Hanuman Jayanti in 2017

Hanuman Jayanti

Hanuman Jayanti will be observed on 11th April 2017. According to the Hindu Calendar, it is celebrated on the 15th day of bright fortnight of Chaitra month. That is why, it is also known as Chaitra Purnima. It is celebrated to deify the birth of Lord Hanuman. He is also known by many different names like Pavan Putra, Maruti, Mahavir, Bajrang Bali, etc. To know more, keep on reading this article.

The Life of Hanuman

Hanuman Jayanti gives us a chance to remember Lord Hanuman. The Avatar of Lord Shiva, son of the ferocious Vayu Deva and Mother Anjana, let us have a look at the life of Hanuman. The entire life of Lord Hanuman is an example of dedication and devotion to the supreme Lord Shri Ram.

Lord Hanuman dedicated his life in the service of Shri Ram. He is the epitome of enormous strength, power, bravery and courage. He practices celibacy and is above all the material desires. What makes his greatness unmatched is the fact that he played the role of a devotee rather than the Lord.

He taught the entire humankind that all the greatness lies in selfless devotion and sacrifice.The Sankat Mochan taught us the joy to give and share. He also stands as a role model for all of us even in the modern world. Most of us are wasting our lives in the unnecessary material pursuits which bring us nothing but momentary pleasure. Though it sounds totally impossible to give up on all the material things yet we can definitely begin with making small gestures.

Celebrations of Hanuman Jayanti

Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated by Hindus all over the world. Devotees flock Hanuman temples and offer Vermillion to the Statue of Lord Hanuman. They also recite Hanuman Chalisa. Hanuman Chalisa is a devotional song which recites all the accomplishments in the life of Lord Hanuman. People fast on the day of Hanuman Jayanti and offer betel leaves at the Hanuman temple. Also, it is believed that reciting the name of Lord Rama pleases Lord Hanuman.

Birth of Hanuman

On this auspicious occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, let’s have a look at the mythical legend of the birth of Lord Hanuman. In the celestial palace there was a beautiful maiden named Anjana. She had all the comforts and luxuries as she was a heavenly being. One day Anjana got bored of her life and decided to visit the Earth. In search of some amusement she was wandering in the forest. While in the Jungle, Anjana saw a Vanar Rishi (monkey sage) meditating which really amused her. She began to laugh at the sage and did not stop even after the sage warned her. Instead, she threw pebbles on him and had a hearty laugh. This infuriated the Vanar Rishi and he cursed the damsel. The sage said,”I curse you to take the form you are mocking. You will be in this form until you give birth to the form of Lord Shiva.”

Anjana slowly began to attain the form of a monkey. And before she could say anything she was transformed into a monkey. She cried all night and woke up in the morning to find out that this was not a nightmare. She realized that she was sitting under a banyan tree which had a statue of Lord Shiva. She wiped her tears and decided that she would dedicate her life to Lord Shiva.

She prayed for many years without taking any food, water and sleep. This pleased Lord Shiva and he appeared in his divine form. Lord Shiva decided to end all the miseries of Anjana. He blessed her to have a son who would be a form of Lord Himself. While this was happening with Anjana, King Dasaratha in Ayodhya was giving the divine pudding to his wife Kaushalya so that she could conceive a son. Lord Shiva ordered Vayu Dev to get a part of that pudding for Anjana. Vayu Dev ordered a hawk to perform the divine task. Carrying out the task the Hawk carried a portion of pudding and dropped it in the lap of mother Anjana. Vayudeva told mother Anjana that since he was the one who helped her get the divine pudding, he would be the father of the child.

Anjana very well knew that soon she will be forced to leave the child to return to her original abode. She was relieved to hear that Vayu Deva will take care of her child. While she was carrying the Hanuman Vayu Deva took good care of her. Finally, the auspicious day came when Lord Hanuman came to the world as a small child. After the baby was born mother Anjana regained her beautiful self and prepared to leave Earth and her child. With tears in her eyes she was convinced that her child will be taken care.

Lord Hanuman’s Childhood Legends

Hanuman Jayanti in 2017 also reminds us of childhood Leela of Lord Hanuman. Let us now delve a little into beautiful years of the childhood of Hanuman. Once Hanuman thought that the Sun was a golden red fruit which is to be eaten. Little Hanuman flew toward the Sun to satisfy his hunger. Seeing the danger Indra Dev (Lord of Gods) stuck him with a strong thunder bolt. Hanuman fell unconscious. This infuriated the Vayu Deva (Lord of winds) and he left the Earth with Hanuman. This threatened to leave the entire Earth lifeless. To resolve the entire issue Lord Brahma requested Vayu Deva to return to the Earth. All the Devas showered many blessings to Hanuman to please the Vayu Dev. This gave Hanuman a lot of powers in His childhood itself.

The tales of the childhood capture our attention because all of them show the naughty childhood years of Lord Hanuman. In another tale, Hanuman was cursed by a saint because he could not take Hanuman’s naughty behavior and mischief. He was cursed that he would forget his powers with time and only when he is reminded will he realize his true potential. All these incidents had a great impact in his life.

The purpose of Hanuman Jayanti or Mahavir Jayanti is to remind us that life should be dedicated to the Almighty. Whatever we do should be in the service of God and mankind. Life is not just about achieving but it is also about giving and sharing. We hope that on this Hanuman Jayanti you don’t just celebrate with rituals but also understand the lesson that the life of Hanuman teaches. We wish all the readers a very happy Hanuman Jayanti 2017.

Click here to read Shri Hanuman Mantra & Hanuman Vandana