Lord Hanuman was born in the house of Anjana, the wife of Kapiraj Kesari. Hanuman is said to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva. As lord shiva could not serve lord Ram in his own form, hence he incarnated the eleventh form of Rudra as hanuman. The devotion of hanuman towards Ram is epic.
Bravery since Childhood
Shortly after birth, Hanuman considered the rising sun to be a red fruit and ran towards it swallow it. That day was the time of the solar eclipse. Rahu saw that someone else was coming to catch the sun. He went to catch that person, but when Vayuputra moved towards him, he got scared and ran away. Rahu called out to Indra. Seeing Indra coming on Airavat elephant, Hanuman considered Airavat to be a big white fruit and rushed to catch it.
The boon of being immortal
Frightened, Devraj Indra struck with the thunderbolt. Due to the thunderbolt hitting his chin (Hanu), it became somewhat crooked. Due to which he came to be called as Hanuman. When the thunderbolt struck, he became unconscious and fell down. Seeing his son unconscious, Vayudev became very angry. He stopped his pace. Even the Gods became distressed due to stoppage of breathing. At last all the Gods satisfied Vayu Dev by giving Hanuman the boon of being immortal and fearless from fire, water, air etc.
The curse given to Hanuman
Hanuman, who was playful due to his nature, used to break trees in the sages’ ashrams with ease and destroy the things in the ashram. Therefore the sages cursed him – ‘You will forget your strength. Only when someone reminds you of your strength will you become aware of yourself. Since then he started living like normal monkeys. On the orders of his mother, he went near Suryanarayan and studied all the scriptures. He also learned arts like Vedas, Vedangas and Prabhrutis. After that he came to Kishkindha and started living with Sugriva. Sugriva made him his personal secretary. Even when Bali defeated Sugriva and expelled him, he remained with Sugriva on Rishyamukha hill.
His devotion since childhood
In his childhood, Hanuman had repeatedly listened to Ramayana with insistence from his mother Anjana. During his studies, he studied the story of Shri Ram in the Puranas. While studying, Lord Ram incarnated in Ayodhya. Now he started waiting with great eagerness to see his master. It is said in Srimad Bhagwat – ‘One who, while eagerly waiting for God’s grace, happily experiences the happiness and sorrow received from his destiny, keeps saluting God with his heart, speech and body, thinks of God with his heart, sings praises of God’s name and qualities with his speech and worships God with his body. If he remains, he becomes the owner of salvation.
Shri Hanuman was completely free from the bondages of Maya since birth. He used to remain busy thinking about his master Shri Ram. At last, Shri Ram along with Lakshman reached Rishyamook in search of Sita after she was kidnapped by Ravana. Sugriva doubted that Bali might not have sent these princes to kill him. Therefore, he sent Hanuman to know about them. Hanuman went to examine Shree Ram and Lakshman but when he got his introduction, he fell at his feet.
When Hanuman got his strength back
Sri Rama picked him up and took him to his heart. Since then, Hanuman remained near Sri Ram. By Hanuman’s prayer, Lord made friendship with Sugriva and killed Bali and gave him the kingdom of Kishkindha. Seeing Sugriva indulging in the enjoyment of the kingdom, it was Hanuman who warned him to seek Sita. It was Hanuman who brought the monkeys together. Sri Ram gave him his ring.
When the question of crossing a hundred yojanas of the sea came up, Jambavanta reminded Hanuman of his strength. He said, ‘Your incarnation has been to accomplish the work of Ram,’ then Hanuman stood up, realising his power. He satisfied the serpent Surasa, who was sent by the gods to gain knowledge of their strength and intelligence. Hanuman killed the demon Simhika who was hiding in the sea and reached Lanka.
When Hanuman went to lanka
Hanuman entered Lanka at night, assuming a small form by straightening the gatekeeper Lankini in a punch. After getting information from Vibhishana, he visited Sita in Ashoka Vatika. He assured her and destroyed the Ashoka Vatika. He killed the demons sent by Ravana and Akshaya Kumar, the son of Ravana. Meghnad tied Hanuman in Brahmastra and took him to the royal assembly. There, he also taught Ravana to leave pride and take refuge in God. Tail of Hanuman was set on fire by the order of Ravana and he burnt the whole of Lanka with the same fire.
He returned to Lord Ram with Chudamani as a sign from Sita. On receiving the news, Sri Rama set out for battle. A bridge was built over the sea. There was a battle and in the end Ravana was killed along with all his attendants and relatives. In the battle, his prowess , his courage, his heroism was paramount. He was always helpful to the monkey army in times of crisis. The monsters trembled at their howls.
Saving the life of Lakshman
When Lakshman became unconscious by the power of Meghnad, Hanuman uprooted Dronachal by killing the heretic Kalanemi on the way. Thus Lakshman gained consciousness by the arrival of the life-giving herb.It is also said that Govardhan mountain was also brought to Vrindavan by lord Hanuman. The illusory Ahiravana stole Rama and Lakshmana from the battlefield by his illusory power. Then Hanuman went to the underworld and killed Ahiravana and brought Sri Rama with his brother Lakshman.
Other qualities of Hanuman
He is the embodiment of learning, intelligence, knowledge and bravery, but despite all this his pride did not hurt him. Hanuman is a lifelong faithful celibate. He is a great scholar of grammar, a knower of the Vedas, a master of knowledge, and a great thinker.Hanuman even protected Krishna and Arjun during mahabharat.
He is also a very skilled musician and singer. Once, in a great conference of gods, Lord Shiva and Devarshi Naradaji were singing on the banks of the reservoir. Other gods, sages and demons were also giving raga. Meanwhile, Hanuman started singing such a beautiful song in a sweet voice that their faces turned pale. Who were singing and playing with great enthusiasm and they all left their singing and became fascinated and listened quietly. At that time only Hanuman was singing.
Free from Pride and lover of Ramkatha
As long as the story of Shri Ram remains on earth, he himself has asked the Lord for the boon of staying on earth. When many great battles took place while protecting the horse in Shri Ram’s Ashwamedh Yagya, Hanuman’s bravery was victorious everywhere. There is a character of Hanuman in Mahabharata also. He used to sit on the flag of Arjun’s chariot. With him sitting, no one could move back Arjun’s chariot. He also protected Arjuna on many occasions.
Once he even saved Bhima, Arjun and Garud from pride. It is said that Hanuman had written a Ramcharita-kavya on the rocks of his Vajranakhse mountain. Valmiki felt sad that if this poetry became popular in the world, then my original poetry would not be respected. To satisfy the sage, Hanuman threw those stones into the sea. A true devotee has no desire for fame, respect or glory. He only sings the holy praises of his Lord in the world.
He is a great lover of listening to Sri Ram’s story and Ram’s name and kirtan. Wherever there is a kirtan in the name of Ram, he reaches there secretly at the beginning itself. He remains standing there with both hands folded and placed on his head till the end. Due to love, tears keep falling from their eyes regularly.
All the divine gems that came out during samudra manthan were stored in Ravana’s treasure. When Vibhishana was crowned after Ravan, he made a garland of those divine gems. He offered it with great devotion at the feet of Shri Ram in gratitude. The hearts of all the monkeys and bears became yearning for that divine necklace.
When Hanuman tore open his heart
Hanuman was also present there, but his mind was engrossed in drinking the nectar of the beauty of beloved Ram. Seeing this, the Lord put that garland around the neck of Hanuman. Hanuman looked at the necklace, then took out each gem and started breaking it with his thunderbolt-like teeth. Seeing him doing this, Vibhishan asked – Hanuman! Why are you destroying these priceless gems? Hanuman replied reluctantly – Lord Shri Ram’s name is not mentioned in these gems, hence they are worthless to me. Vibhishan said – The name of Ram is not inscribed anywhere on your body, then why are you wearing it? On this, Hanuman tore open his heart and everyone saw Shri Ram and Sita present inside him.
