Childhood of Lord Hanuman

Lord Hanuman was the son of Anjani and Maruti, born with the blessings of 'Vayu', the wind god (Pavan). He is considered to be an avatar (incarnation) of Lord Shiva . Lord Hanuman was the only learned scholar who knew the nine Vyakaranas. He learned the shastras from Suryadev, the sun god. He is well versed with the Vedas and other sacred books. From his birth onwards, he exhibited extraordinary physical strength and worked many miracles. There are various instances in the scriptures about his childhood. Once as a child, looking at the sun Anjaneya thought it was a fruit. He flew up to eat it, and swallowed the sun. The universe plunged into darkness. Angered by his action, Lord Indra attacked Anjaneya with his 'Vajrayudha' . Anjaneya was hurt on his chin (known as 'Hanu' in sanskrit). This is how he got the name Hanuman, which is his most commonly used name. Seeing his son hurt, the wind god Pavan was very upset and threatened to withdraw 'Pranvayu' oxygen) from the Universe. Terrified by this threat the gods came to appease 'Vayu'. They each conferred a boon upon the little Hanuman. He was blessed with courage, superhuman strength and valour. Hanuman as Ram-bhakta Hanumanji is the symbol of Devotion and Service to Lord Rama. Hanuman was the chief of the armies of Sri Ramachandra and took a prominent part in the war against Ravana, the king of Lanka, in Ramayana. Hanuman helped restore Sita Devi back to Sri Rama. Worship of Sri Rama is complete only with the worship of Hanuman.