About Lord Hanuman

About Lord Hanuman:

The Birth of Hanuman

The story of the birth of Hanuman goes thus: Vrihaspati had an attendant called Punjikasthala, who was cursed to suppose the shape of a female monkey — a curse that might only be nullified if she would give birth to an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Reborn as Anjana, she achieves intense austerities to satisfy Shiva, who finally decided her boon that would treat her of the curse.

While Agni, the god of fire, gave Dasharath, the king of Ayodhya, a bowl of holy dessert to share among his wives so they might have divine children, an eagle quick a part of the pudding and dropped it wherever Anjana was meditating, and Pavana, the god of wind delivered the drop to her outspread hands. Behind she took the divine dessert, she gave birth to Hanuman. Therefore Lord Shiva incarnated as a monkey, and was born as Hanuman to Anjana, by the blessings of Pavana, who thus became Hanuman's godfather.

Hanuman's Childhood

The birth of Hanuman released Anjana from the curse. Before she returned to heaven, Hanuman requests his mother about his life ahead. She certain him that he would never die, and said that fruits as ripe as the rising sun would be his food. Mistaking the glowing sun as his food, the great baby leapt for it. Indra struck him with his thunderbolt and hurled him down to earth. But Hanuman's godfather, Pavana accepted him to the nether world or 'Patala'. Since he deceased from the earth, every life panted for air, and Brahma had to request him to return. In order to appease him they conferred a lot of boons and blessings on his foster child that made Hanuman invincible, immortal and super powerful.

Hanuman's Education

Hanuman selects Surya, the sun god as his preceptor, and approaches him with the request to teach the scriptures. Surya decided and Hanuman became his believer, however had to face his regularly moving guru by traversing the sky backwards at different pace, while attractive his lessons. Hanuman's phenomenal attention took him only 60 hours to master the scriptures. Surya considered the manner in which Hanuman accomplished his studies as his tuition fees, but when Hanuman requests him to recognize something further than that, the sun god asked Hanuman to support his son Sugriva, by being his minister and compatriot.