This is the final story about Hanuman. One week from today, Hanuman Jayanti begins at temples around the world. This week Hanuman is going to tell us what happened after that fateful battle in Lanka, against Ravana and his army.

"Hanuman, will you tell us what happened after the war was over?" asked the reporter.

"Yes, I would love to. This is one of the best stories of my life."

After the battle at Lanka, Rama needed to return to Ayodhya. His brother had vowed to kill himself if Rama had not returned at the end of his fourteen year exile. The battle at Lanka ended exactly as Rama's exile was about to lapse. As we were beginning the journey back to Ayodhya, Rama approached me with a very worried look. I asked him what was wrong and he replied that he needed a favor. Rama informed me of this plan. He told me that the fourteenth year was up shortly. He feared that his brother was going to carry through with his plan if Rama had not returned. Rama asked me if I would fly ahead of the group and tell Bharata that Rama was on his way. I interrupted Rama as he was panicking. I told him he need not say more.

I walked to the nearest hill and immediately took off for Ayodhya. I needed to cover about one hundred miles in a few hours. I knew once I lept from the hill that I was in for an intense flight. Quickly this flight proved to be one of the most difficult feats of my life.


"Will you explain this great flight and tell about the problems you encountered?" asked the reporter.

I was just getting to that. Several difficulties surfaced during my flight. The first was exhaustion. After the long battle with little sleep or food I was extremely tired and sore. The first hour of the flight was tough. There were times when I thought about giving up because I couldn't do it. Then something just clicked in my brain. I can do anything that I set my mind to, especially for Rama and Sita. I would even give my life for them. I must fly to Ayodhya. The rest of the flight I was tired, but never thought about giving up. The second difficulty was dehydration. I needed water very badly half-way through the flight. I had not considered that when I left because I had never flown this far. I knew there was a large waterfall close to my path. I changed course and flew directly to it. I descended rapidly and started at the bottom of the water and flew towards the top, drinking the entire time. That water was better than any I have ever tasted. The toughest challenge was getting through the people at Ayodhya. I landed outside of town and people were everywhere waiting for the return of Rama. Many were already discussing the possibility that he wouldn't return. I should have flown right to the throne were Bharata was waiting. Once I was in the crowd, I could not take flight again. I tried to push my way through, but that did not work. I told some of the gatherers the information that I needed to tell Bharata and they did not believe me. The only solution was to make myself large and take two steps to Bharata. When I arrived he thought I was bringing bad news. When I told him of Rama's triumph, he began to weep. Then, I told him that Rama would arrive shortly. Bharata stood up and announced to all that Rama was alive and on his way to rule the greatest kingdom ever. Everyone erupted with joy and began to celebrate.
 
"Hanuman, what was that celebration like?" asked the reporter.

 
"It was magnificent. Flowers lined the streets, music came from every direction, people danced, children played and the dinner of King Rama was served to everyone. I have never seen a city of people so happy in all my life. I have never been so happy in my life. I am usually not a dancer, but Sita dragged me onto the dance floor several times. I enjoyed watching everyone be so happy again. After all that we had been through, it was finally over."
 
That is the final story of the adventures of Hanuman. Remember the challenges that Hanuman faced, the courage, selflessness and devotion to others which he displayed  and join many others in the celebration and worship of this great God next week during the Hanuman Jayanti holiday.



Author's Note: I wanted to keep my storybook chronologically correct. This immediately followed the battle of Lanka. I felt like the original story did not do this event justice. Rama simply asked Hanuman to fly back to Ayodhya to tell Bharata that he was on his way. Hanuman did not object or delay. He took the task at hand and accomplished it. I'm sure it wasn't to difficult for Hanuman to make the journey. However, I don't think it would have been as simple as described in the original version. I enjoyed getting inside Hanuman's head and looking at things from his point of view. I expanded the challenges that faced Hanuman on his journey. These incidents further show the extraordinary character of Hanuman. I also liked ending the story with a slower pace. The battle was the climax of the story and this story was the denouement. This flight back to Ayodhya was very important to the story. Rama could not let his brother die because of Rama's delayed return from exile. I think that is also important to recognize when considering Hanuman's journey. Overall, I think the storybook turned out very well. As my last story, it was a good way to end it.

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Hanuman Flying. Websource
Ayodhya Today. Websource

Original Story: Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way