In many places in India, one can see people treating monkeys with fondness and respect and offering them food. It’s not out of mere love for an animal but out of reverence for Lord Hanuman, the monkey god.

Hanuman in the Ramayana

One gets to see Lord Hanuman in action in epics like the Ramayana, where he plays an important part, and also in the Mahabharata. In the Mahabharata, he helps Lord Rama to rescue his wife, Sita, from captivity. Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, abducted Sita and kept her captive in his kingdom. Rama sends Hanuman to Lanka to find Sita’s whereabouts and convey his message to her. Hanuman, who has many siddhis or magical powers, leaps over the ocean to reach Lanka. He finds Sita, conveys Rama’s message to her, and gives her hope and solace that Rama will rescue her soon. Later, he fights bravely against Ravana’s army. When Lakshmana is mortally injured in battle, he uproots an entire mountain of medicinal herbs and carries it to Lanka to save Lakshmana’s life.

Hanuman in the Mahabharata

In the Mahabharata, Hanuman poses as an old monkey to teach the Pandava prince, Bhima, a lesson in humility. When the Pandavas were living in exile, Draupadi, the wife of the 5 Pandava brothers, came across a 1000-petalled lotus flower. She wanted more of the same and asked Bhima to find them for her. Now, Bhima was a strong man, and he was proud of his strength. It flattered his vanity that Draupadi made this request to him and not to her other husbands. So, filled with pride, he set forth in search of the flower.

On the way, he came across an old monkey which lay sleeping on the path. He ordered the monkey to get up and move away, but the monkey continued to lie in the same place. Irritated. Bhima shouted at the monkey. The monkey opened his eyes and said that he was not well. Bhima told him to move his tail if he didn’t want Bhima to crush it under his foot. He also mentioned that he was Bhima.

The old monkey meekly said, “O! So you are Bhima? Can you please lift my tail and move it aside, as I am too weak to do it myself?” Bhima replied sarcastically, “If I touch your dirty tail, it will break into four pieces. Also, you will be thrown away very far.” The old monkey said, “If so, I won’t blame you.” Bhima then tried to pull the old monkey’s tail. But try as he might, he could not move it at all. Bhima felt flabbergasted that all his strength and might proved ineffective for such a trifling task. He then realized that this was no ordinary monkey but some divine being. Hanuman then assumed his true form and told him that he had played a prank on his younger brother (Bhima) to get rid of his pride. Vayu was the father of both Hanuman and Bhima.

What is Hanuman Jayanthi?

Hanuman Jayanthi is the birthday of Lord Hanuman. He was born to the apsara, Anjana, who was born as a monkey due to a curse, and Kesari, the king of the Vanaras. But Vayu, the Wind god, is in a way responsible for Anjana’s conception, so he is also regarded as Hanuman’s father. (The story goes that Anjana wanted Lord Shiva to be born as her son. So Vayu helped transfer Shiva’s energy to her womb).

Hanuman Jayanthi falls on the 15th day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Chaitra. Hanuman is supposedly the 11th avatar of Lord Shiva. He is known for his great devotion to Lord Rama, strength, courage, knowledge, divine powers, intelligence, selfless service, etc.

Significance of Lord Hanuman

Hanuman is the devotee’s conduit to Lord Rama, for Rama can be reached only through his greatest devotee, Hanuman. People believe that if one recites the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ continuously, it can get rid of one’s problems and bestow strength and courage. Hanuman is the favorite deity of wrestlers and bodybuilders.

Hanuman is one of the 8 immortals or Chiranjeevis. Devotees believe that he still lives among them on earth to receive their prayers and bestow his blessings on them. Those who pray to him on Hanuman Jayanthi may find their wishes come true sooner, as he is more accessible to his devotees on his birthday.

Celebrating Hanuman Jayanthi

Devotees perform Poojas for Lord Hanuman at their homes, and they also visit temples and make offerings. Sunthwada, a sweet made of dry ginger, is one of the offerings. As Hanuman was born at sunrise, devotees conduct religious discourses and sing bhajans before sunrise and conclude them at dawn. People chant hymns and offer ritualistic worship. They perform Aarti, and then the Prasad is distributed.

Tuesdays and Saturdays are considered to be the best days to worship Hanuman. Images of Hanuman in a sitting position are not kept for worship usually, as they represent his un-manifested form. Devotees choose to keep the manifested form of the Lord for worship so that his energy is manifest and eliminates negativity. The idol in a praying posture or with its face turned to the left is worshipped normally. This is believed to bestow spiritual progress.

It is customary for devotees to apply vermilion (sindoor) paste on his body and offer oil and calotropis leaves to him. They also break coconuts before his idol. Such practices can generate divine consciousness in them.

The worship of Hanuman has the power to reduce the problems caused by Shani or Saturn. Hence, people worship him during the difficult Sade Sati period of seven and a half years, when Saturn’s torments can be unbearable. They also perform a ritual where 14 grains of black urad are placed in some oil in a bowl. The devotee then looks at their own face in it. Then they offer the oil to Hanuman and request him to free them from Saturn’s adverse effects. The reflection of the face in the oil supposedly transfers the negative energy of the person to the oil. By offering the oil to Hanuman, the negativities are eliminated.

A Spiritual Celebration

The essence of Hanuman Jayanthi celebrations is to gain spiritual power and energy. It is the reason why Lord Hanuman is the favorite deity of Brahmacharis or bachelors, who control their senses and abstain from physical pleasures to conserve their vital energy. Typically, Hanuman Jayanthi is not marked by the gaiety and exuberance of other festivals like Diwali or Navratri. It is a time to observe fast, chant Mantras, meditate, and do charitable acts.

Hanuman’s life was all about devotion to Rama. He represents the soul’s thirst to merge with the Absolute and thus gain freedom from the bondage of life and death. This is also why he had immense powers and how he could master his senses.