Lord Hanuman is the monkey deity renowned for his courage, power, devotion and faithful, selfless service. Lord Hanuman, the mighty ape aided Lord Rama in his expedition against evil forces, is one of the most popular idols in the Hinduism. Lord Hanuman is worshiped as a symbol of physical strength, perseverance and devotion. Lord Hanuman’s tale in the epic Ramayana – where he is assigned the responsibility to locate Rama’s wife Sita abducted by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka — is known for its astounding ability to inspire and equip a reader with all the ingredients needed to face ordeals and conquer obstructions in the way of the world.

The Lord Hanuman also features in the great epic Mahabharata. How Lord Hanuman met the valiant Bhima, one of the Pandava brothers is itself a marvelous tale. He recognized Bhima as his spiritual brother, since both were born with the blessings of Pavana, the Wind God, and promised to aid the Pandavas in the big battle of Kurukshetra. Lord Hanuman positioned himself in the flag of Arjuna’s chariot to secure and stabilize the war-craft. The triangular saffron flag of Lord Hanuman stands for stability and equilibrium, sense-control and mind-control, and a sure sign of victory over all that is base and evil. 

The Birth of Lord Hanuman

Lord Hanuman was born as the son of Vanar raj (king) Kesari and Anjani. He belonged to the vanar (monkey) race and was very powerful. He is also known as Bajarang Bali. It consists of two words: Bajarang and Bali. Bajarang means with a strong iron-like body. Bali means all powerful. Other names of Lord Hanuman are Pavan-Putra (meaning son of wind), Maruti, Kesari-nandana (son of Kesari), Anjani-putra and Anjaneya (son of Anjani).

The story of the birth of Lord Hanuman goes thus: Vrihaspati had an attendant called Punjikasthala, who was cursed to assume the form of a female monkey — a curse that could only be nullified if she would give birth to an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Reborn as Anjana, she performed intense austerities to please Shiva, who finally granted her the boon that would cure her of the curse.

When Agni, the god of fire, gave Dasharath, the king of Ayodhya, a bowl of sacred dessert to share among his wives so they may have divine children, an eagle snatched a part of the pudding and dropped it where Anjana was meditating, and Pavana, the god of wind delivered the drop to her outstretched hands. After she took the divine dessert, she gave birth to Lord Hanuman. Thus Lord Shiva incarnated as a monkey, and was born as Lord Hanuman to Anjana, by the blessings of Pavana, who thus became Lord Hanuman’s godfather.

Deity Lord Hanuman is the incarnation of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva took birth in the form of Lord Hanuman to serve Shriram and destroy Ravan, the demon king of Lanka. Lord Hanuman was very strong, intelligent and kind to all the living beings. He was a worshipper and devotee of Shriram. He practiced devotion and sacrifice. Lord Hanuman’s birthday (Lord Hanuman Jayanti) is on the full moon day (pournima) of the Hindu lunar month of Chaitra. Watch video of Birth of Lord Hanuman.

Lord Hanuman’s Childhood

The birth of Lord Hanuman released Anjana from the curse. Before she returned to heaven, Lord Hanuman asked his mother about his life ahead. She assured 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 divine baby leapt for it. Indra struck him with his thunderbolt and hurled him down to earth. But Lord Hanuman’s godfather, Pavana carried him to the nether world or ‘Patala’. As he departed from the earth, all life panted for air, and Brahma had to beg him to return. In order to appease him they conferred a lot of boons and blessings on his foster child that made Lord Hanuman invincible, immortal and super powerful.

Lord Hanuman’s Education

Lord Hanuman selected Surya, the sun god as his preceptor, and approached him with the request to teach the scriptures. Surya agreed and Lord Hanuman became his disciple, but had to face his constantly moving guru by traversing the sky backwards at equal pace, while taking his lessons. Lord Hanuman’s phenomenal concentration took him only 60 hours to master the scriptures. Surya considered the manner in which Lord Hanuman accomplished his studies as his tuition fees, but when Lord Hanuman requested him to accept something more than that, the sun god asked Lord Hanuman to assist his son Sugriva, by being his minister and compatriot.

When Lord Hanuman grew up he became a minister at the court of Sugreeva, the King of Kishkindha. Vali was the elder brother of Sugreeva. Once Vali, entered a cave to fight with a demon; he did not come out for a long time. Blood began to flow from the cave, so Sugreeva thought that Vali was dead. He returned to Kishkindha and became its king. But a later, Vali returned and drove out Sugreeva. Sugreeva and his ministers hid themselves in the Malaya mountains; Vali could not enter this region.

Lord Hanuman Meets Rama

Lord Hanuman met Rama and his brother Lakshmana while Rama was in exile in the jungle, and searching for his wife Sita who was abducted by Ravana. Shriram was in great grief. He was wandering the forests in search of her when He came to the Malaya mountains. Their quest brought them near Pampa Lake at the foot of Mount Risyamukha, where the monkey king Sugriva and his ministers were hiding. Sugreeva saw Lord Rama there with Lakshman. Sugriva, who was being persecuted by his brother Bali, suspected that Rama and Lakshmana might have been sent by Bali to slay him. To find out the facts, Lord Hanuman approached them in the guise of a Brahmin.

Lord Hanuman was an excellent ambassador. He could easily understand the nature of other people. As soon as he saw Shriram and Lakshman, he realized that they were not deceivers but noble persons. In soft and pleasing words, he asked them who they were and told them about himself. Shriram was very happy when He heard the words of Lord Hanuman. He said to Lakshman, “Did you hear his words? Even an enemy with his sword drawn would be pacified by such words. If a ruler has such a messenger, his efforts will always be successful.” Lord Hanuman took Shriram and Lakshman to Sugreeva. He had hopes that these brave young men would make Sugreeva king again. Lord Hanuman Temple at Bharmour is shown in the picture.

Powerful Lord Hanuman

Shriram and Sugreeva promised to help each other. One of the things Sugreeva did was to send Lord Hanuman to look for Sita. When Lord Hanuman was searching for Sita he met Sampati who was brother of Jatayu. Jatayu was killed while he was trying to stop Sita from being kidnapped by Ravan. Sampati told Lord Hanuman that he had seen Sita being kept prisoner in the Ashokvatika in Lanka.

When Lord Hanuman reached Lanka and met Ravan, Ravan did not offer Lord Hanuman a chair to sit on. So Lord Hanuman created his own throne by extending his tail, coiling it under him and then sitting on top of it, in front of Ravan. Ravan was shocked to see this and called on his demons to set Lord Hanuman’s tail on fire. Ravan’s soldiers started tying rags to Lord Hanuman’s tail to set it on fire. As they did that, Lord Hanuman made his tail longer and longer. The exhausted demons stopped trying to tie more rags and set fire to his tail. Now it was Lord Hanuman’s turn. With his tail on fire, he jumped all over Lanka, setting the entire city ablaze.

When the battle between Ravan and Shriram was being fought, Lakshman got hit with an arrow. The vaidya (doctor) told Rama that if Lakshman smelled a shrub called ‘Sanjivani’ from the mountain ‘Gandhamadan’ he will recover. Lord Hanuman went to the mountain but as he could not recognize the shrub, he uprooted the entire mountain and brought it to the doctor.

Lord Hanuman – The perfect devotee

Lord Hanuman is a pure devotee and a prefect servant of Shriram. Everything that he did was only to please Shriram, whether it was building bridges, fighting demons or flying across the country to fetch life saving herbs. When he saw Sita in Ravan’s Lanka, he not only delivered the message of Shriram to her but also destroyed the forest, killed many demons and burnt down half of Lanka. Lord Hanuman never expected anything in return from Shriram.

Lord Hanuman had a special place in the heart of Shriram. Lord Hanuman’s devotion to Ram was profound. Anything and everything, without Him, seemed futile to Lord Hanuman. Once, when Sita presented a pearl necklace to him, he tried to find Ram in each pearl. When he couldn’t, he was disappointed and he tore it apart and threw it away. She was surprised and asked for an explanation. In reply, Lord Hanuman tore open his chest with his nails and showed everyone the word ‘Ram’ engraved on his heart.

Lord Hanuman and the Pandavas

The venerable ape also features in the great epic Mahabharata. How Lord Hanuman met the valiant Bhima, one of the Pandava brothers is itself a marvelous tale. He recognized Bhima as his spiritual brother, since both were born with the blessings of Pavana, the Wind God, and promised to aid the Pandavas in the big battle of Kurukshetra. Lord Hanuman positioned himself in the flag of Arjuna’s chariot to secure and stabilize the war-craft. The triangular saffron flag of Lord Hanuman stands for stability and equilibrium, sense-control and mind-control, and a sure sign of victory over all that is base and evil. 

 Hanuman Chalisa Translated into English

Shri Guru Charan Saroj Raj	After cleansing the mirror of my mind with the pollen
Nij mane mukure sudhar	dust of holy Guru’s Lotus feet. I Profess the pure,
Varnao Raghuvar Vimal Jasu	untainted glory of Shri Raghuvar which bestows the four-
Jo dayaku phal char	fold fruits of life.(Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha).
Budhi Hin Tanu Janike	Fully aware of the deficiency of my intelligence, I
Sumirau Pavan Kumar	concentrate my attention on Pavan Kumar and humbly
Bal budhi Vidya dehu mohe	ask for strength, intelligence and true knowledge to
Harahu Kalesa Vikar	relieve me of all blemishes, causing pain.
Jai Hanuman gyan gun sagar	Victory to thee, O’Hanuman! Ocean of Wisdom-All
Jai Kapis tihun lok ujagar	hail to you O’Kapisa! (fountain-head of power,wisdom  and Shiva-Shakti) You illuminate all the three worlds  (Entire cosmos) with your glory.
Ram doot atulit bal dhama	You are the divine messenger of Shri Ram. The
Anjani-putra Pavan sut nama	repository of immeasurable strength, though known only as Son of Pavan (Wind), born of Anjani.
Mahavir Vikram Bajrangi	With Limbs as sturdy as Vajra (The mace of God Indra)
Kumati nivar sumati Ke sangi	you are valiant and brave. On you attends good Sense  and Wisdom. You dispel the darkness of evil thoughts.
Kanchan varan viraj subesa	Your physique is beautiful golden coloured and your dress
Kanan Kundal Kunchit Kesa	is pretty. You wear ear rings and have long curly hair.
Hath Vajra Aur Dhuvaje Viraje	You carry in your hand a lightening bolt along with a victory
Kandhe moonj janehu sajai	(kesari) flag and wear the sacred thread on your shoulder.
Sankar suvan kesri Nandan	As a descendant of Lord Sankar, you are a comfort and pride
Tej pratap maha jag vandan	of Shri Kesari. With the lustre of your Vast Sway, you are propitiated all over the universe.
Vidyavan guni ati chatur	You are the repository of learning, virtuous and fully accom-
Ram kaj karibe ko aatur	plished, always keen to carry out the behest’s of Shri Ram.
Prabu charitra sunibe ko rasiya	You are an ardent listener, always so keen to listen to the
Ram Lakhan Sita man Basiya	narration of Shri Ram’s Life Stories. Your heart is filled with
	what Shri Ram stood for. You therefore always dwell in the
	hearts of Shri Ram, Lakshman and Sita.
Sukshma roop dhari Siyahi dikhava	You appeared before Sita in a Diminutive form and spoke to
Vikat roop dhari lanka jarava	her in humility. You assumed an awesome form and struck
	terror by setting Lanka on fire.
Bhima roop dhari asur sanghare	With over-whelming might you destroyed the Asuras
Ramachandra ke kaj sanvare	(demons) and performed all tasks assigned to you by Shri Ram
	with great skill.
Laye Sanjivan Lakhan Jiyaye	You brought Sanjivan (A herb that revives life) and restored
Shri Raghuvir Harashi ur laye	Lakshman back to life, Shri Raghuvir (Shri Ram) cheerfully
	embraced you with his heart full of joy.
Raghupati Kinhi bahut badai	Shri Raghupati (Shri Ram) lustily extolled your excellence and
Tum mam priye Bharat-hi sam bhai	said: “You are as dear to me as my own brother Bharat.”
Sahas badan tumharo yash gaave	Thousands of living beings are chanting hymns of your glories;
Us kahi Shripati kanth lagaave	saying thus, Shri Ram warmly hugged him (Shri Hanuman).
Sankadik Brahmadi Muneesa	When prophets like Sanka, even the Sage like Lord Brahma,
Narad Sarad sahit Aheesa	the great hermit Narad himself, Goddess Saraswati and Ahisha
	(one of immeasurable dimensions).
Yam Kuber Digpal Jahan te	Even Yamraj (God of Death) Kuber (God of Wealth) and the
Kavi kovid kahi sake kahan te	Digpals (deputies guarding the four corners of the Universe)
	have been vying with one another in offering homage to your
	glories. How then, can a mere poet give adequate expression
	of your super excellence.
Tum upkar Sugreevahin keenha	You rendered a great service to Sugriv. You united him with
Ram milaye rajpad deenha	Shri Ram and he installed him on the Royal Throne. By heeding
Tumharo mantra Vibheeshan mana	your advice, Vibhishan became Lord of Lanka. This is known
Lankeshwar Bhaye Sub jag jana	all over the Universe.
Yug sahastra jojan par Bhanu	On your own you dashed upon the Sun, which is at a fabulous
Leelyo tahi madhur phal janu	distance of thousands of miles, thinking it to be a sweet
	luscious fruit.
Prabhu mudrika meli mukh mahee	Carrying the Lord’s Signet Ring in your mouth, there is
Jaladhi langhi gaye achraj nahee	hardly any wonder that you easily leapt across the ocean.
Durgaam kaj jagat ke jete	The burden of all difficult tasks of the world become light
Sugam anugraha tumhre tete	with your kind grace.
Ram dware tum rakhvare,	You are the sentry at the door of Shri Ram’s Divine Abode.
Hoat na agya binu paisare	No one can enter it without your permission,
Sub sukh lahai tumhari sarna	All comforts of the world lie at your feet. The devotees enjoy all
Tum rakshak kahu ko dar na	divine pleasures and feel fearless under your benign Protection.
Aapan tej samharo aapai	You alone are befitted to carry your own splendid valour. All the
Teenhon lok hank te kanpai	three worlds (entire universe) tremor at your thunderous call.
Bhoot pisach Nikat nahin aavai	All the ghosts, demons and evil forces keep away, with the
Mahavir jab naam sunavai	sheer mention of your great name, O’Mahaveer!!
Nase rog harai sab peera	All diseases, pain and suffering disappear on reciting regularly
Japat nirantar Hanumant beera	Shri Hanuman’s holy name.
Sankat se Hanuman chudavai	Those who remember Shri Hanuman in thought, words and deeds
Man Karam Vachan dyan jo lavai	with Sincerity and Faith, are rescued from all crises in life.
Sub par Ram tapasvee raja	All who hail, worship and have faith in Shri Ram as the Supreme
Tin ke kaj sakal Tum saja	Lord and the king of penance. You make all their difficult tasks
	very easy.
Aur manorath jo koi lavai	Whosoever comes to you for fulfillment of any desire with faith
Sohi amit jeevan phal pavai	and sincerity, Will he alone secure the imperishable fruit of
	human life.
Charon Yug partap tumhara	All through the four ages your magnificent glory is acclaimed far
Hai persidh jagat ujiyara	and wide. Your fame is Radiantly acclaimed all over the Cosmos.
Sadhu Sant ke tum Rakhware	You are Saviour and the guardian angel of Saints and Sages and
Asur nikandan Ram dulhare	destroy all Demons. You are the angelic darling of Shri Ram.
Ashta sidhi nav nidhi ke dhata	You can grant to any one, any yogic power of Eight Siddhis
Us var deen Janki mata	(power to become light and heavy at will) and Nine Nidhis
	(Riches,comfort,power,prestige,fame,sweet relationship etc.)
	This boon has been conferred upon you by Mother Janki.
Ram rasayan tumhare pasa	You possess the power of devotion to Shri Ram. In all rebirths
Sada raho Raghupati ke dasa	you will always remain Shri Raghupati’s most dedicated disciple.
Tumhare bhajan Ram ko pavai	Through hymns sung in devotion to you, one can find Shri Ram
Janam janam ke dukh bisravai	and become free from sufferings of several births.
Anth kaal Raghuvir pur jayee	If at the time of death one enters the Divine Abode of Shri Ram,
Jahan janam Hari-Bakht Kahayee	thereafter in all future births he is born as the Lord’s devotee.
Aur Devta Chit na dharehi	One need not entertain any other deity for Propitiation, as
Hanumanth se hi sarve sukh karehi	devotion of Shri Hanuman alone can give all happiness.
Sankat kate mite sab peera	One is freed from all the sufferings and ill fated contingencies of
Jo sumirai Hanumat Balbeera	rebirths in the world. One who adores and remembers Shri Hanuman.
Jai Jai Jai Hanuman Gosahin	Hail, Hail, Hail, Shri Hanuman, Lord of senses. Let your victory
Kripa Karahu Gurudev ki nyahin	over the evil be firm and final. Bless me in the capacity as my
	supreme guru (teacher).
Jo sat bar path kare kohi	One who recites Chalisa one hundred times, becomes free from the
Chutehi bandhi maha sukh hohi	bondage of life and death and enjoys the highest bliss at last.
Jo yah padhe Hanuman Chalisa	All those who recite Hanuman Chalisa (The forty Chaupais)
Hoye siddhi sakhi Gaureesa	regularly are sure to be benedicted. Such is the evidence of no less a
	witness as Bhagwan Sankar.
Tulsidas sada hari chera	Tulsidas as a bonded slave of the Divine Master, stays perpetually at
Keejai Das Hrdaye mein dera	his feet, he prays “Oh Lord! You enshrine within my heart & soul.”
Pavantnai sankar haran,	Oh! conqueror of the Wind, Destroyer of all miseries, you are a
Mangal murti roop.	symbol of Auspiciousness.
Ram Lakhan Sita sahit,	Along with Shri Ram, Lakshman and Sita, reside in my heart.
Hrdaye basahu sur bhoop.	Oh! King of Gods.