In Hindu Mythology, time has been divided into various periods in a cycle called Yugas. The universe resets after getting destroyed every few thousand years. Mid Satyuga, 7000 years ago on the banks of the river Tungabhadra in the kingdom of Kishkinda, the vanaras (ape-like humans) lived in a civilised society comparable to humans of the time. Among them was a brave warrior Kesari, who wandered from place to place meditating and praying to Lord Shiva. Frustrated with his inability to have children, he pleaded with Lord Shiva and Lord Vayu and had a child Hanuman , through his wife Anjana. Hanuman was no ordinary child, had extraordinary abilities and a curious mind. It was quite a challenge raising him and Kesari ran into quite the trouble.
Hanuman liked to eat fruits and sweets like any other kid. He was innocent enough to think of the sun as a fruit! Growing in size for Hanuman was no big deal. So much so that he tried to get close enough to the sun to swallow it. However, as soon as he got closer, he burnt to ashes. Kesari and Anjana were devastated. Even though Hanuman was born in Kishkinda, his father was Vayu, Lord of wind. Lord Vayu couldn't see his son die and hence pleaded the gods to bring him back to life. The gods didn't agree at first as it goes against the order of nature. However, Lord Vayu was reluctant and shut off all air from earth. Animals and humans started to suffocate. The Rishis and the gods were concerned that all life on Earth would come to an end. Finally, the gods of the heavens couldn't let Hanuman die as he was a living embodiment of Lord Shiva. Hence, all the gods in the heavens blessed him with various boons. Now he was immune to all the elements on earth and considered immortal. He could increase his strength and size on will.
Hanuman was still a kid and hence caused a lot of trouble around town . He would use his abilities to cause havoc ( as kids do), but to a larger scale. This annoyed a group of monks and they cursed him to forget his own abilities until someone reminded him at the right time. This wouldn't happen until Hanuman reached adulthood and his allies were stuck at the southern tip of India, unable to rescue Sita from Ravana in Lanka. He had to cross the oceans and reach Lanka to rescue Sita from Ravana. Now Hanuman was reminded of his powers to cross large distances through his leaps. Contrary to popular belief, Lord Hanuman used his extensive jump to cover distances instead of flight. His friend Jambavan reminded Hanuman of his abilities and the need to rescue Sita from Lanka. With one giant leap, Hanuman leapt around twenty nautical miles across the Indian Ocean to reach Sita and deliver Lord Ram's message. He would later set Lanka on fire. This story inspired people in the Indian subcontinent to invoke his name in times of trouble or when in need of strength/courage to complete a task . Can't move that table ? Exclaim "Jai Bajrang Bali" ( Hail Lord Hanuman) and hopefully you gather strength !
Here is the link to a video on a Bajrang Bali song.
Author's Note
The story is taken from Valmiki's original Ramayana that my grandma recited to me as a kid.
I have made a few changes to the story but mainly stuck with the structure and characters. A major change is the ending for Hanuman's story . I made it so that he would turn into ashes because he wasn't immortal yet. The original version of the story includes him fighting Lord Surya ( the sun) and defeating him. Ultimately Lord Indra ( King of the Heavens) used one of the most powerful weapons in the universe to knock him out. Being a Physics major, I had to side with the Sun Lord ( Lord Surya ) and make it a little more interesting . After catching up with my grandma about the story, she added a detail that I missed. Apparently, since Hanuman was born as a result of a boon from Lord Vayu ( God of the wind ), he shut out all air from Earth when Hanuman fell unconscious. He did this to persuade the gods to bless his son and revive him. This is fascinating because Lord Vayu jeopardised all life on Earth for his son. Ramayana echoes human nature depicted within supernatural entities.