Lord Hanuman is one of the most popular and revered deities in Bharat. He is worshipped across the country and has a huge following. He is the God of Strength, Courage, Devotion, Self Discipline and Wisdom. He is a ‘Brahmachari’ and also one of the ‘Chiranjeevi’.
Hanuman is first mentioned in the Ramayan. He was devoted to Shri Ram and with his selfless service and devotion, he won the love and affection of Shri Ram and his family. He was one of the most important characters in Ramayan. There is a very interesting story around his birth which we will get to know today. His birth is a coming together of divine blessings, a rishi’s curse and a divine purpose.
Hanuman was born to Anjana and Kesari – the Vanar king of Kishkinda. There was a celestial nymph called Punjikasthala who resided in Indralok. She was beautiful and very talented as well. Once Rishi Durvasa visited Devraj Indra in Indralok. While they were having a serious discussion, Punjikasthala kept moving in and out of the Indra Sabha.
Her constant movement caused distraction and angered Rishi Durvasa. Another legend says that she giggled uncontrollably at Rishi Durvasa. The rishi cursed her to be born as a monkey on earth. Punjikasthala prayed for forgiveness. Rishi Durvasa then altered his curse and said that she would marry a monkey king on Earth. She would be the mother of a very powerful son who would be the most dedicated devotee of Shri Ram. Punjikasthala was born on Earth as Anjana. She later married Kesari – who was the monkey king of Kishkinda. Kesari was also the son of Devguru Brihaspati.
The couple prayed to Lord Shiva to bless them with a child. Anjana performed severe penance and pleased with her devotion, Lord Shiva blessed her with a son who would be immortal. Around the same time, Raja Dasharath was performing a ‘yagna’ to have children in the far away kingdom of Kosala.
After the yagna concluded, Agni Dev (The Fire God) gave Raja Dasharath some rice kheer which was to be shared between Raja Dasharath’s three wives. The queens would have children after consuming the rice kheer. Raja Dasharath gave the kheer to his queens Kaushalya and Kaikeyi. When he was about to give the kheer to his third queen, Sumitra, a bird came flying and snatched the kheer from his hand. The bird flew away with the kheer. Both Kaushalya and Kaikeyi gave some portion of their kheer to Sumitra. Due to this Sumitra gave birth to twins.
The kheer slipped out of the bird’s claws and while it was falling down Vayu Dev (The Wind God) guided it towards Kishkinda. Following the orders of Shiva, Vayu Dev ensured that the kheer was received by Anjana and Kesari as ‘prasad’. A heavenly voice instructed Anjana to consume the kheer. Vayu Dev conveyed that the kheer had his powers too. Anjana ate the portion of kheer.
With the blessings of Shiva and Vayu Dev, Anjana had a child who was named ‘Hanuman’. He was also known as ‘Anjaneya’, ‘Kesarinandan’, ‘Pavanputra’. After his birth, Anjana transformed back to a celestial nymph and returned to Indralok. Hanuman’s father, Kesari took care of him and he grew up to become a strong boy with unmatched physical prowess and intelligence.
Rishi Durvasa’s curse actually turned out to be a boon. Hanuman played a very critical role in Ramayan and was also responsible for slaying many dangerous Asuras and freeing the earth of their atrocities.
