Hanuman is a Hindu god who is worshipped as a symbol of strength, courage, devotion, and wisdom. He is also known as the son of Vayu, the god of wind, and Anjana, a celestial nymph. He is believed to be an avatar or incarnation of Shiva, the supreme god of destruction and transformation. Hanuman is best known for his role in the epic Ramayana, where he helped Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu, to rescue his wife Sita from the demon king Ravana.
Hanuman's Childhood Adventure
Hanuman was born with extraordinary powers and abilities. He was very curious and playful as a child. One day, when he was still an infant, he saw the sun rising in the sky and mistook it for a ripe fruit. He felt hungry and decided to fly up and grab the sun. He leaped into the air and reached the sun in no time.
However, his act disturbed the balance of the universe. The sun god Surya was alarmed by Hanuman's approach and complained to Indra, the king of gods. Indra was furious and decided to punish Hanuman for his audacity. He hurled his thunderbolt at Hanuman, which struck him on his jaw (hanu) and made him fall down to the earth. Hanuman's father Vayu was enraged by Indra's attack and withdrew his wind from the world, creating a cosmic crisis.
The gods realized their mistake and rushed to appease Vayu. They revived Hanuman and blessed him with various boons. They also gave him the name Hanuman, meaning "one with a disfigured jaw" . However, they also cursed him to forget his powers until he was reminded of them by someone else. This was done to prevent him from misusing his powers in the future.
Hanuman's Encounter with Surya
Hanuman grew up to be a brave and loyal devotee of Rama. He helped Rama in his quest to defeat Ravana and rescue Sita. He performed many heroic deeds, such as crossing the ocean, burning Lanka, lifting a mountain, and fighting demons.
One of his most remarkable feats was learning the Vedas from Surya, the sun god himself. Hanuman wanted to acquire knowledge and wisdom from Surya, who was considered to be the guru of all gods. However, Surya was busy with his duty of illuminating the world and had no time to teach Hanuman. He asked Hanuman to find another teacher.
Hanuman was determined to learn from Surya and requested him to accept him as his disciple. He said that he would follow Surya wherever he went and listen to his teachings. Surya was impressed by Hanuman's persistence and agreed to teach him on one condition: Hanuman had to face him all the time while he moved across the sky.
Hanuman accepted the challenge and assumed a gigantic form. He placed one foot on the eastern mountain and another on the western mountain. He faced Surya and listened to his teachings while Surya moved across the sky. In this way, Hanuman learned all the Vedas and scriptures from Surya in just 60 hours
Surya was pleased with Hanuman's intelligence and devotion. He asked him what he wanted as a reward for his learning. Hanuman said that he did not want anything for himself, but only wished that Surya would bless Rama and help him in his mission. Surya was touched by Hanuman's selflessness and blessed him wholeheartedly.
He also gave him a special gift: he healed his burnt mouth that he had suffered when he tried to eat him as a child. He restored his original beauty and splendor ³. He also told him that he was an avatar of Shiva and reminded him of his powers that he had forgotten due to the curse of the gods.
Hanuman thanked Surya for his kindness and grace. He bowed down to him and returned to Rama with his newfound knowledge and confidence. He used his powers wisely and faithfully to serve Rama and became one of his most trusted allies.
Moral of the Story
The story of Hanuman and the sun teaches us several lessons:
- We should always be curious and eager to learn new things.
- We should respect our teachers and learn from them with dedication.
- We should not be arrogant or reckless with our powers or talents.
- We should use our powers or talents for good causes and not for selfish purposes.
- We should be humble and grateful for our blessings.
- We should be loyal and devoted to our ideals and friends.
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