Daily Signet

The Ramayana says that in order to rescue the beloved Sita held prisoner on an island 100 yoganas across the sea, the monkey Hanuman, “thinking that he was Garuda himself, jumped with great force.”  We must think as big as Hanuman, who was, let’s face it, just a monkey— but this monkey thought as big as the great-winged Garuda, brother of Varuna, god of the netherworld.  Furthermore, the leap was not without its challenges; there was the mountain that rose out of the sea to offer Hanuman a place to rest—but, Hanuman could not be distracted by kindness. There were obstacles even mid-leap; Hanuman had to find creative ways to outwit Surasa, the mother of serpents, as well as the ravenous Simhika who wished to devour him in the air. In each case, Hanuman lived within the givens but creatively conformed to what had to be done.  

While magnificent leaps of a hundred yojanas most certainly come with hazards, still sometimes we have to make the leap. Sometimes when you are tapped on the shoulder, and told “you’re it” means you must now take the lead and rescue your beloved Sita and take the big leap of a hundred yojanas. Which is to say, you must make the impossible possible, and become a new creature and cross the chasm—the great ocean of sameness and everybody-elseness— and land on the island where the narcissistic gods have held hostage what is most important.  Sometimes when you are told, “you’re it” which is to say, to incarnate Christuman—it means you must stretch as far and wide and higher and taller than you ever wanted to be or thought you could be and give up being just “little ol’ you”—and, thinking you are Hanuman himself, jump with great force. And in the leap with all its challenges and obstacles—create the impossible. 

Benjamin H. Martin

On This Day…

Maya Angelou born 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, died 2014: author, poet, dancer, civil rights activist.
Works: A series of autobiographical volumes, many collections of poetry
Quotes: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”