Hanuman (
Sanskrit:
हनुमान्,
Hanumān), is a
Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of
Rama, a central character in the
Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord
Rama. A general among the
vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord
Rama in the struggle against the demon king
Ravana.
Also known as Anjaneya, Maruti, Pavanputra, Kesharinandan, Arbiter,
Anjaniputra, Bajrang Bali and Hanumat, Hanuman's exploits are much
celebrated in a variety of religious and cultural traditions,
[1] particularly in Hinduism, so much so that he is often the object of worship according to some
bhakti traditions,
[2] and is the prime deity in many temples known as Hanuman Mandirs.
Hanuman was born to
Anjana, a female
vanara, and
Kesari, a male vanara, in Anjana Giri mountain. His mother was an
apsara who was born on
Earth as a female vanara due to a curse. She would be redeemed from this curse on her giving birth to an incarnation of Lord
Shiva, who is also known as
Rudra,
and endowed with the Supreme Power of exalted devotion to Bhagwan Hari.
Hanuman is endowed with 28 transcendental divine opulences, with
perfection in each. Anjana, along with her husband Kesari, performed
intense prayers to Lord
Shiva to beget Him as her Child. Pleased with their devotion, Shiva granted them the boon they sought.
[3] Hence, Hanuman is also known as "Maharudra" because he was born of the boon given to Anjana by Shiva. The
Valmiki Ramayana states that Kesari is the son of
Brihaspati and that Kesari also fought on Rama's side in the war against
Ravana.
Several different traditions account for Hanuman's birth. One is that
at the time that Anjana was worshipping Lord Shiva, elsewhere,
Dasharatha, the king of
Ayodhya, was performing the Putrakama
Yagna in order to have children. As a result, he received some sacred pudding,
payasam, to be shared by his three wives, leading to the births of
Rama,
Lakshmana,
Bharata, and
Shatrughna.
By divine ordinance, a kite snatched a fragment of that pudding and
dropped it while flying over the forest where Anjana was engaged in
worship.
Vayu, the
Hindu
deity of the wind, delivered the falling pudding to the outstretched
hands of Anjana, who consumed it. Hanuman was born to her as a result.
[4]
Hanuman, in one interpretation, is the incarnation or reflection of
Shiva. Other interpretations, such as that of
Dvaita, consider Hanuman to be the son of, or a manifestation of,
Vayu, god of wind.
Another story of Hanuman's origins is derived from the
Vishnu Purana and
Naradeya Purana.
Narada,
infatuated with a princess, went to his God Lord Vishnu, to make him
look like Sri Vishnu, so that the princess would garland him at
Swayamvara. He asked for a
Hari-Mukh.
Hari is the name of Lord
Vishnu and
Mukh means face. But
Vishnu
instead bestowed him with the face of a monkey. Unaware of this, Narada
went to the princess, who burst into laughter at the sight of his
monkey face before all the king's court. Narada, unable to bear the
humiliation, cursed Vishnu, that Vishnu would one day be dependent upon a
vanara.
Vishnu replied that what he had done was for Narada's own good, as he
would have undermined his own powers if he were to enter matrimony.
Vishnu also noted that Narada's request for
Hari has the dual
Sanskrit meaning of
vanara.
Upon hearing this, Narada repented for cursing his idol. But Vishnu
told him not repent as the curse would act as a boon, for it would lead
to the birth of Hanuman, without whose help Rama (Vishnu's avatar) could
not kill
Ravana.
References to Hanuman in classical literature could be found as early as those of 5th to 1st century BC in
Panini's Astadhyayi, Abhiseka Nataka, Pratima Nataka, and
Kālidāsa's
Raghuvaṃśa.
[edit] Birth place
Multiple places in India are claimed as the birth place of Hanuman.
Even Trimbakeshwar, Anjan, a small village about 18 km away from
Gumla, houses "Anjan Dham", which is said to be the birth place of Hanuman.
[5] The name of the village is derived from the name of the goddess Anjani, mother of Mahaveer Hanuman. Aanjani Gufa (
cave),
4 km from the village, is believed to be the place where Anjani once
lived. Many objects of archaeological importance obtained from this site
are now held at the
Patna Museum. Another belief is that Hanuman was born on 'Anjaneya Hill', in
Hampi,
Karnataka.
[6] This is located near the Risyamukha mountain on the banks of the Pampa, where Sugreeva and Sri
Rama
are said to have met in Valmiki Ramayana's Kishkinda Kanda. There is a
temple that marks the spot. Anjaneri (or Anjneri) mountain, located 7 km
from
Trimbakeshwar in the
Nashik district, is also claimed as the birthplace of Hanuman.
[7]
[edit] Childhood
As a child, believing the
sun to be a ripe
mango, Hanuman pursued it in order to eat it.
Rahu,
a Vedic planet corresponding to an eclipse, was at that time seeking
out the sun as well, and he clashed with Hanuman. In the nature of Rahu,
the
Tamas Guṇa predominated. To convey a message to the universe that
Satva Guṇa always prevails, Hanuman thrashed Rahu and goes to take sun in his abode.
[8] Indra, king of
devas,
was approached by defeated Rahu with disappointment, complaining that a
monkey child stopped him from taking on Sun, as is permitted by you so
that Solar eclipse could not take place. This enraged Indra, who
responded by throwing the
Vajra
(thunderbolt) at Hanuman, which struck his jaw. He fell back down to
the earth and became unconscious. Upset, Vayu went into seclusion,
taking the
atmosphere
with him. As living beings began to asphyxiate, Indra withdrew the
effect of his thunderbolt, and the devas revived Hanuman and blessed him
with multiple boons.
Brahma then gave Hanuman a boon that would protect him from the proverbial irrevocable curse called Brahma’s curse-
Brahmashap.
Brahma also said: "Nobody will be able to kill you with any weapon in
war." From Brahma he obtained the power of inducing fear in enemies, of
destroying fear in friends, to be able to change his form at will and to
be able to easily travel wherever he wished. From Shiva he obtained the
boons of longevity, scriptural wisdom and ability to cross the ocean.
Lord
Shiva assured safety of Hanuman with a band (kavach) that would protect him for life
Indra blessed him that his weapon
Vajra, will no longer be effective on him and his body would become stronger than Vajra.
Varuna blessed baby Hanuman with a boon that he would always be protected from water.
Agni blessed him, Saying, "Fire will never burn you."
Surya gave him two
siddhis
of yoga namely "laghima" and "garima". With "laghima" he could attain
the smallest form and with "garima" he could attain the biggest form of
life.
Vayu blessed him with more speed than he himself had.
Yama, the God of Death blessed him healthy life and free from his weapon
Yama Danda, thus death would not come to him.
Kubera showered his blessings declaring that Hanuman would always remain happy and contented.
Vishwakarma blessed him that Hanuman would be protected from all his creations in the form of objects or weapons
[9] A permanent mark was left on his chin (
हनुः hanuḥ "jaw" in
Sanskrit), due to impact of
Vajra, explaining his name.
On ascertaining
Surya,
the Hindu deity of the sun, to be an all-knowing teacher, Hanuman
raised his body into an orbit around the sun and requested that Surya
accept him as a student.
Surya
refused, claiming that as he always had to be on the move in his
chariot, it would be impossible for Hanuman to learn effectively.
Undeterred by Surya's refusal, Hanuman enlarged his body, placed one leg
on the eastern ranges and the other on the western ranges, and with his
face turned toward the sun made his request again. Pleased by his
persistence, Surya accepted. Hanuman then moved (backwards, to remain
facing Surya) continuously with his teacher, and learned all of the
latter's knowledge. When Hanuman then requested Surya to quote his
"guru-dakshina" (teacher's fee), the latter refused, saying that the
pleasure of teaching one as dedicated as him was the fee in itself.
Hanuman insisted, whereupon Surya asked him to help his (Surya's)
spiritual son
Sugriva.
[10] Hanuman's choice of Surya as his teacher is said to signify Surya as a
Karma Saakshi, an eternal witness of all deeds.
Hanuman was mischievous in his childhood, and sometimes teased the
meditating sages in the forests by snatching their personal belongings
and by disturbing their well-arranged articles of worship. Finding his
antics unbearable, but realizing that Hanuman was but a child, (albeit
invincible), the sages placed a mild curse on him by which he became
unable to remember his own ability unless reminded by another person. It
is hypothesised that without this curse, the entire course of the
Ramayana
war might have been different, for he demonstrated phenomenal abilities
during the war. The curse is highlighted in Kishkindha Kanda and
Sundara Kanda when
Jambavantha reminds Hanuman of his abilities and encourages him to go and find Sita. The specific verse that is recited by Jambavantha is:
आप के रूप में हवा के रूप में में शक्तिशाली कर रहे हैं
आप बुद्धिमान, शानदार, और एक आविष्कारक हैं.
वहाँ इस दुनिया में कुछ भी नहीं है कि आप के लिए बहुत बहुत मुश्किल है है
जब भी अटक गया, तो आप एक है जो मदद कर सकते हैं
You are as powerful as the wind;
You are intelligent, illustrious & an inventor.
There is nothing in this world that’s too difficult for you;
Whenever stuck, you are the one who can help.
[edit] In the Ramayana
A 17th century painting depicting Hanuman worshiping Lord Rama and his wife Sita. Lakshmana is also seen in this painting from
Smithsonian Institution collection.
The
Sundara Kanda, the fifth book in the Ramayana, focuses on the adventures of Hanuman.
[edit] Meeting Rama
Rama gives his ring to Maruti, so Sita can recognize him as a messenger Painting by Balasaheb Pant Pratinidhi
Hanuman meets Rama during the latter's 14-year exile in the forest.
[11] With his brother
Lakshmana, Rama is searching for his wife Sita who had been abducted by
Ravana. Their search brings them to the vicinity of the mountain Rishyamukha, where
Sugriva, along with his followers and friends, are in hiding from his older brother
Vali, with whom he had quarrelled over a mistake.
Having seen Rama and Lakshmana, Sugriva sends Hanuman to ascertain
their identities. Hanuman approaches the two brothers in the guise of a
brahmin.
His first words to them are such that Rama says to Lakshmana that none
could speak the way the brahmin did unless he or she had mastered the
Vedas.
He notes that there is no defect in the brahmin's countenance, eyes,
forehead, brows, or any limb. He points out to Lakshmana that his accent
is captivating, adding that even an enemy with sword drawn would be
moved. He praises the disguised Hanuman further, saying that sure
success awaited the king whose emissaries were as accomplished as he
was.
[11]
When Rama introduces himself, Hanuman reveals his own identity and
falls prostrate before Rama, who embraces him warmly. Thereafter,
Hanuman's life becomes interwoven with that of Rama. Hanuman then brings
about a friendship and alliance between Rama and Sugriva; Rama helps
Sugriva regain his honour and makes him king of Kishkindha. Sugriva and
his vanaras, most notably Hanuman, help Rama defeat Ravana and reunite
with Sita.
In their search for Sita, a group of Vanaras reaches the southern
seashore. Upon encountering the vast ocean, every vanara begins to
lament his inability to jump across the water. Hanuman too is saddened
at the possible failure of his mission, until the other vanaras and the
wise bear
Jambavantha
begin to extol his virtues. Hanuman then recollects his own powers,
enlarges his body, and flies across the ocean. On his way, he encounters
a mountain that rises from the sea, proclaims that it owed his father a
debt, and asks him to rest a while before proceeding. Not wanting to
waste any time, Hanuman thanks the mountain and carries on. He then
encounters a sea-monster, Surasa, who challenges him to enter her mouth.
When Hanuman outwits her, she admits that her challenge was merely a
test of his courage. After killing Simhika, a
rakshasa, he reaches
Lanka.
[edit] Locating Sita
Hanuman reaches Lanka and marvels at its beauty. After he finds Sita
in captivity in a garden, Hanuman reveals his identity to her, reassures
her that Rama has been looking for her, and uplifts her spirits. He
offers to carry her back to Rama, but she refuses his offer, saying it
would be an insult to Rama as his honour is at stake. After meeting
Sita, Hanuman begins to wreak havoc, gradually destroying the palaces
and properties of Lanka. He kills many rakshasas, including Jambumali
and Aksha Kumar. To subdue him, Ravana's son
Indrajit uses the
Brahmastra. Though immune to the effects of this weapon Hanuman, out of respect to
Brahma,
allows himself be bound. Deciding to use the opportunity to meet
Ravana, and to assess the strength of Ravana's hordes, Hanuman allows
the rakshasa warriors to parade him through the streets. He conveys
Rama's message of warning and demands the safe return of Sita. He also
informs Ravana that Rama would be willing to forgive him if he returns
Sita honourably.
Enraged, Ravana orders Hanuman's execution, whereupon Ravana's brother
Vibhishana
intervenes, pointing out that it is against the rules of engagement to
kill a messenger. Ravana then orders Hanuman's tail be lit afire. As
Ravana's forces attempted to wrap cloth around his tail, Hanuman begins
to lengthen it. After frustrating them for a while, he allows it to
burn, then escapes from his captors, and with his tail on fire he burns
down large parts of Lanka. After extinguishing his flaming tail in the
sea, he returns to Rama.
[edit] Shapeshifting
In the
Ramayana Hanuman changes shape several times. For
example, while he searches for the kidnapped Sita in Ravana's palaces on
Lanka, he contracts himself to the size of a cat, so that he will not
be detected by the enemy. Later on, he takes on the size of a mountain,
blazing with radiance, to show his true power to Sita.
[12]
Also he enlarges & immediately afterwards contracts his body to
out-wit Sirsa, the she-demon, who blocked his path while crossing sea to
reach Lanka. Again, he turns his body micro to enter Lanka before
killing Lankini, the she-demon guarding gates of Lanka.
He achieved this shape-shifting by the powers of two
siddhis;
Anima and
Garima bestowed upon him in his childhood by Sun-God,
Surya.
[edit] Lifting a mountain
Sculpture of
Hanuman, a king among the Vanara, carrying the
Dronagiri mountain.
When Lakshmana is severely wounded during the battle against Ravana, Hanuman is sent to fetch the
Sanjivani, a powerful life-restoring herb, from
Dronagiri mountain in the
Himalayas,
to revive him. Ravana realises that if Lakshmana dies, a distraught
Rama would probably give up, and so he dispatches the sorcerer Kalanemi
to intercept Hanuman.
[13] Kalanemi, in the guise of a sage, deceives Hanuman, but Hanuman uncovers his plot with the help of an
apsara, whom he rescues from her accursed state as a crocodile.
[13]
Ravana, upon learning that Kalanemi has been slain by Hanuman, summons
Surya to rise before its appointed time because the
physician
Sushena had said that Lakshmana would perish if untreated by daybreak.
Hanuman realizes the danger, however, and, becoming many times his
normal size, detains the Sun God to prevent the break of day. He then
resumes his search for the precious herb, but, when he finds himself
unable to identify which herb it is, he lifts the entire mountain and
delivers it to the battlefield in Lanka. Sushena then identifies and
administers the herb, and
Lakshmana
is saved. Rama embraces Hanuman, declaring him as dear to him as his
own brother. Hanuman releases Surya from his grip, and asks forgiveness,
as the Sun was also his
Guru.
Hanuman was also called "langra veer";
langra in
Hindi means lame and
veer means "bravest of brave". The story behind Hanuman being called
langra
is as follows. He was injured when he was crossing the Ayodhya with the
mountain in his hands. As he was crossing over Ayodhya,
Bharat, Rama's young brother, saw him and assumed that some
Rakshasa
was taking this mountain to attack Ayodhya. Bharat then shot Hanuman
with an arrow, which was engraved with Rama's name. Hanuman did not stop
this arrow as it had Rama's name written on it, and it injured his leg.
Hanuman landed and explained to Bharat that he was moving the mountain
to save his own brother, Lakshmana. Bharat, very sorry, offered to fire
an arrow to Lanka, which Hanuman could ride in order to reach his
destination more easily. But Hanuman declined the offer, preferring to
fly on his own, and he continued his journey with his injured leg.
[edit] Patala incident
Sculpture of Hanuman carrying the mountain, in a
Haridwar temple.
In another incident during the war, Rama and Lakshmana are captured by the rakshasa Mahiravana (or
Ahiravan), brother of Ravana, who held them captive in their palace in
Patala
(or Patalpuri)--the netherworld. Mahiravana keeps them as offerings to
his deity. Searching for them, Hanuman reaches Patala, the gates of
which are guarded by a young creature called
Makardhwaja (known also as Makar-Dhwaja or Magar Dhwaja), who is part reptile and part Vanara.
The story of Makardhwaja's birth is said to be that when Hanuman
extinguished his burning tail in the ocean, a drop of his sweat fell
into the waters, eventually becoming Makardhwaja, who perceives Hanuman
as his father. When Hanuman introduces himself to Makardhwaja, the
latter asks his blessings, but fights him to fulfill the task of
guarding the gate. Hanuman defeats and imprisons him to gain entry.
Upon entering Patala, Hanuman discovers that to kill Mahiravana, he
must simultaneously extinguish five lamps burning in different
directions. Hanuman assumes the
Panchamukha or five-faced form of Sri
Varaha facing north, Sri
Narasimha facing south, Sri
Garuda facing west, Sri
Hayagriva
facing the sky and his own facing the east, and blows out the lamps.
Hanuman then rescues Rama and Lakshmana. Afterwards, Rama asks Hanuman
to crown Makardhwaja king of Patala. Hanuman then instructs Makardhwaja
to rule Patala with justice and wisdom.
To date Panchamukha Anjaneya mandir is located at Panchmukhi a small
village 20 km from Mantralayam, Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh. A
divine place where Sri Guru Raghavendra Swamy rests.
[edit] Bharata's vow
When the war ends, Rama's 14-year exile has almost elapsed. Rama then
remembers Bharata's vow to immolate himself if Rama does not return to
rule Ayodhya immediately, on completion of the stipulated period.
Realising that it would be a little later than the last day of the 14
years when he would reach Ayodhya, Rama is anxious to prevent Bharata
from giving up his life. Hanuman therefore flies to Ayodhya to inform
Bharata that Rama is on his way home.
[edit] Honours
Shortly after he is crowned Emperor upon his return to
Ayodhya,
Rama decides to ceremoniously reward all his well-wishers. At a grand
ceremony in his court, all his friends and allies take turns being
honoured at the throne. Hanuman approaches without desiring a reward.
Seeing Hanuman come up to him, an emotionally overwhelmed Rama embraces
him warmly, declaring that he could never adequately honour or repay
Hanuman for the help and services he received from the noble Vanara.
Sita, however, insists that Hanuman deserved honour more than anyone
else, and Sita gives him a necklace of precious stones adorning her
neck.
When he receives it, Hanuman immediately takes it apart, and peers
into each stone. Taken aback, many of those present demand to know why
he is destroying the precious gift. Hanuman answers that he was looking
into the stones to make sure that Rama and Sita are in them, because if
they are not, the necklace is of no value to him. At this, a few mock
Hanuman, saying his reverence and love for Rama and Sita could not
possibly be as deep as he implies. In response, Hanuman tears his chest
open, and everyone is stunned to see Rama and Sita literally in his
heart.
[edit] Hanuman Ramayana
Hanuman beheads Trisiras-from The Freer Ramayana
A Hanuman painting from
Bali (1880)
After the victory of Rama over
Ravana,
Hanuman went to the Himalayas to continue his worship of the Lord.
There he scripted a version of the Ramayana on the Himalayan mountains
using his nails, recording every detail of Rama's deeds. When Maharishi
Valmiki visited him to show him his own version of the Ramayana, he saw Hanuman's version and became very disappointed.
When Hanuman asked Valmiki the cause of his sorrow, the sage said
that his version, which he had created very laboriously, was no match
for the splendour of Hanuman's, and would therefore go ignored. At this,
Hanuman discarded his own version, which is called the
Hanumad Ramayana.
Maharishi Valmiki was so taken aback that he said he would take another
birth to sing the glory of Hanuman which he had understated in his
version.
Later, one tablet is said to have floated ashore during the period of Mahakavi
Kalidasa,
and hung at a public place to be deciphered by scholars. Kalidasa is
said to have deciphered it and recognised that it was from the Hanumad
Ramayana recorded by Hanuman in an extinct script, and considered
himself very fortunate to see at least one
pada of the stanza.
[edit] After the Ramayana war
After the war, and after reigning for several years, the time arrived
for Rama to depart to his heavenly abode. Many of Rama's entourage,
including Sugriva, decided to depart with him. Hanuman, however,
requested Rama that he will remain on
earth
as long as Rama's name was venerated by people. Sita accorded Hanuman
that desire, and granted that his image would be installed at various
public places, so he could listen to people chanting Rama's name. He is
one of the
immortals of
Hinduism.
[14]
[edit] In the Mahabharata
Hanuman is also considered to be the brother of
Bhima, on the basis of their having the same father,
Vayu. During the
Pandavas'
exile, he appears disguised as a weak and aged monkey to Bhima in order
to subdue his arrogance. Bhima enters a field where Hanuman is lying
with his tail blocking the way. Bhima, unaware of his identity, tells
him to move it out of the way. Hanuman, incognito, refuses. Bhima then
tries to move the tail himself but he is unable, despite his great
strength. Realising he is no ordinary monkey, he inquires as to
Hanuman's identity, which is then revealed. At Bhima's request, Hanuman
is also said to have enlarged himself to demonstrate the proportions he
had assumed in his crossing of the sea as he journeyed to Lanka and also
said that when the war will come, I will be there to protect the
Pandavas.
During the great battle of
Kurukshetra,
Arjuna entered the battlefield with a flag displaying Hanuman on his
chariot.
[14]
The incident that led to this was an earlier encounter between Hanuman
and Arjuna, wherein Hanuman appeared as a small talking monkey before
Arjuna at
Rameshwaram, where Rama had built the
great bridge
to cross over to Lanka to rescue Sita. Upon Arjuna's wondering aloud at
Rama's taking the help of monkeys rather than building a bridge of
arrows, Hanuman challenged him to build a bridge capable of bearing him
alone; Arjuna, unaware of the vanara's true identity, accepted. Hanuman
then proceeded to repeatedly destroy the bridges made by Arjuna, who
decided to take his own life.
Vishnu
then appeared before them both, chiding Arjuna for his vanity and
Hanuman for making Arjuna feel incompetent. As an act of penitence,
Hanuman decided to help Arjuna by stabilizing and strengthening his
chariot during the imminent great battle. After, the battle of
Kurukshetra was over,
Krishna
asked Arjuna, that today you step down the chariot before me. After
Arjuna got down, Krishna followed him, then Krishna, thanked Hanuman to
stay with them during the whole fight in form of flag on the chariot.
Hanuman came in his original form, bowed to Krishna and left the flag,
flying away in sky. As soon as he left the flag, the chariot began to
burn and turned into ashes. Arjuna was shocked to see this, then Krishna
told Arjuna, that chariot, was standing apiece only due to powers of
mine and Hanuman, otherwise, it would have burnt many days ago due to
effects of celestial weapons thrown at it in the war.
According to legend, Hanuman is one of the four people to have heard the
Bhagwad Gita from Krishna and seen the Vishvarupa form, the other three being Arjuna,
Sanjaya and
Barbarika son of
Ghatotkacha.
[edit] Story of Vaishnodevi
Hanuman with his monkey army was at the guard of cave entrance, where
Vaishno Devi was meditating for nine months, before she came out of cave. There is a stream called
Ban Ganga (
Ban
literally means an arrow ), where Devi used her arrow to take out a
stream of water from the hill, to quench the thirst of Hanuman, when he
became thirsty. She also washed her hairs in this stream. Hanuman also
fought with Bhairavnath before Vaishno Devi asked him to leave
Bhairavnath to her.
[citation needed]
When you visit the Vaishno Devi shrine, the first camp is at
Ban Ganga
stated above. Later, When you crawl into the holy Cave through the
natural tunnel you cross over the Dhadh of Bhairo Nath who was beheaded
by the Goddess at the entry point to the holy Cave. The Dhadh is
fourteen feet long. After this you come across the symbol of Lord
Hanuman who was also called Launkra Beer.
[citation needed]
Also the
Durga Chalisa, sung in praise of
Devi Durga, mentions that Hanuman leads the procession of the Lion riding ferocious
Bhavani, who holds a sword and cupel in the hands, even Time flees in panic when he sees you [Durga] in this form of
Kali.
[citation needed]
[edit] Prophecy and legacy
A number of
prophets have claimed to have seen Hanuman over the course of the centuries, notably
Madhvacharya (13 Century A.D.),
Tulsidas (16th century),
Sri Ramdas Swami (17th century) and
Raghavendra Swami (17th century),
Swami Ramdas (20th century) and
Sri Sathya Sai Baba (20th century).
Swaminarayan, founder of the Hindu Swaminarayan sects (including
BAPS),
holds that other than worship of God through the Narayana Kavacha,
Hanuman is the only lower deity who may be worshiped in the event of
trouble by evil spirits.
Others have also asserted his presence wherever the Ramayana is read.
[15]
यत्र यत्र रघुनाथकीर्तनं तत्र तत्र कृतमस्तकाञ्जलिम् ।
बाष्पवारिपरिपूर्णलोचनं मारुतिं नमत राक्षसान्तकम् ॥
yatra yatra raghunāthakīrtanaṃ tatra tatra kṛta mastakāñjalim ।
bāṣpavāriparipūrṇalocanaṃ mārutiṃ namata rākṣasāntakam ॥
| “ |
Bow down to
Hanumān, who is the slayer of demons, and who is present with head bowed
and eyes full of flowing tears wherever the fame of Rāma is sung. |
” |
This can be found in other texts such as the
Vinaya Patrika by
Tulsidas and the
Mahabharta, and in other texts with only slight variation in language. Even where Ramayanpath is taking place, there is a special
puja and space (asan) reserved for Hanuman.
[edit] Temples
Temple of Hanuman at Nerul Navi Mumbai
Hanuman is worshipped by villagers as a boundary guardian, by
Shaiva ascetics as a
Yogi, and by wrestlers for his strength.
[16] There are numerous temples for Hanuman, and his images are usually installed at all temples where images of avatars of
Vishnu are installed. Hanuman temples are believed to keep the area and surroundings free of
rakshasas and 'evils'. Hanuman idols are found on mountain roads because it is believed that he protects people from accidents.
Jakhu temple is a famous temple at
Shimla, the capital of
Himachal Pradesh.
The word "Jakhu" is derived from "Yaku"/"Yaksha". The hill is the
legendary abode of Yaksha, Kinners Nagas and Asuras. The temple was
founded on a plain where, according to legend, Hanuman's sudden landing
flattened a hill. A 108-foot (33-metre) statue of Hanuman has been
erected at the top of the 8,500-foot (2,591-metre) tall Jakhu Hill, the
highest point in
Shimla.
[17]
According to the
Ramayana, during the battle between Lord Rama
and Ravana at Lanka, Lakshmana, brother of Lord Rama, was mortally
wounded by an arrow. To save his life, Hanuman journeyed to the
Himalayas to retrieve the
Sanjeevani
herb. En route, he encountered a meditating sage on Jakhu mountain; as
he paused to inquire about the herb, Hanuman's landing on the mountain
compressed the earth, changing the shape of the mountain to its present
state. In his haste to depart, Hanuman is said to have left his friends
behind, and they are said to continue to roam the area even today. A
temple honoring Lord Hanuman was constructed by the Jakhu sage.
The oldest known independent Hanuman statue is the one at
Khajuraho, which has an inscription dated Sam. 940 (AD 883) mentioning that it was erected by Gahil's son Gollak.
[18][19]
Sankat Mochan Shri Hanuman Mandir, located in the
Punjab town of
Phillaur is one of the popular temples of Hanuman.
Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple, Varanasi, believed to be built by
Tulsidas, is second most popular temple in the city.
Namakkal Anjaneyar temple is located in the town of
Namakkal,
Tamilnadu.
There is an 18-feet idol of Sri Hanuman in the temple facing east,
worshipping Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swami (one of the avatar of god
Vishnu) in this temple. Anjenayar idol is
Swayambu, keep growing in height thus, temple has no roof enclosing.
Sholinghur Sri Yoga Narasimha swami temple and Sri Yoga Anjaneyar temple, located in Sholinghur, a town which is about 30 km from
Arakkonam of
Vellore District.Sri
yoga Anjaneyar temple located over small hill (chinna malai=small hill)
containing 480 steps from ground. Lord Anjaneyar with Sathurpujam
(sathur=four, pujam=arms) Sri Sangu and Sri Chakaram 2 hands and Jabba
Malai and Jaba Shankaram in other two respectively facing Sri yoga
Narasimha swami and Yoga Amurthavalli Thayar present over hill(periya
malai= big hill)with 1305 steps from ground. Sholinghur shetram one
among 108 divya desams also one of most famous temple of our Lord
Anjaneya.
Ragigudda Anjaneya temple is a Hanuman temple located in JP Nagar Bangalore. The temple is located on a hillock.
The Hanuman temple at Nerul, Navi Mumbai,
Maharashtra,
India
is situated inside SIES complex. The Hanuman idol is 33 feet (10 m)
tall and is installed on a pedestal of height 12 feet (4 m), bringing
the total height to 45 feet (14 m). In the picture shown, Hanuman has
silver coverings (Silver Kavasam). The 33 feet Hanuman idol is carved
out of single ganite stone. This is the tallest single granite stone
Hanuman idol in India as per the temple.
Similarly, a 32 feet (10 m) idol of Sri Anjaneyar was entrenched in 1989 at
Nanganallur in Chennai,
India. The distinguishing factor of the idol is that it was molded out of a single rock.
Other large Lord Hanuman idols: A 72 feet statue of Lord Hanuman is
present in Hanuman Vatika (temple complex) in Raurkela, Orissa, India.
It is one of the tallest statue of Lord Hanuman in India.
A 30
foot Murti of Anjaneyaswamy, in
Ponnur near
Guntur in
Andhra Pradesh.
An 85-foot (26 m)
Karya Siddhi Hanuman murthi was installed at Carapichaima-Trinidad and Tobago, by Avadhoota Dattapeetham Pontiff Sri
Ganapathi Sachchidananda. It is the tallest in the Western hemisphere and second tallest in the world.
The tallest Hanuman statue is the
Veera Abhaya Anjaneya Hanuman Swami, standing 135 feet tall at Paritala 240 km from Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh, installed in 2003.
[20]
The image of Hanuman is said to have come alive and moved when installed at the
Shri Hanuman Mandir, Sarangpur. The temple is noted for getting rid of evil spirits.
[21]
Suchindram temple is a pious place lying about 14 km from
Kanyakumari, TamilNadu.The temple is famous for it 18 feet tall Hanuman
idol. This idol is decorated fully with butter (Vennai kappu in Tamil)
and Sandalwood paste (Chandana kappu in Tamil). This is being done by
the devotees for fulfillment of their wishes. Further, garland prepared
out of Vada is one of the offerings to the deity.
In Rajasthan,Hanuman Temples at Mehendipur in Dausa district (80 km
from Jaipur) and Salasar dhaam in Churu district(160 km from
Jaipur)attract a large number of devotees from allover India.
Kaviyur is a small village about 5–6 km from the town of Thiruvalla,
Kerala The Shiva temple here is about 100 years old and The Hanuman
temple inside the Shiva temple is considered as very auspicious by
devotees. Hanuman idol consecrated here is made of Panchaloha and is
depicting him telling the story of Ramayana to Sita in the Asoka Vana
[edit] Worship
Some of the prayers, songs,
mantras,
shlokas, devoted to Hanuman include—
Hanuman Chalisa, Bajrang Baan,
Maruti Strotam, Valvanal Strotam, Hanuman Sathhika, Hanuman Bahuk, Hanuman Dwadesh, Bhimrupi Strotam,
Sundara Kanda,
Maruti Gayatri Mantra,
Hanumansahasranam stotra -
Stotra of thousand names of Hanuman. "Ram Raksha Strotam", the
Sanskrit Strota, a Shield of
Rama has lines devoted to Hanuman, saying, whoever, reads this, will be protected by Hanuman.
[edit] Panchamukha Hanuman
Hanuman assumed Panchmukha or five-faced form to kill
Ahiravana, a powerful
rakshasa black-magician and practitioner of the dark arts during the
Ramayana war. Ahiravana, brother of
Ravana, had taken Lord
Rama and
Lakshmana
to netherworld as captive, and the only way to kill him was to
extinguish five lamps burning in different directions, all at the same
instant. Hanuman assumed His
Panchamukha form and accomplished the task, thus killing the
rakshasa, and freeing
Rama and
Lakshmana.
The five faces are of an eagle (
garuda) - facing West, a boar (
varaha) - facing North, a horse (
hayagriva) - facing Up, a lion (
narsimha)
- facing South and one his own Hanuman - facing East. The Panchamukha
Hanuman has ten arms and holds as such ten weapons in each hand. The
weapons are a
parashu, a
talwar, a
chakra, a
dhaal, a
gada, a
trishula, a
kumbha, a
Katar, a plate filled with blood and again a big
Gada.
This also signifies that deity keeps vigilance and has control over
the five directions - north, south, east, west and the upward
direction/zenith.
The face towards the East is
Sri Hanuman is in its original form. This face removes all blemishes of sin and confers purity of mind.
The South facing face of
Narasimha, removes fear of enemies and confers victory.
The West facing face of
Garuda drives away evil spells, black magic influences, negative spirits and removes all poisonous effects in one's body.
The North facing face of
Varaha facing the North wards off the troubles caused by bad influences of the planets and confers all eight types prosperity (
Ashta Aishwarya).
The upwards facing (
Urdhva Mukha) face of
Hayagriva confers knowledge, victory, good wife and progeny.
This form of Hanuman is very popular, and is also known as Panchamukha Anjaneya and Panchamukhi Anjaneya. (
Anjaneya, which means "son of Anjana", is another name of Hanuman).
One of the most famous places of Pilgrimage in central
India is claimed to be the Resting Place of Shiri Hanuman Ji is
Chitrakoot.
The Hanuman Dhara Temple is situated on the peak of mountain where
there is natural rock formation image of Shri Hanuman inside the cave
and a natural stream of water falling on the tail. It is believed that
after the coronation of Lord
Ram,
Hanuman requested for a permanent place to settle in the Kingdom of
Lord Ram, where his Injury of burns on his tails will be cured. Lord
Ram, then with his arrow, spurred a stream of water on the tip of
mountain and asked Hanuman to rest there with water of the stream
falling on his tail to cool down burning sensation in his tail. The
access to the cave temple is through stairs starting from bottom of the
mountain to its top. It takes roughly 30 to 40 minutes to reach the
temple. Over time the temple has gained a new name, namely Hanuman
Dhara.
[citation needed]
Sri
Panchamukha Anjaneya Swami was the main deity of Sri
Raghavendra Swami. The place where he meditated on this five-faced form of Hanuman is now known as
Panchamukhi, wherein a temple for him has been built. There is also a shrine for Panchamukha Anjaneya Swami at
Kumbakonam in
Tamil Nadu,
India. A 40 feet (12 m) tall monolithic green granite
murti of Sri Panchamukha Hanuman has been installed in
Thiruvallur,
also in Tamil Nadu. This place was known as Rudravanam in olden times
when many saints and seers had blessed this place with their presence.
The Panchamukha Hanuman Ashram itself was established by a saint called
Venkatesa Battar.
[citation needed]
[edit] Relation with Shani (Saturn)
In Hinduism, Hanuman is the only God not afflicted by
Shani.
[22] Hanuman is the one of the deities in Hindu religion, over whom Shani could not cast his spell. Shani who did not spare
Shiva,
Vishnu and
Brahma could not overcome Hanuman and as such people worship Hanuman to get rid of malefic effects of Shani.
In the
Ramayana, Hanuman is said to have rescued Shani, from the clutches of
Ravana.
[23]
In gratitude, Shani promised Hanuman that those who prayed him
(Hanuman) would be rescued from the painful effects of Saturn, which in
Hindu astrology, is said to produce malefic effects on one's life when
one is afflicted "negatively" with Saturn.
[23]
Another version of the encounter between Lord Hanuman and Shani
Bhagavan is that the latter once climbed on to Lord Hanuman's shoulder,
implying that he (Hanuman) was coming under the effects of the influence
of Shani. At this, Hanuman assumed a large size, and Shani was caught
painfully between Hanuman's shoulders and the ceiling of the room they
were in. As the pain was unbearable, Shani requested Hanuman to release
him, promising that he (Shani) would moderate the malefic effects of his
influence on a person praying to Hanuman. Hanuman released Shani
thereafter.
[24]
In the verse with a thousand Names of Hanuman the
Hanumansahasranam stotra, Shani is one of the Names of Hanuman. In some regions of India, Hanuman is also seen sporting an iron whip akin to Shani.
[edit] Hanuman Suvarchala
Though generally portrayed as a bachelor, some believe that Hanuman married Suvarchala,
Surya's daughter.
[25]
