Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god, is one of the most celebrated and worshipped figures in Indian religion. Hanuman is one of the most popular gods of Hindus. Hanuman Ji is the 11th Rudravtaar. Anjaneya is sankat mochan or the remover of calamities.
He is also known by other names like Hanumat. His mother’s name was Anjana. Based on her mother’s name, Hanuman is sometimes called Anjaneya, that is, one born of Anjana. His father’s name was Kesari. He is blessed by Vayu as the god of winds.
Hanuman was the son of Vayu, the god of the wind, and Anjana, a celestial nymph. You’re probably wondering how the son of the wind god and a nymph turned out to be a monkey. The answer is that Anjana once angered a sage who cursed her to be born as a monkey. When the nymph begged for pardon, the sage calmed down and said that she would regain her original form after she bore a son who would win great renown.
Hanuman is a very powerful and strong god. He finds an important place in the Ramayana. He was a devotee of Rama, a form (avatar) of Vishnu, a god of Hindus. Hanuman is a figure of strength, perseverance, devotion, bravery, strength, innocence, compassion and selflessness. He is an embodiment of service (Seva), devotion (Bhakti) and surrender (samarpan, egolessness).
Lord Hanuman dedicated his entire life to the service of Lord Ram. Many worship Lord Hanuman to attain knowledge, mental peace and strength to fight the daily battle. He is also an unquestioning devotee of Rama, the hero of the epic Ramayana, and has the ability to take on any form he wishes.
Lord Hanuman is one of the Chiranjivis meaning the one who is still present in the current Kaal Yug and thus worshiping Him provides instantaneous benefits. Lord Hanuman is worshipped for physical and mental strength, protection and success. Lord Hanumanji is an incarnation of Lord Shiva, He protects devotees from diseases, bad fortune and malefic planetary effects. Recitation the Hanuman Chalisa is one of the most common practices to worship and revere Lord Hanuman.
Even as a child, Hanuman had great powers. One morning, he saw the sun rising and thought it was a great yellow ball. He decided to get hold of it so that he could play with it. Indra, the king of gods, saw Hanuman leap into the sky and wanted to stop him. And how did he do that? He threw his weapon, the Vajra (thunderbolt) at the child. Hanuman fell to earth, wounded. Hanuman’s enraged father decided to go on a strike until the one who hurt his child was punished. Imagine if there is no wind on earth! How would it be? No gentle cooling breeze when the sun blazes down. No power to move the rain-bearing clouds. Why, after a point, both humans and animals couldn’t breathe. Vayu’s strike made life on earth difficult. The gods knew they had to placate Vayu.
So, they offered the baby a multitude of boons. Brahma said that no weapon would ever hurt Hanuman and that he would be able to change his form at will and travel wherever he chose. Indra’s boon was that the Vajra would no longer hurt the child and that his body would be stronger than the weapon. Varuna, the god of the ocean, offered him protection from water. Agni, the god of fire, blessed him with immunity to fire. Surya, the sun god, gave him the power to change the size of his body. Kubera’s blessing made sure that Hanuman remains happy and contented always. Yama blessed him with good health and immortality. Vishwakarma, the divine architect, offered a boon that Hanuman would be safe from all objects of his creation. Moreover, Hanuman’s speed was more than Lord Vayu which Lord himself had bestowed on him as a blessing. With all these boons, Hanuman became a great warrior who played a crucial role in the Ramayan.
Hanuman was endowed with miraculous powers and strengths. He was the most ancient and most powerful superman known to the mankind, with the ability to expand or contract his body at will and fly across long distances, even all the way across the planets to the Sun and back.
It is believed that the idols are that of Lord Hanuman and his wife Suvarchala and together they are known as Suvarchala Anjaneya. Hanuman obeyed his Guru and married Suvarchala.
In one interpretation Shiva and Parvati decide to transform themselves into monkeys and indulge in amorous games in the forest. As a result Parvati becomes pregnant. Shiva, conscious of his godly responsibilities and desiring to conform to the laws of nature, directs the wind god Vayu to carry the offspring from Parvati's womb to that of Anjana - an Apsara with the form of a monkey who has prayed to be granted a boy child. In another version of the story Hanuman is simply the offspring of Anjana and Vayu.
He accepted the chiranjeevi boon and rejected the offer of Moksha for only ONE reason. To enjoy the Bhramanandha or eternal bliss of chanting Rama nama.Hanuman ji is present every early morning at Gandh Madan Parvat, where he offered puja to his Prabhu Lord Sri Ram.
As is clear in the Sloka,
Etra etra raghunatha keerthnam
Tatra tatra kritam hastakanjalim(means wherever lord rama’s name is chanted i will be there with my foleded hands - hastakam in the anjalim mode)
Bhashpavaari paripoorna lochanam (means bhaspavari means with tears in eyes )
Maruthim namatha rakasha antakam (i salute - namatha - maruthim, who destroyed rakshas - antakam of rakshas).
