Hanuman and the Sanjeevani Mountain

In the war at Lanka, Meghnad's weapon struck Lakshmana. He fell unconscious, and his breathing began to fade.

Sushena the physician was called. He said, "There is only one remedy — the sanjeevani herb, which grows on Mount Dronagiri in the Himalayas. But it must be here before sunrise. After that, nothing can be done."

Across the ocean, hundreds of yojanas away, in a single night.

Hanuman rose and flew.

The way was not simple. Passing over Ayodhya, Bharata saw an enormous shape crossing the sky, took it for a demon, and brought it down with an arrow. But the moment he heard Hanuman speak Rama's name, he offered to send him onward seated on his own arrow. Hanuman bowed, declined, and flew on.

At Dronagiri he stopped short. The mountain carried thousands of herbs, and he did not know which one was sanjeevani. The night was running out. There was nobody to ask. Testing them plant by plant would take him past dawn.

So he did the most direct thing available to him: he tore up the entire mountain, lifted it on one palm, and flew back to Lanka.

The mountain arrived before sunrise. Sushena picked out the herb, gave it to Lakshmana, and he sat up.

Afterwards, it is said, Hanuman carried the mountain back and set it down where it had stood.

Moral: When time is short and you are not sure of the answer, half-hearted searching helps nobody. Do the whole thing wholeheartedly. Service does not stop to calculate.