It was ten minutes past six and Devdutt was reciting the Hanuman Chalisa in his head - an important part of his daily routine, inculcated in him by his mother, from the age of four. To the King and Queen's immeasurable joy, Devdutt had begun to speak clear short sentences from the age of two and the Queen couldn't wait to hear him utter the verses in his sweet little voice. She was a fervent believer in Lord Hanuman as her only Lord and protector, from her days as a young and fearless Princess. She was drawn to the deity and everything he represented. Lord Hanuman was to the Queen, her patron saint and she was overeager to pass on her overwhelming sense of reverence for the deity to her only child.
When Devdutt turned four, the Queen was determined to take him to the Hanuman temple that lay outside of Makrai. The temple was a relic, built at least two centuries back by the King's ancestors, after a farmer, while tilling his field to sow crops for the season, had discovered a three-foot tall Hanuman idol. The idol was of Panchamukhi Anjaneya (a fierce form / avataar of Lord Hanuman depicting five faces and ten hands), made of panchaloha - an alloy made from combining five different metals such as, gold, silver, copper, zinc and iron. The farmer and his family had cleaned the idol, wrapped it in silk and had rushed to the palace to offer it to the then King of Makrai. The exultant royal family had humbly accepted the farmer's auspicious gift and had only deemed it appropriate to purchase the land where the idol was discovered to commission the building of a temple.
To the Queen, the temple was a definitive symbol of her Lord's loving ways as she had discovered it on the day her royal palanquin had passed it by for the first time, on her way to her new home. She was a new bride, glowing from head to toe, from being adorned with precious wedding jewels. Her red bridal saree, the long streak of vermillion in her parted hair, a large dot of kumkum placed perfectly just above the center of her brows and a heavy garland of red roses, brought out the blush in her cheeks. She'd heard bells ringing in the distance and had looked out of her palanquin to get a clear view of the temple deity.
The doors to the entrance of the temple were open but the sanctum sanctorum was closed. There were a few villagers with thaalis in their hands - large plates carrying offerings such as fruits, sweets, herbs, flowers, incense, camphor, vermillion and turmeric, waiting in the courtyard for the priest to unveil the deity's decorated idol and to call upon them to offer prayers. She had seen the signature saffron flag with an insignia of Lord Hanuman carrying the Sanjeevani mountain, on the temple's dome and had without a moment's reflection about her impending duties towards her new family, brought her caravan to a standstill. She had then visited the temple with her maids and offered her deepest gratitude to her Lord and master. The queen had considered her discovering the temple a sign of good fortune. It was as though her Lord had sprung forth to assure her of the beginning of a great new chapter in her life. All her doubts about marriage, about calling a new place - home, about taking up a new identity and status, about leaving behind everything she loved about her life as a mere memory, had been put to rest. "Jai Shri Hanuman!" she chanted a couple of times with her hands gratefully pressed together. After her prayers, she had spent an adequate amount of time admiring the charming yet dilapidated temple structure and had arrived at Makrai, hours later, to be welcomed as the newest member of the royal family and the Kingdom's new Queen.
On the day of Hanuman jayanti, the Queen had had her maids bathe and dress Devdutt well before dawn. It was a frantic time for the servants as they were ordered to meticulously pack and carry with them, all items required for a comfortable journey and a grand pooja (prayer ceremony) at the temple. The atmosphere at the palace was alive with excitement as the servants laughed and chatted while loading the carriages with furnishings such as tents, rugs, firewood, handheld fans, stools, cooking utensils, trays, water jars and pots and other important things needed for the trip. Little Devdutt, unable to contain his joy, had jumped and skipped around them, making them laugh and coo over him as he surrendered himself to the hustle and bustle of the morning.
The temple lay three hours from Makrai and the Queen would hear no excuse for a delay in arrival. A pooja was to be held upon their arrival, for the sake of continued peace and prosperity of all and the Queen didn't wish to yield auspicious time to travel troubles. The entourage that was visiting the temple along with the royal family consisted of the courtiers and their families, the queen's maids, the king's manservants, the kitchen help, mainly the head chef and other domestic help to ensure that none of the nobility was inconvenienced. There was also a company that would be marching in two units - leading and tailing the caravan for protection from bandits.
The Queen's ability to mobilise the army of help towards making appropriate arrangements and refraining from engaging in wasteful activities had helped the caravan reach the temple well ahead of time. The King was impressed with how smooth and uneventful the trip had been and had praised the Queen for her management skills in front of the entire temple crowd. The royal family had then, in conference with the temple priest, begun the prayer ceremony. Devdutt had fallen asleep during the journey and the Queen had let him be even as the pooja was in progress. He was lovingly awakened by Dai Ma, once the pooja was over. She had changed his clothes and freshened him up before handing him over to the King and Queen.
Devdutt was hungry and slightly uncomfortable in his festive clothes, but had displayed an unusual sense of calm, in the presence of Lord Hanuman. He had prostrated before the deity, as per his mother's instruction and had held her hand while she recited the Hanuman Chalisa, line by line. Devdutt had followed her, matching her pace to the best of his abilities and was overjoyed at the way the crowd had cheered and praised him upon uttering the last line of the Chalisa. The King had tossed him in the air and hugged him with great pride. His sweet little voice had captured the hearts of the crowd and his mother's dream of having him recite the entire Chalisa had been fulfilled.
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Devdutt closed his eyes and tilted his face towards the sky, listening to the hustle and bustle of the morning at the white school. It was coming from the school cricket ground. The team had decided to gear up for a match as the ground was dry and the weather was, at least for then, perfect for an early morning practise session. Devdutt clutched his Hanuman pendant, under his shirt and called upon his patron saint. His gut was telling him that the day was going to be a long one for him. He didn't know why, but there was a certain feeling of anxiety stirring inside of him. "Jai Shri Hanuman!" he uttered, upon having recited all the verses of the Chalisa.
R _ _ E _ _ _ C _
Hint: A feeling of profound awe and respect and often love.