Hanuman
He could leap across the ocean and carry a mountain in his hand — yet he forgot his own powers until someone reminded him. Who is Hanuman, why did he forget, and why do millions turn to him in moments of fear?
The verse
The son of the wind
Hanumān is the son of Anjana and Kesari, and the spiritual son of Vayu, the wind god — which is why he is also called Maruti, Pavanaputra and Anjaneya. His name is often explained through the story of his jaw (hanu) being struck as a child. He is one of the chiranjivis — those who live through the ages — and tradition says that wherever the Ramayana is recited, Hanuman is present, listening.
A child who tried to eat the sun
As an infant, the Ramayana and the Puranas say, Hanuman saw the rising sun and thought it was a ripe fruit. He leapt into the sky to catch it. Indra, alarmed, struck him with his thunderbolt, and the child fell, wounded. Vayu, his father, withdrew in grief — and with the wind gone, every living being began to suffocate. The gods hurried to make amends, each giving the child a gift of power. But the sages he would later tease gave him something else: a curse that he would forget his powers…
The journey continues for members
- Why he forgot — and the moment he remembered
- In Lanka: the ring and the fire
- Different traditions about Hanuman
- His symbols
- Festivals and days
- What Hanuman teaches
Sources
- Valmiki Ramayana — Kishkindha and Sundara Kanda
- Hanuman Chalisa — attributed to Tulsidas
- Ramcharitmanas — Tulsidas