TYPES OF HEROISM

Danavirah

1. Tyagavirah or dharmavirah – Hero in renunciation and sacrifice. For the sake of righteous living, one often has to sacrifice a lot. One who does this to live a life of dharmaTyagavirah or dharmavirah – Hero in renunciation and sacrifice.

is called tyagavirah.

2. Dayavirah – Hero in compassion. One who is great even in compassion, cannot stand

the sorrows of others, and will do anything to alleviate them is a dayavirah.

3. Vidyavirah – Hero in knowledge and learning.

4. Danavirah – Hero in charity. Sri Hanuman gives you anything you seek (dharmah,

 arthah, kamah and mokshah). But his greatest gift is that he gives you – devotion to

Lord Rama (rama-bhaktih).

5. Ranavirah – Brave warrior in the battlefield

Eight-fold supernatural powers

1. Anima – the power to assume a very small form (like an atomic particle) or to become so subtle that one can pervade even the smallest particle in the universe.

2. Mahima – the power to become large, to pervade everything from the smallest to

the largest. We know from Sri Hanuman’s visit to Lanka, that he became as small as

a mosquito to meet Mother Sita and became a huge giant to confront the demons.

3. Garima – the power to make oneself heavy. Even a limb of the body becomes so

heavy that no one can lift it. There is a story of the mighty warrior Bhima of

Mahabharata, walking in the forest when he encounters Sri Hanuman lying on his side

with his long tail in the way. Bhima asked Sri Hanuman to move his tail (not realizing

whom he was talking to). Sri Hanuman said, ‘I am old, why don’t you lift my tail and

move it’? Bhima tried to lift it, but despite all his strength, he was unable to move it

even an inch. That was when he realized that it was no ordinary monkey, and

prostrated before him in humility. Sri Hanuman had garima siddhi too!

4. Laghima – the power to lighten oneself like a feather. When he was in Lanka Sri

Hanuman was huge, taller than the tallest palace. But still, he was able to lightly from

rooftop to rooftop, without crushing the buildings – this is due to laghima siddhi.

5. Praptih – the power to attain whatever one wants. With this power one is able to sit

in one place and watch everything that is going on not only on this earth, but also in

other worlds like Brahmaloka. With television and satellites one is able to see only

this universe, (mrtyuloka) but not other worlds.

6. Prakamyam or Prakashyam – Prakamyam is the ability to go anywhere in the three

worlds, earth, heavens and netherworlds. Prakashyam is to have a self-illuminating,

shining body. Sri Krishna’s body was like that. When the gopi-s hide the butter in a

dark place, he would come at night with his friends. Because of Sri Krishna’s luminous

body, they were able to find the butter easily and eat it.

7. Ishitvam – the power to rule over all the worlds. Sri Hanuman rules over

everybody’s hearts by his good deeds and character, and not by his mighty power.

8. Vashitvam – the power to control everybody, to make them follow you. Sri

Hanuman’s magnetic personality made everyone love him and obey him. Similarly,

Lord Rama had this ability. When he went to the forest, the entire city of Ayodhya

was empty as all people wanted to follow him to the forest. When Sri Krishna played

his flute, not only the gopis but even the cows and birds also came to him. Nine

kinds of wealth and precious stones of Kubera are: Mahapadma, Padma, Shankha,

Makara, Kachhapa, Mukunda, Kunda, Nila and Kharva (mahapadmascha padmascha

shankho-makara-kacchapau/ mukunda –kunda-nilascha kharvascha nidhayo nava//).

However, the greatest wealth that Sri Hanuman gives us is love for Ram (ramarasah).

Once you have that, you don’t need any other wealth.