Significance of the bell tied to the tail of Sri Hanuman

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Hare Srinivasa !What is the reason for the bell being an icon of Sri Hanuman?My thoughts on this based on my limited ability. I request those who know to please provide inputs to understand the actual implication of this .

 

 

The

bell plays on important role in Hindu culture. It has a special meaning in Madhva tradition. It is used during

times of prayer to declare the reign of the Supreme diety in Madhva

tradition. The ringing of the bell causes fear in the hearts of the

dusTa shaktis and the same causes a soothing happiness in the minds

of the devotees . The ringing of the bell signifies something special

to the devotee. The overall control and presence of the Supreme Lord

existing in the sound, in the medium,existing in the person ringing it and in all

the people hearing it. Now this wonderful accompaniement to prayer is

dedicated to MukyaprAna devuru or Hanuman in Madhva tradition as he

is the most exemplary devotee as well as the most qualified soul to

praise the Lord. The ability of each soul to praise the Lord is

different and the highest ability belongs to the jivOthama, Hanuman.

 

 

Sri Vadiraja in

his mukyaprAna ashtakam says:

 

bhaktiM shrIramaNasya pAdayugale prItyA pradehIshabhaktiM shrIramaNasya pAdayugale prItyA pradehIshamachchitaM tatpAdapadmachintanarataM nityaM vidhehyachyutam.h |tvattAtaM mayi suprasannamadhunA vij~nApya kurvaJNjasAsvAminprANagaNAdhinAtha dayayA dAsaM hi mAM pAlaya || 1|| Oh! Lord kindly give me or instil/impart in me true devotion towards the two Lotus feet of Narayana, Lakshmipathy.Further, Kindly make my mind,always steadily absorbed & totally enveloped in contemplating the

lotus feet of Sri Hari. Byentreating your father, Achyutha, now, please make Him favorably disposedtowards me, Oh! Leader of the group of all indriya abhimaani devatas, my master, with compassion protect me, because I am your most obedient servant always.From this verse it is clear that:1. Mukyaprana is the foremost devotee of Sri Hari2. On his recommendation only, Sri Hari will bestow His Grace on any soul3. The prayer is submitted

to plead our case before Him.4. Devotees are all humble sevakas & servants of Mukhyaprana.6. Mukhyaprana is the leader of abhimaani devatas of indriyas.7. One should plead before him to secure devotion to the lotusfeet of Sri Hari & to engage the mind incessantly in thoughts of that merciful feet.The bell which is seen tied to the tail tells also about the great quality of Hanuman- dAsatva. He is the eternal servant of the Lord, ever ready to do His service and the foremost such service to spread the truth among the deserving people which Sri MukyaprAna did in his avatara as Sri

Madhva. How to connect these two ?When the bell is rung, the glory of the Lord is proclaimed, loud and clear. That is what Sri MukyaprAna always does, he as Hanuma, Bheema and Madhva proclaimed the Lord's glory and especially so as Madhva he took on the task to establish the truth about the Lord, the universe, the relationship between souls and the Lord and many more tatvas.Sri Vyasarajaru established 732 ...temples dedicated to the Hanuman avatara of Sri MukyaprAna. This is because as Hanuman he is in the super human position and an icon for worship by people of all levels. At the same time having tied the bell to the tail of , Sri Vyasarajaru accedes the power of MukyaprAna as the most powerful exponent of truth and as the carrier of the

Lord's message. The Ramayana tells in detail about the service rendered by Sri Hanuman and the reaction of Hanuman to Rama's request to ask anything of Him for such selfless service. Hanuman asks for abiding devotion in the Lord's feet which is an indication of his contentment and bliss in such service.Sripadarajaru says in Madhvanama:"aja padaviyane rAma koDa baralu nija bhakuthiyane bEDi varava paDeda"

The greatest

bliss lies not in power or fame but in bhakthi as disclosed by

Hanuman's wish.

 

 

During

devara puja the presence of the conch-Mahalakshmi and the bell-

MukyaprAna is a necessity. It is because none other than Sri

Mahalakshmi is eligible to serve the Lord. Every offering it touched

to the conch and then made. The bell is rung to do samarpana of the

entire puja offerings and actions to the inner controller- bimba

muruthi whose avahana has been done in the adhishtana of

worship-saligrama. Such a samarpana should be done through

SriMukyaprAna in order to reach the Lord.

Further Ihsavasya Upanishad states the reason as to why Sri Vayu has tobe depended upon to reach Moksha & to please Sri Hari. This is because, SriVayu is the connecting link & through him all our activities are submitted.The fourth mantra in the end says "tasmin.h apo mAtarishvA dadAti" All thekarmas of ours are submitted to Hari, By Sri Vayu (Punya Karmas).Sri Raghavendra Theertha in his prAtah Sankalpagadya brings this point .It is

said:svabhaktiM mAM uddishya, bhagavataH punaH paramadayAlo xamAsamudrabhaktavatsala bhaktAparAdhasahiShNo, tvadadhInaM dInaM dUnaM anAthaMsharaNAgatamenaM uddara iti vij~nApana kartR^iNAM ||The prayer is submitted to the Lord, to save the soul, keeping Sri Vayu devain the front & God Hari considers our case because of Sri Vayu'srecommendation only but not due to any other reason. All others aresecondary. The sole criteria is the

recommendation of Sri Vayu only. So the bell which has the special presence of MukyaprAna is rung to signify this.

I am sure there

may be many other reasons which scholars of the tradition will be

able to derive .

 

sri krishnArapana mastuI am not the doer, Lord Hari is the doerWhatever He makes me do is His worship by His graceR.Parimala

 

 

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