Ramayan is a timeless classic which brings out the bond of Shri Ram, Mata Sita and Hanuman in the most serene and divine way. There are many incidents which mention how they understood each other, and each incident is a beautiful lesson for mankind as how a devotee can be close to the Almighty through his devotion.
Shri Hanuman was very special to Mata Sita as a son to his mother. Hanuman always knelt before her on his knees and was her ardent devotee. However, there was one such occasion where Mata Sita who always blessed Hanuman had to in a reverse situation pray to him on the advice of Shri Ram. This incident depicts how Shri Ram understood Hanuman as none other could.
After Shri Ram was crowned the king of Ayodhya, he calls for a feast and invites all the Vanar chiefs who helped him win the war over Ravan. Shri Ram orders Hanuman to take care of all the arrangements and help Mata Sita in cooking food for all of them. As sincere as always to the command of Shri Ram, Hanuman engrosses himself in the arrangements without a minute of rest for himself. Mata Sita who was observing this, was immensely pleased with his relentless service and feels that Hanuman deserved a special meal served to him by her own hands. She calls Hanuman and asks him to have a meal before the guests arrive so that he wouldn’t be tired to serve all the guests who come for the feast.
As Hanuman never disobeyed the order of Shri Ram and Mata Sita, he agrees and starts eating the food served by Mata Sita. But to the surprise of Mata Sita, he goes on eating whatever is served to him and finishes all the food prepared for the feast and asks for more. Mata Sita cooks some more food and again Hanuman finishes it in a matter of seconds. The situation was that, nothing was left in the royal kitchen to serve him, or to anybody who came for the feast.
Mata Sita gets worried and rushes to Shri Ram for a solution. Shri Ram smiles and mentions to Mata Sita, although Hanuman was their son and great devotee, he was also one of the eleven Rudra incarnations who bore all the three worlds in his stomach, and it was only through sincere prayer that his hunger would be satisfied. Shri Ram asks Mata Sita to give a leaf to Tulasi as an offering and pray to him which would satisfy his hunger. Mata Sita understands the power of Hanuman and prays to him to appease his hunger. With the offering of the Tulasi leaf, Hanuman’ hunger is satisfied and he as normally gets back to his work as if nothing happened. Mata Sita then prays to Mata Annapurna, an incarnation of Bhagawathi Parvathi to fill in for the feast which is fulfilled by the Goddess. The feast takes place uninterruptedly and all return back pleased with the hospitality of Shri Ram and Mata Sita.
This incident brings out the love what the Almighty has for his devotees that he doesn’t hesitate to bow and accept their greatness. The way in which Shri Ram understood Hanuman’s greatness and treated him as his soul is just one example of how close can God and a devotee can be to each other and become bonded eternally in the bond of love, care and affection.