It is easy to name the most adored deity in the Hindu Religion. Yes, you are right. It is none other than Lord Hanuman. Today, we have come up with a post describing c.
Lord Hanuman is considered as an embodiment of love, devotion, intelligence, duty, compassion, strength, courage, and loyalty. He was and one of the central figures in the Hindu epic Ramayana and an ardent devotee of Lord Ram. His heroics helped Lord Rama to rescue Sita Mata from the clutches of the demon king, Ravana.
Born to monkey king Kesari and Anjani, Lord Hanuman is known by several names. Some of his popular names include Bajrang Bali, Pawanputra, Maruti Nandan, Sankat Mochan, Balaji, Anjaneya, etc. He is often worshiped as the God of power and strength. Tuesday is considered to be the sacred day of worship of Lord Hanuman. His birth anniversary is celebrated all over India as “Hanuman Jayanti.”
15 Lesser Known Facts about Lord Hanuman
You must be aware of the numerous stories associated with the life of Lord Hanuman. However, there are still many stories about Lord Hanuman that go unnoticed. There are many tales about Lord Hanuman that are not known by many of us. So, we thought it right to come up with a post showcasing interesting and amazing facts about Lord Hanuman. We are sure that you would simply love to know these tales associated with the life and deeds of Lord Hanuman.
So, let us begin on this interesting journey wherein we go on to illustrate 15 amazing facts about Lord Hanuman.
1. Story of Lord Hanuman’s Birth
All the devtas were worried and grieved at the atrocities of the demon king Ravana. They pleaded to Lord Vishnu for finding a solution to this menace. At this, Lord Vishnu assured the devtas that he would incarnate on earth in the form of Rama. Hearing this, Lord Shivaexpressed his desire to serve Lord Vishnu in the form of Rama.
However, the decision perturbed Mata Parvati as she would have to stay apart from her beloved husband. Lord Shiva then told Mata Parvati that he would take the form of a monkey as it would allow him to sustain a simple lifestyle free of all bondages of culture and traditions. So, Lord Shiva took birth in the form of Hanuman who went on to be an ardent devotee of Lord Rama.
2. Lord Hanuman is an Incarnation of Lord Shiva
Mata Anjani was the mother of Lord Hanuman. She was a passionate devotee of Lord Shiva. In her previous life, she was an Apsara in the court of Lord Indra. A sage cursed her for boasting her beauty. She was cursed that she would be born as a monkey female. However, this did not disturb Anjani, and she continued to worship Lord Shiva. She was later married to monkey king Kesari. Lord Shiva was pleased by her devotion and assured Anjani that he would be born as a son of her.
It so happened that King Dasharatha performed a Yagna so that his wives could bear a child. After the Yagna, the Prasad in the form of Kheer was distributed amongst the wives of Dasharatha. A kite snatched a portion of kheer from Kaushalya and flew all the way where Anjani was meditating. On the instruction of Lord Shiva, Pawan Dev placed the kheer in the hand of Anjani. Assuming the kheer to be the Prasad from Lord Shiva, Anjani consumed the kheer and later gave birth to his incarnation – Lord Hanuman.
3. Lord Hanuman was cursed by a Sage
During his childhood, Lord Hanuman used to be much notorious and would often trouble and tease the sages who took shelter in his father’s kingdom. However, it happened that once when he was teasing a sage who was meditating, the sage cursed Hanuman that he would forget all his divine powers. When the little Hanuman realized his mistake and requested the sage to pardon him, the sage told Hanuman that he would remember his powers only when someone reminded him of those powers. In the epic Ramayana, it is illustrated that Jambhavantha reminded Hanuman of his magical powers that he could use for finding Sita Mata.
4. The meaning of the name Hanuman
The word Hanuman is made up of two Sanskrit words “Hanu” and “Man.” The word “Hanu” means jaw, while “Man” means disfigured. According to legend, in his childhood Hanuman assumed the Sun to be a fruit and tried to swallow it. Lord Indra was much angered by this pursuit of Hanuman and used his Vajra on Hanuman which threw him on Earth thus disfiguring his jaw for forever.
5. Lord Hanuman once covered his entire body with Sindoor
It so happened that Lord Hanuman saw Sita Mata applying Sindoor on her forehead. He was much quizzed by this act of Sita Mata and asked her why she applied Sindoor on her forehead. Sita Mata told Hanuman that she applied Sindoor on her forehead for the well-being and long life of her beloved husband, Lord Rama.
At this, Lord Hanuman decided to smear his whole body with Sindoor assuming that if a pinch of Sindoor can bring prosperity and long life to Lord Rama, then smearing Sindoor on the entire body could extend his life even further. Lord Rama was much pleased to see this innocent act of Hanuman and blessed Hanuman that his name would remain in the forefront of devotees. It is also believed that if you apply Sindoor to Lord Hanuman, you would receive the blessings of Lord Hanuman and would overcome your troubles easily.
6. The Story of Panchamukhi Hanuman
During the Great War against Ravana, Lord Rama and Laxman were abducted and held captive by Ahiravan, who was the brother of the demon king Ravana in the Patal Loka. However, Lord Hanuman was determined to save Lord Rama and Laxman. He went to the Patal Loka to free Lord Rama and Laxman. Lord Hanuman then assumed the form of Panchamukhi Hanuman consisting of Narasimha, Garuda, Varaha, and Hayagriva. He then extinguished five lamps lit in five different directions and killed Ahiravan. He thus saved Lord Rama and Laxman from the clutches of Ahiravan.
7. How Sugriva became Lord Hanuman’s Companion
There’s an interesting little story on how Sugriva became Lord Hanuman’s Companion. It so happened that Lord Hanuman was learning scriptures from the Sun God. Lord Hanuman was so intelligent that it took him only 60 hours to become an expert in all the scriptures. The Sun God was much impressed by these feet of Hanuman that he waived off the so called “Guru Dakshina.” However, Hanuman insisted on paying the Guru Dakshina and pleaded Sun God to give him an opportunity so that he can pay his Guru Dakshina to him. Hearing this, the Sun God asked Hanuman to become a companion of Sugriva who was the ruler of a monkey clan. Lord Hanuman readily agreed to become the companion of Sugriva. It started a long lasting friendship between Lord Hanuman and Sugriva.
8. Lord Hanuman had a son named Makardhwaja
Although being a Brahmachari, Lord Hanuman had a son named Makardhwaja. It so happened, that after blazing Lanka with his tail, Lord Hanuman went to take a dip in the sea. It is believed, that a giant fish consumed his sweat and thus Makardhwaja came into being.
9. Lord Hanuman moved an entire Mountain to heal Laxman
During the great battle against evil Ravana, Laxman got seriously wounded. His life was in danger. To save Laxman’s life, a certain kind of herb was needed from the Himalayas. Lord Hanuman moved the entire mountain and brought it back to Lanka so as to save Laxman’s life. It was a remarkable show of bravery, strength, courage and devotion.
10. Hanuman fought with Lord Rama
Once, Guru Vishwamitra ordered Lord Ram to kill Yayati. However, Yayati requested Hanuman to protect her from being killed at the hands of Lord Rama. Hanuman considered it a rightful duty to protect anyone who seeks his refuge. So, Hanuman vowed to protect Yayati. It meant that Lord Hanuman has to fight the battle against his beloved Lord Rama. In the battlefield, Lord Hanuman did not use any of the weapons to fight against Lord Rama. Instead, Lord Hanuman chanted the name of Lord Rama. All the arrows that were shot by Lord Rama could not harm Hanuman in any way. The devotion of Hanuman moved Vishwamitra so much that he relieved Lord Rama of this dilemma.
11. Lord Shani and Hanuman
It was Lord Hanuman who was the first one to reach Lanka in search of the whereabouts of Sita Mata. There was much commotion when Ravana came to know that Hanuman has entered Lanka. He ordered his soldiers to capture Hanuman and set ablaze his tail. However, Lord Hanuman set about destroying Lanka with his tail. During these acts, he found Lord Shani imprisoned inside Ravana’s palace. Hanuman then freed Lord Shani. This pleased Lord Shani and he granted the boon that who so ever would worship Hanuman would not be troubled at the hands of Lord Shani.
12. Hanuman promised to Lord Ram
When Lord Ram decided to leave the Earth for the Vaikuntha Loka, Hanuman promised to him that he would remain on Earth as long as any inhabitant chants the name of Lord Rama. It is believed that Lord Hanuman is still alive and protects the devotees from all sorts of evils.
13. Once Lord Ram had issued a death sentence to Hanuman
Sage Narad was jealous of the love and devotion that existed between Lord Ram and Hanuman. So, to create a wedge between the two, Narad instigated Hanuman not to greet Vishwamitra in the court of Lord Ram. At this deed of Hanuman, Vishwamitra became furious and demanded capital punishment for Hanuman. Lord Ram obeyed the orders of the teacher, Vishwamitra and issued a death sentence to Lord Hanuman.
Many arrows were fired upon Hanuman including the most dangerous weapon, the Brahmastra. However, Hanuman continued to chant the name of Lord Ram, and none of the weapons could not harm him. Seeing the deep devotion of Hanuman, Narad realized his mistake and told Vishwamitra all the reality and ended the death sentence for Hanuman.
14. Lord Rama Tricked Hanuman To Let Him Die?
Lord Hanuman always guarded the gate that led to Lord Ram’s room to protect his beloved from any harm. When it was time for Lord Ram to leave for the eternal abode, he tricked Hanuman and told him that he had lost his ring. Lord Ram told that the ring had fallen into a crack that led to the nether world. As told, Lord Hanuman went to fetch the ring but encountered a heap of rings. He soon realized that there is a hidden message in what Lord Ram had told him. He realized that Lord Ram would soon leave Earth for his eternal abode, Vaikuntha.
15. Lord Hanuman had created his version of Ramayana
When Lord Rama had ascended the throne of Ayodhya and peace had prevailed in the kingdom, Hanuman traveled to the Himalayas and began worshiping Lord Ram. Hanuman created his own version of Ramayana by inscribing the deeds of Lord Rama in the Himalayan rocks. When Valmiki encountered Hanuman, he realized that Hanuman’s version of Ramayana was far more superior to his Ramayana. However, Hanuman decided to renounce his version, thus leaving Valmiki in much awe. It astonished Valmiki, and he said that he would like to be born again just to sing praises of the great Lord Hanuman.
