Maināka
Maināka is a divine mountain of gold and silver beauty. He is a son of Himavān (the Himālaya). He lay hidden under the ocean. When Hanumān crossed the sea to Laṅkā, Maināka rose from the water and offered his peaks as a place to rest. Hanumān thanked him but did not stay. On the way back, Hanumān touched Maināka’s peak again in greeting.
Why Maināka felt gratitude
In an earlier age all mountains had wings and could fly through the sky. Indra feared their movements and used his vajra (thunderbolt) to cut the wings of every mountain in the world. Vāyu, the deva of the wind and the father of Hanumān, saved Maināka. He seized him and threw him into the southern ocean before Indra’s vajra could reach him. Maināka sank to the bottom of the ocean and lay there safe.
This rescue made a deep bond between Maināka and the family of Vāyu. When the son of Vāyu flew overhead on his great mission, Maināka rose from the sea to repay the debt. The Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa tells this in Sundara Kāṇḍa, Chapter 1.
The offer of rest
As Hanumān flew over the southern ocean, Maināka rose from the waves. His golden peaks and silver forests came up out of the sea. He took the form of a man and spoke to Hanumān. He warmly invited Hanumān to land, to eat the fruits of the mountain, and to rest his body before the last part of the crossing. He told Hanumān his own history and his debt to Vāyu, and he offered his peaks as a gift of welcome.
Hanumān listened with warmth and real affection, but he said no. He had made a vow not to stop before he reached Laṅkā. The urgency of his mission and his own resolve did not allow him to rest, not even for a moment. He touched Maināka’s peak with his hand, as a sign of thanks and respect, and flew on. Maināka accepted this gracefully and understood the purpose of Hanumān’s journey.
The greeting on the return
Hanumān flew back north after finishing his mission and leaping from Arishṭa mountain. He passed over Maināka again. Even in his speed, his purpose and his joy, he reached out and touched the peak of the mountain in greeting. The Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa tells this in Sundara Kāṇḍa, Chapter 57.
Sources
- Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Sundara Kāṇḍa, Chapters 1 and 57