GLORY OF HANUMAN

(1)

When we pray to Him, HanumAn blesses us with intellect, strength of body, illustrious fame, courage in times of danger, fearlessness to take initiatives 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

ajADyam vaakpatuthvam cha

HanUmath smarANdh bhavEth

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2

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:

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3

manOjavam mArutha Tulya vEgam

jithEndhriyam bhuddhimathAm varishtam

vAthAthmajam vAnara yUtha mukhyam

Sri Raama dhUtham SaraNam prapadhyE

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.

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4

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

thathra thathra kruthamasthaanjalim

bhAshpavAri paripUrNa lOchanam

Maaruthim namatha raakshasAnthakam

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5

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

RaamaayaNa mahAmAlA rathnam vandhE anilAthmajam

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.

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6

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

Kapeesam Aksha hanthAram

vandhE LankhA bhayankaram

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7

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 :

AdhAya tEnaiva dhadhAha LankhAm

namAmi tam prAnjalirAnjanEyam

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8

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

PaarijAtha tarumUla Vaasinam

bhavayAmi PavamAnanandhanam