Hanuman's Adventures
As a child, Hanuman was known for his mischief. His unique powers gave him some trouble, making him have a hunger that his mother couldn't satisfy. This led him to mistake the sun from a giant orange and, in his hunger, flew up to the sun and tried to eat it. In protecting the sun, the king of the gods Indra struck him in the jaw with a thunderbolt. Throughout his youth, Hanuman caused a lot of other kinds of trouble and led to the gods making him forget his powers to stop him from creating so much trouble.
After Hanuman got older and matured, he was made to remember his powers by Jambavan, the first form of humans created by Brahma, and then began the numerous events involving Hanuman helping Rama by either rescuing Sita or Rama or both. By leading the monkeys to help Rama recover his wife Sita from Ravana as described in the epic called Ramayana, Hanuman gained the title of King of the Monkeys. |
Hanuman's story is a gentle reminder to Hindus of the loyalty and duties expected of them. The fact that Hanuman was a mischievous troublemaker as a child shows that one can change and grow into a better person, another example for Hindus.
Through all of Hanuman's adventures with Rama, it shows the character traits that Hindus are supposed to have: loyalty, courage, and honor. Hanuman is meant to be a role model and good example and stories surrounding him all show that to be true. |