Monkey, Not Vermin

June 2, 2020:

In ancient times, monkeys were revered, not just in Bharatvarsha but in all ancient civilisations, be it the Mayans, Greeks or Romans. It is only now in the present Kaliyug, that humans have deteriorated in their ability to perceive the world of energy, resulting in this vibrant animal being left in a sorry state.

In Vedic philosophy, a prime example of the energy of monkeys is Lord Hanuman, who finds mention in both the Ramayana and Mahabharata. A manifestation of the Rudra aspect of Shiva (responsible for transformation and destruction), it is the form of energy dearest to Lord Ram, who is the upholder of dharma and creation. Hanuman is the energy which could hold in its arms the entire mountain of life-giving sanjeevani, and single-handedly set Ravan's Lanka ablaze. He is the bestower of eight spiritual powers and nine nidhis.

According to the shastras, the energy of Hanuman is present on Earth in the Kaliyug. Certain sadhaks at Dhyan Ashram have seen it in a subtle form and are also aware of its exact location. In the realm of sound, this energy is channelised by the mantra 'ram'. In the realm of colour, it manifests itself as kesar, and in the realm of the five elements, it takes the form of a monkey. If you observe a monkey, you will find that it is an intelligent animlal – sensitive, fearless and also mischievous – all of which are also the traits of Hanuman.

Today, monkeys have been left in the hands of humans. Their homes, that is the forests, have been destroyed to cater to human greed. With few trees and forests left to live and feed on, the monkeys have been forced to turn to human colonies for fulfilling their needs. It is a human being's dharma to provide for animals. Bhuta Yagya or feeding the animals and birds is among the five basic duties of a human as prescribed in the Vedas. Instead, humans have resorted to killing the monkeys – pelting them, electrocuting them and even shooting them down – and giving them the title of 'vermin'.

Let's not forget that monkeys had fought beside Lord Ram against the asurs. Killing them, therefore, is equivalent to siding with the asurs. The repercussions of such actions would be similar to what happened to the asurs back then. Let's stop killing monkeys, and start revering them once again.

Yogi Ashwini

The writer is considered the 'guiding light' at Dhyan Ashram.