Today is Bara Mangal, and important religious day in Lucknow where I live. Tuesdays are sacred to Sri Hanuman, the Hindu deity who seems to be the most popular one in Lucknow. Bara Mangal is the biggest Tuesday of the year. Certain Hanuman temples are visited as pilgrimage centres in Lucknow. Some people go to the temple on foot to beseech the deity to grant their requests.
In north India, the god Ram (Sri Ramchandra), an incarnation of Vishnu, the second person in the Hindu trinity of major gods, is probably the godly incarnation most revered. Ram and his consort Sita are legendary figures here. Yet most of the temples in the north are sacred to Sri Hanuman, the greatest devotee of Ram. I would be reluctant to describe Hanuman as a 'monkey god', on the grounds that some of his devotees might feel that I was ridiculing him. Hanuman is supposed to be, in fact, an incarnation of Shiva, the third person of the Hindu trinity. The langur, the species of monkey commonly found in the north, is revered as bearing the image of the deity, and indeed, in art, he is depicted as an athletic man with some facial features which resemble this wonderful animal, who is so intelligent and even resembles humans a great deal. Devotees often feed langurs on Tuesdays as a sign of their devotion to the deity. Sri Hanuman is supposed to personify devotion to and love for God, and these are indeed admirable qualities which are well worth cultivating.
My father-in-law was a great devotee of Sri Hanuman. In the summers gone by, my father-in-law and his friends were involved in the service of providing sherbet (a cooling drink) to people at the crossroads near our house on Tuesdays, as a service in the name of Sri Hanuman. This year, my FIL's friends are still performing this service every Tuesday. Today, being Bara Mangal, the work went on as usual and Papaji's friends asked us to provide a photograph of Papaji to display at the place where they perform that service. It is really nice to think that Papaji is still remembered by his friends. Had he been alive today, he would doubtless have been right there, doing the work as usual. This time last year he was in good health, but he declined in the second half of the year and passed away on the 1st January. It is nice that he is still being remembered.
In north India, the god Ram (Sri Ramchandra), an incarnation of Vishnu, the second person in the Hindu trinity of major gods, is probably the godly incarnation most revered. Ram and his consort Sita are legendary figures here. Yet most of the temples in the north are sacred to Sri Hanuman, the greatest devotee of Ram. I would be reluctant to describe Hanuman as a 'monkey god', on the grounds that some of his devotees might feel that I was ridiculing him. Hanuman is supposed to be, in fact, an incarnation of Shiva, the third person of the Hindu trinity. The langur, the species of monkey commonly found in the north, is revered as bearing the image of the deity, and indeed, in art, he is depicted as an athletic man with some facial features which resemble this wonderful animal, who is so intelligent and even resembles humans a great deal. Devotees often feed langurs on Tuesdays as a sign of their devotion to the deity. Sri Hanuman is supposed to personify devotion to and love for God, and these are indeed admirable qualities which are well worth cultivating.
My father-in-law was a great devotee of Sri Hanuman. In the summers gone by, my father-in-law and his friends were involved in the service of providing sherbet (a cooling drink) to people at the crossroads near our house on Tuesdays, as a service in the name of Sri Hanuman. This year, my FIL's friends are still performing this service every Tuesday. Today, being Bara Mangal, the work went on as usual and Papaji's friends asked us to provide a photograph of Papaji to display at the place where they perform that service. It is really nice to think that Papaji is still remembered by his friends. Had he been alive today, he would doubtless have been right there, doing the work as usual. This time last year he was in good health, but he declined in the second half of the year and passed away on the 1st January. It is nice that he is still being remembered.
he will live on... as long as he's remembered!
ReplyDeleteLong time, no visit. I was so busy with my exams. I will be more regular from now on! :)
ReplyDeleteGood people are never forgotten. It is the rule of the universe. It is how it is. And as long as people who appreciate good live on, the remembrance of those who have passed away would live on! (:
Bajrang Bali ki Jai. Lord Hanuman is popular all over India and Hanuman Chalisaa is supposed to work wonders for its reciters.
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