The Right Role Model: The Power of Sharanagati

Spiritual Conductivity or Sharanagati

Master Choa Kok Sui often said, “Do not look at the finger; focus on the essence of the word. Focus on what the finger is pointing at!” Often, profound spiritual teachings are hidden in stories. The objective of this article is to understand the spiritual lessons from the story of Lord Hanuman.

Firstly, the word ‘Hanuman’ itself means “one with a broken jaw.” Hanuman isn’t his real name, but a nickname (his real name was Anjaneya). The broken jaw symbolizes someone who has broken his pride. Secondly, Lord Hanuman is depicted as a monkey. Do you think an ordinary monkey can perform feats like the ones we read in the Ramayana? In his book The Inner Teachings of Hinduism Revealed, MCKS says:

“The question you should ask is, whether Lord Hanuman was really a monkey. Do you really believe that a group of monkeys built a bridge? If not, then the question is why was a monkey used as a symbol? A monkey has a tremendous capacity to observe and imitate. If a monkey takes something from you, to get the money to drop what it has taken, just pick up something and throw it down. When the monkey sees you throwing something down, it will throw down what it is holding. A monkey observes and imitates. This is what the disciple is supposed to do. A disciple is supposed to keep looking at the Sat Guru and follow the Sat Guru’s inner qualities, not the physical qualities. That is what the symbol of a monkey was used, not because Hanuman was really a monkey.”

What is Spiritual Conductivity?

So, let’s try to put these points together. But before that, it might make sense to review what is called Ohm’s Law in physics. Ohm’s law states that the current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage across the two points and is inversely proportional to the resistance of the wire carrying the electric current. This means that the less resistance a wire has, the more current it is able to flow through.

Now, let’s dig deeper. Why do we need a Guru or a spiritual teacher? One of the key reasons is that to receive divine energy and divine blessings, we need a medium or a connector. The energy coming from the Supreme God is very powerful. It is not possible for everyone to receive it directly. So, to bring down the intensity of such great and powerful energy, we need a Guru. Ultimately, it is the Guru who is the bridge. Connecting to the Guru is like connecting an electronic device to an electrical outlet for power. No matter how sophisticated the hardware is, it will not function without power.

It was likewise with Lord Hanuman. He did great things, but the power came from Lord Rama (his Guru). Lord Hanuman acted like a monkey – always observing, learning, and copying what his Guru did. Hanuman did not have pride and was extremely humble. What makes him the ideal disciple or, chela? Who did he have on his mind while looking for the herb that was needed to heal Lakshmana? What gave him the strength to pick up the entire mountain? Every minute of his life, before and after every activity, he had Lord Rama on his mind and his name on his lips. Hanuman is, therefore, the ultimate example of devotion and faith. He got the courage and strength to cross an entire ocean with one jump. He alone would have been able to rescue Sita if she had given him permission. 

Devoting ourselves to our spiritual teacher means removing the inner resistance. By eliminating the resistance, we become more conductive. In the same way, electricity does not flow through bad conductors; the spiritual energy from the Guru and All the Great Ones cannot flow through us. Lord Hanuman was spiritually very conductive, and hence, the spiritual energy and blessings from his Guru could flow through him without any resistance. Thus, Lord Hanuman was able to move mountains!

The Holy Bible also speaks of the power of Spiritual Conductivity in the book of Matthew (17:20):  

“I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

… and in the book of Philippians (4:13):

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Faith (and devotion) is another word for Spiritual Conductivity. In Sanskrit, the term for Spiritual Conductivity is Sharanagati (which is often incorrectly translated as ‘surrender’).