HANUMAN JAYANTI.

HANUMAN JAYANTI. 10-04-2017 MANOJAVAM MAARUTATULYAVEGAM JITENDRIYAM BUDDHIMATAAM VARISTHAM, VAATAATMAJAM VAANARAYOOTHMUKHYAM SRIRAMDOOTAM SARANAM PRAPADHYE. HANUMAN WORSHIP TEACHES US OF THE UNLIMITED POWER THAT LIES UNUSED WITHIN EACH ONE OF US. HANUMAN DIRECTED ALL HIS ENERGIES TOWARDS THE WORSHIP OF LORD RAMA. HIS UNDYING DEVOTION MADE HIM SUCH THAT HE BECAME FREE FROM ALL PHYSICAL FATIGUE. HANUMAN'S ONLY DESIRE WAS TO GO ON SERVING RAMA. HANUMAN PERFECTLY EXEMPLIFIES DASYA-BHAVA DEVOTION — ONE OF THE NINE TYPES OF DEVOTION. SUCH DEVOTION CREATES BOND WITH THE MASTER AND THE SERVANT. THE STORY OF THE BIRTH OF HANUMAN IS THAT BRIHASPATI HAD AN ATTENDANT CALLED PUNJIKA-STHALA, WHO WAS CURSED TO ASSUME THE FORM OF A FEMALE MONKEY — A CURSE THAT COULD ONLY BE NULLIFIED IF SHE WOULD GIVE BIRTH TO AN INCARNATION OF LORD SHIVA. REBORN AS ANJANA, SHE PERFORMED INTENSE AUSTERITIES TO PLEASE SHIVA, WHO FINALLY GRANTED HER THE BOON THAT WOULD CURE HER OF THE CURSE. WHEN AGNI, THE GOD GAVE DASHARATH, THE KING OF AYODHYA, A BOWL OF SACRED DESSERT TO SHARE AMONG HIS WIVES SO THEY MAY HAVE DIVINE CHILDREN, AN EAGLE SNATCHED A PART OF THE PUDDING AND DROPPED IT WHERE ANJANA WAS MEDITATING, , THE WIND DELIVERED THE DROP TO HER OUTSTRETCHED HANDS. AFTER SHE TOOK THE DIVINE DESSERT, SHE GAVE BIRTH TO HANUMAN. THUS LORD SHIVA INCARNATED AS A MONKEY, AND WAS BORN AS HANUMAN TO ANJANA, BY THE WIND GOD, WHO THUS BECAME HANUMAN'S GOD-FATHER. THE BIRTH OF HANUMAN RELEASED ANJANA FROM THE CURSE. BEFORE SHE RETURNED TO HEAVEN, HANUMAN ASKED HIS MOTHER ABOUT HIS LIFE AHEAD. SHE ASSURED HIM THAT HE WOULD NEVER DIE, AND SAID THAT FRUITS AS RIPE AS THE RISING SUN WOULD BE HIS FOOD. MISTAKING THE GLOWING SUN AS HIS FOOD, THE DIVINE BABY LEAPT FOR IT. INDRA STRUCK HIM WITH HIS THUNDERBOLT AND HURLED HIM DOWN TO EARTH. BUT HANUMAN'S GODFATHER, THE WIND CARRIED HIM TO THE PATALA. AS HE DEPARTED FROM THE EARTH, ALL LIFE PANTED FOR AIR, AND BRAHMA HAD TO BEG HIM TO RETURN. IN ORDER TO APPEASE HIM THEY CONFERRED BOONS AND BLESSINGS ON HIS FOSTER CHILD THAT MADE HANUMAN INVINCIBLE, IMMORTAL AND SUPER POWERFUL. HANUMAN SELECTED SURYA, THE SUN GOD AS HIS PRECEPTOR, AND APPROACHED HIM WITH THE REQUEST TO TEACH THE SCRIPTURES. SURYA AGREED AND HANUMAN BECAME HIS DISCIPLE, BUT HAD TO FACE HIS CONSTANTLY MOVING GURU BY TRAVERSING THE SKY BACKWARDS AT EQUAL PACE, WHILE TAKING HIS LESSONS. HANUMAN'S PHENOMENAL CONCENTRATION TOOK HIM ONLY 60 HOURS TO MASTER THE SCRIPTURES. SURYA CONSIDERED THE MANNER IN WHICH HANUMAN ACCOMPLISHED HIS STUDIES AS HIS TUITION FEES, BUT WHEN HANUMAN REQUESTED HIM TO ACCEPT SOMETHING MORE THAN THAT, THE SUN GOD ASKED HANUMAN TO ASSIST HIS SON SUGRIVA, BY BEING HIS MINISTER AND COMPATRIOT.