"Bhuth
Pishaach Nikat Nahi Aave
Mahaaveer Jab Naam Sunaave"
The
above verses are taken from Tulsidas' famous Hanuman Chalisa. This
means, "no evil or dark
force ever dares to come near those who chant the name of the Mahaveer
(the valiant one), Hanuman."
Hanuman - Great Devotee of Lord Rama - Resin Statue
Hanuman
is one of the most popular, loved and propitiated deities of
Hindu
mythology. Hanuman is the very epitome of all the qualities necessary
for a spiritual life - physical and mental strength, power, courage,
humility, shraddha (dedication to purpose), bhakti (devotion) and
abject surrender to his Lord,
Rama. Enjoying the pride of place as one
of the most important characters in the great Hindu epic, the
Ramayana,
Hanuman is revered by one and all for the exemplary qualities he
exhibited throughout his life. His most impressive feat was to lead the
Vanarasena (the monkey army) from the front and fight the terrible
Asura (demon) king, Ravana.
In
this article, we bring to you the story of Hanuman, starting right from
his birth to his youth and his role in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata
and other related interesting stories and anecdotes.
Hanuman's birth
There
are many versions of Hanuman's birth. Here are a few of them:
- Hanuman,
or Anjaneya (coming from Anjana), as he is also known, was born to
Anjana. His birthplace is the now present Aanjan village in a place
known as Gumla in the Jharkhand district. Anjana, originally an apsara
or celestial being, was named 'Punjikasthala'. She had been cursed to
descend on earth as a female vanara (monkey). She was told that she
would be liberated from the curse only after she gave birth to an
incarnation of Lord Shiva himself.
Anjana and Kesari performed prayers to
Shiva
and beseeched Him to be born as her child. Shiva, pleased with their
devotion, blessed them with the boon they sought. The Yuddha Kanda in
the Valmiki Ramayana describes Kesari as the son of Brihaspati and
relates how he too helped Rama in the war He waged against Ravana.
- Yet
another record of Hanuman's birth claims
that he was born on the Anjaneya Hill at Hampi, Karnataka. This spot
near the Rishyamukha mountain is located on the banks of the Pampa
river and is said to be the spot where Lord Rama and Sugreeva first
met. There is still a temple here to mark that very spot.
- The
third version says that at the time when
Anjana was propitiating Shiva, Dasharath, the King of Ayodhya was
performing a Yagna (sacrificial ritual) to beget children. He received
a sacred pudding, which was to be shared among his three wives,
Sumitra, Kousalya and Kaikeyi. It was divinely ordained, however, that
a kite snatch away a small portion from that pudding and drop it into
Anjana's outstretched hands. She considered it a prasad (divine
offering) from Shiva and consumed it, thereby giving birth to Hanuman.
At the same time, Dasharatha begot four children, Rama, Lakshmana,
Bharata and Shatrughna.
- Hanuman
is considered to be an aspect of Lord
Shiva. He is also said to be the son and an aspect of Vayu (the God of
Wind). There is an interesting story in this connection. It is said
that when Ravana tried to enter the Himalayas, the abode of Shiva, the
Lord's faithful attendant, Nandi, stopped him in his tracks.
Infuriated, Ravana called Nandi a monkey. Nandi in return gave Ravana a
curse that monkeys would destroy him and his kingdom. In order to
uphold Nandi's dignity, Shiva took the form of the vanara, Hanuman.
Hanuman's childhood and
education
References
to Hanuman's birth and childhood have been found in classical
literature as early as the 5th Century BC, in works such as Kalidasa's
Raghuvamsa, Panini's Astadhyayi, Pratima Nataka and Abhiseka Nataka.
Hanuman Devouring the Sun - Madhubani Painting
In
his childhood, Hanuman is said to have mistaken the sun to be a huge
ripe mango, which he once took flight to catch hold of, in order to eat
it. Indra, the King of the Devas (Gods), saw this and hurled his weapon
the thunderbolt, at Hanuman. The child sustained an injury on his jaw
and fell unconscious to the ground, a sight which upset Vayu immensely.
He went into seclusion, taking the atmosphere with him. Seeing all
living creatures asphyxiating, Indra withdrew the effect of his
thunderbolt on baby Hanuman. All the devas helped bring the child to
his senses and blessed him with several boons. The injury, however,
left a permanent mark on his chin and hence the name, Hanuman (derived
from the term HanuhH in Sanskrit).
Realizing
the true power of Surya (the Sun God) as an all-knowing teacher,
Hanuman orbitted Surya and requested Him to become his teacher. Surya
refused to acceed to this request, however, as He felt it would be
impossible to teach someone while He Himself would be continuously on
the move in His chariot. Undeterred from his aim, Hanuman enlarged his
body several times the normal size, placed one leg on the eastern
ranges and the other on the western ranges, turned his face toward the
sun and beseeched Surya yet again. Pleased by his dedication and
persistence, Surya accepted to teach Hanuman. This way, Hanuman
followed Surya wherever He went and finally gathered a wealth of
knowledge and wisdom from the latter. When Hanuman requested Surya to
quote his 'guru dakshina' (teacher's fee), the latter requested him to
help Sugreeva, His spiritual son. Hanuman's act of making the Surya
Devata as his teacher, it is said, signifies the attitude of Surya as a
Karma Saakshi or eternal and silent witness of all deeds.
Hanuman
was a mischievous child and often disturbed the rishis (sages) by
snatching away their personal belonging and articles they used for
performing religious rituals. Realizing that though Hanuman was
invincible, he was only a little child, the rishis placed a mild curse
on him, that he would not remember his own strength and prowess unless
others reminded him of it. It is hypothesised that, had he not been the
victim of this curse, the whole course of the Ramayana would have taken
an entirely different course altogether. Despite this curse, Hanuman
had shown amazing abilities during the war. The Kishkindha Kanda talks
about how Hanuman realizes his own power when Jambavantha reminds him
of it. This renews his energy and vigor and he forges ahead to find
Rama's consort, Sita Devi. Jambavantha says to Hanuman,
"Pavan Tanaya Bala Pavan Samaana Buddhi
Vivek Vigyaan Nidhaana
Kavan So Kaaj Kathin Jag Maahi Jo Nahi
Hoya Taat Tumha Paahi"
This
roughly means, "You are
powerful like the wind, you are intelligent, hardworking and creative.
There is nothing that is too difficult for you to achieve in this
world. When anyone is stuck with a problem, you are the only one who
can truly help."
Hanuman meets Rama
Abduction of Sita By Ravana - Orissa Pattachitra Painting
The
Sundara Kanda extensively describes Hanuman's adventures. Hanuman met
Rama during the latter's 14-year Vanavasa (exile in the forest). Ravana
abducts Sita Devi and both Rama and His brother, Lakshmana, desperately
search for Her. They are in the vicinity of the Rishyamukha, where
Sugriva and his followers are hiding from his elder brother, the cruel
Vali (the King of the Vanaras). Vali had banished Sugriva from his
kingdom and also holds the latter's wife captive.
Spotting
Rama and Lakshmana roaming around in the area, Sugriva and Hanuman set
forth to examine their identities. Hanuman approaches them in the guise
of a Brahmin. When Hanuman speaks, Rama is impressed by his accent,
fluency of language and his general countenance. Rama says to Lakshmana
that so powerful and captivating is the brahmin's persona, that even an
enemy who has already drawn his sword for attack would be moved. He
further praises the brahmin, adding that He was sure that the king of
such an accomplished emissary would achieve complete success and peace
in his kingdom.
Hanuman
is touched by the Lord's words, and revealing his own identity to the
brothers, prostrates in front of Rama. The latter smiles and holds him
in a warm embrace. This incident proves to be the turning point of
Hanuman's life. He becomes an inexorable part of Rama's life. This
moment also helps forge a strong friendship between Sugriva and Rama.
Rama helps Sugriva overcome Vali and makes him the king of Kishkinda.
In turn, Sugriva and the vanaras, especially Hanuman, help Rama attack
Lanka and defeat Ravana in order to reunite Rama with Sita.
The search for Sita
The
entire group of Vanaras set forth to search for Sita. Upon reaching the
southern seashore, they lament over their inability to cross over the
Mahasagara (the huge ocean) that stretches ahead limitlessly. Hanuman
too feels very disheartened fearing the failure of his mission. This is
when Jambavantha steps in to remind him of his own powers and prowess.
Filled with a huge wave of positive energy, Hanuman enlarges his body
and jumps across the mighty ocean. When he encounters a mountain right
in the middle of the ocean, it requests him to rest on it for a moment,
as it owed his father a long-standing debt. After sitting still for a
few moments, Hanuman decides to proceed further on his misison. He
meets a sea-monster on the way, whom he outwits effortlessly. He also
kills the shadow-eater, Simhika, before he finally enters Lanka.
Hanuman locates Sita
Reaching
Lanka, Hanuman is so enamored of its beauty, that he, for a moment,
regrets that all this beauty would be lost when Rama waged war against
Ravana. After a long search, Hanuman finds a distressed Sita sitting
under the shade of a tree at Ashok Van. He prostrates in front of Her
and reveals his identity. In order that She believes his words, he
gives Her one of Rama's fingerrings (anguleeya pradanam) and tells Her
that he is willing to carry her away from Lanka and back to Rama. But
Sita refuses the offer, saying that Rama's honor was at stake and that
He should come to get Her Himself. She gives him Her Chudamani (hair
ornament) and asks him to deliver the same to Her Lord.
After
meeting Sita, Hanuman begins a massive destruction drive, damaging
palaces and properties of Lanka. He also destroys the asuras Jambumalli
and Akshaa. This angers Ravana's son, Indrajit, who uses the Brahmastra
to subdue him. Though invincible, Hanuman lets himself become bound by
the weapon, in order to show his respect to Brahma. This, he decides,
would also let him meet the much-feared ruler of Lanka. On meeting
Ravana face-to-face, Hanuman gives Ravana the message that Rama would
be willing to forgive him if he returned Sita honorably. Enraged,
Ravana plans to execute Hanuman. But Vibheeshana, Ravana's brother,
intervenes and tells him it would never be right to kill an emissary.
Ravana,
then, orders that Hanuman's tail be set on fire. As the asura king's
forces attempt to tie a cloth around his tail, Hanuman starts to
lengthen it. He then escapes his captors and with his tail, burns down
many parts of Lanka. After extinguishing his flaming tail in the sea,
he proceeds back to Rama.
Hanuman Carrying Gandhamadan Parvat - Glitter Poster
Lifting the Dronagiri
Rama
and Lakshmana engage in fierce battle with Indrajit and his troops in
Lanka. There is a point in the battle where Indrajit overpowers
Lakshmana and the latter is severely wounded and falls to the ground.
Hanuman is then sent to fetch the life-restoring herb, Sanjivani, that
grew only on the Dronagiri mountain in the Himalayas. Ravana knows that
Rama would be shattered if He lost Lakshmana and would probably give up
all thoughts of battle. He therefore asks his uncle, the asura
Kalanaimi, to tempt Hanuman with luxuries, in order to divert his mind
from his present mission. But Hanuman is warned by a crocodile
(acutally a celestial being fallen to a curse) of Kalanaimi's
intentions. He ends up killing the asura and resumes his journey toward
Dronagiri.
Reaching
Dronagiri at dusk, he is unable to find the Sanjivani. Realizing it
would be nightfall soon, he decides not to waste anymore time searching
and instead, lifts up the entire mountain and flies back with it to
Lanka. This help the others find the Sanjivani herb and apply the paste
on Lakshmana, thus reviving him completely. An emotional Rama embraces
Hanuman and states that Hanuman is as dear to Him as His own brother,
Bharata.
The incident at Patala (the
Netherworld)
There
is this one very interesting incident during the war, that brought
about Hanuman's Panchamukha (five-faced) form. Rama and Lakshmana are
caught by the asuras, Mahiravana and his brother Ahiravana. Mahiravana
is a powerful practitioner of black magic and the dark arts. He holds
them at his palace in Patala or Patalpuri and decides to offer them as
a bali (sacrifice) to his deity. Hanuman goes in search of Rama and
Lakshmana and reaches the gates of Patala, which are guarded by a
half-reptile, half-monkey creature called Makardhwaja or Magar Dhwaja.
The story of Makardhwaja
Though
it is well-known that Hanuman remained a celibate for life, it is said
that Makardhwaja was his son. When Hanuman was dipping his burning tail
in the ocean after setting most of Lanka on fire, a drop of his own
sweat had fallen into the ocean, unknown to him. A crocodile swallows
up this great droplet of sweat and becomes pregnant. Once Mahiravana
comes to know of this incident, he raises the child as his own and
entrusts him to guard the gates of Patala. Though Hanuman has no
knowledge that Makardhwaja is his son, the latter knows that Hanuman is
his father, though he never met him.
When
Hanuman reveals his identity to Makardhwaja, the youngster falls at his
feet to seek his father's blessings, but also decides to fight him, as
it is his duty to do so. Needless to say, Hanuman tames him and ties
him up before entering Patalpuri.
Panchamukhi Hanuman - Marble Dust Statue
Once
inside, Hanuman realizes that he would be able to kill Mahiravana only
if he simultaneously extinguished five lamps burning in different
directions. This is when Hanuman assumes his Panchamukha form. Of his
five faces, Sri Varaha faces North, Sri Narasimha faces south, Sri
Garuda faces west, Sri Hayagriva faces the sky and his own face faces
the east. Blowing out all the lamps at the same time with his five
faces, he immediately kills Mahiravana, thereby rescuing Rama and
Lakshmana. With this done, Rama asks Hanuman to crown Makardhwaja king
of Patalpuri.
There
is a significance for each of the five faces of the Panchamukha
Hanuman. This is as follows:
- Sri
Hanuman bestows purity and success
- Sri
Narasimha grants fearlessness and victory
- Sri
Garuda removes poisons from the body, as also the ill-effects of black
magic
- Sri
Varaha showers wealth and prosperity
- Sri
Hayagriva is the giver of knowledge and progeny.
But
this is not all. Hanuman still continues to play a very vital role in
the war between Rama and Ravana.
Stopping Bharat from
self-immolation
Bharata
had vowed to self-immolate if Rama did not return back to Ayodhya after
exile. Rama had made a promise to Bharata that he would return to the
kingdom exactly on the day His 14-year Vanavasa ended. But realizing
that He would be just a little late to reach Ayodhya, He requests
Hanuman to stop Bharat from ending his own life. Always willing to
serve his Lord, Hanuman immediately comes to the rescue. He flies to
Ayodhya and gives Bharata the message, thereby stopping him from
self-immolating.
Ram Darbar - Glitter Poster
The coronation of Rama
Rama's
return with Sita and Lakshmana is joyously celebrated by the people of
Ayodhya. Rama is then crowned the Emperor of Ayodhya. He then decides
to reward all his well-wishers by aksing them to take turns at the
throne. When it is Hanuman's turn to ascend the throne, however, he
refuses to do so, as he never expected or desired a reward. Rama
embraces Hanuman and declares that He would never be able to repay him
for all that he did for Rama and His family.
Sita,
however, insists that Hanuman ask a favor of Her. Upon his request,
Sita gives him a necklace made of precious stones, that adorned Her
neck. Upon receiving it, Hanuman immediately pulls each stone apart and
peers into each one, to see if Rama and Sita's form is to be seen in
them. He says that the necklace would otherwise be of no value to him.
When people present in the court mock him on his behavior and allege
that he is only putting on a show of bhakti (devotion), he immediately
tears open his chest to reveal the forms of Rama and Sita actually,
quite literally, in his heart!
Hanuman Singing Hymns In Praise of Lord Rama - Poster
The Hanumad Ramayana
After
having completed his mission, Hanuman goes to the Himalayas in order to
keep up the worship of his Lord, Rama, in absolute solitude. Once
there, he decides to script the entire story of the Ramayana in his own
words, on one of the Himalayan mountians. He uses his nails for this
purpose and painstakingly records every little detail of Rama's life
and deeds. Maharishi Valmiki (author of the Valmiki Ramayana) then
happens to visit Hanuman to show him his own version of the Ramayana.
He is amazed by Hanuman's devotion and dedication toward the Lord.
Valmiki,
who, till then, had been happy with his version of the Ramayan, also
becomes crestfallen when he realizes that the Ramayana he had authored
taking so much pains was simply no match to the utter splendor of
Hanuman's version. He also fears that his own Ramayana would then go
totally unnoticed. When Hanuman learns of Valmiki's concern, he decides
to take immediate action to resolve the issue.
He
carries the mountain (on which he inscribed the Ramayana) on one
shoulder and Valmiki on the other and flies toward the sea. He then
drops the mountain into the sea as a humble offering to his Lord, Rama.
It is said that this version, called the Hanumad Ramayana, just went
into sea, never to be available to anyone ever again.
Maharishi
Valmiki, it is said, was so touched by Hanuman's humility and great act
of magnanimity, that he remarked that he would have to take yet another
birth, just to sing the praises of Hanuman, who had so understated in
his version of the Ramayana.
There
is one story in this connection, which says that one tablet of the
Hanumad Ramayana had floated from the sea and reached the hands of
Mahakavi (great poet) Kalidasa, who instantly recognised this as part
of the great work of Hanuman himself. Kalidasa is said to have
displayed it publicly and asked several scholars to decipher the same.
Kalidasa is also said to have commented that he considered himself very
fortunate to have been the recipient of at least one pada of this
extinct script.
Hanuman's life after the
Ramayana
Rama
reigned as Emperor of Ayodhya for many years post the Ramayana war.
Hanuman continued to offer his humble services to Rama throughout this
time. Then the time arrived for Rama to shed his divine avatar and
depart to his heavenly abode. Many of Rama's entourage, including
Sugriva and many other vanaras, decided to move away along with Rama to
the other world. Hanuman, though, decided to stay behind on earth and
requested to Rama that he wanted to remain on earth and sing Rama's
praises and hear His name being chanted by devotees in this world
itself.
While
Rama was very touched by Hanuman's devotion, it was Sita who granted
the boon to Hanuman that his idol would be installed in various
locations, immortalizing him, so that he could continue to listen to
Rama's name being chanted. Today, Hanuman is venerated as one of the
Chiranjivins (immortals) of Hinduism.
During the era of the
Mahabharata
As
Hanuman is the son of Vayu, the Wind God, he is also considered to be
the half-brother of Bhima, one of the Pancha Pandavas. Bhima is said to
have had a great ego about his own strength and prowess. During the
Pandavas' exile, Hanuman appears in disguise before Bhima, as a weak,
old monkey, just to teach him a lesson about the value of humility.
Hanuman lies on Bhima's path, with his tail blocking the way. When
Bhima walks along that path, he fails to see through Hanuman's disguise
and asks him to move his tail out of the way.
Hanuman
claims he is too tired to move it and asks Bhima to do it instead.
Bhima tries with all his might to move the tail, but is unable to do
so. Realizing that this entity must be someone really mighty and
powerful, Bhima is immediately humbled and requests him to reveal his
identity. This is when Hanuman gets up and shows himself to Bhima. The
latter is thrilled to meet his brother and hugs him warmly. It is also
said that Hanuman shows him his enlarged form, as Bhima desired to see
how he looked when he crossed to sea to reach Lanka.
There
is yet another story that talks about Arjuna's encounter with Hanuman.
Hanuman appears before Arjuna a a small monkey, when the latter goes to
visit Rameshwaram, the very place where Rama had built the great bridge
to Lanka, with the help of the vanara sena (army of monkeys). Arjuna
wonders aloud as to why Sri Rama had to take the help of mere vanaras,
instead of having constructed a bridge of arrows, made by Himself.
This
is when Hanuman (appearing in the form of the little monkey) challenges
Arjuna to make such a bridge, that would be capable of bearing his
weight alone. Unaware of Hanuman's identity, Arjuna proudly proceeds to
build the bridge and presents it before the monkey. Of course, Hanuman
ends up destroying the bridge effortlessly, leaving Arjuna humiliated
and depressed. He decides that he is totally worthless and contemplates
on ending his own life. Vishnu then appears before them and chides
Arjuna for being so vain and egoist and Hanuman too, for making a great
warrior like Arjuna feel so worthless.
Lord Krishna Preaching Gita to Arjuna - Wood Inlay Work
While
Arjuna is honored to have come into contact with a great soul such as
Hanuman, the latter decides to show his penitence by helping Arjuna
stabilise and strengthen his chariot during the imminent great battle
of Kurukshetra. During the war, Hanuman's image features on the flag of
Arjuna's chariot. It is said that Hanuman is one of the three people to
have heard the Bhagavad Gita emanating from the mouth of Lord Sri
Krishna Himself, the other two being Sanjaya (Dhritarashta's counsel)
and Arjuna.
Hanuman's relevance in the
present day
Hanuman
still enjoys an exalted place in India's religious, traditional and
cultural milieu. Hanuman is still depicted in Indian classical and folk
arts, like in the popular Yakshagana, a folk art of Karnataka. You can
find sculptures of Hanuman at various temples, art museums and art and
craft shops as well. Recently, there has even been an animation film on
Hanuman, in order to reach the story of Hanuman to the next generation.
Besides,
there are many contemporary prophets who claim to have had a glimpse
of Hanuman. These include Tulsidas, Raghavendra Swami, Sri
Ramdas Swami, Madhavacharya, Swami Ramdas and others.
As a
popular verse in Sanskrit goes,
"Yatra Yatra Raghunatha Keertanam Tatra
Tatra Krita Mastaka Anjalim
Bashpaavari Paripoorna Lochanam Maarutim
Namascha Rakshasa Antakam"
This
means, "That wherever
the deeds of Sri Rama are sung,
At all such places does Hanuman cry tears
of devotion and joy,
At all such places does his presence
remove the fear of demons."
Similar
references are found in verses of other texts such as the Rishi Ved
Vyasa' Mahabharata, Tulsidas' Vinaya Patrika, Anand Ramayana and
others.
Worship of Hanuman
- There
are many places in India where Hanuman is venerated as a God by
himself. Wherever the holy ritual of Ramayanpath (discourse on the
Ramayana) takes place, there is always a separate asan (seating space)
reserved for Hanuman.
- There
are temples of Hanuman even at Sri Lanka
(one is near Nuwara Eliya). The largest idols of Hanuman installed out
of India are the ones at Trinidad and Tobago. There are, of course,
unaccountable Hanuman temples in India.
- An
icon for strength, Hanuman is traditionally
worshipped by wrestlers in India and Southeast Asia. Idols of Hanuman
are also installed in temples in temples of Vishnu and His avatars.
- Installing
Hanuman idols, it is believed, wards off all evil and dark forces, such
as Rakshasas and the like.
- Hanuman
idols can also be found very often on mountain roads, as they are
believed to be capable of warding off accidents.
- There
are many huge idols of Hanuman installed
in India itself. One of them is the 32-foot Sri Anjayneyar Idol at
Nanganallur, Chennai (the erstwhile Madras). What makes this idol so
special
is that it is said to be sculpted from one single, huge piece of rock!
- The
other huge Hanuman idol is 33 feet high and
is situated at Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra. This idol is fitted onto a
pedestal that is 12 feet high, so that makes the total height of the
idol 45 feet. This impressive idol also now has a Silver Kavacham or
covering.
Panchamukhi Hanuman - Brass Statue
The Panchamukha Hanuman
Sri
Panchamukha Hanuman Swami was the Ishta Devata of Raghavendra Swami.
This Hanuman is also known as the Panchamukhi. There is yet another
Panchamukha Anjaneya Swami temple at Kumbhakonam in Tamil Nadu, India.
A 40-foot Panchamukha Hanuman presides over Thiruvallur in Tamil Nadu.
This place, known as Rudravanam in the earlier days, was blessed by
several rishis and seers. The Panchamukha Hanuman Ashram here was set
up by the saint, Venkatesa Battar.
A
36-foot Panchamukha Hanuman idol is installed at Panchavatee in
Pondicherry. This is known as the Viswaroopa Jayamangala Panchamukha
Sri Anjaaneyaswamy.
Hanuman and Shani Devata
In
Hindu mythology, there are only two entities that are not affected by
Shani Devata (Lord ruling Saturn). These are Hanuman and Ganesha, the
elephant-headed Lord. Hanuman is said to reign over the planets - it is
believed that he controls them with the power of his tail. Hence, is is
considered that those who are devoted to him are freed from the
planets' effects.
According
to Hindu mythology, there is a clear relation between Shani and
Hanuman. We bring you three versions of the story explaining why
devotees of Hanuman are never affected by Shani's exploits.
- There
is an instance in the Ramayana, where Shani is caught and held by
Ravana. Hanuman rescues Shani from that bondage. In gratitude, the
latter promises him that those who propitiate Hanuman would never again
experience the painful ill-effects of Saturn. Saturn, according to
Hindu astrology, is known to give rise to much pain and hardships, when
'negatively' affilcted with this planet in his horoscope. Jyotisha
Shastra (astrology) also says that this is ultimately for the spiritual
good of the person who undergoes the trials and tribulations.
- Yet
another version of this story says that
Shani Bhagavan once climbed onto Maaruti's (Hanuman) shoulder, thereby
indicating that he was coming under Shani's influence too. Hanuman at
once took an enlarged form, trapping Shani between his own shoulder and
the ceiling of the room they were in. As Shani writhed in pain and
discomfort, he requested Hanuman to release him, giving him his word
that he would moderate his own malefic influence on people who prayed
to Hanuman for help and strength.
- The
third version of the
story relates how Shani Bhagavan tries to tease Hanuman when he is
immersed in prayers, chanting Rama's name. He starts pulling Hanuman's
tail and keeps pinching him. Hanuman warns him to go away, telling him
that he only chooses to remain quiet, considering the fact that Shani
is the son of his Guru, Surya Devata. But Shani does not heed the
warning and continues to pester him. Hanuman takes hold of Shani and
gives him a good thrashing, letting him go only after Shani promises
never ever to hurt or harm Hanuman's devotee who is meditating on Lord
Rama.
Whatever
the real version of the story, there is an underlying spiritual
significance about this relationship of Hanuman and Shani. Hanuman is
known to embody selflessness. Shani, on the other hand, symbolizes ego
and pride. According to Hindu astrology, Lord Shani brings on a period
of Saade Saati in everyone's life, which causes a troubled phase of
seven and half years. Shani is said to afflict the sign in the planet
where the moon is placed in the person's natal chart. In order to
counter karma brought forth by our own selfish acts, we must learn to
be humble, just like Hanuman.
Hymns on Hanuman
Miniature Shri Shanidev Book with Cover in Hindi with English Translation - Book
The
Hanuman Chalisa is the most widely read prayer on Hanuman. This
comprises a set of 40 verses and is written by Tulsidas. It is said
that reciting the Chalisa on a daily or weekly basis (especially on
Tuesdays and Saturdays) gives the devotee inner strength and liberates
him from troubles.
The
Hanuman Aarti is yet another famous ritual and is performed at the very
end of a Puja (prayer) or Bhajan (devotional song) session.
This article was written by:
Priya Viswanathan, a teacher/performer of Bharata Natyam, Classical Music and Classical Instrumental Veena. A recipient of several awards for both music and dance, Priya is also a freelance writer online. She currently writes for About.com, a subsidiary of IAC - the parent company of Ask.com. (http://mobiledevices.about.com)