Chapter One — Knowledge, Devouring, Danger, and Poison

6. Wondrous devouring

He brought Ahiravana to an end, swallowed Bhima’s pride, consumed Arjuna’s pride in the Mahabharata war, and even dissolved the pride of Bhishma and Drona. The Hanumān Bāhuka says:

In the Bharata war the monkey king roared from Arjuna’s banner; hearing it, the Kuru king’s army trembled. Drona and Bhishma said, “The son of the Wind is a great hero, an ocean of heroic rasa whose strength is its water.” By a monkey’s nature, in childhood sport he leapt toward the sun; beside that leap, the vault of heaven became a mere ditch. Every warrior bowed his head, joined his hands, and saw in Hanuman the fruit of the Lord of life. (5)

7. Wondrous danger

Even while honoring Kalanemi’s guise as a saint, Hanuman gave him an extraordinary guru-dakṣiṇā—that is, he brought about his highest good. With one blow he transformed Lankini’s understanding.

8. Wondrous poison

In the form of Great Shambhu he drank the terrible poison born from the ocean and took the name Nilakantha. More inwardly, he burns away the poison of worldly craving and gives instead the “poison” that is the object of supreme sweetness—the transcendent Brahman of being, consciousness, and bliss—thereby making the soul immortal.

The immensely powerful one

One who, through the guru lineage—the embodied grace-filled gaze of the chosen Lord—has offered the self into the threefold Vaishnava fire is truly mahābalī. According to the mantra’s meaning, Hanuman is the very embodiment of what belongs to the chosen Lord and is expert in every form of service. Among the mighty gurus he is the heroic champion. The Śrī Rāma-rahasya Upaniṣad even names him guru of Sanaka and the other yogic sages. Agastya therefore calls him immensely powerful, foremost among heroic champions and leaders of armies.

His radiance surpasses even the sun in the sign of Taurus; in the three worlds no hero equals him in splendour.