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Hanuman Jayanthi
Hanuman Jayanthi is celebrated every year by the people in India to commemorate the birth of Lord Hanuman. Lord Hanuman is considered to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva. He is the epitome of sincere devotion and dedication, being a great disciple of Lord Rama. Lord Hanuman represents strength, divinity, courage and devotion. He is worshipped by people to attain knowledge, wisdom, strength and valor. Lord Hanuman is worshiped by various names such as Sankat Mochan, Bajrangbali, Anjaneya, Maruti, Pavan Kumar, Kesari Nandan, Bajrangi, Anjani Putra, Pavan Putra, Rudra, Mahaveera.
In Tamil Nadu, Hanuman Jayanthi is observed during Margashirsha Amavasai. Most of the time, Margashirsha Amavasai coincides with Moolam Nakshatram. It is believed that God Hanuman was born during Margashirsha Amavasai when Moolam Nakshatram was prevailing. In years when Moolam Nakshatra doesn’t coincide with Amavasai, Amavasai day is preferred to decide Hanuman Jayanthi day. In Gregorian calendar Hanuman Jayanthi falls in January or December.
Devotees observe Hanuman Jayanthi during different time of the year according to their regional beliefs and the type of calendar being followed. Hanuman Jayanthi during Chaitra Purnima is the most popular one in North Indian states. In Andhra Pradesh, Hanuman Jayanthi is celebrated for 41 days which starts on Chaitra Purnima and ends on the 10th day during Krishna Paksha in Vaisakha month.
Significance of Hanuman Jayanthi
Some say Lord Hanuman was born as the son of the King (Kesari) and Queen (Anjani Devi) of the Monkeys. To others, he is the son of Anjani Devi (a female Apsara who had been transformed into a monkey by a curse) and Vayu (the Wind God). It is also said that from his father Vayu, Hanuman received the ability to fly. Lord Hanuman became a legend mainly for his unflinching devotion and loyalty for Paramatma Lord Ram. He was an ideal karma yogi for his fearless, selfless service, humility and devotion for Lord Ram. On Hanuman Jayanthi people observe fast, meditate on him and his Lord Rama, practice charity, read the Hanuman Chalisa and spend the day in repeating his glories and adventures. Hanuman Chalisa is a beautiful poem of forty verses by Saint Tulsidas which requests Lord Hanuman for strength, intellect and knowledge. Hanuman Chalisa talks about Lord Hanuman’s glories too. Lord Hanuman has the power to control the nine planets, especially the influence of Saturn. Saturn loves and respects Hanuman so much that he cannot bring himself to harm those who are under his protection. Those who pray to Hanuman are not troubled by the planets, as all nine planets are deeply indebted to Hanuman.
Spiritual Significance of Hanuman Jayanthi
Lord Hanuman symbolically stands for pure devotion, complete surrender and absence of ego or the lower self. Lord Hanuman’s character tells us what we can do in our lives by becoming pure devotees of God, aligning ourselves with the forces of good, helping the weak, with self-control, unconditional faith and total surrender. Conceptually, Lord Hanuman is the mind and Lord Rama is the soul. It is the surrender of mind to soul, matter to spirit. As a prominent warrior of the monkey race, he symbolically represents the lower or animal nature in man, which when refined and transformed becomes stabilized in God and serves the divine cause in total surrender. As the son of Vayu, he represents symbolically the subtle bodies, namely the breath body, the mental body and the intelligence body. The breath body is responsible for the movement of life energy (prana) in our bodies. The mental body is made up of the thought currents that float in our consciousness (chitta). It is responsible for our imagination, astral travel and dream experiences. The intelligence body is made up of discretionary intelligence (buddhi), which is considered one of the highest principles of Nature. Our buddhi is said to be a direct reflection of divine intelligence. It is responsible for our decision making ability, rational thinking and conscience. As an epitome of virtue and supernatural prowess, Lord Hanuman represents all these abilities.
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