Why do people worship Hanuman as God, when He Himself worshipped Rama like a devotee?

[This question is part of a Mahā Satsaṅga (grand spiritual discussion) between Swami, Shri Parikshit, Smt. Bindiya and Dr. J S. R. Prasad.]

Swami replied: Hanumān was a monistic Incarnation of God Śiva and Rāma was a monistic Incarnation of God Viṣṇu. A monistic Incarnation means that God had actually merged with the human medium in that Incarnation. A dualistic Incarnation is when a very close devotee of God is treated to be an Incarnation, even though God has not actually merged with that human medium. But Hanumān and Rāma were both monistic Incarnations of Śiva and Viṣṇu respectively. The Veda says that God Śiva and God Viṣṇu are one and the same God (Śivaśca Nārāyaṇaḥ). Both Śiva and Viṣṇu themselves are Energetic Incarnations of the unimaginable God in the upper world. They entered and merged with the physical human media of Hanumān and Rāma respectively on Earth, to become Human Incarnations. But we have to consider Rāma as God and Hanumān as His devoted servant since those were the roles assumed by them. It does not mean that Viṣṇu is God and Śiva is His devoted servant! Śiva was born as a servant of God only to preach by example, how to ideally serve God. Viṣṇu was born as Rāma who was in the role of the God who receives the service of the devotee. The conclusion is that the same God was born on Earth as both God and devotee in a double-role. From the point of view of their roles, Hanumān remains as a devotee whereas Rāma remains as God. But from the point of view of the original Actor, Hanumān was also a direct Incarnation of God. It is from this angle that people worship Hanumān as God.

Of course, Hanumān can also be worshipped from the other angle, considering Him to be a devotee of God. He can be worshipped as a dualistic Incarnation of God, which means that even though He is a devotee, He has reached the climax of devotion. God is so pleased with Him that God has become the servant of the devotee, fulfilling every desire of the devotee. So, from this angle, Rāma is the monistic Incarnation of God. God has merged perfectly with the human medium of Rāma, leading to a monism between the human medium and God. As a monistic Incarnation, Rāma is equal to God. But Hanumān, as a dualistic Incarnation, is greater than God since God has become a servant of the devotee. In any case, both are called Incarnations of God. Balarāma is another example of a dualistic Incarnation who is kept at par with the monistic Incarnation, Rāma.

Hence, from every angle, Hanuman must indeed be worshipped as God. If you serve the monistic Incarnation, the advantage is that you are directly serving God. But in serving the dualistic Incarnation, the advantage is that you are pleasing God even more. When you offer some sweets to a father, he is pleased. But he is pleased even more if you offer the sweets to his beloved son!

| Shri Dattaswami | Shivashcha Naaraayanah

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