HOW ANJANEYA BECAME HANUMAN!

                                                       

Anjaneya has a number of names like Vayu putra, Maruthi, Hanuman, Kapivara and many others! He is the chief character in the Ramayana who crossed the great Indian ocean and found SITA, spouse of sri RAMA! It is said that Lord Siva came down to earth as Hanuman to assist Lord Vishnu who took avatar as Sri RAMA! How did Anjaneya become Hanuman? What is the interesting story behind this? After hearing the exploits of Ravana and his humiliation at the hands of Karthviryarjuna and Vali, Sri Rama points out that they are not comparable to Anjaneya in strength, courage, presence of mind and knowledge. It was through the great effort of Anjaneya that Sri Rama could bring back his wife Sita from the clutches of Ravana. Sri  Rama  did not know Anjaneya till he met Sugriva near kishkinda! He did not know anything about the antecedents of Anjaneya.  He requested the renowned sage Agasthya to narrate all details of his birth and other activities. He wondered why Anjaneya did not realize his own strength early in his life.

        Anjaneya was the son of KESARI, the king of Sumeru  mountain and Anjana Devi. Through the grace of the wind God Vayu she had this child and hence he is called ANJANEYA! The moment he was born he became hungry and could not wait for his mother who went to procure some fruits. He cried of hunger and mistaking the rising Sun for a fruit, flew into the sky!  He flew with tremendous speed that out did the speed of the wind, and even the great Garuda! The Devas, asuras  and yakahas  were petrified at the phenomenal power and speed of the child Anjaneya! VAYU followed his child to protect him. The Sun did not harm the child since he was to perform great deeds in the future. Mistaking Rahu who was to eclipse the Sun at the moment, for a better fruit, the child approached the node! Rahu ran out of fear and complained to Indra king of Heaven. Angered and surprised, Indra  came to the spot on his white elephant, Iravata! Seeing Rahu, the child pounced on him! Noticing Iravata, Indra’s elephant, the child suddenly jumped on it to the utter dismay and anger of Indra! Enraged at this childish act of Anjaneya, Indra hit him with his terrible Vajra that none can escapefrom. Child Anjaneya fell down on a mountain rock senseless! His jaws were badly damaged!

          Angry and sad at what Indra has done to his child Anjaneya, Vayu took his son to a cave, and withdrew himself from all his activities in the world! As a result all respiratory and excretory activities of people were affected! Vedic Chanting came to a standstill! All Yagnas and sacrifices and homas stopped! Devas suffered a lot and went to Lord Brahma for relief from this extraordinary emergency! Brahma and the Devas met Vayu in the cave caressing his child on his lap! Pacifying Vayu, Lord Brahma passed his divine hand on the unconscious and injured child! Immediately child Anjaneya came back to life like the starved crop that is fed with water! Vayu was immensely pleased and came out of his shell!  He continued his free movement through all creatures in the universe! Lord Brahma bade all Devas to grant different boons to the child as he is to achieve great deeds in the future!

            Indra presented a garland of lotus flowers and declared that he will become famous with the name” HANUMAN”( hanuma = jaw) as his jaw was damaged. He granted that hence forth  his VAJRA will not have any effect on Hanuman! The Sun granted Hanuman a hundredth part of his radiance! He promised to take Hanuman as his student and teach him all sasthras and grammar! Varuna granted that his deadly ‘ Pasa’ and water will be ineffective on him! Yama blessed him and said his ‘ Kaladanda will not affect him! He shall be healthy and without worries! Kubera the God of wealth  said that his terrible mace shall be ineffective on him! Lord Siva granted that none of his arms shall destroy him! Finally Lord Brahnma granted him safety from his ‘Brahma danda’ and longevity! Viswakarma the divine sculptor gave protection against great and mighty arrows!

               Conscious of the boons granted to him and in his unbridled enthusiasm and power, young Hanuman created nuisance to the sages! He entered their ashrams, broke their holy pots,  put out their sacrificial fires and tore apart their dress items! He destroyed their peace of mind! He did not heed the words of his parents who felt sorry for his destructive activities! Unable to tolerate his pranks, the sages finally cursed that Hanuman would not realize his oAwn strength and energy till they are praised by some other individual  after a long time! Thus Hanuman was shorn of his real strength and was as good as gold and as gentle as lamb from that time! Hanuman became the bosom companion of Sugriva, brother of Vali who ruled Kishkinda after the death of his father.

                There is none equal to Hanuman in strength, intellect, conduct and character, dignity and decorum, skill and smartness! He learnt all sasthras and grammar under the Sun God! He compares well with Devaguru Bruhaspathi in knowledge and tapas1 He is called ‘ nava vyakarana panditha’ Sage gsthya concluded by saying that with the grace of Sri Rama, Hanuman shall become the next Brahma!

RAVANA'S ARROGANCE AND FIGHT WITH VALI

                                    

It is impossible for strong and energetic people to keep quiet and silent! Arrogance of power and strength do not allow them any peace of mind. They would be impelled to show their strength and power on others. If such people are granted boons by Gods,  their arrogance knows no bounds.  That is what we see in the stories of Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasipu who perished  by their arrogance and inveterate enmity with Lord Vishnu! How rightly has Adi Sankara described the plight of such proud and arrogant people!

    “ ma kuru dhana jana youvana garvam  harathi nimeshath  kalam sarvam’-----All this pride of money, people and youth are wiped out by time!

       With innumerable boons to his credit granted by Brahma and lord Siva and deathlessness from anything  from heaven and earth,  Ravana’s ego bloated like a balloon destined, of course, to blow up soon! He began conquering all lokas. He defeated Indra, Yama, Varuna and kubera his own brother and confiscated the divine Pushpaka Vimana! He obducted  many beautiful women irrespective of their status. On account of these unethical acts he was cursed by many but he never cared and took them casually in his stride!  Whenever  Ravana heard of a king or commoner more powerful than him, he would challenge him for a fight. His utter humiliation in the hands of Karthviryarjuna, king of Mahishmathi city did not teach him a lesson! He forgot it too soon and was ready to fight again!

         In his search for an enemy equal or more powerful, Ravana entered the Vanara Kingdom of Kishkinda ruled by the mighty King VALI. He challenged him to fight!  Vali’s minister and father in law  said that Vali was away to offer ‘ sandhyavandana’at the four seas! He would be arriving shortly and can  be  the exact match for Ravana’s  strength  and power! The minister pointed to a heap nearby and said that the white pieces there are the bones of people who came to fight with Vali! He directed Ravana  to  go to  the sea in the south if he wanted to challenge  Vali immediately! Poor Ravana had no knowledge of the might and prowess of the monkey king Vali!

          Ravana abused the minister and left by his Pushpaka Vimana to the sea in the south with the hope of accosting  vali face to face. He saw the mighty , radiant king of Kishkinda immersed in performing the rituals—prayer to goddess Gayathri and the SunGod! Getting down from his Pushpaka  Vimana,  Ravana ran stealthily to catch Vali. Meanwhile, Vali too saw Ravana running towards him and stood unperturbed. He did not care for the presence of Ravana like a lion before a rabbit or Garuda before a snake! He stood silent and thought of teaching Ravana a very good lesson by catching him in his armpit and drenching him in the waters of the four seas!

            Slowly and steadily Ravana came nearer and nearer to Vali but he remained nonchalant. Suddenly Vali caught Ravana in his armpit and flew into the sky with tremendous speed! Ravana ‘s ministers  were stunned at the turn of events. They could not follow Vali and Ravana as they were totally exhausted. Vali took Ravana to all the four seas, drenched him completely, and after finishing his rituals returned to Kishkinda. He let Ravana down from his armpit and mocked at him saying, “Oh! Ravana, I didn’t see you, When did you come?”

Ravana was utterly humiliated and his face turned red with anger and shame! This sad experience was before he began his fight with Vali! He imagined the dire consequence of fighting Vali directly! He thanked heaven for not fighting with Vali! He complimented Vali for his amazing and incredible strength and indomitable courage in carrying him over the four seas and drenching him! His speed in flying was equal to that of manas, Vayu, and Garuda, the king of birds. Ravana accepted his defeat and became friends with Vali! After a stay for a month, Ravana left Kishkinda for Lanka with his ministers!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

RAVANA'S HUMILIATION

                                                         

Astonished at the exploits of Ravana, Sri RAMA wondered whether there was not a single king or warrior or a great hero who could oppose him. Was there no one who could arrest his march and fight against him? Sage Agasthya recounted how Ravana was humiliated  by  KARTAVIRYARJUNA the king of Mahishmatipura! Ravana carried on his campaign against several kings and came to the famous city of Mahishmatipura which dazzled like heaven the abode of Indra. Karthaviryarjuna belonged to the clan of HAIHAYAS. He had just left the city with his women for bathing in the river Narmada nearby. He sent word to Arjuna that he had come to fight with him! As the King had already left, Ravana went to the famous Vindhya ranges full of forests, brooks and brambles and sylvan ambience.Reaching the renowned river Narmada,  he bathed and looked refreshed and relaxed! He bade his war torn supporters to bathe in the river Narmda and relax.He said he would worship Lord Siva in that ideal spot. Heaps of fresh and fragrant flowers were brought for his worship!

          He placed the golden Sivalinga in a selected spot and worshipped the Lord with great devotion. At a distance from Ravana’s place, Arjuna was having his bath along with the women who followed him. Arjuna wanted to test his strength and with his thousand hands arrested the current of river Narmada! There was a sudden flood of water and it washed away all the fragrant flowers  with which Ravana had  worshipped the Lord! Infuriated and shocked at this sudden disturbance Ravana sent his followers to find the reason for this sudden flood. They reported that a king was stopping the river flow with his thousand hands and playing with his women in the river Narmada!

            Thus the fight between ,Ravana’s  forces and those of Arjuna started fiercely.  The rakshasas  started eating away their enemies and it was a terrible face to face combat between them. All types of weapons, arrows, spears and maces were thrown at one another indiscriminately. Hearing that his forces are beaten back by Ravana’s soldiers, Arjuna pounced upon Prahastha like a lion and hit him with his mace and grounded him!  Seeing his forces fleeing and Prahastha down on the field, Ravana faced Arjuna at battle. It was an enviable fight between Ravana with twenty hands and Arjuna with a thousand hands!

               Like two lions in fight and as two mighty elephants at war, both Ravana and Arjuna fought fiercely with arrows, spears, maces and different kinds of arms! In spite of mutual blows neither Ravana nor Arjuna was affected! On the other hand the terrible macewith which Arjuna inflicted a mortal blow on Ravana’s chest, broke into two pieces! But the impact of the blow drove Ravana a little back and he collapsed! Taking advantage of the situation and Ravana’s weakness, Arjuna sprang on him, caught him with his thousand hands and bound him! Having imprisoned Ravana thus, Arjuna roared like a terrible lion in anger and sheer joy! Though Prahastha returned and rained arrows on Arjuna to get Ravana released, he did not succeed! Arjuna hounded off Prahastha and his army! Then he took away Ravana to the city of Mahishmathi in a grand gala procession blessed by the Vedic pundits and people!

                 Hearing the news of Ravana’s defeat and humiliation, his grandfather Brahmarshi  Pulasthya came running to Arjuna! After Arjuna received the sage with utmost respect and honor, Brahmarshi Pulasthya requested  Arjuna to release Ravana! He complimented Arjuna on his victory over Ravana who was invincible! Arjuna’s renown is now greater than that of Ravana as he has captured and bound Ravana! Implicitly obeying the Sage Pulasthya, Arjuna released Ravana! Ravana became friends with Arjuna and left for his place to continue his fight with other kings!

HOW MEGHANATHA BECAME INDRAJITH

                                  

After destroying the tormentor Ravana, Sri Rama returned to Ayodhya and took over the rule of the country. Meanwhile from all the directions came the great sages and saints to see RAMA and congratulate him on his achievement. He has saved the people and the sages especially, from the atrocities of the asuras. Included among the group were the ‘Sapta Rishis’—seven sages,  Vasishta, Kasyapa, Athri, Viswamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni,Bharadwaja and Agasthya! They said they were grateful to Rama for killing the terrible asuras, the dangerous Prahastha, Kumbhakarna, Thrisira, Akampana and others. They were also delighted at the death of invincible Ravana and his son Meghanatha the enemy of Devas.

         Sri Rama was a little surprised. He questioned the sages why they were praising Meghanatha, the son of Ravana while there were equally brave and great warriors like Prahastha, kumbhakarna , Mahodara and others. How is Meghanatha greater than his father Ravana?  What were the boons he had received? What is his speciality? He requested the Sages to narrate all the details. Sage Agasthya recounted the incidents in the life of Meghanatha.

          Ravana went to see his son Meghanatha in a place called Nikumbhila a delightful countryside near Lanka. Meghanatha was engaged in performing various yagnas and was in a saintly appearance. Ravana embraced him and wondered at what he was engaged in. Meghanatha had performed seven  rare yagas or sacrifices like Agnistoma, Aswamedha, Bahusuvarnaka,  Rajasuya  Maheswara and  Pasupatha elaborately. Sukracharya, the preceptor of asuras told Ravana that Lord Siva, in appreciation of  the austerities performed by Meghanatha granted him several boons. One of the most important boons was the chariot capable of flying in the sky and taking him to any place he likes! The second and the most significant boon was the grant of MAYA—illusion  called TAMASI that can create darkness and make Meghanatha invisible to his own people and the opponents alike! He was also granted a divine bow and a quiver of arrows perennial and most powerful.

           Ravana’s next attack was on Devendra, king of Devas. On hearing this news, various wings of Devas like the Rudras, Vasus,  Adithyas, Maruths  and Aswini Devas came to support Indra and defend themselves against Ravana. Thus there was a terrible war between the asuras and the Devas. Vasu, on the side of Devas mounted a terrible attack and killed Sumali the chief of asuras. Infuriated at this, Meghanatha  pounced upon Vasu and chased the forces of Devas away! Indra brought back the retreating army and allowed his son Jayantha to attack Meghanatha! The fight between Jayantha and Meghanatha was severe and dangerous! Meanwhile Jayantha’s grandfather, to save him from Megha natha, took him away from the scene! Not finding his son, Indra was upset and came to fight directly with Ravana! Though the army of Devas had to run for their lives, indra managed to come from the south and stopped the progress of terrible Ravana. Meghanatha entered the field and drove away the Devas by the Maya granted him by Lord Siva! As he was invisible, Indra could not see him! Meghanatha rained arrows at Indra.

              Finally, attacking the chariot, the driver and the horses of Ravana, Indra overpowered and captured him alive! But Meghanatha  attacked  Indra and becoming invisible with Tamasi the maya given by Lord Siva captured Indra and released Ravana his father! Seeing Devendra bound by his son, Meghanatha, Ravana was extremely happy and commended his heroism and presence of mind. All the Devas were down with gloom as Devendra was taken away and requested  Lord Brahma to bring back their lord Indra! Lord Brahma went to Meghanatha and praised him for the courage that he exhibited and directed him to release Ravana. Lord Brahma gave him the title“ INDRAJIT” as he has overpowered Indra and bound him to the astonishment of all! Henceforth he would be called by this name INDRAJIT—one who has defeated Indra. Indrajit wanted the boon of immortality from the Lord but He refused. After offering a few other boons, Lord Brahma satisfied Indrajit and got Indra released from Indrajit’s captivity!