Did Hanumanji Return With the Lord's Ring?

Hanumanji burned Lanka down. Whatever remained was turned to ashes by Shani Bhagawan. Only a few pillars and walls remained here and there. Ravana, his family, and other rakshasas went into hiding in underground chambers.

Suddenly Hanumanji thought, 'I didn’t bother about the safety of Seetha Matha. I just went about setting everything on fire.' With a heart beating heavily, he went to Ashoka Vatika but found Matha safe there, under the shimshupa tree. He went and kept his head at Matha’s feet. There was relief on Matha’s face as well. She said that a rakshasa came and told her that the monkey who destroyed Ashoka Vatika was caught and his tail was set on fire. When Matha saw the flames from where she was sitting, she became worried for Hanumanji. She prayed to Agni Deva, 'If Seetha is pure, then keep my son safe.'

Now, Hanumanji understood why the flames on his tail, as he was burning the whole of Lanka down, felt cool to him. Matha told him, 'Take rest for some time here with me.'

Hanumanji said, 'Mathe, Ravana has given you a month's time. Already one day is gone. We were given a month's time to search you out by our own king Sugreeva. In that, only one day is left. I have to rush back. I have to get my Lord here.'

Seethaji asked, 'How are my Lord and the vanara sena going to reach here? Other than these rakshasas, only Garud, Vayu Deva, and you can cross the sea.'

Hanumanji said, 'Mother, you are testing me. One arrow of the Lord — he doesn’t even have to shoot — he has to just think about his arrow, the sea will part and give way. But anyway, let me go back. The Lord will be so happy to hear that I found you.'

Seetha Matha took out her chudamani and gave it to Hanuman and also the ring that he had brought. Both.

Hanumanji went on top of Arishta Giri and in his thunderous voice challenged,
'Look, I am leaving. If any of you want, stop me.'
How will they? They were all in underground chambers, hiding.

He took off from Arishta Giri and landed on Mahendra Parvata. Those vanaras who were at the sea shore saw him landing. They started dancing in joy. After some time, Hanumanji came to them. He told what all happened in Lanka.

Then they asked him, 'Why did it take so long? You landed a long time back. Why did it take so long to come to us?'

He said, 'I was very thirsty. I didn’t realize that in Lanka. I saw a sage at the valley of Mahendra Parvata and requested him for water. He showed me a lake. I left the chudamani and the ring with him and went to drink water. When I came back, only the chudamani was there. Lord’s ring was not there.'

When I asked him, he showed me his kamandalu and said, 'It is in there.'

I put my hand inside and there were so many of them — rings. I took a bunch out. They all looked similar, with the Lord’s name written on them. I started wondering, what is this?

The sage said, 'In every kalpa, when the Lord takes avatara, one Hanuman comes like you to me. Comes and asks me for water. I show him to the lake. Then he leaves the chudamani and ring with me. I put the ring in the kamandalu. This is how I keep track of time — how many kalpas have passed since I am sitting here.'

Hanumanji realized, there is nothing for me to feel proud of — what I did in Lanka — this is just a repetition of the same story. There were so many Hanumans before me.

He remembered what his mother had told him in his childhood — that he is destined to be the Hanuman. He, as Anjanaputra, was destined to be the Hanuman in the present Ramavatara. There have been so many Ramavataras before.

This is a great principle to always bear in mind. Every kalpa is a complete drama, of 4.32 billion years from beginning to end. The story is the same. It is a repetition of the same drama, same movie — like noon show, first show, second show — it just repeats itself.

The sage is just keeping count of the kalpas that he has been sitting there. Brahma’s one day is one kalpa. The present Brahma is 51 years old. Even in the lifetime of the present Brahma, 18,000 kalpas have passed. And in every kalpa, presuming that even one Ramavatara is there, then there are 18,000 rings in there.

Sage said, 'Identify yours and take it with you.'

Hanumanji tried for some time, but he couldn’t. They all looked the same.

Sage said, 'Don’t worry. All the earlier Hanumans also went without the ring only.'

Hanumanji and the vanaras proceeded towards Kishkindha. Sugreeva was happy that the Matha has been spotted. He had received message earlier also about what Sampathi had told and how Hanumanji went to Lanka. Now he was happy that Hanumanji has returned with confirmed information.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi