Lord Hanuman (also Anjaneya) is a popular Hindu deity who is worshiped by Hindus for his divine characteristics. He belongs to the race of apes. He helped Lord Rama to defeat the demon king, Ravana, and establish the kingdom of truth. Bajarang Bali killed many demons and traveled thousands of miles in search of Seeta, the abducted wife of Lord Rama. He also helped Pandavas indirectly in the war against Kauravas. He is popularly known as “Monkey God” in the West. Because of him, monkeys are considered sacred animals.
Maruti, Bajrang Bali, and Anjaneya are other popular names of Lord Hanuman. He is also known by many other names. He is the son of Anjali and Kesari. It is believed that he was born from the boon of Vayu, the wind deity; hence, he is also known as Pavanputra. As Lord Hanuman is the greatest devotee of Lord Rama, he is known as Rambhakta Hanuman.
Anjaneya is considered as Superman of Hindu Mythology or an Indian Superhero. He has the greatest strength of all and is worshipped by Indian wrestlers for gaining physical power. He has powers like flying in the air without the use of any machine, unbeatable strength, transforming himself into the bigger like Hulk, etc.
Anjaneya is also known as an “obstacle remover.” He is the only deity who has full control over the planet Shani (Saturn); hence, Hindus offer him oil and leaves on Saturday so that he would protect them from the bad effects of Planet Saturn (Shani) (According to Indian astrology, the problems in one’s life are caused by Planet Saturn).
Lord Hanuman is immortal. Lord Rama gave this blessing to him when he refused to accept any rewards after defeating Ravana. He is a staunch celibate and is the symbol of celibacy in Hinduism. Hindus believe that he is still living and he protects Hindus from the debacles.
Also Read: Hanuman Chalisa and the distance between the Sun and the Earth
Stories about Lord Hanuman:
1. Hanuman Tried to Eat the Sun:
Lord Hanuman is the son of Lord Vayu (Air God); hence, he was born with some superpowers. When he was a kid, he was very mischievous. Once, he was very hungry, and his mother Anjali was not around. He saw the Sun in the sky and confused it with a red-colored fruit and wished to eat it. Immediately, he jumped into the sky and flew toward the Sun.
Indra Hits Hanuman with Vajra:
Lord Indra, the king of heaven, understood his intentions and decided to prevent him from doing so because it would have resulted in the cessation of life on Earth. Without a second thought, he hurled his weapon, Vajra, toward him. Vajra is one of the most powerful divine weapons. A person struck by Vajra does not survive most of the time. When it hit Anjaneya, it dented his chin and made him unconscious. The unconscious Maruti started falling toward Earth.
Vayu Threatens to Cease the Life on Earth:
When Vayu saw this, he caught Hanuman in the air and brought him down safely. He was infuriated by Indra’s reckless act and started sucking all air from the world. All the gods became fearful because living beings could not survive without air. Therefore, they approached Lord Brahma and asked him to interfere.
Lord Brahma then asked Indra to apologize to Vayu for his reckless act and revive Hanuman. Indra revived Hanuman and apologized for his action. Seeing revived Hanuman, Lord Vayu’s anger subsided, and he restored air in the world.
Gods Bless Anjaneya:
After this, Indra blessed Maruti with immunity to all kinds of weapons. He also gave the name Hanuman after the imprint on his chin. Surya gave him extreme speed and brilliance. Kubera blessed Hanuman with a perfect mace, which Hanuman carries to date. Lord Yama blessed Hanuman to be freed from the fear of death. Brahma gave Hanuman eight superpowers and nine kinds of devotion. He granted him immunity from Brahmastra and other divine weapons. Thus, Hanuman became a very powerful and strong person when he was a kid.
2. Why Did Bajrang Bali Tore His Chest?
When the war with Ravana was over and Lord Rama and Goddess Sita returned to Ayodhya, Lord Rama decided to honor everybody who helped him defeat Ravana. For the invaluable contribution of Maruti, he gave him a pearl necklace of which each pearl was as valuable as Earth.
When Anjaneya got it, he broke one of the pearls and looked inside. He said, “There is no Rama in it. So, it is useless. I don’t need such gifts because Lord Rama lives in my heart.” Seeing this, some court officials got upset and asked him to prove it.
Therefore, Lord Hanuman opened his chest and showed the image of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita to them.
3. Why Did Anjaneya Take the Form of Panchamukh Hanuman?
The story about Panchamukhi Hanuman is not mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana or Ramcharitmanas, but it is found in Parashara Samhita, Sudarshana Samhita, Krittivasi Ramayana, Vidyarnava Tantra, and other Tantra books. Therefore, there are many versions of this story.
Ahiravana Abducts Lord Rama and Lakshmana:
When Lakshmana killed Indrajeet, Ravana called Ahiravana (the king of Patala Loka) for help. Vibhishana came to know about Ravana’s plan and alerted Lord Rama. He advised Lord Hanuman to guard them heavily and not allow anybody to go into their vicinity. Lord Hanuman built a fortress from his tail and kept Lord Rama and Lakshman inside, and allowed nobody to see them.
Ahiravana tried many tricks but could not infiltrate. Therefore, he assumed the form of Vibhishana and expressed his desire to meet Lord Rama regarding an urgent matter. Lord Hanuman failed to recognize Ahiravana and allowed him to see Lord Rama. He abducted them while they were sleeping and took them to Patala Loka. But he did not kill them because he wanted to offer them in sacrifice to Goddess Chandi.
Hanuman Meets His Son:
When Anjaneya came to know about the abduction, he visited Vibhishana, who told him that Ahiravan would sacrifice them soon to Goddess Chandi. Therefore, Hanuman had to find them quickly.
When Lord Hanuman tried to enter Patala Loka, he found out that its door was guarded by a strange creature that was half reptile and half vanara. This creature was his son, but he was not aware of it.
When Anjaneya burnt down Lanka with his tail, he took a dip into the seawater when a drop of his sweat fell into the mouth of a crocodile. The crocodile gave birth to the half-vanara and half-reptile creature named Makardhwaja.
A fierce battle took place between them, but Lord Hanuman defeated Makardhwaja and entered Patala Loka.
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Hanuman Takes the Form of Panchamukhi Hanuman:
Ahiravan had a very beautiful wife named Chandrasena, who was a Naga princess. He had abducted and forced her to marry him. She despised the lifestyle of Asuras and was a devotee of Lord Rama.
When Lord Hanuman indulged in a fight with Ahiravana, he found out that it was not possible to kill Ahiravana in a battle, and there must be some secret about his death. Chandrasena told him that the only way to kill Ahiravana was to blow out the five candles at the same time kept in different directions.
Therefore, Lord Hanuman assumed the form of Panchamukhi Hanuman, which had five heads and blew all the candles at the exact same time causing the death of Ahiravana.
The 12 Names of Lord Hanuman:
There are more than 1000 names of Anjaneya. Hindus believe that mere chanting of the names of Lord Hanuman brings good luck and removes perils from one’s life.
The 12 names of Hanuman are Anjani Suta, Hanuman, Vayuputra, Mahabala, Rameshta, Phalguna Sakha, Pingaksha, Amit Vikrama, Udadhikramana, Seeta Shoka Vinashana, Lakshmana Prana Data, and Dashagriva Darpaha.
Also Read: The 12 Names of Lord Hanuman
The Wife of Lord Hanuman:
Per some regional traditions, Lord Hanuman has two wives, named Suvarchala Devi and Anangkusuma. He also had a fleeting affair with Suvarnamachchha per the Thai version of Ramayana. Traditionally, Lord Hanuman is believed to be celibate and is a symbol of celibacy in Hinduism. The stories about his marriage do not appear in the Ramayana but are folklore mainly. There is a temple of his wife, Suvarchala Devi, who is the daughter of Sun God, in Telangana.
Panchamukhi Hanuman:
Panchamukhi Hanuman (the five-faced Hanuman) is a form of Lord Hanuman that he assumed to rescue Lord Rama and Lakshman from Patala Loka. The five faces of Panchamukhi Hanuman are Hanuman, Garuda, Narasimha, Varaha, and Hayagriva. Panchamukhi Hanuman is believed to be very powerful for protection from negative energies, like black magic, ghosts, etc.
Lord Hanuman is Immortal:
Hanuman is one of the eight immortals in Hinduism. When Lord Rama was about to give up his earthly life by entering the Sarayu River, he gave the boon of immortality to him.
Maruti is very popular in the Indian film industry also. Many movies have been made about his life. The latest animated movie “Hanuman” was a big hit. The sequel of this movie “The Return of Hanuman” also was quite popular.
Also Read: Eight Immortals in Hinduism
Was Lord Hanuman a Monkey?
No. Hanuman was not a monkey. You can call him an ape by and large. Monkeys are not as intelligent as Anjaneya Hanuman was. Per the theory of evolution, humans evolve from monkeys/ape-like ancestors. This evolution was slow and took millions of years to complete. Between those times, some monkeys/apes did not completely evolve into humans but were human-like. I think Bajrang Bali belonged to that category. Therefore, I think he was not a monkey but an ape.