Lord Hanuman is one of the most revered deities in Bharat. He had extra ordinary strength and intellect. He completed seemingly impossible tasks. There was one particular incident when he took the Panchmukhi (five faced) form. Let’s delve into the story in today’s post.
Lakshman defeated and killed Indrajit (Ravan’s son) in the battlefield. After this Ravan reached out to his brother Ahiravan for help. Ahiravan was the king of the underworld or paatal lok. Vibhishan came to know about this and immediately informed Shri Ram and Lakshman about Ravan’s action.
Vibhishan asked Lord Hanuman to stay alert and not allow anyone in to the room where Shri Ram and Lakshman were staying. Ahiravan tried very hard to enter the premises but Lord Hanuman foiled all his attempts. Finally, Ahiravan disguised himself as Vibhishan. Hanuman couldn’t recognise him and let him enter the room where Shri Ram and Lakshman were staying.
Ahiravan entered the room and kidnapped Shri Ram and Lakshman. Then he took them to the underworld – paatal lok. As soon as Hanuman found out about this incident he informed the real Vibhishan. Vibhishan asked Hanuman to rescue them quickly as Ahiravan would use them as a ‘sacrificial offering’. So, Lord Hanuman went to paatal lok in search of Shri Ram and Lakshman.
Lord Hanuman defeated Makardhwaj and then entered paatal lok. Makardhwaj took Hanuman to Chandrasena who was a great devotee of Shri Ram. She was also Ahiravan’s wife. Chandrasena told Hanuman the secret to kill Ahiravan. Apparently his life force was in five different lamps which were kept in five different directions. The only way to kill Ahiravan was to blow away these five lamps at the same time.
Lord Hanuman appeared in a five faced form and extinguished the lamps thereby killing Ahiravan. He then rescued Shri Ram and Lakshman.
The five faces of Shri Hanuman were:
- Hanuman – Hanuman faces the east direction. It is believed that worshipping this face rids one of their sins and brings a peaceful and pure mind.
- Narsimha – The Narsimha face is south facing. It grants one victory over the enemies.
- Garud – This face of Lord Hanuman faces the west direction. Worshipping this face rids one from black magic, evil spirits and negative energies.
- Varaha – This face of Kesarinandan faces the north direction. It removes impacts of bad or malicious planets.
- Hayagriva – This face looks in the upward direction. Those who worship this face get knowledge and progeny.
It is advised to place ‘Panchmukhi Hanuman’ at the front door or entrance of the house to bring positivity and divine protection into your home.
