"Hanuman Janmotsav"- Celebrating the Epitome of Devotion and Strength

'Jaya' means 'victory' & 'anti' means 'eventually': The One Who Wins Eventually. Chaitra Purnima is celebrated for the one, who is always ‘Victorious’, Lord Hanuman.

Hanuman Janmotsav falls on the full moon day, i.e. Purnima, of Chaitra month. This year, it is on '23 April ‘24.'

As per “Drik Panchang”, the “tithi” for “Hanuman Janmotsav” in the year ‘24 is as follows:

Hanuman Janmotsav on Tuesday, April 23, 2024

• Purnima Tithi Begins - 03:25 AM on Apr 23, 2024
• Purnima Tithi Ends - 05:18 AM on Apr 24, 2024

Lord Hanuman is one of the revered deities in Hindu mythology. He is considered as the 11th Rudra Avatar (incarnation) of Lord Shiva. He is considered as the most powerful being in all the realms, one amongst the eight Chiranjivis’. He has also been the prominent devotee of Shri Ram & Mata Sita, as described in the legendary epic Ramayana. He is a monkey (vanara) God born to Kesari (chief of Vanara Sena & son of Brihaspati) and Anjana. His mother, Anjana was an apsara who was born on the earth due to a curse. After giving birth to Hanuman, she redeemed from her curse. It is believed that Hanuman Ji was born to assist Lord Rama.

Lord Hanuman is known by so many names like Vayuputra, Bajrangbali, Pavanasuta, Mahavira, Chiranjivi, Maruti, Anjaneya, Anjanisut, Sankat Mochan & many more.

He has been known for his ardent devotion towards Prabhu Shri Ram & Mata Sita. It is said that if you want to please Lord Hanuman for any wish fulfillment, then by worshipping Lord Rama first followed by the recitation of his name in the form of Japa or Hanuman Chalisa or Hanuman stotram could yield quicker results.

There are lots of interesting legends related to Lord Hanuman's birth. One of them is: Once, a great sage named Angira visited king Indra. He was welcomed with a dance performance by a young unmarried girl, Punjiksthala. But sage did not have any interest in dance, hence he started meditating instead of watching the performance. Later, when Lord Indra asked sage Angira about the dance performance, he replied that he didn't possess any interest in dance, and hence he was in a deep meditation. The young girl disappointed the sage & hence was cursed by Rishi Angira that she will degrade from heaven to earth and will be born as a female monkey in the mountain forests.
She started regretting a lot. Then the merciful saint supported by blessing her that, 'A great devotee of the Lord will be born to you & will forever serve the Lord. Only then you will seek redemption from this curse.'
Later, she was born as Kunjar's (King of monkeys) daughter, Anjana. In due course of time, she got married to Kapiraj Kesari of Mount Sumeru. She worshipped Lord Rudra with utmost devotion & then Hanuman was born to her.

Eknath's Bhavartha Ramayana states that when Anjana was worshipping Lord Rudra, at the same time Raja Dashratha of Ayodhya was performing the Putrakameshti ritual to bear children. Then he received some payasam (pudding) to be shared by his 3 wives: Kaushalya, Kaikeyi & Sumitra, leading to the births of Rama, Lakshamana, Bharat & Shatrughan. By some divine ordinance, a kite snatched a fragment of that pudding & dropped it while flying over the forest at the place where Anjana Mata was worshipping. Vayu helped in delivering that piece of pudding to the hands of Anjana. She consumed the same & gave birth to Hanuman. As she worshiped Lord Rudra, he himself was born to her in the form of Hanuman (the 11th Rudra Avatar). It is believed that Lord Shiva had to be born as the incarnation of Hanuman because he couldn't help Lord Rama in his real avatar.

Let's have a look at another amazing story about Lord Hanuman. Here, we can witness his utter devotion towards Shri Ram:
Once, Lord Hanuman found Mata Sita applying sindoor (vermillion) to her forehead. Amazed by this, he enquired about the same. Then, she replied that it is a custom followed in Hinduism and doing so would ensure a long life for her husband, Shri Ram. As Hanuman was an ardent devotee of Prabhu Shri Ram, he smeared his entire body with sindoor to ensure his Prabhu Ram's immortality.
Since that day, all the Hanuman temples started keeping the idol of Lord Hanuman smeared with red tilak (sindoor). And all the devotees of Lord Hanuman visit these Hanuman temples on the holy occasion of Hanuman Janmotsav to apply red tilak (sindur) from his idol to receive the divine blessings of him to attain good luck and protection.

Apart from this, on this auspicious day all the Hanuman temples echo the recitation of devotional hymns and songs praising Lord Hanuman and even Lord Rama. Worship of Lord Hanuman and offerings of Prasad including motichoor or churma laddus, flowers, incense sticks to him is an important part of this festival. Reading Hanuman Chalisa (a hymn in praise of Lord Hanuman) is believed to protect one from all the evils and bless with immense strength and energy. The Hanuman Chalisa contains forty verses describing the virtues and qualities of Mahabali Hanuman.

For Hindus, this occasion of Hanuman Janmotsav holds a great significance as they worship Lord Hanuman as the epitome of devotion, faith, valor, strength, energy & selfless love. Hindus also consider him as an ideal selfless disciple, a true Karm Yogi. As he was born at the time of sunrise, the devotees perform various rituals of Hanuman Janmotsav before the dawn itself.

Today, we celebrate Hanuman Janmotsav with utmost fervor and dedication. This day also serves as a reminder of the virtues and qualities of Lord Hanuman like devotion, loyalty, strength, and courage. This holy occasion provides an opportunity for the devotees to seek the blessings of Lord Hanuman & to reflect on his teachings, which can help them lead a life of righteousness and goodness.

Jai Bajrang Bali!!