How to Overcome Challenges in Life – Practical Lessons from Hanuman's Journey in Sundarkand
Difficulties are an inherent part of life. ‘If anything can go wrong, it will,’ the infamous Murphy’s law states. When difficulties inevitably crop up, and they will, what mindset do we adopt towards them? Do we break down and give up, or do we leverage them as opportunities for growth and progress?
Saint Kabir described very nicely how different people respond when challenged by problems:
sonā sajjana sādhujana, ṭūṭeṅ juṛeṅ sau bāra
durjana kumbha kumhāra ke, eke dhakā darāra
‘Gold, virtuous people and the saints are resilient; you may break them a hundred times and yet they will rejoin. In contrast, evil people and clay pots are fragile; once shattered, they are broken forever.’
What is the best way to overcome challenges on our journey towards the goal and what should we do when challenges seem to besiege us from all sides?
Lessons from Sundarkand on How to Overcome Challenges in Life
Hanuman’s journey to Lanka in the Sundarkand of the epic Ramayana is fraught with obstacles and it offers practical life lessons that we can adopt to help us overcome challenges in our own lives.
Let us examine the mindsets and virtues of Hanuman, that enabled him to be successful in his mission to find the mother of the Universe Sita.
Anticipate Challenges and Prepare to Handle Them
We must remain in acceptance of the fact that while going up the hill, the journey will be difficult. Having the right knowledge and tools at our disposal is essential to be able to overcome the challenges that will come about on our journey towards the end goal.
After being elected by Ram to take on the challenging task of getting to Lanka to find Sita, Hanuman was in a state of perplexity. With the weight of Ram's trust on his shoulders, Hanuman stood on the shore, contemplating about the immense challenge of crossing over the vast ocean.
In his youth, Hanuman had mischievously played a prank on a Sage who was absorbed in deep meditation. The irritated sage cast a curse upon Hanuman for wrongly utilizing his mystical powers. Hanuman’s special powers slipped from his memory as a consequence of the curse.
Jambavan, the wise general in Ram's army, reminds Hanuman about this past incident and helps Hanuman to unlock his dormant powers. Now Hanuman feels prepared to embark on his journey to Lanka with full confidence.
With thoughtfulness, Hanuman and was able to anticipate another challenge that would arise before beginning his mission - He asked Ram, "How will Mother Sita recognize me and trust me as a friend and not someone from Ravan’s side." Ram then gave his ring to Hanuman, to use it as a symbol to prove to Sita that Hanuman was indeed Ram’s messenger. In the later part of Sundarkand, there is a narrative about Hanuman dropping Ram’s ring from the top of a tree onto Sita’s lap, providing her with reassurance that Ram is on his way to rescue her.
With proper planning and equipping ourselves with the essential knowledge and tools, we can proactively identify and prepare for any potential problems.
Respond Instead of Reacting
When we face challenges, we tend to point fingers at the externals – This guy, that person, my boss, my relative, my neighbor. We don’t realize that by finger pointing, we are not harnessing our own potential to overcome the challenge being posed. Instead, we must analyze the situation, and come up with an appropriate solution to tackle each challenge.
As Hanuman continued his journey to Lanka, he encountered the female snake, Sursa.
She raised her hood big into the air and said, “I’m exceedingly hungry, you seem to be very tasty. I shall eat you for my lunch.”
Hanuman said, “That's all right! Let me finish my work. On my way back, I will myself fall into your mouth.”
Surasa said, “I am a snake, when I feel hungry, I eat my own eggs. You think I am going to leave you like this.”
At this point, Hanuman increased his body height to one yojan, Sursa opened her mouth to the equal amount. Hanuman increased to two yojan, Sursa followed along. This went on until Sursa opened her mouth to 64 yojan.
Suddenly Hanuman became small, he entered Sursa’s mouth, and said, “I have fulfilled your wish, I entered your mouth, I am leaving now.” Saying that Hanuman flew away.
To handle Sursa’s challenge, Hanuman uses intellect. At times though, it is required to use force to tackle difficult people. That is what Hanuman did when demon Sinica’s posed a threat. He knocked her out with a blow when she tried to kill Hanuman by pinning his shadow.
In the face of challenges, instead of reacting, we need to take a pause, assess the challenge, and resourcefully apply appropriate solution based on the nature of the challenge.
Put things in Proper Perspective
There is a huge difference between having a big challenge and making a challenge big. Often our mind makes mountains out of molehills.
Let us learn about the proper perspective from this story:
Mother, daughter and an F in Math. One girl went to college for the first time and began staying in the hostel dormitory. Three months after she had been there, she wrote a letter to her mother. The letter read, “Mom I need to confess. One month after I had been in the hostel, I made a mistake. I stole a $100 from my roommate and rented a motorcycle with that. Unfortunately, I had an accident and collided into a lamppost because of which my thighbone broke. But, mother, there was nothing much to worry about because a handsome doctor living down the lane took me into his home and nursed me. And I want you to know that we have fallen in love and decided to get married. The only problem is there is a disease that is showing up in the blood test. I hope it gets resolved before the child
pops out.”
The mother who was reading that note was horrified—what is happening to my darling daughter? However, the letter concluded, “Actually, Mom, none of this is true. The only thing that has happened is that I have gotten an ‘F’ in Calculus. I wanted you to see it in the proper perspective.” So, it was just an ‘F.’ It was not the end of the world. The problem could have been far bigger.”
While on his mission to search and meet Mother Sita, Hanuman encounters challenges that need him to tackle them in a unique way. Hanuman uses humility, intelligence and courage as required to overcome these challenges.
Hanuman’s actions in the Sundarkand teach us that instead of feeling overwhelmed by the challenge, when we do have problems falling upon us, the first thing to do is to step back and place it in its proper perspective. We should then strive to utilize all our faculties and qualities to overcome the challenge.
Read this to draw inspiration from the lofty challenges that were tackled by Bharat and Kaikeyi in Ramayana.
Growth Mindset
Without problems we would not progress! Sounds strange? Think about all the inventions that changed the course of mankind: the wheel, the steam engine, the electric bulb, antibiotics, the telephone, the internet. All these emerged as a result of trying to solve a problem. As they say - necessity is the mother of invention.
In Sundarkand, if Hanuman did not take on the challenges, he would not have gotten his mystic abilities back. He would not have been able to get Vibhishan to meet Lord Ram. Hanuman would not have received the boon from Sita to become the bestower of mystic powers to others.
Instead of viewing challenges as setbacks, consider them as opportunities for growth and learning. Challenges refine our character, build resilience, and help us discover hidden strengths. Expecting a smooth journey without challenges is quite unrealistic
Have Faith in God's Protection to Overcome Challenges
God is way bigger than the biggest problems we may be facing. As our Divine Father, who is always interested in our highest welfare, God wants us to bravely face challenges while keeping our faith in His protection. Through this process we will fulfill the destiny He has in store for us and become perfect like Him. Problems then, are simply opportunities for spiritual growth.
Hanuman Chalisa - Chaupai # 19
Prabhu mudrika meli mukha mahee
Jaladhi langhee gaye acharaja nahee
O Hanuman, it's no wonder that with Lord Ram's ring in your mouth, you could jump across the vast ocean to reach Lanka.
Hanuman draws his strength from staunch faith in Lord Ram’s protection. While Hanuman applies all his power and intellect to overcome challenges, he also attributes all his successes to Lord Ram’s grace.
Read here Hanuman Chalisa lyrics with meaning and benefits of reciting.
Key Takeaways on How to Overcome Challenges in Life
Challenges are inevitable. Challenges are a part of the journey of life. If we climb a mountain, then how is the road going to be? Naturally, it is going to be uphill. Similarly, if we are progressing in life, it is only to be expected that
problems will come.
Prepare by acquiring necessary skills. Do not be callous in acquiring and upgrading the needed skill sets. To field challenges, proper
skillset and mindset, both are critical.
Respond to challenges. Instead of playing the blame game, analyze the challenge, seek guidance if needed, and take proactive steps to overcome it.
Update your perspective. Instead of feeling overwhelmed in the face of challenges, assess the situation and try to figure out a solution.
Keep a learning attitude. Challenges force us to exert ourselves emotionally, intellectually and spiritually, so that we may grow. Cultivate virtues like willpower, perseverance, and a positive attitude to help you tackle any challenges in life.
Faith in God. Problems are God’s way of helping us grow spiritually. Face the challenges that come your way with faith that God is protecting. The purpose of problems is to help us reach the supreme goal of life which is God himself.
Additional resources to delve deeper into Swami Mukundananda's teachings on overcoming challenges
How to Face Obstacles and Difficulties in Life? | Happiness Challenge Day 19 | Swami Mukundananda
The ONLY Way to SUCCEED when Difficulties Hit you Hard - Power of Persistence by Swami Mukundananda