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Hanumath Jayanthi

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • December 29, 1997 


Dear BhakthAs : Today is the birthday of HanumAn ,
the supreme Raama ChaithanyA . He comes into focus in
KishkindhAm and becomes the hero in Sundara 
KhAndam . He serves His  Lord in Yuddha KhAndam 
and distinguishes Himself in the battle field . SitA Piratti
singles Him out and blesses Him during the 
pattAbhishEkam ceremony at AyOdhyA . Lord RaamA 
blesses Him to be a chiranjeevi and He is sitting under
the KalpakA tree playing the VeeNA with Naama 
Sankeerthanam of Sri RamachandrA .  

It is appropriate to start with his DhyAna SlOkam :

sarvArishta nivArakam subhakaram 
pinkAkshamakshApaham
SitAnvEshaNa tathparam Kapivaram 
Koteendhusuryaprabham I
LankhAdhvipabhayankaram sakaladham 
Sugreeva sammAnitham 
DEvndhAdhi samastha dEva vinutham 
KAAKUTHSTHA DHUTHAM BHAJE II

This ambassador of Sri RamachandrA is indeed 
the remover of all inauspiciousness and difficulties 
and confers mangalam on his worshippers .

When we pray to Him , HanumAn blesses us with 
intellect , strength of body , illustrious fame , courage
in times of  danger , fearlessness to take initatives in
spiritual pursuits and  freedom from all bodily ailments ,
wisdom and skilled (diplomatic ) speech . The slokam 
corresponding to these thoughts is :

budhdirbhalam yasO dhairyam 
nirbhayathvamarOgathA I
ajADyam vaakpatuthvam cha
HanUmath smarANdh bhavEth II 

He is a nava vyAkaraNa pandithan ; His body shines 
like a mountain of Gold ( hemasailAbha dEham ) ; 
He is in the front row of all  Jn~Anis ( Jn~AninAm
agragaNyam ) . He is the most dear bhakthA of 
Sri RamA ( Raghupathi Priya Bhakthan ) .

We surrender unto His holy feet . The SaraNAgathi
to Him is celebrated in the following verse :

manOjavam mArutha Tulya vEgam 
jithEndhriyam bhuddhimathAm varishtam I
vAthAthmajam vAnara yUtha mukhyam 
Sri Raama dhUtham SaraNam prapadhyE II

This slOkam salutes HanUman as the one , who is as
fast as the mind and equalling His father ( Vaayu )  in 
His speed of travel. He is saluted as the MahA yOgi  ,
who has conquered His IndriyAs ( senses ) and as 
the foremost among the learned and as the supreme 
leader of the monkey army as well as the great 
ambassador of Sri RaamA .

Wherever there is an eulogy of His Lord's ( RaamA's ) 
name , He is always there with His head bowed in
reverence and eyes filled with aanandha Bhaashpam 
( tears of Joy ) . This salutation to this great foe of 
RakshasAs is as follows :

Yathra yathra RaghunAtha Keerthanam 
tathra tathra kruthamasthaanjalim I
bhAshpavAri paripUrNa lOchanam 
Maaruthim namatha raakshasAnthakam II  

The other namaskArams to HanUmAn are contained 
in the followuing slOkAs and are always recited during 
the PaarAyaNam of Srimadh RaamAyaNam :

gOshpadheekrutha vArAsim masakikrutha rAkshasam I
RaamaayaNa mahAmAlA rathnam vandhE anilAthmajam II

Here , the son of the wind God is saluted as the one who
pulverized the RakshasAs of LankhA and as the jewel 
interlaced in the great necklace ( garland )  of  RaamAyaNam .
His power and parAkramam in jumping over the immense
ocean to search for SitA piratti is compared to the act of His
stepping over the water puddle made by the hoof of a Cow .

The next slOkam salutes Him as the delight of His 
mother AnjanA  and the remover of the sorrows of SithA .
He is considered as the Lord of Monkeys , who destroyed 
Aksha KumAran in battle and terrorized the citizens
of LankhA with His incomparable heroism .

anjanAnandham veeram Jaanakee sOkanAsanam I
Kapeesam Aksha hanthAram vandhE LankhA bhayankaram II

His heroism in jumping over the Ocean in search of SitA 
Piratti as if it were a sport and quenching the fire of sorrow of 
SitA piratti is saluted next . The author of this slOkam salutes 
AnjanEyA with folded palms and recognizes Him as the one 
who burnt LankhA to teach a lesson to the evil RavaNA during 
His first visit to LankhA . 

ullanghya sindhO: salilam saleelam 
ya: sOkavahnim JanakAthmajAyA : I
AdhAya tEnaiva dhadhAha LankhAm
namAmi tam prAnjalirAnjanEyam II

AnjanEyA , The delight of VayU ( PavamAnanadanam ) 
residing under the PaarijAthA tree ( PaarijAtha-
tarumUlavAsinam ) with the body resembling a golden 
mountain ( KanchanAdri kamaneeya Vigraham ) and
the face beautiful like the red trumpet flower is meditated 
upon here .

AnjanEyam athipAtalAnanam
kanchanAdri kamaneeya Vigraham I
PaarijAtha tarumUla Vaasinam 
bhavayAmi PavamAnanandhanam II

Great Rama BhakthAs like Saint ThyagarAja and 
MutthuswAmi Deekshithar , who gave us the splendid
RaamAshtaka Krithis and Purandara Daasa have 
composed moving krithis to salute HanUmAn .

Saint ThyagarAjaa has given us two apUrva Raaga krithis
set in Vasantha VarALi and PUrNa LalithA with pallavis ,
Paahi Raama DhuTha Jagath PrANa kumAra and 
kalugunA padhaneerajasEva ? GandhavAhana Tanaya . 
These are beautiful krithis with a lot of depth in meaning .

MutthuswAmy Deekshithar has given us the three following
Krithis set in RaagAs KaanadA , SankharAbharaNam and 
NaatA :

1. Veera HanumathE namO NamO , Maarutha Tanaya NamO namO 

2. PavanAthmajam bhajarE chitta , parama sAntham 
    sura Guruguha mahitham 

3. PavanAthmaja Agaccha ParipUrNa svaccha 
    ParamAthma Puccha paahi mAm Jaya Jaya 
    nava nava Jaya Jaya 

The last krithi seems to have been composed at 
ShOLingar ( KatikAchalam ) as a companion piece
to the Mohana Krtihi inviting Lord NarasimhA to 
appear before Him and bless him ( Narasimha 
Agaccha ) . At ShOlingar , Lord NarasimhA and
HanumAn face each other on opposite hillocks .
HanumAn has the VishNu chinnam ( SankhA 
and Chakram ) in His hands . 

I conclude this tribute to HanUmAn with 
the sacred utterance  ,  Om ham HanumathE nama:

Sri SeethA LakshmaNa Hanumath SamEtha 
Sri Ramachandra parabrahmaNE Nama : 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan