Hanuman Jayanti Chaitra Purnima (6th April 2023)
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1. History of birth
According to one school of thought, the history of Deity Hanuman’s birth is as follows : King Dasharath performed ‘Putrakameshti Yajna’ for begetting a son. During the ritual, Agnidevata (Deity of Fire) manifested from the Yajna and offered payas (A sweet made out of milk and rice) to King Dasharath as Prasad to give to his queens. Anjani, Deity Hanuman’s mother also performed rigorous austerities, as a result of which She too was blessed with payas as Prasad, and thus, Deity Hanuman was born. It was the day of Purnima in the month of Chaitra. This day is celebrated as ‘Hanuman Jayanti’.
2. Mission and characteristics
2A. Omnipotent : Deity Hanuman, son of Deity Vayu (meaning, born from Absolute Air Principle) was the one who could conquer the Sun (Absolute Fire Principle). Among five Absolute Principles – Pruthvitattva (Absolute Earth Principle), Apatattva (Absolute Water Principle), Tejtattva (Absolute Fire Principle), Vayutattva (Absolute Air Principle), Akashatattva (Absolute Ether Principle), Vayutattva is subtler than Tejtattva, meaning, it is more powerful.
Ghosts and Deity Hanuman : Among all the Deities, Deity Hanuman is the only one who cannot be troubled by negative energies. In Lanka there were millions of demons, yet they could cause no harm to Him. It is for this reason that Deity Hanuman is called the ‘Master of ghosts’. If someone is possessed by a ghost, he is either taken to a Hanuman temple or Hanumanstotra (Spiritual verse in Marathi in praise of Deity Hanuman) is recited. If the distress is not alleviated, a coconut is moved around him and it is broken in a Hanuman temple. When a coconut is moved around a possessed individual, the Tama predominant vibrations in the individual enter the coconut, and when the coconut is broken in Deity Hanuman’s temple, the vibrations expelled from it are destroyed due to the strength of Deity Hanuman. The coconut is then immersed in flowing water.
2B. Valorous : During the battle between Shriram and Ravan, when Shriram, Lakshman, Sugriva and other warriors fell unconscious due to the use of Brahmastra (Weapon acquired by obtaining the blessings of Deity Brahma through penance), Jambuvanta (The king of bears who helped Shriram find His wife Seeta and fight Her abductor, Ravan) described the bravery of Deity Hanuman thus – ‘Is Hanuman ji the superior most monkey amongst all, still alive ? As long as this brave warrior is alive, defeat of the entire army is as good as non-defeat; however, if Hanuman ji renounces His body, we are as good as dead even if alive’.
2C. Devotee : Even today, Deity Hanuman’s devotion unto Shriram is cited as the ultimate example of Dasyabhakti (Devotion unto God as a servitor). Deity Hanuman was ever ready to sacrifice His life for His master. When compared with service unto His master, Deity Hanuman considered even attaining Shivatva and Brahmatva (State of Shiva or Brahma respectively) unimportant. Deity Hanuman – a wonderful blend of servitor and soldier ! Deity Hanuman – a confluence of energy and devotion !
2D. Perpetual vigilance and spiritual practice : Even during a battle, Deity Hanuman would spare time to meditate; yet, He would remain vigilant even in the meditative state. He would rest His tail on His gada (Mace) during meditation.
2E. Intelligent : None could match Deity Hanuman in the precepts of Grammar, the sutravrutti (A complex formation of sentences requiring resolution or explanation), bhashya (Commentary on sutras), vartik (Explanatory, glossarial) and sangraha (Vocabulary). Deity Hanuman is considered to be the eleventh compiler of Grammar.
2F. Master in psychology and an expert politician : On many occasions, not only Sugreeva (King of monkeys), but even Shriram followed Deity Hanuman’s advice. When Bibhishan (Ravan’s brother) deserted Ravan and showed willingness to join Shriram, Hanuman ji advised Shriram to accept him despite opposition from the other warriors. Shriram too honoured His advice. The following examples illustrate Deity Hanuman’s astute intellect and expertise in psychology – In His very first meeting with Seeta in Lanka, He was able to create faith about Himself in Her mind, setting Lanka ablaze to defeat the enemy, being used as an envoy by Shriram to assess Bharat’s feelings about Shriram’s arrival. All these examples confirm His intellectual and psychological expertise. By setting Lanka ablaze, He weakened the faith of Ravan’s subjects in their king’s powers.
2G. Master of the senses : Deity Hanuman’s psychological state when He went in search of Seeta in Ravan’s palace is indicative of His noble character. At that time He said to Himself, ‘Though I saw all of Ravan’s women lying around carefree, I was not overwhelmed by lust’. Many Saints worship Deity Hanuman – the master of His senses, and thus, place His ideals before society. It is because of this ability that He could defeat Indrajit (Ravan’s son).
2H. Mastery over literature, philosophy and oratory : Deity Hanuman’s speech in Ravan’s court is an example of the art of oratory par excellence.
2I. Promoter of music : Deity Hanuman is considered to be one of the chief promoters of music. Perhaps He benefitted from His association with Deity Rudra. He is considered to be the Incarnation of Deity Rudra. Deity Rudra is one of the forms of Deity Shiva. The origin of sound is Deity Shiva’s damaru (An hourglass shaped drum); hence, He is considered to be the creator of music. It is because of Deity Hanuman’s expertise in singing that Samartha Ramdas Swami conferred the title of ‘Sangitajnanamahanta (Expert among the knowledgeable in music)’ on Him.
2J. Promoter of the Dhwajanath sect : Of the 12 sub-sects of the Nath-sect, Deity Hanuman is considered to be the promoter of the Dhwajanath sect.
2K. One who responds to His devotee’s vows : Many people have firm faith that Hanuman ji is the Deity who fulfils vows. It is because of this faith or merely to fulfil a vow that many men and women circumambulate Deity Hanuman’s Idol in specific numbers every day. Some people wonder why unmarried girls are advised to worship Hanuman ji, who Himself is a bachelor. Some others conclude erroneously that it is because of the desire to marry a well-built man that spinsters worship Hanuman ji; the real reasons, however, are given ahead.
1. Of the unmarried, approximately 30% are unable to get married because they suffer from distress of negative energies such as ghosts, black magic, etc. These distresses are overcome by worshipping Deity Hanuman. 10% are unable to get married due to unreasonable expectations about the prospective bride or groom. Once they reduce their expectations, they get married. 50% are unable to get married due to their destiny. If their destiny is mild or moderate, it can be overcome by worshipping the Family Deity. When destiny is severe, the individual can get married only by the Guru’s grace. In the remaining 10% cases, marriage does not take place due to other spiritual reasons. They have to be tackled independently.
2. Among the superiormost Deities, there is no difference such as married or single. There is no gender differentiation between them either, since they are born through a resolve, meaning, through non-sexual means. It is the humans who have created this difference (Male/female). In fact, a female Deity represents the male Deity’s Shakti (Divine Energy).
2L. Chiranjiva (Immortal) : Shriram reincar-nates every time as the same Principle; however, Deity Hanuman incarnates as a different Principle each time. Though Deity Hanuman is one of the Saptachiranjivas (Seven eternal souls), at the end of the four eras they attain Moksha (Final Liberation), and their place is taken by some other seven highly evolved souls.
3. Negative energies fear Deity Hanuman
A. Most people in society face distress due to negative energies. Sometimes, due to negative energy distress, an individual faces physical, psychological and other problems in life. Negative energies create obstacles in the spiritual practice of seekers as well; but unfortunately most people are unaware of the distress caused by negative energies. Some people do visit mantriks or bhagats (Those who solve worldly problems through spiritual remedies) to avert negative energy distress, but on most occasions their treatment is temporary. After some time, the negative energies can cause distress to the individual again.
So also, most mantriks and bhagats are fake and cheat people. Hence, instead of falling prey to the fake mantriks, etc. and performing endless rituals of Karmakanda, performing spiritual practice is the only effective remedy.
One of the Deities that help in averting distress caused by negative energies is Deity Hanuman. Chanting the Name of Deity Hanuman can eliminate distress caused by negative energies.
B. Recovery from diseases : There is a tradition of taking an ailing individual to a Hanuman temple for getting cured. Ailing people are also asked to chant Veer Hanuman-mantra.
1. Chanting the Name of Deity Hanuman is beneficial for curing some physical and psychological ailments. (Details are provided in Sanatan’s Text – ‘Chants that can cure ailments’.)
2. It is also beneficial to recite Hanuman-stotra, Hanuman-chalisa, Bajarang-ban, Hanuman vadvanal stotra, etc. for curing ailments.
3. The Veer Hanuman-mantra too is recited to be freed of ailments.
4. Control over positive energy
If there is any obstacle in the path of activated Kundalini (Dormant spiritual energy in the subtle body), Deity Hanuman is worshipped to remove it and give it the appropriate direction.
(Ref.: Sanatan’s Booklet – ‘Maruti’)
The jiva must imbibe all the principles present in the Brahmanda, meaning Shiv; only then will it merge with Shiv !