Swarajya Logo
Swarajya Logo
Politics States Economy Society Business Culture Infra Defence World Books Ideas Science Technology Heritage Archives Legal Movies Sports
  • Our Views
    Politics States Economy Society Business Culture Infra Defence World Books Ideas Science Technology Heritage Archives Legal Movies Sports
  • Magazine
  • Store

About Swarajya

Swarajya is a publication by Kovai Media Private Limited.

Swarajya - a big tent for liberal right of centre discourse that reaches out, engages and caters to the new India.

editor@swarajyamag.com

Useful Links

  • About Us
  • Subscriptions Support
  • Editorial Philosophy
  • Press Kit
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Code of Conduct
  • Plagiarism Policy
  • Refund & Cancellation Policy

Useful Links

  • About Us
  • Subscriptions Support
  • Editorial Philosophy
  • Press Kit
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Code of Conduct
  • Plagiarism Policy
  • Refund & Cancellation Policy

Participate

  • Contact Us
  • Write for us
  • Style Guide
  • Jobs

Stay Connected

  • Artboard 2 Copy 6Created with Sketch.
    Artboard 2 Copy 10Created with Sketch.
    Artboard 2 Copy 7Created with Sketch.
    Artboard 2 Copy 9Created with Sketch.
  • Andriod Logo
  • IOS Logo

Culture

The Case For ‘Hanuman Therapy’ To Conquer Our Shadows

Aravindan NeelakandanFriday, April 6, 2018 5:13 pm IST
Hanuman sticker/YouTube
Hanuman sticker/YouTube
Hanuman sticker/YouTube
  • As Hanuman is back to the forefront of Indian public discourse, it is a good time to remind ourselves of the most important lesson that can be learnt from the deeds of Vayu’s son. 
  • Young children growing up in the modern Indian society face paradoxical pressures and when they reach adolescence they are exposed to a new freedom. But then there is this social conditioning that they acquired from their family and tradition which remain with them. Thus a youngster, who obeys the commands of his parents without complaining and performs well in his school, revels in his new-found freedom when he enters college.

    In a significant number of cases, this conflict results in the destruction and the inability to achieve the full potential of the youth. Although no proper study has been conducted on this subject, anecdotal evidence suggest that ‘obedient’ and ‘good’ boys and girls from traditional households go on to become 'rebels', dropouts or underachievers in college. Even some spectacular achievers experience total disconnect with the social and cultural reality, making them harbingers of destructive confusion.

    Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961), the famous psychologist, speaks about an element of an individual’s psyche, namely the shadow. The shadow, according to Jung, comprises the denied aspects of the self. The student, who enters college with all his or her repressed emotions of early teenage life, comes with a lurking shadow. Unfortunately, the student identifies himself with the superficial persona that hides the shadow. The sudden burst of freedom in college life – along with all the temptations – grabs the shadow from within and along with the shadow drags the entire personality of this youngster into the abyss of destruction. The reader may now feel that the scenario is very familiar.

    Yes. It is an episode of the slaying of Simhika by Hanuman in the Hindu epic Ramayana. Simhika, the demoness, who lives deep in the ocean, always captures those who fly over the sea by grabbing their shadows. She had devoured many before and only Hanuman was destined to overcome her. The ocean represents the vast and the dark realm of the unconscious and from there emerges forces that grab the shadow and pull down the entire personality from accomplishing its life mission. Often in the case of youngsters, who fall prey to temptations leading to addiction, therapists see the external factor of drugs and bad influences as the reasons. But, in reality, the cause may well be the shadow grabber emerging from within the unconscious, and bigger the shadow the more repressed it is – and easier it is for the force to grab and destroy. Hanuman, interestingly, shrunk himself to enter the body of the force and emerged enlarged destroying Simhika.

    One important reason was that he was totally immersed in his mission to find Sita – in the service of Sri Rama. A selfless, lofty mission and total dedication to the cause, which diminishes the ego later allowed the entire personality to gather enough might to destroy the demoness. Here, we recall the role of Jambavan, who helped Hanuman realise that his potential to fly can help in knowing Sita’s whereabouts. So, what we need today are teachers like Jambavan, who would not only make the student realise his or her full potential, but also instil in them the fire for a mission that will help them overcome the slips and falls.

    Also, facing the shadow and even falling for it is not something to be ashamed of. What matters is the ability to rise again with the inner strength. And those who do not have a life mission and who do not have the ability to fly fearlessly over the ocean never face their shadows. This is for those young ones, who dare to venture into the open with a mission in their lives, out of their comfort zones.

    Swami Vivekananda wonderfully pointed out the same mission-fired dimension of Hanuman, when a young follower asked the swami what ideal one should follow when the nation was under the alien rule:

    You have to now make the character of Mahavira your ideal. See how at the command of Ramachandra he crossed the ocean. He had no care for life or death! He was a perfect master of his senses and wonderfully sagacious. You have to build your life on this great ideal of personal service. Through that, all other ideals will gradually manifest in life.

    Today's youth may not bring themselves to chant the Hanuman Chalisa, but the way Hanuman defeated the shadow-grabber to accomplish his mission does provide us with enough scope to develop a therapy along the lines for them. This is not just to overcome bad habits and other self-destructive tendencies but also to realise their own full potential in the service of the Divine Feminine imprisoned in the power-structure prisons of expansionist monocultures. This therapy can help the suffering youths to let go of their false egos, which in turn may make them feel guilty, and discover in themselves a humble messenger of divinity engaged in a selfless mission. ‘Hanuman-therapy’ can transform an ego-trip into a journey of selfless yet self-fulfilling adventure to discover mother Sita.

    This piece was earlier published as Hanuman’s Jump And The Jungian ‘Shadow’

    Tags
    Swami Vivekananda
    ramayana
    Sita
    Hanuman
    Jambavan
    Simhika
    Sri Rama

    Comments ↓

    An Appeal...


     

    Dear Reader,

     

    As you are no doubt aware, Swarajya is a media product that is directly dependent on support from its readers in the form of subscriptions. We do not have the muscle and backing of a large media conglomerate nor are we playing for the large advertisement sweep-stake.

     

    Our business model is you and your subscription.  And in challenging times like these, we need your support now more than ever.

     

    We deliver over 10 - 15 high quality articles with expert insights and views. From 7AM in the morning to 10PM late night we operate to ensure you, the reader, get to see what is just right.

     

    Becoming a Patron or a subscriber for as little as Rs 1200/year is the best way you can support our efforts.

    Get Swarajya in your inbox.


    Magazine


    Swarajya Magazine Cover Image
    Merchandise

    Merchandise


      Politics

      Minority Student Scholarship Scam: Aadhaar-Based Biometric Authentication Helps Uncover 6.7 Lakh Bogus Applicants

      Minority Student Scholarship Scam: Aadhaar-Based Biometric Authentication Helps Uncover 6.7 Lakh Bogus Applicants

      Nayan Dwivedi
      2h

      Jammu-Kashmir Ready To Conduct Elections, Waiting For ECI Instructions: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha

      Nishtha Anushree
      4h

      Owaisi Brothers Urge Voters To 'Avoid Overconfidence', 'Exercise Democratic Rights' As AIMIM Bastions Record Poor Polling Percentage

      Swarajya Staff
      4h

      Economy

      Sorry, Cassandras. India's GDP Could Well Top 7 Per Cent In Fiscal 2023-24

      Sorry, Cassandras. India's GDP Could Well Top 7 Per Cent In Fiscal 2023-24

      R Jagannathan
      6h

      India's GDP Grows 7.6 Per Cent In July-September Quarter

      Nayan Dwivedi
      23h

      India's Fiscal Deficit Stood At Rs 8.037 Lakh Crore In First Seven Months Of Fiscal Year

      Swarajya News Staff
      1d

      Defence

      Indian Navy Makes History By Appointing First Female 'Commanding Officer' Of A Naval Ship

      Indian Navy Makes History By Appointing First Female 'Commanding Officer' Of A Naval Ship

      Swarajya Staff
      2h

      Centre Putting All-Out Efforts To Bring Them Back: Indian Navy Chief On Veterans Sentenced To Death In Qatar

      Swarajya Staff
      2h

      Indian Navy To Conduct One Of Its Largest Naval Exercises — MILAN — Next February; More Than Fifty Countries Expected To Participate

      Swarajya Staff
      6h

      World

      COP28: PM Modi Proposes To Host COP33 In India, Emphasises On Need For Technology Transfer, Clean Energy Supply Chain

      COP28: PM Modi Proposes To Host COP33 In India, Emphasises On Need For Technology Transfer, Clean Energy Supply Chain

      Nishtha Anushree
      2h

      First Indo-Pacific Conference By India, Australia In UK: Indian High Commissioner Denies Government Involvement In Killings Abroad

      Nishtha Anushree
      4h

      'Good And Appropriate, Look Forward To Seeing Results': Blinken On India's Probe Into Alleged Plot To Kill Khalistani Terrorist Pannun

      Swarajya Staff
      7h

      Culture

      Kashi Tamil Sangamam 2023 To Be Held From 17 December To 30 December, Registration Portal Launched By IIT Madras

      Kashi Tamil Sangamam 2023 To Be Held From 17 December To 30 December, Registration Portal Launched By IIT Madras

      S Rajesh
      2d

      M P N Ponnusamy: A Nagaswara Legend Passes Away Almost Unsung

      K Balakumar
      3d

      Streamlined Repatriation: India-US Deal To Fast-Track Return Of Stolen Antiquities

      Swarajya Staff
      4d
      States

      infrastructure


      V Bhagya Subhashini
      1

      Bengaluru Airport: BIAL Reveals Comprehensive Master Plan For T1 Upgrade And T3 Construction By 2030

      2 Mins Read
      Amit Mishra
      2

      Noida Proposes To Build 35 Km Elevated Road Along The Yamuna To Ease Travel To Greater Noida

      2 Mins Read
      Swarajya Staff
      3

      Noida Metro Expansion: DMRC Submits DPR For 11.5 Km Aqua Line Corridor Linking Botanical Garden To Greater Noida Region

      2 Mins Read
      V Bhagya Subhashini
      4

      Chennai Metro Phase II: CMRL Inks Rs 269 Crore Deal With Alstom For 10 Driverless Train Sets

      2 Mins Read