Lord Hanuman, the god of wisdom, strength, and courage, as well as one of the most celebrated and revered figures within Hindu mythology. We have learned a lot about our beloved Bajarangabali through modern television, films, and TV shows, but there is still a lot we don’t know that is shrouded in mystery.
So let’s take a moment, and go through some of these facts!
Once Covered Himself With Sindoor
If there is one thing Lord Hanuman is known for it is his love and devotion for his hero Lord Rama. But why would he cover himself with sindoor?
Well, this all goes back to one incident that he had shared with goddess Sita when she had put sindoor on her forehead. Seeing this, Hanuman had asked her why she was doing this.
Upon which, she had replied that as she was his companion and caring wife the sindoor serves as a sign for her love and respect for Lord Rama and will also increase his lifes. As a result, to prove his own love for his hero, and the notion that he can increase Lord Ram’s span multifold if he does this; Lord Hanuman had covered every inch of his body with sindoor!
Following this, Ram had granted a boon that enabled all of those who worship Hanuman with sindoor will see their difficulties vanish.
Lord Hanuman Had A Son
Yes, you are right, he was a brahmachari, but he still had a son! Well, how is this possible? If you are a hanuman bhakt you might have heard the tale of how our Bajarangabali had burnt Lanka to the ground with the very tail that Ravan had ordered to be set on fire!
But the part you may not know is the one, where he had decided to cool his tail down after this incident by dipping it into the sea. It is said that when he had dipped his tail into the sea his sweat was swallowed by a fish!
In this way, Hanuman’s son Makard Hwaja was able to be conceived.
Ram Himself Had Issued A Death Sentence To Hanuman
Before one can understand how this had come to be, they would need to know about Narada. He is famous within Hindu mythology, as a god-sage who carried enlightening wisdom and news however renowned for causing mischief wherever he goes!
So one fine day Narada had asked Lord Hanuman to greet all of the sages except for Vishvamitra. This was something that had not really affected Vishvamitra, but upon instigation from Narada, he got so angry that he went to Ram and asked him to sentence Hanuman to death.
Seeing that Vishvamitra was once Ram’s guru he could not ignore his request and as a result, had to give the order. The very next day on the field, as the sentence was being executed all the arrows that were shot at Hanuman were doing no harm to him as Hanuman continually kept chanting Ram.
As Ram had chosen to abide solely as per his guru’s word, he had used the Brahmastra and to his very shock, Hanuman’s chants had stopped even the all-powerful Brahmastra!
Upon this, realizing his mistake Narada had immediately gone to Vishvamitra confessed his wrongs, and effectively stopped the entire ordeal.
Hanuman’s Name Translates To Disfigured Jaw
When we translate the name Hanuman into Sanskrit, we see two parts to it, “Hanu” and “Man.” The word “Hanu” translates to Jaw and the word “Man” translates to Disfigured. This is not surprising if one hears the tale of which Hanuman had mistaken the sun as a ripened mango and went to trace it up in the sky.
Hence, Lord Indra had used his thunderbolt otherwise known as his vajra against Hanuman which knocked him straight back down to the Earth and damaged his jaw forever.
He Rejected Sita’s Gift
At one time, Sita had gifted Lord Hanuman an awe-striking pearl necklace but he had turned it down. But wait, why would someone do this? Well, Hanuman had a very good reason for it – his devotion to Lord Ram!
He had said that he turned down the gift because he doesn’t want to accept anything that was devoid of his hero Ram’s name. Then just so he could prove this point Hanuman ripped open his chest and showed a picture of both of them.
Hanuman Tried His Best To Stop Ram’s Death When The Time Came
Lord Ram is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu had eventually decided to leave his Earthly existence such that he can begin his journey back to Vaikunta – his heavenly abode.
As Hanuman was his greatest devotee Lord Ram had already known he would oppose him. Hence, he had tasked Hanuman with finding his ring, that of which had fallen to the ground and had disappeared within the Patal Loka.
As Lord Hanuman had gone on this task, he was met by the King of Spirits, so that he could be told that the ring falling was the significance that Lord Ram’s avatar had come to an end.
Hanuman Has Five Brothers
This is something that is not really well-known but as per the “Brahmana Purana,” Lord Hanuman, had five brothers all of which were married. As per its description of Hanuman’s father and his dynasty Hanuman had five brothers of which were named: Shrutiman, Ketuman, Matiman, Gatiman and Dhritiman!
Although this may not be as impressive as the other facts, it is one that deserves a mention as one can better understand the dynasty and get a little background into Lord Hanuman.
Summing It Up
There are many intricate details within Hindi mythology with each detail uncovering something larger and unveiling a new understanding. Similarly, there are a lot of things we do not really know about Lord Hanuman!
He is one that has taught us a lot of invaluable life lessons, and it is up to us to uncover these lessons as we learn more about him.