The Story of Samudra Langhan (Sarga 1)

Through this story of Hanuman crossing the ocean, the greatness of wisdom itself is actually being explained. In this story, there are five important points that beautifully describe the importance and uniqueness of wisdom. Although we have already listened to the story in detail, let us briefly look at these five points once again.

The first point says that when it became necessary to go to Lanka in search of Sita, the mighty Hanuman quickly climbed Mount Mahendra in order to cross the hundred-yojana-wide ocean and leapt toward the sky with great speed. There are two things here that need to be understood — the hundred-yojana ocean and Mount Mahendra.

The third point says that while Hanuman was moving through the sky, the ocean saw him and, to honor him, instructed Mainak Mountain, which was hidden within its waters, to rise upward. Mainak Mountain rose from the water and requested Hanuman to rest there for some time. But Hanuman, wanting to complete his task quickly, respectfully touched the mountain and moved ahead without resting. This was the same Mainak Mountain that Indra had ordered to remain at the entrance of the netherworld to block the path of the demons living there.

The fourth point says that in order to test Hanuman’s strength and valor, the gods requested Mother Surasa to create an obstacle in Hanuman’s path for a short time. Accordingly, Surasa took the form of a demoness and stood before Hanuman with her mouth wide open to devour him. As Surasa expanded her mouth, Hanuman also enlarged his body. Finally, Hanuman made himself extremely small, entered Surasa’s huge mouth, and immediately came out. Surasa then gave up her demonic form and blessed Hanuman to proceed successfully in Lord Rama’s work.

The fifth point says that while moving ahead through the sky, Hanuman was seen by the demoness Simhika. Simhika used to catch flying creatures by seizing their shadow, and she tried to grab Hanuman’s shadow as well in order to eat him. But Hanuman remembered Sugriva’s words, became extremely small, entered her huge mouth, tore apart her vital organs, and quickly came out. Simhika died and fell into the ocean. Finally, after crossing the hundred-yojana ocean, Hanuman reached the shore and saw Lanka situated upon the mountain peak.

This long and detailed story has been summarized here in just a few paragraphs. Now let us reflect upon these five important points.

The first point is the hundred-yojana ocean. We discussed this earlier as well, but let us briefly look at it again. In the story, the ocean is said to be one hundred yojanas wide. Actually, the human mind itself is the ocean. Behind this hundred-yojana ocean lies the scriptural idea that the human mind has 101 tendencies. Out of these, one hundred tendencies pull a person toward the body and the world, while only one tendency connects a person to the Self and the Supreme. One who easily crosses these hundred tendencies of the mind, who becomes free from their attraction and bondage, is wisdom itself, symbolized here by Hanuman. Therefore, Hanuman crossing the hundred-yojana ocean means that wisdom, or a wise person, transcends the ocean-like mind filled with countless tendencies and becomes free from their bondage.

The second point is Mount Mahendra. The story says that Hanuman effortlessly leapt onto Mount Mahendra and then soared toward the sky. A mountain symbolizes height and stability. Therefore, in the Puranas, mountains are used symbolically to represent noble qualities and elevated thoughts. Here, Mount Mahendra appears to symbolize selflessness and steadiness. The wisdom established in self-knowledge, represented by Hanuman, rises upon qualities like selflessness and stability and thereby crosses all the obstacles arising from the ocean-like mind before finally reaching its goal. Hanuman climbing Mount Mahendra does not merely mean climbing a physical mountain. It means wisdom standing firmly in selflessness and steadiness.

The third point is Mainak Mountain. In simple words, Mainak Mountain represents the accumulated store of our own virtues and merits gathered over many lifetimes. To understand this, we first need to understand an old mythological statement connected to Mainak.

The Puranas say that there was a daughter of the ancestors named Maina. Maina was married to the Himalayas, and from them was born a son called Mainak Mountain. This small story also appears in the Ramayana.

Now let us understand its meaning. The word “Pitṛ” symbolizes impressions or samskaras. The word “daughter” represents a quality or characteristic. The word “Maina” is made from “mai” and “na.” “Mai” means “I,” and “na” means “not.” So Maina means “where the sense of ‘I’ is absent.” In other words, it represents egolessness. Himalaya symbolizes the pure and stable mind.

Putting these symbols together, the meaning becomes clear. Through many lifetimes, a person gathers noble impressions within the subconscious mind. These noble impressions eventually give rise to egolessness. Egolessness arises only when noble impressions are present within us. When this egolessness joins with a pure and stable mind, a mountain of merit is created within us. That mountain of merit is symbolized here as Mainak Mountain.

This mountain of merit existing within the ocean-like mind rises and brings happiness into life. But as happiness increases, the ordinary human mind becomes attached to those pleasures. This is everyone’s experience. Happiness comes into our lives because of the accumulated merits stored within the subconscious mind. But when happiness comes, the ordinary mind becomes trapped in it. Such a mind then fails to notice its own ego-centered personality and cannot refine or purify itself.

However, the wisdom established in self-knowledge, symbolized by Hanuman, does not become attached to pleasures. Unlike the ordinary mind, wisdom does not get entangled in happiness. This very quality allows it to continue moving toward its goal. That is why the story says Hanuman did not stop to rest on Mainak Mountain but simply touched it respectfully and moved ahead.

Another statement says that Mainak Mountain stands at the entrance of the netherworld to prevent demons from coming out. This is a symbolic statement. The netherworld represents the demonic impressions hidden within our subconscious mind. The mountain of merit suppresses these demonic tendencies and prevents them from rising upward. Our good actions create noble impressions and merits that keep the lower tendencies buried beneath them. Thus, Mainak Mountain represents the mountain of merits and virtues within us.

The fourth point is Surasa. Surasa represents an element within the ocean-like mind whose original nature is divine, yet which can also assume a demonic form. The story calls her both Goddess Surasa and Demoness Surasa. This seems to symbolize attachment and detachment.

Every human being performs many roles and maintains many relationships in life. There are two ways of living within relationships. One is divine and is called detachment, while the other is demonic and is called attachment.

When a person established in self-knowledge sees others with the vision of the Self, that person fulfills all relationships properly yet does not cling to them. This is detachment. But when a person identifies with the body and sees others also merely as bodies, feelings of “mine” and “others” arise, and the person becomes deeply attached. Then all happiness and sorrow become dependent on relationships. This attachment is what the story depicts as Demoness Surasa.

This attachment is so powerful that it easily traps ordinary people. That is why the story says Surasa expanded her mouth enormously. But the wisdom established in self-knowledge remains detached. It fulfills all relationships properly, sometimes expanding within them and sometimes effortlessly withdrawing from them. This is symbolized by Hanuman entering Surasa’s mouth and then coming out after becoming extremely small.

When we live in body-consciousness, we experience the taste of attachment. When we live in self-awareness, we experience the joy of detachment. Both are experienced in life. That is why Surasa is called both divine and demonic.

The story also says that Surasa is the mother of serpents. Serpents symbolize mental tendencies or thought patterns. Since both attachment and detachment give rise to various positive and negative mental tendencies, Surasa is called the mother of serpents.

The fifth point is Simhika. To understand Simhika, we must first understand another mythological statement. The Puranas say that Simhika is the mother of Rahu.

Rahu symbolizes that force which swallows both the sun and the moon. Spiritually, the sun symbolizes the Self, and the moon symbolizes the pure and noble mind. Therefore, Rahu represents impure and corrupted thoughts that cover both the pure mind and the awareness of the Self.

The force that produces these corrupted thoughts is symbolized by Simhika. Simhika therefore represents distorted mentality. A distorted mentality is one that cannot perceive even good things correctly. No matter how well something is explained, a person with a distorted mentality interprets it wrongly.

This can be understood in many ways. Even festivals, which were originally created to fill life with noble values and beauty, have become distorted because of ignorance and corrupted thinking. For example, the festival of Diwali originally symbolized keeping the inner light of the Self awakened within the body. But today people focus mainly on decorations and fireworks while forgetting the deeper meaning.

Distorted mentality is also like a distorted mirror. Even if the object before it is perfect, the reflection appears distorted because the mirror itself is flawed.

The story says that Simhika catches the shadow of flying beings and devours them. In the same way, distorted mentality captures and corrupts perception. But Hanuman killed Simhika. This symbolizes that only wisdom can destroy distorted mentality. Ordinary intellect alone cannot do so.

Thus, through these five points, the story beautifully explains the greatness of wisdom. First, wisdom crosses the hundred-yojana ocean, meaning it transcends the countless tendencies of the mind. Second, wisdom stands upon selflessness and steadiness, symbolized by Mount Mahendra. Third, wisdom does not become trapped in pleasures, symbolized by Mainak Mountain. Fourth, wisdom remains detached and overcomes attachment, symbolized by Surasa. Finally, wisdom destroys distorted mentality, symbolized by Simhika. In this way, the story explains the importance of wisdom through these five forms.