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"Hanuman Jayanti commemorates the life of Sri Hanuman, a divine incarnation who embodies the perfect devotee. The life of Lord Hanuman is filled with feats of courage and displays of immeasurable strength. However, what makes Hanumanji so special and divine is not his invincible strength or fortitude, but rather his unwavering and boundless devotion to Lord Rama. From the moment Hanumanji first had Lord Rama’s darshan, he dedicated his life only to the service of Lord Rama. Today, in every temple of Bhagwan Rama and Sitaji, there is always a Hanumanji murti as well. The true devotee is inseparable from the object of devotion. Hanumanji demonstrated the omnipotent power of faith and devotion. He was able to fly across the ocean, to become the size of a giant and also the size of a tiny creature, simply by chanting the name of Lord Rama. When he was sent to bring four precious life-saving herbs from the Himalayas in order to save Lakshman’s life, instead of bringing only the four plants, he carried the entire Himalayan mountain! When everyone marveled at the feats he achieved, he simply said, 'I am a servant of Lord Rama and I have simply taken His divine name.'  Sometimes in life when we embark upon a new, noble undertaking we may be faced with obstacles and hurdles. However, we must always remember that faith and devotion to God are the greatest sources of power. Through chanting God’s name with true devotion, we can achieve anything. The power of God’s name gave Hanumanji the ability to fly across the ocean and to carry mountains. We must have faith that that power will also work for us. Yet, the key was Hanumanji’s fervent, ardent, single-minded shraddha (faith) in God and his tenacious dedication to fulfilling whatever seva he could do for God. With such deep, true devotion and dedication, nothing could stop him. Hanumanji wanted nothing in exchange for his service to Lord Rama. He, as the epitome of selfless devotion, wanted only to have Lord Rama’s presence in his life at all times. One day, Sitaji presented Hanumanji with a garland of pearls as a gift for his valour, Hanumanji was not pleased with this expensive gift. He took the string of pearls and began to break each pearl in half, one by one. 'What are you doing?' onlookers exclaimed, as he destroyed the expensive garland. 'I am looking for Lord Rama. If this is really a gift for me, then Lord Rama must be here in these pearls. Otherwise they are worthless.'  On this day of Hanuman Jayanti, let us strive to be as single-minded in our devotion as Hanumanji. Let us pray that our hearts and even our blood may be filled only with the raas ('divine essence') of God and our Guru. Let us sing the glories of such pure devotion and let us seek to emulate Hanumanji’s boundless fidelity."