Verse 10: ōṃ rakṣōvidhvaṃsakārakāya namaḥ । 10 ।

Meaning: Slayer of Demons.

Who are the demons slayed by Hanuman, what for and what is the spiritual significance we can
derive from it. As per Tulsi Ramayana, the first demon encountered by Hanuman was Surasa –
Mother of all Snakes.

When Hanuman was crossing the ocean toward Sri Lanka, the Devatas want to check his Bala &
Bhudi, if he is capable to encounter mighty Ravana and enter Lanka. Surasa mother of all snakes was
told to test his strength and wisdom. She caught hold of Hanuman and said you are going to be my
feast today…Hanuman politely told her, mother, I am going for god’s work, when I come back, I will
enter your mouth. She did not listen…his wisdom did not work; she opened the mouth 1 yojana ( 1
yojana is 8 miles) Hanuman grew to 2 yojana; she opened to 16, hanuman grew to 32…in the same
way it went on, she opened to 100 yojanas…immediately Hanuman become a small mosquito,
entered the mouth and came out through her ear…as promised I entered your mouth, now please
allow me to go…Hanuman did not have any Ego, generally in such situation our prestige becomes
more important and we forget our goal, work suffers…bow down to get work down, egoistic cannot
do this, we may will small battles but lose on the war…the first Rakshasi he slayed not by killing but
by becoming friend, Surasa blessed him victory in his endeavor.

The next Rakshashi encountered by Hanuman was Simhika; Hanuman while flying felt a drag, his
speed is getting reduced and he gets pulled down. There was a peculiar Rakshashi living in that
ocean, she has the capacity to catch flying birds or any flying being with their shadow, pull them
down and swallow. In the same way she pulled Hanuman down and swallowed him, Hanuman with
his full strength kills her instantly and comes out.

The third Rakshashi encountered by Hanuman was Lankani: After reaching the other shore Hanuman
could not find Lanka instead, he saw a huge mountain by name Subela. He climbed up the mountain,
once he reached the top, he could see the majestic Lanka with Golden Walls in the top of Trikuta Hill
surrounded by ocean and guarded by many Rakshasas and Rakshasis. He reduced his size to a
mosquito (mosquito size Monkey) and tried to enter Lanka in the pitch-dark night. Suddenly he was
caught hold by a Rakshashi Lankani. Lankani is the main guard of Lanka, nothing can enter Lanka
without her knowledge. She caught hold of mosquito size Hanuman and about to attack, Hanuman
immediately becomes huge and gave a huge blow with his fist, Lankani fell vomiting Rakta (Blood).

After this Hanuman met Sita Matha, the abode of Love and Peace.

Now, as a spiritual seeker, what is the spiritual significance we get from these
instances.
The first Rakshashi slayed by Hanuman initiated by Devatas through Surasa: Devata means sense
organs, Surasa our own Indriyas…how they trap us, the more and more we entertain our senses it
will crave for more and more. Whatever be the size Hanuman grows, Surasa mouth becoming much
bigger, more we indulge the greed increases, the greed can never be fulfilled, it will expand and crave
for more. Only need be fulfilled and need be minimum, Hanuman intelligently becomes small
entered the mouth and come out through ears. We cannot fully cut off our indulgence, but to keep
it bare minimum then we can escape from Surasa, never be a slave of senses be a master of
senses.
The second Rakshashi slayed by Hanuman – Simhika – the weakness of our mind: Kama, Krodha,
Loba and all other negativities of the mind is Simhika. What Simhika does, pulling down who is flying
high, this is what our mind does, when someone is going ahead of us, we cannot stand it, it is called
jealousy, tendency to pull him back, this is just once vice of the mind, similarly we can talk about all
other vices at the mind level. What we are supposed to do, destroy it then and there, never show
any kind of sympathy, just like hanuman killed Simhika. All negativities of the mind to be killed then
and there. Whenever we entertain any negativities of the mind who is the first one to suffer, it is me
Myself…if it is anger or jealousy, who gets burn first…I Myself.

The third Rakshashi slayed by Hanuman – Lankani – our body consciousness & attachment: In Tulsi
Ramayan after Lankani got hit, vomiting blood, in the subsequent conversation, Lankani says “if on
One side, Suga of heaven and Suga of Moksha is kept and on the other side Suga of Satsang is
placed, the happiness of Satsang will be good.” What kind of Satsang she got from Hanuman, A
Blow – considers that also as a Satsang. In Satsang we get blow to our body identification. What is
the essential message of all scriptures “You are not this body, you are the consciousness,” we think
we are the body and all sufferings are born from this body identification.

Disidentify with body and identify with consciousness is the central message of all scriptures. In
scriptures blow is given to our body identification, in Bhaja Govindam (Moga Mudgara) Bhagavan
Adi Shankara gives us blow with hammer to remove our delusion. With Hanuman’s blow, Lankani
vomits Blood, in Sanskrit blood is called Rakta; another meaning for Rakta is attachment, Viraktha is
detachment, vomiting blood is giving up attachment.

In our spiritual journey we need to win over our Senses, Mind, Body identification and
Attachments, May lord hanuman kill all these Raksha’s and help us to reach Sita Matha – the abode
of Bhakti and Peace. ōṃ rakṣōvidhvaṃsakārakāya namaḥ