Hanumath Jayanthi

[Guest guest]

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