Real relationship

I was listening to a song on Shiva. I was contemplating what is so special about Shiva. There is one attribute of Shiva that makes him so different from others. He is not centered around anything. While Brahma is centered around the creation of the universe Vishnu is centered around maintaining its balance. Whenever the danavs try to disturb the balance of the universe, Vishnu takes incarnation to set the balance right. Shiva is always equanimous. 

Lord Hanuman is said to be an incarnation of Shiva. Hanumana helps us understand the nature of Shiva. Hanumana is not seeking anything. He does not want any comfort for the body. He does not want any wealth name or fame. He is just happy serving Rama at all the times and in all the conditions. Despite not seeking anything, he is always so contended, happy, and peaceful. 

While Bharata has always been with Rama since childhood, he becomes extremely agitated and aggrieved as soon as he comes to know about Rama going to the forest. Lakshmana is always with Rama even when he goes to the forest and yet he gets so angry at so many things. Vibhisana also passes through a lot of conflicts while leaving his brother Ravana. It is Hanumana who is never agitated, aggrieved, angry, and never has any conflict. That makes Hanumana so special.

I see that the difference lies in the way we connect to life. Hanumana was always connected internally. He was the greatest Yogi. Despite being so powerful, he will never claim ownership of any task. Any and every task carried out by him is devoted to Sriram. He is so strongly connected internally to Rama that no attraction in the physical world is strong enough to distance him from that internal connection. That strong connection gives him the wisdom to understand that all the attributes in the physical world are just modifications of the same consciousness. He understands that physical strength, intelligence, wealth, and power are all just modifications of the same consciousness. Even for a moment, he does not fall into the trap of the illusion. That brings equanimity and focus and that is the reason why he is able to carry out such seemingly impossible tasks.

I read one incident in Ramakrishna Vachnamrita. Once Hanumana was asked to explain how he felt about Rama. Hanumana explained that when he is in the lowest of state of awareness, he feels that he is the servant of Rama. When he is in a slightly better state of awareness, he feels that he is a part of Rama and when he is in the best state of awareness, he feels that there is no difference between him and Rama. 

Such a connection is not possible without the connection internally. So long as a person is not connected to the consciousness, that takes the form of his body, one will continue to identify with the body. In that state of identification with the body, there will always remain a sense of separation. Even if he connects to a different person, that primary center of existence will always remain the body. However strong the external connection with a person may be, it will not survive whenever there is a threat to the survival of the body. Different external bonds will have different survival thresholds. Some will be able to survive the conflict with money, some with power and positions, and some with social validation. Some externally formed relationships will break when there is money at risk. Some will break when there is position and reputation at risk. Some will break when there is a risk of social criticism.

However, the relationship of Hanumana was immune from all these. This was because that relationship was internal. Hanumana connected to the consciousness and through that consciousness, he connected to the other modification of the same consciousness being Rama. That is why he felt that he was part of Rama and at times, he felt that there was no difference between him and Rama. Once that internal connection is established, no external modification is strong enough to disturb that relation. 

I always feel that it is the purity of Shiva and Hanumana that makes them so attractive. They are not bound by any external modification of the consciousness. Their inner connection is so strong that no amount of external disturbances can bring stress to their face. Shiva and Hanumana have always inspired humanity to dive deep into the ocean to become a part of the ocean and when one lives life with that deep connection, he becomes a role model for the generations to come.