Long back, while moving from the town of Bolangir to the town of Sonepur in Odisha, I could see a huge statue of Hanuman on the left side of the highway somewhere mid-way between the two places. Years later, while going from Sambalpur to Sonepur, I could see another huge statue of Hanuman at Sindhol on the right side of the highway. The difference was that the latest statue was much taller than the earlier one. This is not the end of my seeing statues. Till recently, I could see two more statues of Hanuman, one at Papakshya Ghat near Binika and the other near Sundargarh on the right side of the Sambalpur-Rourkela highway. What I have felt during all these years is the fact that the size of the statue has all the time increased, which makes it clear that the popularity of Hanuman has been on the rise not only in Odisha but also in the whole of the country. In this context, let us now peep into his qualities and characteristics:
- Birth – Hanuman was born on a hill. His father was Keshari and mother was Anjana. He had not only high respect for his parents but also obeyed them.
- Divine quality – Though born in a monkey or jungle race, he was gifted with divine qualities. He is called ‘Pawan Suta’ or the son of the god of air. He is also called an incarnation of Lord Siva. He had great respect for the Lord and accepted him as his Guru. Lord Siva had sent his power through Vayudev, which led to the birth of Hanuman.
- Exceptional power – Ever since his childhood days, his exceptional power had come to the fore. As a child, he flew up to the sun to catch it as a fruit as he was hungry. The sun is 150 million kilometres from the earth as per modern-day calculations, which is almost equal to the distance as mentioned by saint Tulsi Das. We might imagine the speed with which he had flown.
- Strength and speed – Hanuman is known for his strength and speed. His physical stamina was exemplary. In the Dwapara era, even Bhim could not lift his tail. Within one night, he could fly from Lanka to the Himalayas and back with the Gandhamardan hill so that the life of Luxman could be saved on the battlefield.
- Immortality – He is a Chiranjeevi who lives through the four ages. Because of his bhakti for Ram, Mata Sita has given him the boon of immortality. It is believed that he would side with Kalki, the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, in putting an end to ‘Kalyug’.
- Can assume any form – Hanuman could assume any form he liked. When he jumped over the sea to reach Lanka, his enormous size frightened the monkey army. When the need arose, he could take the form of an ant.
- Devotee of Ram – The moment he saw Ram, he became his follower. The power and looks of Ram had an indelible impression on him. Throughout his life, he has remained a devotee of Ram. It is believed that even today, whenever there is ‘Ramkatha’, he is present in one form or another to listen to it.
- Disciple of Siva – It is known that he was born with the blessings of Lord Siva. Hanuman has accepted him as his Guru. Lord Siva is also seen loving him and his ideology.
- Devotee of Devi – Hanuman is also a great devotee of Devi. Devi Lankeswari or Lankini left Lanka when Hanuman approached her. Certain sources delineate it to be a fight between the two. He also embodies the power of Shakti as he was a manifestation of Lord Siva, who is inseparable from Shakti.
- First meeting with Ram – Hanuman met Ram and Luxman for the first time when the two brothers searched for Sita abducted by Ravan and wanted to meet Sugriva in this connection. This was devotion at first sight. A learned person as he was, he knew that Ram was no ordinary mortal but an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who has been born on earth with a purpose.
- Searching for Sita – He was assigned the task of searching Sita. When the monkeys encouraged him, he increased his size to an enormous extent and jumped over the sea to reach Lanka. He found Mata Sita, conveyed Ram’s message to her, set Lanka on fire and returned.
- Saving Luxman – Hanuman was a faithful attendant of Ram till the very end and played a crucial role in the battle against Ravana. When Luxman was wounded by Indrajit and had lost his consciousness, even Ram had lost all hopes and became inconsolable. But Hanuman flew to the Himalayas and carried ‘Sanjeevani Buti’, thereby saving the life of Luxman. Nobody else could have done it.
- A bachelor – He is a born bachelor or ‘Ajanma brahmachari’. This way he could concentrate and meditate on his strength, knowledge and yogic practice. Though certain Hindu scriptures mention that he was married to the daughter of Suryadev, he is still called a ‘Brahmachari’ as the marriage was symbolic, without involving marital relations and a family life.
- A master of Tantric art – Hanuman was well-versed in Tantric art and practised it. All the evil spirits and dark forces stay away from him. It is believed that a recitation of ‘Hanuman Chalisha’ removes all the obstacles in one’s life.
- What was he – Hanuman is supposed to be a ‘Banara’, which does not necessarily mean a monkey. It also refers to one who lives in the jungle. He may be of a monkey-like species nearing the characteristics of beings of a human race living in the jungle, or the dress that he wore had a tail-like portion. There has been much research on this aspect.
- His birth place – He is so popular in the country as a deity that four to five places are claimed to be his birthplace. But the most accepted one is in the state of Karnataka.
- His popularity – Hanuman is obviously one of the most popular deities in Hinduism, and it is also on the rise. Throughout the length and breadth of the country, his temples and statues are coming up in large numbers.
- A scholar – He is a scholar and well-versed in the shashtras. He has accepted Lord Siva and Suryadev as his Guru. He could learn from Suryadev, moving with his speed.
- Panchamukhi Hanuman – Hanuman, in normal times, is single-headed. But he is much more than that. The Hanuman tatwa delves deep into Hinduism. He has five faces looking in five directions i.e., East, West, North, South and Upward, representing five specific qualities and benefits. Hanuman is the source of strength, spiritual power and protection of his devotees.
- A warrior – He is a warrior par excellence. His intelligence and physical strength add to his being a warrior. He was an expert in mace fighting, and his mace could do wonders.
With so many qualities, Hanuman towers above the Hindu deities, and his popularity is unsurpassed in the whole of the country. One more speciality of his is that he fits into all the Hindu sects i.e., Saivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism, and his statue or temple can be found in almost all the temple premises. He is a devotee of Lord Ram, and his bhakti and faithfulness to the Lord have made him stand apart in the midst of Hindu deities. It is good to see his statues and temples coming up in large numbers throughout the length and breadth of the country, thereby making him the Eternal Deity.
(The views expressed are the writer’s own)
Mr. Prafulla Kumar Majhi,
Retired Asst. Director, A. I. R, is an eminent Scholar and freelance writer in English & Odia. His areas of interests are sociocultural, economic, literary, historical and analytical studies and writings.
Email: airprafulla61@gmail.com
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