Hanuman

by Vanamali

The story as given in the Shiva Purana is a little different. Once Parvati heard her husband repeating the mantra “Rama” and asked him the reason. Shiva replied that the mantra was very potent, since it designated the ultimate reality that had taken the form of an earthly prince and was an avatara of Vishnu.

  “Parvati! Rama is very dear to me and I am going to incarnate myself on earth in order to serve him.” Parvati protested at this but Shiva said that he would send only an amsa (part) of himself. Shiva decided to take on the form of a monkey since it is humble, with simple needs and a simple lifestyle, and needed no observance of the rules of caste and stages of life. This would give him maximum scope for service. Initially, Parvati was shocked at this, but Shiva convinced her that the monkey form was the ideal one for avoiding the lure of maya. Parvati asked to accompany him and volunteered to become his tail, for the wife is an ornament of her husband as the tail is of a monkey. Shiva agreed to this and that is why Hanuman’s tail is so beautiful and imbued with shakti, the power of the goddess.

  Another story goes that Ravana and Kumbhakarna were incarnations of two of Shiva’s attendants; hence, he was obliged to protect them. However, they became arrogant due to the boons they had received from Brahma and started to harass the gods who appealed to Shiva to protect them. Shiva’s anger was fully roused when Ravana imprisoned Mahakala, the lord of death, and Shani, the planet Saturn. This is another reason why he decided to incarnate as Hanuman.

  In the time of the Manu Swayambhu, a sage called Shilada did penance to please Shiva and requested that he would like to have a son like him. Shiva agreed to this, and his eleventh manifestation was born as his son Nandi. The son performed penance and obtained the boon that he would be born as Shiva’s devotee in the form of a bull. While Ravana was rampaging across the earth, he had the temerity to go to Kailasa. Nandi stopped him from entering, and Ravana ridiculed and taunted him, telling him that his face resembled that of a monkey! Nandi cursed him that he would meet his end through a monkey’s intervention. Later he requested Shiva to be allowed to be born on Earth as Hanuman, “the bull” among monkeys.

  One more story in the Shiva Purana says that the wind god Vayu assisted Shiva in slaying the demon called Jalandhara. Shiva offered him a boon. Vayu requested that Shiva be born on Earth as his own son, and Shiva agreed.

  Vishnu wanted Shiva’s help in order to slay Ravana, so he prayed to Shiva and performed a puja (ritual) to him by offering red lotuses, each having a thousand petals. Shiva appeared and informed him that he had already given the boon to Anjana that he would be born as her son and would certainly help him in his avatara as Rama.

  Since he has been credited with a great number of birth stories, naturally many texts also set different dates on which he is said to have been born. Actually, eight different dates have been given, and these are enumerated below. All birth dates are gauged according to the Hindu lunar calendar.

  Chitra Purnima, or the full moon of the month of Chaitra (March/April).

  Chitra shukla ekadasi, or the eleventh day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra.

  Kartika Purnima, or the full moon of the month of Kartika (October/November).

  Kartika Amavasya, or the new moon of the month of Kartika.

  Shravana shukla ekadasi, or the eleventh day of the bright fortnight of the month of Shravana (July/August).

  Shravan Purnima, or the full moon of the month of Shravana.

  Margashirsha shukla trayodasi, or the thirteenth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Margashirsha (November/ December).

  Ashvin amavasya, or the new moon of the month of Ashvin (September/October).

  Out of these, two have come to enjoy wide prominence. The most popular is the full moon in the month of Chitra, which heralds spring. This sets Hanuman’s birthday five days after that of Rama, who was born on Chitra navami, or the ninth day of the bright fortnight of Chitra. This also places his birthday in uttarayanam, or the waxing sun, when it is moving northward toward the Himalayas and the world of the gods.

  However, in Ayodhya, the birthplace of Rama, his birthday is celebrated six months later, on the new moon of the autumn month of Kartika. This is also known as yaksha amavasya, which again points to his connection with the yakshas, as has been pointed out before. This date comes in dakshinayana, or the night of the gods, when the sun heads south toward the realm of the dead and hence is considered to be waning. These two birthdates give Hanuman a foothold in both halves of the ritual year, one which is associated with the bright forces, or devas, and the other with the world of the dead and elemental forces.

  It is claimed that he was born either on a Tuesday or a Saturday and thus these two days are kept aside for his worship. As mentioned, according to Indian astrology, these two days are most inauspicious since they are governed by the malignant planets, Mangala, or Mars, which presides over Tuesday, and Shani, or Saturn, which presides over Saturday. Worshippers of Hanuman are automatically protected from the evil effects of these planets.

  You are the incomparable emissary of Rama and the abode of might,

  You are also known as Anjaniputra [Anjana’s son] and Pavanaputra [son of the wind].

  HANUMAN CHALISA BY TULSIDAS

  Aum Sri Hanumathe Namaha!

  Aum Kesari Suthaaya Namaha!

  3

  Kesari Putra

  Son of Kesari

  Sarvarishtanivaarakam, Shubhakaram,

  Pingakshamakshapaham,

  Sitanweshana tat param, kapivaram,

  Kodindusurya prabham.

  Greatest among monkeys,

  With the effulgence of a hundred thousand suns,

  Capable of removing all troubles,

  With red-tinged eyes,

  Who is renowned for having discovered Sita.

  HANUMAN STOTRA

  The Puranas give graphic pictures of the many lokas, or astral realms, where dwell different types of beings. The apsaras were celestial dancers and normally lived in Indra’s court. Punchikasthala was one such apsara. As a child she was adopted by Brihaspati, the guru of the gods, who took her to his own ashrama and brought her up as his daughter. She had a highly spiritual nature and was sweet and kind to all. Even as a child, she busied herself collecting flowers for his puja and making herself generally useful to all. Thus she grew up in this background of spirituality where she hardly ever saw any young men and certainly none who were not spiritually inclined. She was as sweet and untouched as one of the flowers that blossomed in the ashrama gardens. She never wandered beyond the precincts of the ashrama, so she had no idea of the normal behavior of young people. Thus she grew up totally untouched and unaware of human nature. At the age of seventeen, she was a raving beauty but had no idea of her own charms. One day, as chance would have it, she wandered beyond the boundaries of the ashrama into the forest in order to pick better flowers and thus please her father. Just then, her gaze was transfixed by the sight of some gandharvas (celestial singers) who were sporting in the lake and jousting with each other. Never had she seen such handsome bare bodies. Her whole body flamed with desire when she beheld these beings. Her upbringing was totally forgotten. The flowers she had collected fell unheeded from her hands and she sat spellbound, watching the play of these celestial beings. She yearned with all her heart to get such a being as her husband.

  In the evening, Brihaspati noticed her absence and went in search of her. He was shocked to see her standing mesmerized by the erotic scenes that were being enacted in front of her eyes. So absorbed was she that she was totally unaware of his arrival.

  “Punchikasthala!” he thundered. “What are you staring at? Have you forgotten that you are an ashramite? These types of scenes should not be viewed by you. Come back, my child, and promise never to come to this place again or else I may have to ask you to leave this ashrama.”

  For the first time, she did not meekly agree with her father. In fact, she was even bold enough to retort.

  “What have I done that you should scold me so har
shly? All I did was to gaze at these beings. They are so glorious to behold. I have never seen anyone like them!”

  Brihaspati understood her feelings and gazed sadly at her.

  “My child!” he said. “We are ashram dwellers. Our only aim in life is to attain self-realization. The life of the normal ego-centered individual is shunned by us. But I realize your weakness. You are young and perhaps unable to overcome your feelings for a family life. Let it be. I will send you to the mortal world where you will be born as a monkey. In the short span of the life of a monkey, you will be able to assuage your desire for sex. After that, you will be able to renew your original form and return to this world.”

  Punchikasthala fell at his feet and begged him to retract his curse. Brihaspati looked fondly at her and said, “The curse of a saint is always a blessing. It is always meant to fulfil a deep divine purpose, and my curse is no exception to this rule. You will be the mother of a male monkey who will be glorified in the whole world as the greatest of bhaktas (devotees). He will be renowned for his valor, intelligence, and adherence to dharma. He will be the supreme devotee of Lord Vishnu in his avatara as Rama, king of Ayodhya. The moment he is born, you will regain your former body and be able to return to these heavenly regions.”

  Seeing her pleading look, he continued, “It is better for you to get rid of these lower desires now in the form of a monkey where they will be totally exhausted in the shortest possible time and then return to this ashrama where you can continue your former practices and gain liberation. You will be known as Anjana and will be able to assuage your thirst for sex with a handsome monkey of your choice. At the appointed time when you are united with your husband, the wind god Vayu will deposit the seed of Lord Shiva in your womb, and thus you will have a baby with all the qualities of Lord Shiva and the speed and strength of the wind god.”

  Everything happened as the sage had predicted. Punchikasthala was born in a tribe of monkeys as the daughter of the chief called Kunjara. She was named Anjana. However, she remembered her past life perfectly and was not happy at leading the life of a normal monkey. As soon as she was able to, she left the tribe and penetrated deep into the forest. She wandered hungry and thirsty without finding anything to eat. At last, she came upon a huge tree filled with luscious fruit. She jumped up the tree, but just a she stretched her hand to pluck the fruit, she heard an ethereal voice.

  “Anjana! You should not eat anything until you have bathed and said your prayers. You have come to this forest with a purpose. In order to fulfill this, you should live the life of an anchorite. Do tapasya to Lord Shiva and Parvati to give you a wondrous son and deliver you from your curse.”

  Anjana was glad to follow this advice from a divine source. From that day onward, she strictly adhered to the life of an anchorite. She would get up early in the morning, take her bath, and sit meditating on the divine couple Shiva and Parvati. It was only after doing this that she would pluck the fruits and leaves of trees to assuage her hunger.

  One day she was rudely awakened from her austerities by a hideous noise. The whole forest seemed to be in a state of unrest. Birds were screaming and flying around in fear, and even the animals in the forest seemed to be running for their lives. Suddenly she saw the enormous figure of a rakshasa (giant cannibal) standing in front of her. Trembling with fear, she started to get up and run. But the creature accosted her.

  “O beautiful one!” he roared. “Why are you running away from me? I will not harm you. My name is Shambasaadan and I’m the king of this forest. However, I am prepared to marry you and give you everything you desire. Come close to me and let us make love. Life is too short to waste time doing useless austerities!”

  With this profound pronouncement, he made a lunge at her. Anjana escaped his clutches and ran for her life. Since she was a monkey, she could swing from branch to branch, but her sinister suitor was not to be put off so easily. He was so huge that he trampled over trees and bushes in hot pursuit. Half-crazed with fear, Anjana cried out to her guardian deities to save her from this new calamity. To her amazement, just as he made a lunge to catch her, he was felled to the spot. She was astonished at this miraculous reprieve and went to investigate if he were really dead. She saw a huge cobra slithering off.

  Just then a voice warned her that Shambasaadan was only unconscious and might recover soon. She bent over, peered at his face, and saw signs of life. Not waiting to investigate further, she ran deeper into the forest. At last, tired and desperate, she came upon an ashrama. She threw herself at the mercy of the anchorites there and begged them to save her from this predicament.

  Seeing her distress, they gave her water to drink and told her to take refuge there. When she mentioned the name Shambasaadan, they quivered with fear and told her that he was a cruel rakshasa who terrorized the whole forest. They could not practice their fire rituals without fear of his coming and despoiling everything.

  “The only one who is capable of vanquishing him is a heroic monkey called Kesari.” Hearing this, Anjana prayed to her favorite deities to send Kesari and enable him to kill the rakshasa who was harassing all the ashramites and holding the forest in thrall. She spent the night in prayer.

  It is said that Kesari had once killed a mighty elephant that was troubling the sages and hermits. That is how he got the name Kesari, which means “lion.” He was also called Kunjara Südana (the elephant killer).

  The next morning, the whole ashrama came to life and all of them felt some new hope in their breasts. They started to prepare their morning rituals—their yajnas and yagas. These were Vedic rites in which offerings were made into the blazing fire accompanied by mantras and secret incantations for the well-being of the world and for their own spiritual progress. They were a bit worried about starting it since Shambasaadan came very often to put an end to their rites. They were waiting anxiously, not knowing whether to start or not, when a mighty monkey came into their midst. He was tall and handsome and looked as if he were capable of routing anyone. He told them not to fear but to start their rituals and he would guard them as he had done of yore. He looked enquiringly at the newcomer in their midst and the rishis introduced Anjana to him. This was the hero Kesari about whom they had told her. She took an instant liking to him and felt that he was truly capable of saving all of them from the scourge of the rakshasa. Without further ado, he jumped onto one of the trees and stayed hidden behind the leaves.

  Just then, there was a tremendous uproar and the whole forest became petrified. The birds squawked and flew hither and thither; the deer ran off in different directions, not knowing where to flee. Suddenly, the hideous form of the rakshasa appeared. Immediately, he spied Anjana shaking with fear and trying to hide in a corner of the compound.

  Putting out a huge, hairy hand, he caught her and pulled her toward him. He was reeking of stale blood and sweat, and she shivered with disgust as he drew her closer. In a disgustingly intimate voice, as if to seduce her, he said beguilingly, “Ah! My little dove! Why do you try to flee from me? Don’t you know that I’m crazy about you? You can never escape me. I’ll follow you to the end of the world if necessary. Come! Let us go away, and we will live in luxury and happiness. These cowards don’t have the power to save you, but I’ll protect and guard you always.”

  The terrified Anjana shrieked and cried out, “Save me! Save me! Is there no one who can save me from this beast?”

  “God himself is helpless before me! So who can save you now?”

  Just at that moment, the mighty Kesari jumped out of the tree with a loud roar and landed right in front of the rakshasa.

  “O Shambasaadana!” he roared. “If you value your life, let go of the girl!”

  Hearing this, Shambasaadana put Anjana to the ground and said, “O! Are you the one who has come as her protector? I’ll make mincemeat of you first and deal with her later.”

  Taking this opportunity, Anjana ran into the hermitage and closed the door.

  The rakshasa laughed long and loud as he saw
Kesari standing before him with an arrow fixed to his bow ready to let fly at him.

  “O, you stupid monkey!” he said. “Are you so presumptuous to suppose that you can save this girl and the ashramites ? I’ll make short work of you and the ashrama and then make off with the girl.”

  So saying, the rakshasa plucked a huge tree from the forest and threw it at Kesari. The latter immediately split the tree in mid-air with his arrow and felled it to the ground before it could cause any damage. This infuriated the rakshasa, who uprooted a small mound nearby and hurled it at Kesari. Once again, Kesari shattered the mound with his arrow. The rakshasa couldn’t believe his eyes. He flew at the monkey as if he would throttle him with his bare arms. Kesari rained a whole host of arrows at him.

  The latter knew that he had met his match, so he resorted to his magic tricks and took on the form of a maddened elephant. He caught the fleeing rishis and threw them around, destroyed their ashrama, and defiled their yajna kund (container for sacred fire). Anjana saved herself by hiding in the hollow of a huge tree.

  All that time, Kesari had been raining arrows at the mad elephant, but they merely grazed the skin of the animal and fell to the ground. The enraged pachyderm now turned his full fury on him. He plucked the bow from him and stamped on it. Kesari immediately took the form of a little monkey and flew into the air. He landed with great force on the forehead of the elephant. This is supposed to be an elephant’s weakest point. He then proceeded to pound this tender spot with adamantine fists. Try as he might, the elephant could not shake off the little monkey who was hammering on his weak point with such force. So he immediately changed his form back to that of a rakshasa, plucked off the monkey, and dashed him to the ground.