Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai - 31
Ashta siddhi nau nidhi ke data ,
Asa bara dina janaki mata .
You are the dispenser of the eight super natural powers and the nine treasures. This boon has been conferred upon you by mother Janaki ( Sita ).
Rama's wife Sita is called Janaki as she was the daughter of king Janaka.
The eight super natural powers described in the Yoga sutra are -
Anima - The power to assume a very small form or to become so subtle that one can invade even the smallest particle in the universe. When Hanuman went to Lanka, he became as small as a mosquito while meeting Sita.
Mahima - The power to become large. Hanuman became huge while confronting the demons.
Garima - The power to make oneself very heavy. Even a limb of the body becomes so heavy that no one can lift it. In encounter with Bhima in the Mahabharata, Hanuman displayed this siddhi that he had. Thinking him to be an ordinary monkey , Bhima asked Hanuman to lift the tail from his path. Hanuman said that he was old and asked Bhima to set it aside and go. Bhima tried to lift it, but despite all his trength, he was unable to move it even an inch. He realized that this was no ordinary monkey and bowed before him with humility.
Laghima - The power to become light like a feather. When he was in Lanka, Hanuman was huge and tall. But still, he was able to jump lightly and swiftly from roof top to roof top, without damaging the building. This is due to laghima siddhi.
Prapti - The power to attain whatever one desires. With this power one is able to sit in one place and see everything in all the worlds and in all the time present, past and future.
Prakamya - The ability to assume any form at will. Hanuman had this power.
Ishitvam - The power to rule over all the three worlds. Hanuman rules over everybody's heart not only because of his immense physical strength but also by his good deeds and virtues.
Vashitvam - The power to control everybody, to make others follow him. Hanuman's magnetic personality made ( makes) everyone love him and follow him.
The nine treasures can refer to nine types of wealth of Kubera , the treasurer of the world. They are Mahapadma, Padma, Shankha, Makara, Kacchapa, Mukunda, Kunda , Nila and Kharva. Symbolically they may refer to different kinds of natural resources which are abundant like minerals, metals, ocean resources etc.
It can denote nine kinds of gems namely Mukta ( pearl ), Manikya ( ruby ), Vaidurya ( cat's eye ), Gomeda( hessonite garnet ), Vajra ( diamond ), Vidruma ( coral ), Padmaraga ( sapphire ), Marakatha (emerald ), and Neelam ( blue sapphire ). Hanuman has the power to confer these materialistic wealth on the devotees. These nine gems are connected to nine planets also. Symbolically it can refer to the grace of nine planets on the devotees of Hanuman. Nine treasures can also mean riches, comfort, power, prestige , fame, cordial relatioships etc. Navanidhi can be interpreted from the spiritual point of view. From this view, it can refer to nine kinds of devotion as depicted in the Bhagavata.
1 Shravanam - To listening to the story of the Lord.
2 Kirtanam - Singing the glory of the Lord.
3 Smaranam - Remembering the name of the Lord.
4 Padasevanam - Worshipping the feet of the Lord.
5 Archanam - Worshipping the idol of the Lord.
6 Vandanam - Bowing to the Lord.
7 Dasyam - Service to the Lord like a servant.
8 Sakhyam - Developing the devotion of friend to the Lord.
9 Atmanivedanam - Surrendering oneself to the Lord.
Hanuman can bless the devotee with this kind of devotion.
The nine kinds of bhakti propounded by Rama to Shabari in the Ramacharitamanasa are well known. They are :
1 Cultivation of the company of saints.
2 Deep interest in the leelas ( deeds ) of the Lord.
3 Service at the feet of the preceptor.
4 Singing the glory of the Lord.
5 Repetition of His name and strong faith in the Lord.
6 Practice of self control fostering the spirit of renunciation and yearning for virtuous life.
7 To regard the whole world as permeated by God and to respect the saint more than God.
8 Contentment with whatever one gets and not finding faults with others.
9 Dependence on the Lord, simplicity, freedom from all miseries with no elation and no depression.
Rama assures Shabari that even one of these is enough.
Hanuman was a Siddha purusha, a life - long celibate, a self realized person and forming a class by himself as a devotee of Rama. Hence, the yogic powers came to him just as a matter of course, without any effort on his part to summon them. He was , later on, even empowered by Sita to transmit these powers to others surely, the select few , his devotees, who could retain them as long as they did not ( do not ) misuse them.
Thus Hanuman was a complete master of these powers by himself and became a dispenser of the same, as blessed by Janaki. It is significant fact that except Hanuman, no one else in the Ramayana has been so graced by Sita.
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