Monday, October 17, 2011

Why Lord Hanuman Is Devoted To Lord Rama


Whenever the word devotion and devotee are mentioned, the name ‘Hanuman’ is one that comes to the mind of most Hindus. Lord Hanuman’s devotion for Lord Rama is legendary and unparalleled. It is said that the mere mention of Lord Rama’s name is enough to bring Lord Hanuman’s presence. It is also mentioned in some legends that Lord Hanuman is an avatar of Lord Shiva. Folktales vary from region to region and present different ideas.
Lord Rama

There is a folktale regarding Lord Hanuman’s birth which explains the reason behind his closeness with Lord Rama, though they meet only later in life. According to the folktale, King Dasaratha conducts a yagnya/pooja under the guidance of sage Agastya to beget children. After the pooja, a divine being appears carrying a pot, and advices the King to give the contents of the pot to his wives. The King paid his respects and started dividing the contents of the pot onto a plate. As the King was about to take the final handful of content from the pot, an eagle swiftly came and carried the pot away. The King tried but was unsuccessful in stopping the eagle. In a nearby forest, the queen (Anjana) of a monkey tribe was doing severe penance to beget a suitable child as their heir. On the advice of Lord Shiva, Lord Vayu (Wind God) stopped the eagle (Lord Garuda) and asked him to transfer the contents of the pot into Lord Vayu’s hand. Lord Vayu then carried the pot to Anjana and advised the queen to consume the contents. Thus making Lord Rama and Lord Hanuman brothers, which explains their legendary friendship.

This is just one out of many folktales, please do share any other legends/folktales you know which lead to Lord Rama and Lord Hanuman being so close.Om

4 comments:

  1. Hare krishna.I humbly request to all the sanatan dharmi's ( not hindu, hindu religion is just the way of living) to concentrate only one god,that is bhagwan sri krishna.Please dont misguide them,that all are bhagwan. Even bramha & shiva also meditate on bhagwan sri krishna.
    In brahma samhita it mentioned: ishwarah param krishna sachitanand vigraha,anadiradir govindah sarva karna karnam. So krishna is causes of all causes. Hare krishna.

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    1. Hello,
      I also agree with the blog admin over his views regarding your comment. Simply because YOU believe KRSNA is the most supreme godhead does not mean everyone has to believe the same. Everyone has his/her own belief. The important thing is to follow what your heart feels right along your spiritual path to meet the supreme godhead. All paths will converge to GOD. For instance, I believe that the source of our existence comes from all three Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva and that Lord Shiva meditates on this oneness they form together, which is called OM.

      So, instead of pointing fingers at others about what they believe and what they dont, better embrace all and go with the flow, as the paths will converge to the source of our being.

      --A.

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  2. Dear Anonymous

    The aim of this blog is to unite the Hindu community. Different scriptures glorify different gods as supreme. It depends on which scripture you wish to follow and who your 'Ishta Devata' is. Your Ishta Devata (preferred deity)seems to be Lord Krishna, and there is nothing wrong in it.But, i do not agree in forcing everyone to follow only that one god because it is your Ishta Devata, and am more against criticizing the belief of others. The majority of scriptures and religions proclaim that all the gods are different forms of the same supreme being, regardless of what name we give it. We may call that supreme being 'Brahman', 'Lord Mahavishnu', 'Lord Shiva', 'Devi Parvathi', and so on according to what form we feel comfortable in relating to.

    Moreover, in the Anushasana Parva of Mahabharata, Lord Krishna himself meditates and does pooja to appease Lord Shiva.If the gods themselves do not find differences between them,then why should we mere mortals simply make it a reason to divide ourselves?. Hence i do not consider it to be misguiding.

    The most important essence of a religion is to believe in a god so that you have an external force to keep you on the right track of justice. Each one of us have different beliefs, and it is mainly thanks to the freedom given by Sanathana dharma. But, at the core, we are all Hindus/Sanathana dharmis and belong to a single community that believes in good and wish to spread only good. Hope you agree with me.Om

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  3. I have read in a book. Lord Shiva & Vishnu thought they both are great and hence once got into a conflict. Lord Brahma asked them to stop the conflict and behave like Gods as they have to set examl[le to the humans. SO they both swallowed their egos and Lord Shiva said - in future i will take birth as Lord Vishnu's SEVAK. And hence we have Lord hanumana(Shiva) as a Devotee of Lord Rama (Vishnu).
    This is an example for humans to forget their egos to maintain and build their relaionships with their loved ones.

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