I stood atop a lush emerald-green hill; a cool breeze touched my face, uplifting my mood, as the earthy aroma revitalized me after a ninety-minute trek. I turned around to reminisce about the path traversed when the picturesque view of the mountain range caught my eye. The sun shone brightly under the clear blue sky as I saw a flock of white birds flying high in the distance.
“Phew! That was tiring,” stated a towering middle-aged gentleman dressed as a ranger wearing a big brown hat and holding sturdy-looking metallic-colored trekking rods.
“Huff. Puff! I h-hope it is worth the trip,” calmly mentioned the woman who seemed to be the ranger’s wife as she was dressed in similar attire.
As they approached, I smiled, nodding and greeting them. I now noticed each wore a band of gold on their ring finger, with the fourth letter of the alphabet embossed a couple of times. Connecting each alphabet was an ampersand symbol.
‘That’s interesting,’ I thought, guessing that their names possibly start with the same alphabet. Suddenly, I was drawn to a soothing sound that initiated the universe’s creation.
“Oooohhmmmmm”
“Oooohhmmmmm”
The tranquil sound of Om chanting could be heard from far away as the crowd traversed an open steel gate with the name of the Spiritual Center written at the top in an elegant and cursive font.
“Gates of Tranquility”
I crossed the entrance to be further mesmerized by the close-up view of the mountain range. On the left was an endless lane of guest houses for the visitors, which seemed to be made from natural stone, providing an authentic feel. The right side was a sturdy and humongous structure that looked like an open auditorium with ample ventilation windows. The crowd marched towards the staircase leading to the hall’s entrance, which had a unique name written in the same style as the main gate.
“Sounds of Serenity”
A large digital screen near the doorway flashed a message providing details of today’s topic.
“Humble Hanuman – Tales from the Sunderkand”
Orator: Pandit Narrotam
There was a buzz in the air as I entered the auditorium; I heard whispers of appreciation and positivity.
“Oh, he is an exceptional orator!” exclaimed one of the crowd members.
A young boy walking ahead of me tugged the woman’s hand he held and asked, “Maa, is he the person who can transport people into the past?”
“Not in the literal sense, Paarth, but the way he narrates, you will feel you are witnessing the events in reality,” she replied, caressing and ruffling the boy’s hair.
The ambiance inside the auditorium was calm, with a pleasant and sweet aroma of jasmine flowers, which beautified the place. Colossal speakers were placed in different corners of the auditorium, accompanied by mammoth digital televisions. The tranquil and soothing sound of Om Chanting was still playing in the background but at a lower decibel.
The place was buzzing with people of different ages as I focused my energy on finding a place to sit. I turned my head, scanning the nooks and corners of the enormous auditorium. After a minute, a few empty seats caught my eye as I tactfully traversed the crowd. I moved closer to the stage, walked toward the only empty seat in the middle of the second row, and sat next to the ranger couple I saw a few minutes ago.
The crowd murmured in excitement as a man dressed in the traditional Indian attire of a red Kurta Pyjama and a white dupatta with golden stripes took centerstage. In front of him was a bookholder made of white marble, on which a green color book was calmly resting, with the right side corner of the page fluttering. “Namaste, and hello to one and all,” greeted Panditji, folding his hands and adjusting his collar mic.
“Namaste Panditji!!” echoed the auditorium in one voice as the crowd greeted Pandit Narrotam.
The learned man folded his hands and bowed his head toward the book, and the crowd followed suit. We chanted a short prayer for a couple of minutes, after which Panditiji said, “We now begin a spiritual journey; listen carefully, as I try to take you in the past, some thousands of years ago.”
Pandit Narrotam started speaking calmly and passionately. As words flowed, we felt we were transported into a new realm. “Mahendra Mountain,” echoed Panditji’s deep and resonant voice as I saw a hue of green in front of my eyes. I could feel the tender grass touching my feet in the cold atmosphere.
Standing at the peak of Mahendra Mountain, I saw other mountain ranges nearby but at a much lower height. I could see the vast, expansive sea, calm with stillness in the air. Mahendra Mountain was covered in various colors, from leafy green to orange. I saw a variety of herbs and different mineral ores.
I turned left and looked up as I couldn’t believe my eyes. “How is it possible?” I thought as I saw a tall, muscular figure, standing beside me with his long tail curled. The golden reddish complexion was mesmerizing as he shone majestically. He turned to his right, smiled, and briefly looked at me through his luminous and radiant eyes as I bowed and folded my hand in respect.
“Be ready; we are about to fly,” he said calmly, blessing me with his right hand.
My heart was racing as I again questioned the reality of the events. I observed Hanumanji standing beside me; he looked towards the Sun and folded his hands. I followed suit as I heard him pray to his mentor, the Sun God. Next, he prayed to Mt. Mahendra, and after that, he showered his respect to the creator of the universe. Hanumanji turned east, and I followed him as he kneeled and paid homage to Vayu Dev.
“Any moment now, be ready,” said the deep and resonant voice of Pandit Narrotam.
Hanumanji started enlarging his size, and I saw his eyes filled with determination, looking fixed towards the south. In the distance, I saw a majestic and radiant bear standing along with a herd of monkeys. I looked up and saw Hanumanji growing bigger and bigger, and it felt like he was nearly touching the sky.
“Flap, flap, flap!”
“Whirr, flutter, flutter!”
“Thud, pound, pound!”
“Clop, clop, clop!”
As Hanumanji grew, I saw birds flying away, trees getting uprooted, and various animals running in different directions. I could see cracks forming on the top of Mahendra mountain, showcasing Lord Hanuman’s immense strength.
“Gushhh, Splashh!”
“Bahruuuuuuhhhhaaaaa!”
“Raaaawwwwrrrrr!”
“Hizzzzzz!”
Water springs instantly formed due to the massive pressure generated as wild beasts stomped and ran helter-skelter while serpents of different shapes and sizes started spitting venom.
“Unbelievable!” I murmured as my eyes widened, with my gaze fixed on an unmeasurable form of Maruti. I was overwhelmed by what had just transpired, as I again asked myself, “Is this real?”
Hanumanji moved his right foot behind him, bent his leg, and used his hands as an anchor as he was in position to take the most significant leap of 100 Yojanas.
He turned towards his clan and stated, “I will head towards Lanka as swiftly as Sri Ram’s arrow moving at the speed of the wind,” determination reflected on his face.
“If I don’t complete my mission of finding Mata Sita, I will head to Swarga at the same speed to find Janaki Maa!” he said authoritatively as each word generated unique vibrations as a chill ran down my spine.
The atmosphere was palpable as Hanumanji continued, “If I don’t find Maa Janaki in Swarga, I will go back to Lanka, capture Ravana, and bring him here in a bounden condition.”
Hanumanji’s boundless courage echoed in the Mahendra mountain range as he concluded, “In any case, I will fulfill my task and bring Mata Sita here, or I will uproot Lanka and bring Ravana here.”
“Jai Shree Ram!” chanted Hanumanji as his clan joined him, and the mountains echoed with the name Lord Ram.
Hanumanji smiled, looked toward me, and asked me, “All set?”
My face was expressionless as I nodded in agreement. Hanumanji was about to leap when I heard Pandit Narrotam’s unmistakable voice as he informed us, “Those were approximately the initial fifty verses of Sunderkand.”
I was back in the auditorium; I observed everyone as the crowd was whispering, looking at each other, trying to decipher what had happened.
“It felt so real!”
“Unreal!”
“Unbelievable!”
At that moment, Panditji asked everyone, “Do you all feel the positive and boundless energy of Lord Hanuman?”
The auditorium echoed with a resounding “Yessss!!”
“Cling, cling, clang, clang!”
“Oh, no, my ring. Dear, my ring fell,” stated Mrs. Ranger as I saw it rolling toward my left.
I bent forward and held it with my thumb and forefinger. As I picked it up, I noticed the full form of the two alphabets engraved on the inside of the ring, which read, ‘Divinity and Destiny.’
‘That is so interesting,’ I thought, handing the ring to Mr. Ranger. At the same time, Pandit Narrotam announced, “We will do some Mantra chanting before we go back to the first Sargam of Sunderkand.”