10 Lesser Known Facts About Lord Hanuman That Will Amaze You

One of the most adored deities in the Hindu religion is the one and only Lord Hanuman who is known in 108 different names. Some of his popular names are Pawanputra, Balaji, Sankat Mochan, Anjaneya, etc. Hanuman was born to monkey king Kesari and Anjani and he is an embodiment of strength, intelligence, devotion, compassion, loyalty and perseverance. Since childhood, you may be watching some of the tales of Lord Hanuman on television and hearing many of his stories that reflect his love for Lord Rama. He accepted Lord Rama as his master and unleashed the true meaning of faith and worship.

During his childhood, Lord Hanuman used to be a mischievous child but following dharma and helping people in need was some of his most popular qualities. He formed an integral part of the great Hindu epic, Ramayana by posing as the main aid to Lord Rama to fight a fierce battle of powers and great weaponry against demon king, Ravana.

Still there are so many tales that describe his greatness and his ardent love for Lord Rama, which are yet not known by many. Here are 10 lesser known facts about Lord Hanuman that will amaze you and will give you a reason to get imbibed some serious life lessons from our very own Bajrangbali:

1. Lord Hanuman Is An Incarnation Of Lord Shiva

There is a whole interesting story about Lord Hanuman’s birth into this world as an incarnation of the Lord Shiva. The story begins in the time, when Anjana used to be an ethereal fairy in the court of Lord Indra and was extremely egoistic about her beauty. Once she enraged a sage who was concentrating in his meditation and in turn, was cursed that her beauty she boasts of will turn into a monkey face as soon as she falls in love. When she was sent to earth, she was smitten by monkey king Kesari and the two got married.

Being an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva, Anjana deeply wished for him to take birth as her son and she started meditating to please God. Meanwhile, King Dasharatha of Ayodhya had four queens but still had no child. Therefore, he conducted a yagna to appease God. He offered a sweet dish called kheer to God, which was then distributed among his queens as prasadam. When the eldest of his queens, Kaushalya was about to consume it, it is believed that a kite snatched a small portion of it and flew away. It was Lord Vayu, God of Wind, who took this portion on Lord Shiva’s request and placed it before Anjana when she was meditating. She assumed it to be a blessing of Lord Shiva and consumed it. Thereby, Anjaneya or Pawanputra took life in Anjana’s womb.

2. A Sage Had Cursed Lord Hanuman

During childhood, Lord Hanuman was known as a notorious child and would tease the sages who took refuge in his father’s kingdom. But once when he was annoying and troubling a sage who was meditating, the sage cursed him. Knowing that he was just a mere child, the sage hexed Lord Hanuman that he would forget his powers bestowed by divine deities and would remember them if someone reminded him of those powers. In Kishkinda Kanda and Sunder Kanda, there is mention of this curse and how Jambhavantha reminded Lord Hanuman of his magical abilities that he could use for finding Goddess Sita.

3. Five Headed Lord Hanuman Killed Ahiravan

Ahiravan was the brother of demon king, Ravana and acting on his brother’s advice, he held Lord Rama and Laxmana in captivity in the nether world. Determined to save his Lord Rama, Lord Hanuman went to the nether world to kill Ahiravana, which was possible only if he extinguished five lamps lit in five different directions at one time. He therefore, assumed the form of Panchmukhi Hanumana to perform this task, where apart from himself, the other faces were of Narasimha, Garuda, Hayagriva and Varaha.

4. Lord Hanuman Once Applied Sindoor On His Entire Body

At one instance, Lord Hanuman saw Goddess Sita applying sindoor on her forehead. He asked her why she applied it daily and in reply, Goddess Sita said that the sindoor on forehead denotes her wish for long life and well being of her husband, Lord Rama. On hearing this, Lord Hanuman smeared his whole body with sindoor thinking that if a pinch of sindoor on Goddess Sita’s forehead can bring prosperity and long life to his Lord, then applying it on the entire body can extend Lord Rama’s life even more. Since then, it is believed that if you offer sindoor to Pawanputra, then Lord Hanuman will help you defeat your troubles.

5. Lord Rama Got Defeated While Fighting With Lord Hanuman

Lord Rama’s guru, Vishwamitra ordered him to kill Yayati and she in turn, pleaded Lord Hanuman to save her life. Lord Hanuman thought that it was his dharma to protect life of people seeking refuge and thereby, vowed to save Yayati, even if he had to fight with his Lord Rama. In the war field, Lord Hanuman refused to use weapons and instead started chanting Lord Rama’s name. All the arrows shot by Lord Rama went in vain and Vishwamitra was astonished to see this kind of devotion showcased by Lord Hanuman. He therefore, relieved Lord Rama of this dilemma and asked him to spare Yayati’s life.

6. Lord Hanuman Once Rejected Goddess Sita’s Gift

After the thumping victory against demon king Ravana, when Lord Rama, Goddess Sita and Laxmana reached Ayodhya, they decided to distribute rewards to all the people who had contributed in the battle. In order to gift Lord Hanuman, Goddess Sita took her pearl necklace and presented it to him as a gesture to thank him for his immense contribution. But he rejected it. He humbly refused to accept anything that did not have Lord Rama’s name. When some people started laughing at him, Lord Hanuman ripped his chest apart and showed everyone that Lord Rama and Goddess Sita literally stayed in his heart and thus, he proved his intense devotion.

Recommended: 12 Things To Learn From Hanuman

7. Despite Being A Brahmachari, Lord Hanuman Had A Son

After destroying the whole Lanka with his burning tail, which was set on fire on orders of Ravana, Lord Hanuman wanted to cool himself off and thereby, took a dip in the sea. As per the ancient scriptures, the sweat released from his body was consumed by a giant fish (or crocodile, according to some people), the fish then gave birth to Lord Hanuman’s son, Makardhwaja.

8. Lord Hanuman Promised Lord Rama To Protect This Earth

The Rama Rajya established by Maryada Purushottam Lord Rama was an empire known for peace, valour, justice and happiness. When Lord’s Vishnu’s incarnate was on his way towards Vaikuntha, Lord Hanuman promised him to stay in earth as long as the people in this world chant Lord Rama’s name. Lord Hanuman is immortal and it is believed that he has been protecting us from various kinds of evils. There have been various proofs of his existence in this world that only few people are aware of.

Recommended: 6 Signs That Indicate Existence Of Lord Hanuman

9. Lord Rama Tricked Lord Hanuman To Let Him Die

Everyone is aware of the height of love and devotion that Lord Hanuman had for Lord Rama. He was always alert to protect Lord Rama and would cross any limit to keep his God safe and sound. When the time had come for Lord Rama to leave this world, he had to distract Lord Hanuman, who always guarded his path. If Lord Rama did this, only then can Yama enter Ayodhya.

Thus, Lord Rama acted to have lost his ring that he had intentionally dropped on the cracked portion of the floor and had fell deep into the nether world. When Lord Hanuman went there to fetch that ring, he asked the nether world’s king to give Lord Rama’s ring and the king showed him a vault filled with rings, all of which belonged to Lord Rama. A shocked Lord Hanuman learnt the fact that when in the cycle of time a Lord Rama is to die, he drops a ring down the crack so that a Lord Hanuman leaves his guard to find the ring.

10. Lord Hanuman Was Present In Arjuna’s Chariot In Mahabharata

During the great battle of powers and weaponry in Kurukshetra, Arjuna entered the battlefield in a chariot that had a flag displaying Lord Hanuman. The inclusion of Lord Hanuman has a vital role in the war and victory of Pandavas and there is a small story behind it. In a previous encounter with Arjuna, Lord Hanuman assumed the form of a small talking monkey. They met at Rameshwaram, where a bridge towards Lanka was built from stones having Lord Rama’s name on them. When Arjuna started thinking aloud that why Lord Rama took help of monkeys to build this bridge when he could have built it from arrows, Lord Hanuman challenged him to build such a bridge alone.

Unaware of the monkey’s true identity, Arjuna accepted the challenge and all his attempts were failed by Lord Hanuman. Discouraged by his consecutive failures, Arjuna decided to take his own life and this is when Lord Vishnu appeared before them. Lord Vishnu made Arjuna realise of his immaturity and Lord Hanuman realise that the challenge was making Arjuna feel incompetent at a time when he had to pose as the strength of the Pandavas. In order to repent for this act, Lord Hanuman decided to stabilise and strengthen Arjuna’s chariot by being present in it in the form of a flag.

Recommended: Miracles of reciting Hanuman Chalisa

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