Maruthi Pramanam 1

The story of the great epic Ramayana is also the story of Sri Anjaneya, who strides throughout the epic like a colossus. Ha means Isvara, Supreme Consciousness; Nu means that which pervades; Man means the manifested. Hanuman, thus, means the manifested existence of the Supreme Consciousness which pervades all.

When Lord Siva learnt that Vishnu had taken birth upon the earth, He desired to participate in the divine drama which was to unfold. Therefore as the eleventh incarnation of Rudra, as one who takes away the tears, He manifested as Sri Hanuman, in which form He could act as the perfect servant of the Lord.

Punjikasthala, an attendant of Brihaspathi, the teacher of the demigods, was once cursed to become a monkey and the curse was to be removed when she gave birth to an incarnation of Lord Siva. She was born in the vanara race as Anjana who married Kesari. The vanaras were an intelligent race of monkeys. Pleased with her devotion, Lord Siva granted a boon that He would be born to her.

Meanwhile King Dasaratha of Ayodhya performed the Puthrakameshti Yagam to have progeny. The sacred pudding which he got from the ritual was to be shared among his four wives. By divine ordinance, a kite snatched a portion of the pudding and dropped it where Anjana Devi was in worship. Vayu Dev, the deity of wind, delivered the sacred pudding to the outstretched hands of Anjana Devi, who swallowed it immediately. Anjaneya was thus born to Anjana Devi. Since Vayu Dev delivered the sacred pudding to her Anjaneya is considered to be his progeny and is called Pavana Thanaya, Pavana Sutha or Vayu Thanaya. Since He was brought up by Kesari, Anjaneya is also called Kesari Nandan. Since He is born of Anjana Devi He is called Anjaneya. Sri Anjaneya is the eleventh reincarnation of Lord Siva

Jai Sriram, Jai Hanuamn

He leapt 16,000 miles towards the Sun mistaking it for a sweet fruit. Rahu, who alone has the power to eclipse the Sun, cautioned Indra, the king of gods. Indra struck Him with thunderbolt wounding His chin. Anjaneya fell down and Vayu Dev carried Him to the nether regions.

Absence of Vayu Dev threatened annihilation of life on the earth and the gods started appeasing Vayu Dev by showering boons after boons on Anjaneya. Varuna Dev, the deity of the sea, blessed Him with immortality. Yama Dev, the deity of death, blessed Him that He would not be affected by Yamadand, his weapon. Kubera, the deity of wealth, blessed Him that mace would not inflict Him. Lord Brahma blessed that the powerful Brahmadand or Brahmaastra would not affect him. Lord Siva blessed Him that He would not face any threat from the invincible trisul or the Paasupathastram. Brihaspathi, the teacher of the demigods, blessed Him that no weapon would affect Him. These boons rendered Anjaneya invincible. Since His chin was wounded He came to be called Hanuman. Hanu in Sanskrit means the chin. His name suggests the one with a Broken Jaw.

Hanuman mastered all scriptures from Surya, the Sun God. The Sun God insisted that he could not stop his constant appointed rounds. Hanuman consequently followed him across the universe during his years of schooling. Sri Hanuman learned quickly and was a good student who developed many fine qualities. Sri Hanuman traversed the sky at the same speed of Surya, facing him while concentrating on His studies. The Sun God was pleased by His accomplishment. However, when Sri Hanuman insisted on giving Dakhshina (tuition fees) Surya asked Him to advise and protect his son Sugriva, who was living at Kishkindha. Vayu Dev taught Him how to fly and avoid obstacles while flying. Lord Siva taught him martial arts, mantra, tantra, and philosophy. He was taught music by Goddess Saraswati.

Subsequently, Sugriva and his brother Vali (also called Bali) fell apart due to a misunderstanding and Sugriva fled along with his ministers to Rishyamukha Mountain, where Vali would not enter due to a curse. Meanwhile Sri Rama and Lakshmana came to Rishyamukha in search of Sita Devi who was abducted by the demon king Ravana. Suspecting the brothers to be foes Sugriva sent Sri Hanuman, who approached them in the guise of a Brahmin. Sri Rama was extremely impressed by the behaviour and conduct of Sri Hanuman in the Brahmin guise that He revealed His identity. Sri Hanuman prostrated before Him and Sri Rama embraced Him. In the subsequent developments, Sri Hanuman introduced Sri Rama to Sugriva, initiated the search for Sita Devi, discovered Her in Ashoka Van in Lanka, consoled Her, destroyed the city, killed many demons, returned to Lanka with Sri Rama, saved the life of Lakshmana, and played a prominent role in the war.