Article sent from The Hindu on indiaserver.com

[Guest guest]

=============================================================

This article is emailed to you by Ram Chandran ( rchandran )

=============================================================

Source: The Hindu (http://www.the-hindu.com)

 

Total concentration essential for success

 

CHENNAI, DEC. 18. Whenever a person undertakes any task it is

common to face some obstacle or the other, which may result in

setbacks or prevent its successful completion. It may not be

possible to anticipate the impediments to circumvent them as the

cause may be beyond human capacity. Even when one has all the

necessary capabilities to successfully accomplish the task on

hand, divine grace and presence of mind are essential to the

fruition of the enterprise.

 

While engaging in any job it is incumbent on the person to

concentrate on it without getting distracted by other attractions

and also not become preoccupied with menial tasks like attending

to his creature comforts. The Ramayana highlights all these

prerequisites for success in an activity in the portrayal of

Hanuman's mission of locating Sita in Lanka.

 

In his discourse, Sri B. Sundar Kumar said that when Hanuman set

out on his journey he vowed that he would not return without

finding Sita. Entrusted with such a responsibility, Hanuman was

well-aware that he should not rest till he had fulfilled the

task. Even nature and the celestials who watched him leap across

the ocean came to his aid as he was on a noble mission and

extolled his virtues. The deity of the ocean also thought that he

must help Hanuman as best as he could as he was the envoy of Lord

Rama whose ancestor Sagara had helped him extend his domain.

 

So the god of the ocean beseeched Mainaka, the mountain submerged

in his bed to rise and offer Hanuman a place to rest on his way.

Dutifully the mountain rose from the ocean and the deity assumed

a human form and beseeched Hanuman to accept his hospitality.

Hanuman was greatly touched by his concern but he firmly and

politely refused saying, ``The time allotted to my duty is

hastening me. Word has been given by me (to my fellow monkeys) to

the effect that I should not tarry here midway.'' He also made it

clear that he did not mean disrespect by turning down his

hospitality.

 

Then came obstacles to his progress in the form of Surasa and

Simhika which he overcame by his astuteness of mind, Providence

which helped him because he was on a noble mission and also his

determination to succeed in spite of any impediment. Hanuman's

crossing the ocean by overcoming the obstacles has been

interpreted to symbolise the victory of the spiritual aspirant in

realising his objective by transcending the three gunas (Sattva,

Rajas and Tamas). To realise the spiritual nature of the Self

(Atman) one has to transcend these three gunas.

 

Copyrights: 2000 The Hindu & Tribeca Internet Initiatives Inc.

 

Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly

prohibited without the consent of The Hindu & Tribeca Internet Initiatives Inc.