From the tree he was sitting to behind a rock, he jumped to hide
His four friends too jumped and sat by his side
To know what troubled Sugriva, they worriedly tried
“I just saw in our vicinity two strong young men
Like lions which have come out of their den
Dressed like ascetics and carrying weapons doesn’t seem right
They could be Vali’s henchmen looking for me to pick up a fight”
Sugriva, was the prince of the monkey kingdom Kishkindha, who had been exiled
His four friends were his ministers whose loyalty to him could not be defiled
Lord Rama’s devotee Hanuman, was among them, one
Great reputation for his wisdom, he had already won!
“Lord! Please do not panic. Let me have a look”, Hanuman said
And climbed up a tree to observe The Men, who did tread
Clinging on to a branch and observing, sometime he hovered
Then with mixed feelings of joy and doubt, himself he lowered
Once he came down from the tree
Towards his king, he made a plea
Sugriva and the other monkeys were surprised to see him excited
They always knew him as a stoic person who, some mantra within, recited
“Lord! If you give me permission, let me go and check
If they are my Lord Rama and Lakshman, it would be our luck
My heart, in which my Lord resides, tells me so
Their ascetic dresses give me many doubts, though!”
“Hanuman! If you think that is right, please do it
Know all about Them, without revealing about us, with your wit
Let me and others go to the cave at the top of this peak and sit
Once you gather all information, come up there and report it”
Saying thus, Sugriva and the others went to the fore said cave
A new form to himself mighty Hanuman gave
The form of a young Brahmin boy, he took
And approached Lord Rama with the new look
Towards Lord Rama and Lakshman, once he went near
His heart confirmed his hope and dispelled all fear
Once he knew it was Lord Rama, he had no hesitation
To sing about The Two Brothers, a praiseful recitation
Anyway as his king said, his identity, he concealed
And spoke in a way, their identities, The Brothers revealed
Beautiful words and chaste language, like an orator, he chose
And spoke his appreciation for The Brothers in poetic prose
“Accept my salutes, at Thy Feet, Oh God among men
You both are like paintings nature drew without a pen!
I thought of You as paintings, but You had dimensions, more than two
Then I thought of You as sculptures, but Your movements changed it too!
I think You both must be princes
But that thought, Your dressing, minces
Then I think You must be ascetics
But it is shattered by Your bow-sticks
Both of You as Devas, I did at first, think
But then, Your feet touches the ground and You do blink
I would have confirmed You as Vishnu, but
He has four hands, and in You, I don’t see that
Your broad fore-heads, without a third eye, are free
If not I could say you are Shiva, who has eyes in total, three
You have beard and effulgence like Brahma, but not faces four
Unable to know Your roots, I am confused to the core!
But I know one thing is true, that You both are very noble
For, to pump so much bliss and love, my heart was never able!
I have had such feelings for someone, in the past, but never since
It was for Shri Rama, the King of my heart and Ayodhya’s prince!”
“I am the Prince you are talking about, Ayodhya’s Ram!
Are you by any chance, Hanuman, disguised in human form?”
Lord Rama said thus and looked at Hanuman curiously with a smile
He was sure He had not met such a Brahmin boy up to this while
Lord Rama still remembering him made Hanuman’s heart melt
Before Lord Rama, with folded palms, Hanuman selflessly knelt
With tears whelming up in his beautiful eyes
He touched The Feet of Lord Rama, thrice!
“Yes my Lord! I am Hanuman, Your eternal slave
My loyalty to You, as a child, I already gave
Accept my obeisance, oh! Lion among men
Your greatness and glories cannot be listed by a pen
Unto Thy Holy Feet, I surrender my head
The path shown by You, I would sincerely tread
My respects at Your Feet I reverently pay
A poem of praise on You, I like to say!
In the mighty lineage of Raghu, You took birth
Which, from the beginning of time, has ruled the earth
To do things that are great is the nature of Your clan
To be a lighthouse to mankind is Your only plan
You are always good, by word, thought and deed
Among people, to be good, You sow the inspiration seed
By a character of honesty, love and service You stand tall
With righteousness and virtues, You attend to duty’s call
You respect rules and always go by the book
You attract all people with Your pleasant look
You respect men of all rank and cadre
You love all with a heart that cannot be broader
You always depend on truth’s might
And therefore You are always right
For the welfare of all, You always wish
Your character for thought is a delicious dish
You are beautiful, both by character and looks
The wise always keep You in their good books
Your beautiful face reflects Your beautiful heart
Your large lotus eyes reflect Your innocent thought
To protect the weak, You have strong and mighty arms
On getting a vision of You, the agitated mind calms
Broad, muscular and hairy is Your mighty chest
Which, lodges within it, a Heart, whose love is best
Your stomach, above Your hip, is flat, fit and narrow
Your strong body says that You are a warrior hero
Though dressed in deer skin, You look majestic and royal
Just for Your look one can surrender to You and be very loyal
One cannot say if Your body is blue or dark
The arrow You shoot never misses its mark
By relentlessly giving, in charity, Your palm has become red
When people come to You, You make sure they are well fed
Only sweet words come from Your rose coloured lips
To the ones they are spoken, they are always useful tips
Useless, foul and extra words, You never utter
With wisdom, knowledge and goodness, Your speech does glitter
You never take to heart what people say in anger
You see good things in people and make those qualities stronger
Even the smallest of good deeds done to You, You never forget
Even to help the ungrateful ones, You never stop or regret
Whatever You do, You do it with thought and care
And so, You are always successful and Your glory does flare
About Your plans, with Your friends and well-wishers, You do talk
Then in the action path, with their guidance and wishes, You do walk
The steps that You take are always well measured
The words that You speak are always well treasured
A meeting with You becomes a memory that is cherished
All sins and ignorance in Your presence is perished
You are an expert and ace in all the branches of arts and science
You have the best and balanced qualities of all the astrological signs
Therefore, You can empathise with and impress any man
To make people do what You want, You easily can
Though people before You are submissive, You never dominate
Which makes them more submissive accepting You as great
The obedience people show, You use for welfare at large
For their lives both material and spiritual You take charge
So much and more I can say about You!
The qualities I enumerated are only a few
About You and Your character, I always think
Your sanctifying name for wisdom, I always sing
Jai Shri Ram! Jai Jai Shri Ram!!
Please do bless me, by showing Your palm
Jai Shri Ram! Jai Jai Shri Ram!!
May I become like You, wise, strong and warm”
Mighty and wise Hanuman after saying thus
Plucked some flowers, around which bees did buzz
Offered them at Lord Rama’s Feet
And fell flat on the ground like a sheet
Lord Rama wished for Hanuman, all that is best
He wished Hanuman’s fame must stand time’s test
Lord Rama wished for Hanuman’s physical and mental health
And that Hanuman must realise the highest truth as the only wealth
“I bless you Hanuman, please do rise
You to Me, have always been nice
Seeing you again is sheer delight
Your words of praise have made Me light”
Thus Lord Rama and Hanuman once again met
And Lord Rama’s blessings, Hanuman did get
Thus mighty Hanuman who could suppress a storm
Lay prostrate before his Lord, chanting, ‘Jai Shri Ram! Jai Jai Shri Ram!!”
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