When Lord Rama Attempted To Kill Lord Hanuman

The Mischief Of Narad Muni

We all have heard and read about the sharp mind and mischievous attitude of Narad Muni, the wandering divine sage. While present there as a guest in the court of Lord Rama, he secretly told Lord Hanuman that while touching the feet of all the sages present there, he should not touch the feet of Sage Vishvamitra as he had been a king earlier, thus he was not fully a sage.

Innocent Lord Hanuman

Observing diligently the orders of Narad Muni, he touched the feet of all the sages, except Vishvamitra. Vishvamitra was the Guru of Lord Rama. Unlike what Narad Muni had expected, sage Vishvamitra did not feel bad about it and took the mistake of Lord Hanuman lightly. But Narad Muni was not able to take this easily as his efforts had turned futile, and so he initiated another mischief. He went to Vishvamitra and deliberately instigated him against Lord Hanuman.

A Test For Lord Hanuman

Exasperated by the remarks of Narad Muni about Lord Hanuman, sage Vishvamitra got angry with Lord Hanuman and ordered Lord Rama to kill him. Following his orders when Lord Rama attacked him, Lord Hanuman started chanting 'Rama Rama'. And the magic of the words was such that even Lord Rama's constant attacks could not affect him. Determined, Lord Rama finally attacked him with the Brahmastra.

However, the powerful chant of Lord Rama's name and the power of Lord Hanuman's devotion towards him saved him from this most powerful weapon as well.

Narad Muni's Heart Melted

Surprised to see the devotion of Lord Hanuman for Lord Rama, sage Narad Muni realised that his mischief was wrong and decided to apologise for it. He reached out to sage Vishvamitra and asked him to save Lord Hanuman as soon as possible. Mentioning his innocence and his devotion for Lord Rama, he accepted his mistake and requested sage Vishvamitra to take his orders back.

Sage Vishvamitra took back his order and thus saved Lord Hanuman, admiring his true devotion and love for Lord Rama.