Who Is Hanuman (Anjaneya)?
The son of the wind who leaps the sea
Hanuman is a hero of the vanaras (the monkey people) in the Ramayana and the son of Vayu, the wind god. He serves as a minister to the monkey prince Sugriva and is famous for his great strength, his wisdom, and his complete loyalty to Rama. In India he is still widely worshipped as a god.
The first time he met Rama and Lakshmana, he came disguised as a wandering ascetic to find out who they were, and Rama was impressed by how well he spoke. After revealing himself, he carried the brothers up the mountain on his shoulders and helped bring about the alliance between Rama and Sugriva. During the search for Sita, the old bear leader Jambavan reminded him of his birth and his powers. His courage came back, and he crossed a sea 100 yojanas wide (a yojana is an ancient unit of distance) in one leap to reach Lanka.
The original epic says his name comes from his childhood: he leaped at the rising sun, thinking it was a fruit, and the god Indra struck his jaw (hanu) with a thunderbolt. Some people think he may be one of the models for Sun Wukong, the Monkey King of China's Journey to the West.
Episodes featuring this character2
NEWEpisode 7
Before Sun Wukong, There Was HanumanHanuman Meets Rama (Kishkindha Kanda)
Searching for Sita, Rama and Lakshmana head south. Guided by the demon Kabandha and the old ascetic Shabari, they meet Hanuman, son of the wind god. Before a blazing fire, Rama swears friendship with Sugriva, an exiled prince of the monkey folk. But when Rama looses a single arrow to keep his promise, the dying King Vali makes him face what that arrow truly cost.
19 pages
NEWEpisode 8
The Hero Who Forgot His Own StrengthHanuman's Leap to Lanka (Sundara Kanda)
The deadline to find Sita has passed, and the southern search party sits hopeless on the shore of an endless sea—until Sampati, an old vulture with burned wings, appears. Hanuman has never believed in himself, but Jambavan, elder of the bears, reminds him of the power he was made to forget. With Rama's ring held close, Hanuman clears in a single leap a sea that would take even a bird days to cross.
19 pages