All about celebrating Hanuman Jayanti

Omkar Dattatray

Hanuman Janmotsav ,called Hanuman jayanti is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of the Hindu deity Hanuman, and one of the protagonists of the Ramayana .The celebration of Hanuman jayanti varies by time and tradition in each state of India .In most northern states ,the festival is observed on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Chaitra {Chaitra Purnima].Hanuman is one of the most powerful and popular deities of Hinduism and considered the patron God in wrestling .Hindus celebrate the Hanuman Janmtosav or birthday of Hanuman with a grand festival known as Hanuman Jayanti .In most parts of India ,the auspicious festival of Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated on full moon day [Purnima} of the chaitra month which usually falls in March or April of the English calendar .But moving towards south India,it is celebrated on different dates in different states .In Tamil Nadu and Kerala ,it is observed on the Margashirsha Amavasya –new moon day ,whereas in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana ,it is observed on the 10th ,in Krishna paksha of Vaisakha month .Karnataka celebrates this auspicious festival on the Shukla Paksha Trayodashi –13th day of Margashirsha month and Odisha ,the eastern state of India celebrates Hanuman Jayanti on the first day of the month of Vaishaka generally in April. According to mythology ,Lord Hanuman is an incarnation of Lord Shiva –11th Rudra and the most powerful being in all realms . ,Lord Hanuman is one of the prominent heroes and a central character of the Hindu super epic Ramayana .According to epic ,He is a Vanara and took birth to assist Lord Ram .Lord Hanuman is a widely worshipped deity and has the ability to attain victory against all evils and provide protection to all his devotees. On the auspicious day of Hanuman Jayanti devotees visit Hanuman temples and offer prayers .Lord Hanuman was born at the time of sunrise ,so after a holy bath in the early morning devotees perform various rituals before the dawn itself They apply red tilak –vermillion on the forehead of Hanuman’s idol ,chant different hymns and mantras ,read Hanuman Chalisa .offer Diya ,offer sweets ,coconuts as Prasad ,do Aarti ,Pradakshina as per tradition .Reciting Hanuman chalisa or lines from Ramayana –Sunderkand are common practices performed on this day .After completion of the puja ,devotees apply red sindoor on their foreheads and distribute prasada Lord Hanuman is considered as the 11th Rudra avatar of Lord Shiva and is worshipped as a symbol of strength ,knowledge ,and devotion. It is believed that He is an immortal being and possesses immense power to eradicate all kinds of negativity or temptations .Lord Hanuman is an adherent devotee of Lord Ram and Sita ,and had never shown his strength or valor without any purpose .On this day ,offering Prayers and chanting mantras to worship Lord Hanuman is helpful to achieve these kinds of virtues. As per the teachings of Hindu mythology ,if you want Lord Rama to fulfill all your wishes ,you can reach Him only through Lord Hanuman and Hanuman Jayanti is the most auspicious day for this Lord Hanuman is not only an absolute devotee of Lord Rama but also a merciful God who takes good care of His devotees .Devotees strongly believe that reciting the divine hymn Hanuman Chalisa continuously helps to overcome all sorrows and difficulities. According to a popular legend ,Lord Hanuman was born on a full moon day and his father Kesari was the son of Lord Brihaspati. His mother Anjana was a celestial body –apsara who got cursed by a sage to live on earth .She was redeemed from her curse after doing 12 long years of worship of Lord Shiva, and by giving birth to Lord Hanuman .Thus Hanuman is regarded as an incarnation or reflection of Lord Shiva .The holy epic ,Ram Charita Manas written by Goswami Tulsi Das ,beautifully narrates the role of Vayu dev –God of wind in Hanuman’s birth. The epic describes that Vayu God played an important role to transfer Lord Shiva’s energy to Anjana’s womb .Thus ,Lord Hanuman is often called Vayuputram or Pawan Putra which means the son of Vayu .On the day of Hanuman Jayanti devotees love to remember Him as a naughty character in his childhood days .One such legend beautifully explains that He crossed several mountains and flew to great heights to eat sun ,thinking it as a ripe fruit .A baleful planet Rahu which was on its way to form an eclipse with the sun ,came in front of the little Hanuman and stopped .him midway .Hanuman easily defeated Rahu who later requested Indra ,the king of heaven for assistance .To this Indra responded immediately and threw his powerful weapon Vajra –thunderbolt and hit the young Hanuman and made him unconscious. After this event ,God vasyu found his son lying in an unconscious state on earth ,and an angry Vayu made his life difficult for all living beings on the planet, Later ,Lord Indra and all demigods realized that they made a huge mistake and revived the young Hanuman and blessed Him with several boons .In short Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Hanuman who is an incarnation of Lord Shiva and a disciple of Lord Rama .On the day of Hanuman Jayanti ,devotees in large numbers assemble at Hanuman temples to offer early morning prayers .It is an important festival of Hindus and is celebrated with great enthusiasm .People chant mantras ,Hanuman chalisa ,offer aarti with a belief that He is the living embodiment of Ram –Naam He is an ideal selfless disciple .a true Karamyogi .He was a great devotee and served Lord Rama with pure love and devotion .Every year on the auspicious day ,devotees worship Lord Hanuman with pure heart, some observe complete fast to invoke His blessings for a successful life. This year Hanuman Jayanti falls on 12th April Saturday and the people will celebrated it with great pomp and show and worship Hanuman to get his blessings in the form of strength valor ,knowledge ,power and the like. Let us celebrate this festival with devotion so that Lord Hanuman will bless us all and direct our energies towards fuller and meaningful life Jai to Lord Hanuman may He bless us all on this day of Hanuman Jayanti.Hanuman is Mahashaktishali and is monkey God besides being the avatar of Lord Shiva.

The author is a columnist, social, KP activist & Freelancer