Hanuman ji is one of the most delightful and colorful of the Hindu gods.
Hanuman ji is one of the most delightful and colorful of the Hindu gods.
He is the son of Vayu - God of the wind - and Anjana, a heavenly maiden born as a monkey under a curse. He is equal to his father in strength and vigor and unsurpassed in intelligence and power.
As a child he imagined the rising sun to be a fruit and flew towards it to pluck it. It was the intervention of Indra, the King of the Gods, that stopped him.
Many believe that his birth is related to that of Rama. Dasharatha, Rama's father, had three queens none of whom could bear him a child. So, he prayed, and his prayers were answered when Agni, the fire God, gave him some kheer to give to his queens.
It was believed that the kheer was blessed by the Gods, and his queens would bear him sons. The story goes that one of his queens, Kaikeyi, dropped a portion of the kheer. This was borne away by the wind into the hands of a monkey. This monkey Anjana, quickly ate up the kheer and soon gave birth to Hanuman!
So, Hanuman is called "Pavan-Putra" meaning son of wind. He is the god of power. Hindus revere Him as the symbol of strength. Hanuman is also described in the Hindu epic Ramayana as a great aide to Lord Rama.
He helped Sri Rama in his mission to kill Ravana and rescue Sita, Lord Rama's beloved wife who was kidnapped by the Devil Ravana.
You will see Hanuman's picture carved out in many caves and the stone walls of many temples and sacred places in India.
He is the son of Vayu - God of the wind - and Anjana, a heavenly maiden born as a monkey under a curse. He is equal to his father in strength and vigor and unsurpassed in intelligence and power.
As a child he imagined the rising sun to be a fruit and flew towards it to pluck it. It was the intervention of Indra, the King of the Gods, that stopped him.
Many believe that his birth is related to that of Rama. Dasharatha, Rama's father, had three queens none of whom could bear him a child. So, he prayed, and his prayers were answered when Agni, the fire God, gave him some kheer to give to his queens.
It was believed that the kheer was blessed by the Gods, and his queens would bear him sons. The story goes that one of his queens, Kaikeyi, dropped a portion of the kheer. This was borne away by the wind into the hands of a monkey. This monkey Anjana, quickly ate up the kheer and soon gave birth to Hanuman!
So, Hanuman is called "Pavan-Putra" meaning son of wind. He is the god of power. Hindus revere Him as the symbol of strength. Hanuman is also described in the Hindu epic Ramayana as a great aide to Lord Rama.
He helped Sri Rama in his mission to kill Ravana and rescue Sita, Lord Rama's beloved wife who was kidnapped by the Devil Ravana.
You will see Hanuman's picture carved out in many caves and the stone walls of many temples and sacred places in India.
posted by Vin at Monday, February 19, 2007
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