The spiritual son of Lord Vayu, pavan Putra Hanuman, is revered by Hindus worldwide. Born from a pair of Kesari and Anjana, he is one of the Vanaras, an old community of forest dwellers. The Vanara army helped Lord Rama fight Lankapati Ravana, who had kidnapped Goddess Sita.
Known as an ardent devotee of Lord Rama, Hanuman is the god of monkeys and all the creatures on the earth, born of the blessing given to Anjana in exchange for her repentance.
In Hindu Scriptures, Hanuman is considered an aspect of the god Shiva. He is the faithful companion of the Shri Rama (one of the ten avatars of Vishnu) and one of the most important deities of the Hindu pantheon.
He possesses almost limitless power and strength. His name means “the one with a disfigured jaw.” Hanuman is particularly distinguished for his great physical strength and virtuous character. He is also considered a scholar who has mastered the Vedanga (the six supporting disciplines of Hinduism), the four Vedas, and the six shastras.
Lord Hanuman is one of the Astha Chiranjeevi, possessing Astha Siddhis. He does not boast about how much he knows; he is the very expression of humility.
Today we have presented some facts about Lord Hanuman.
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1. Hanuman as Monkey
Anjana was a beautiful apsara or celestial nymph of the kingdom of Lord Indra, the king of the gods. One day she was wandering the earth when she saw a wise monkey meditating deep in the forest. Anjana could not resist the glance of the solemn wise monkey and laugh. She even mocked the monkey, and when he ignored her, she threw stones at him.
With this in mind, the wise monkey lost patience, and when he opened his eyes, he cursed his deep anger at Anjana. She will take the form of a monkey and will only get relief when she has given birth to the incarnation of Lord Shiva.
Anjana met and married Monkey king Kesari. Meanwhile, she never forgot the curse and continued to pray to Lord Shiva for fruitful results.
On one occasion, Agni, the god of fire, gave a plate of sacred sweets to Dasharath, king of Ayodhya, to distribute among his wives to have divine children. Right at that time, an eagle approached and stole one of the sweets and dropped it into Anjana’s hands while she meditated.
She ate the divine dessert and gave birth to Hanuman. Thus, Shiva incarnated adopting the form of a monkey.
His birth freed his mother from the spell, and she decided to return to paradise. Before her departure, she revealed to little Hanuman that he would be immortal and that his nourishment would be ripe, bright fruits like the sun.
2. Hanuman had five brothers
Hanumanji also had five real brothers. In various Puranas, there is a mention of six sons of Monkey King (Vanar Raj) Kesari, and in this, Hanuman was the eldest. His other five brothers were married. The five brothers of Hanuman were Matiman, Shrutiman, Ketuman, Gatimaan, and Dhritiman. That’s why the lineage of his brothers still goes on.
3. Hanuman and Vermilion (Sindoor)
According to legend, Mata Sita was applying sindoor, and Hanuman asked her why she was wearing it. In response, she told him that by doing this, she would ensure a long life for her husband, Lord Rama. Hanuman Ji then anointed his entire body with sindoor to ensure Sri Rama’s immortality.
Sri Rama, impressed by this deed, bestowed that worshipping Pawanaputra Hanuman with sindoor will make difficulties disappear. Because vermilion is also called Bajrang, he came to be called Bajrangbali, and he is offered vermilion (sindoor).
4. Hanuman and His Son
Although he was a brahmachari (one who never marries), Lord Hanuman had a son: Makardhwaja.
Hanuman’s son Makardhwaja was born to a powerful fish of the same name. The child was conceived when a fish swallowed Lord Hanuman’s sweat. This happened when Hanuman burned the entire Lanka with his tail and plunged into the sea to cool his body.
5. Lord Hanuman’s death Penalty
According to a legend, at the request of Narada Muni, Hanuman welcomed all the saints except Vishwamitra. Intolerance of his action, furious Vishwamitra commanded Lord Rama to give the death sentence to Hanuman.
Lord Raman could not debate his Guru’s command, Vishwamitra. Therefore, Hanuman was sentenced to death by arrows. Hanuman chanted the name of Lord Ram; all the arrows returned without inflicting any harm to Hanuman. Lord Ram then fired Brahmastra, but it also returned circumambulating the meditative Hanuman. After this, Vishwamitra also bowed before the Lord.
6. Hanuman was the first to script Ramayan
After the conquest of Lanka and the coronation of Lord Rama, Hanuman went to the Himalayan Mountains and carved the story of Rama on the walls of the Himalayas with his fingernails.
When Maharishi Valmiki went to Hanuman to show him the Ramayana composed by him, he was saddened to see the Ramayana carved on the walls. Hanuman’s Ramayan was far superior to his own. Hanuman quickly understood the dilemma of Valmiki, and so he erased his Ramayana.
7. Hanuman and the Pandavas
The venerable monkey god is also found in the epic poem Mahabharata. The same story of how Hanuman met the brave Bhim, one of the Pandava brothers, is wonderful. Hanuman immediately recognized Bhima as his brother in spirit since both of them were born from the blessing of Pavan (Vayu Dev), the god of wind, and promised him help in the Battle of Kurukshetra.
In the battle, Hanuman sat beside the flag on Arjuna’s chariot to secure it and stabilize the movement of the chariot. Hanuman’s triangular saffron flag symbolized stability and balance, calmness of feelings and reason, and served as a sign of victory over evil forces.
8. Hanuman was there when Sri Krishna Recited Bhagavad Gita
Since Hanumanji was present on Arjuna’s chariot in the form of a flag, so it is believed that he first heard the Bhagavad Gita from the mouth of Shri Krishna. Only after this, Arjuna, Sanjay, and Barbarik hear Gita.
It is believed that Hanuman has a deeper understanding of the Bhagavad Gita than Arjuna, as he has the same capabilities as the four-faced Brahma. Hanuman saw the universal form with greater clarity than Arjuna.
9. The one with five faces/Panchamukhi Hanuman
Lord Hanuman has five faces; hence he is also called Panchmukhi. He took this form to kill a demon of Hades.
Lord Hanuman, facing eastwards, is revered for his steadfast devotion. Lord Narasimha, a south-facing avatar of Lord Vishnu in the form of a lion, is worshiped to remove fear. Lord Garuda, facing west, is part of the Panchmukhi Hanuman manifestation and offers protection from negative influences, black magic, and evil spirits. Lord Adivaraha, a north-facing boar form, is believed to remove the negative effects of planetary movements and bestow wealth and prosperity. Lord Hayagriva, facing upward in the form of a horse, blesses one with knowledge, progeny, and liberation.
10. Inventor of Surya Namaskar
Lord Hanuman was a great yogi. He was the one who discovered Surya Namaskar. In this way, he used to bow down to his Guru (Sun-God Surya). (Recommended – Surya Namaskar Mantras)
Hanuman was an incredibly dedicated student and was able to master all the Vedas in just one week. When it came time for him to pay his teacher, Surya, for his lessons, Surya declined any payment. Surya stated that watching a dedicated student learn was reward enough for him. In response, Hanuman expressed his gratitude and offered respectful greetings to Surya, which led to the creation of the Surya Namaskar series as a way for Hanuman to pay homage to his teacher as a form of “Guru Dakshina.”
11. Singer Hanuman
Hanuman is also the lead singer, master vocalist, and expert musician. In Narada Purana, it is mentioned that the Narada Muni gave him the boon of singing.
Sage Narada was a talented musician who became proud of his abilities and considered himself the best in the three worlds. Hanuman and his mother heard Narada singing and Hanuman’s mother praised him, leading to an increase in Narada’s pride. Hanuman, who was already a skilled musician, asked Narada to bless him with the gift of music.
Narada reluctantly agreed and Hanuman started singing, which was so beautiful that all the devatas stopped to listen. The music was so powerful that it even melted the rock where Narada’s veena was placed. Narada was humbled and realized that devotion adds beauty and divinity to music. He acknowledged Hanuman as the best musician in all three worlds and left with a pure heart filled with devotion.
12. Immortal Hanuman
According to the Vedas and Puranas, Lord Hanuman is immortal. Hanuman will remain on this earth till the end of Kali Yuga.
Lord Hanuman was blessed with immortality twice: once by Mata Sita after he brought a message from her husband to her while she was captured by Ravana in Lanka, and once by Lord Ram after Hanuman tore open his chest to show that Lord Ram lived in his heart. However, Hanuman agreed to immortality to protect the earth and promote the worship of Lord Ram.
Hanuman’s character teaches us that unlimited possibilities are hidden in each of us. Hanuman directed all his energy to help the god Rama, and it was his outstanding devotion that freed him from all physical disabilities.
Hanuman gives an example of the expression “Dasya Bhakti” – service through humility, one of the nine services that bind servant and master. His greatness lies in the complete absorption of the deity, which also forms the basis of his benevolent qualities.
