The Mouth of Surasa: Rest, Desire and the Strength of Humility
In the morning satsanga of October 15, 2026, Swami Jyotirmayananda read Hanuman's meetings with Mainaka, Surasa and Simhika as the obstacles of sadhana, and taught that true strength is the humility that tunes one with God's will.
The satsanga opened with an invocation to Lord Rama, whose complexion is like a blue lotus, with Sita seated on his left and a powerful bow and arrow in his hands, and with the Hare Rama mantra. Since the ashram is celebrating Navaratri, Swamiji read a poem, a prayer to Durga Devi, titled "How long?" The goddess is so near, it says, and yet so far away. "Thou art the thinker of my thoughts," the prompter of my feelings, the life of my life. How long will mental delusion keep me separated from Thee? When will the glimpse of Thy beauty stealthily enter my heart? The prayer closes by asking that my will be united with Thy will.
The Forgotten Strength
Turning to the episode, Swamiji gave its subtle insight. Hanuman's strength is present in every individual. But through the power of ignorance that strength is as if forgotten, and all of it is directed toward mundane experiences. Those experiences are represented by Indra, and they overpower Hanuman's strength; Indra's thunderbolt is the symbol of that. Hanuman's strength is then awakened by Jambavan and his other associates, and that awakening, Swamiji said, is done through the Hanuman Chalisa.
That strength is not sakamya strength, the strength that moves by desire. As long as one holds to sakamya strength, the focus is only on how to improve one's karma, and no matter how much one improves, one cannot succeed.
In his early days, Swamiji recalled, Hanuman took the sun into his mouth, and only when the gods offered prayers to him did he let the sun out.
Heroism Lies in Humility
Egoistic pride is not the measure of a hero. Heroism, Swamiji taught, lies in humility: the stronger you are, the more humble you become. Your strength is not measured by your physical strength. One who has divine grace is much stronger than one who does not, and this is what Hanuman's strength illustrates as it is awakened for perfect success on the path.
So instead of gaining a strength that inflates the ego, he said, gain the strength "that tunes you with God's will." That is God's strength and grace, and that is how the mind is trained. In such strength Rama and Hanuman are united. Rama's strength brings the shower of Hanuman, and "Hanuman's strength brings the shower of Rama." Rama is completely indebted to Hanuman, loves him like a brother, and counts upon his support for all the success of the project.
Mainaka: The Offer of Rest
Swamiji then named the obstacles in sadhana that are overcome by Hanuman's strength. The first is the mind going after rest at the very moment it should take up the project.
As Hanuman crossed, the Mainaka mountain rose to show its gratitude, because Hanuman's father had once helped the mountain to be free from trouble. So it offered him rest: stay, rest, and then you can begin. That, Swamiji said, is the general way of thinking. Let there be time to rest, and then I will begin. But once rest is taken, one keeps sleeping, lying on the bed. So for the seeker, no rest.
Surasa: The Devouring Mouth
The next obstacle was Surasa. She represents the danger of being devoured by the power of mundane vrittis, the vishaya vrittis. All the vrittis, Swamiji explained, have one divine source, and the energy in them comes from the same grace; but in worldly movement that energy is short-circuited. The short-circuit movement has to be removed. As it tries to control you, become greater than the mouth of Surasa.
When Surasa opened her mouth, Hanuman became double its size. Then Hanuman entered and came out again, and Surasa gave him her blessings: all this was your test, and you have passed. So it is with every obstacle on the path: "your strength should be bigger than the obstacle." Bigger, bigger, bigger. And what is that bigness? "Bigness is humility." When we are very humble, obstacles cannot eat us up.
Buddhi and Parakrama
Swamiji then spoke of the qualities that carry Hanuman forward: patience, and buddhi, the use of purified intellect, and parakrama, spiritual valor, the adventurous spirit of one who takes up the project. A climber who has scaled a small mountain is praised by everyone, but he says: do not play with me, I want a bigger one. This is an opportunity to see my valor. Challenges, Swamiji explained, allow you to see your own valor and how powerful you are. Do not be terrified by the power of a challenge. "You have bigger power." Discover that power.
Simhika and the Grip of the Vasanas
Even with great success and power, Swamiji cautioned, if you do not know your vasanas, you can suddenly come under the grip of the subconscious. Overcoming them requires opening the ajna chakra and drawing divine grace. Then came Simhika. Such a force appears like a lion of strength, he said, but it is not a lion; it is actually a jackal.
Swamiji added that many devout people, especially in times of Saturn trouble, begin reciting the Hanuman Chalisa and experience the miraculous grace of Hanuman.
The Three Devis
In closing, Swamiji prayed for the grace of God over all. "The grace has three aspects": shakti, bhakti and mukti. Shakti is the gift of Durga, bhakti of Lakshmi, and mukti of Sarasvati. He recited the prayer that begins sarva mangala mangalye, one prayer that contains the names of all three, and explained that in it we take refuge in all three Devis. Durga gives shakti, Lakshmi gives bhakti, and Sarasvati opens the third eye. That, he said, is the essence of Navaratri. The satsanga ended with the peace prayer for the welfare of all.
Terms in This Satsanga
- sakamya — motivated by desire; the strength that only seeks to improve one's karma.
- vishaya vrittis — mental modifications drawn to sense objects; the mouth of Surasa.
- buddhi — purified intellect.
- parakrama — spiritual valor, the courage to take up the project.
- vasanas — subconscious impressions that can seize even a strong seeker.
- ajna chakra — the chakra that must be opened to draw divine grace.
- shakti, bhakti, mukti — power, devotion and liberation; the gifts of Durga, Lakshmi and Sarasvati.
Follow the WhatsApp channel at jyotirmayananda.org/whatsapp.