Sri Hanuman Jayanti
Hanuman Jayanthi celebrates the birthday of Hanuman. Hanuman is also known by the names Pavanasuta, Marutsuta, Mahaveera Bajrangabali, Pavankumar, Balibima and Maruti. Hanuman is the incarnation of Lord Siva.This celebration is especially important to Brahmacharis celibacies, wrestlers and bodybuilders. Believed to be an avatar of Lord Shiva, Hanuman is worshipped as a symbol of physical strength, perseverance and devotion. Hanuman is widely venerated throughout India and is worshipped for his unflinching devotion to the God.
He possessed devotion, knowledge, spirit of selfless service, power of celibacy, and desirelessness.He never boasted of his bravery and intelligence. The world has not yet seen and will not see in future also a mighty hero like Sri Hanuman.
During his life he worked wonders and exhibited superhuman feats of strength and valour. He has left behind him a name which, as long as the world lasts, will continue wielding a great influence over the minds of millions of people. It is believed that he who meditates on him and repeats his name attains power, strength, glory, prosperity and success in life.
In the Heavenly, Divine Realms, there was a girl named Punjikasthala who was an attendant to Brihaspati, the preceptor of the gods. However, one time she insulted a sage, and thus he cursed her to be born on Earth as a female monkey, a curse which could only be removed by giving birth to a son who would be an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Thus, she took birth as Anjana and later married Kesari. Both were very pious and pure, and they lived a life filled with austerities, worship, meditation and penance. Anjana prayed to the God of Wind, Vayu that He would grace her with a son.
He fulfilled this wish and graced her with Hanuman. She also prayed to Lord Shiva to take birth in her womb, thereby freeing her from the curse of living as a female monkey. Lord Shiva was pleased by her purity and devotion and also by her intense spiritual practice; therefore, He agreed to incarnate in her womb as her son. In that way, the divine Hanuman took birth on the 14th day of the month of Chaitra in a cave on the Rushyamuk Mountain. Upon his birth, Anjana was freed from the curse and able to return to the Heavenly realms. The life of Lord Hanuman is filled with feats of courage and displays of immeasurable strength.
When he was sent to bring four precious life-saving herbs from the Himalayas in order to save Lakshman’s life, instead of bringing only the four plants, he carried the entire Himalayan mountain! Sometimes in life when we embark upon a new, noble undertaking we may be faced with obstacles and hurdles. However, we must always remember that faith and devotion to God are the greatest sources of power. Through chanting God’s name with true devotion, we can achieve anything. The power of God’s name gave Hanuman the ability to fly across the ocean and to carry mountains.