a large island surrounded by all the 4 gigantic
oceans on all sides. Hanuman admired the demon‟s splendour, grandeur, courage,
prowess and strength, all of which were unimaginable. „If only he had not stooped to the lowly levels of kidnapping Mother Seeta, he could have continued to majestically rule. This one deed has robbed him of his entire merit‟ thought Hanuman.
Ravana too was shaken up seeing Hanuman. He thought, “This Vanara appears so
different from the others that I have seen. What splendour he possesses. To me he
appears like the mighty Nandi (the bull attendant of Shiva), who had cursed me
when I had lifted up the Kailasa Mountain in the past. In radiance this Vanara is
equal to that Nandi.”
Upon Ravana‟s order, Minister Prahasta addressed Hanuman and asked, “Hey
monkey! Who are you and why did you come to our city? Tell us all about yourself”.
Hanuman said, “I am the messenger of Lord Rama. I have come here solely with the
intention of seeing you. I am a Vanara. Due to the boon of Lord Brahma, the
Brahmastra cannot harm me. Yet I allowed myself to be bound by these ropes so
that I can see you. I have come here in search of Mother Seeta and I have
successfully completed that mission. I have met the Divine Mother. Now for the rest
of the task, my master Lord Rama is going to come here personally.
Listen to my message O King. Return Seeta to Rama and protect your life. I have the
capacity to single-handedly destroy this entire city. Mother Seeta is the form of fire
(agni swaroopa). Due to her power, fire is being aroused here in Lanka. It is just a
matter of time before the entire city is engulfed in flames. You are seeking selfdestruction.
Please do not bring about the end of your own race.
Rama cannot be vanquished in war. In any war, it is He who alone emerges
victorious. His arrows are infallible”.
Hanuman thus praised his master and stood there contemplating about Him.
Om Seeta Ramabhyaam Namaha.