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CHAPTER II.
HEROIC GODLINGS
SEVERAL stories, in addition to the legend, a son named Hanuman. This son had the
of the Ramayana, are related of the birth form of a monkey, because, at the time of of the god Hanuman. Dasharatha, king of conception, Anjani happened to behold a Ayodhya, being childless, once performed monkey, named Keshi, on a neighbouring a sacrifice with the hope of thereby obtaining tree. male issue. On the conpletion of the cere- Hanuman is a chiranjiva, ie., one of those mony a heavenly being rose out of the sacri- seven * persons who are to live for ever and ficial fire and presented the king with a are therefore considered to be immortal. celestial preparation, called payas, which he He is represented as possessed of miraculous directed the king to give to his wives if he strength, and his body is vajramaya, ie., desired a son. The king divided the divine adamantine. When Sita was carried off by gift among his three queens ; but the share Rāvana, it was le who crossed the sea and of one of them was snatched away by an brought news about her to Rama. When angle. It was dropped into the hands of Ahi and Mahi, two cousins of Rāvana, carriAnjani; who was herself childless, and was ed off Rama and Lakshmana by magic and practising austerities for the sake of obtain- decided to offer them as victims to their ing son. On partaking of the pāyas, favourite goddess Panoti, Hanuman entered Anjani conceived, and the son born to her the temple of Panoti, crushed her under his was nfterwards known as the god Hanuman. feet, and released Rama and Lakshmana.
Another story relates how Anjani was one Hence he is known as tle conqueror of Panoti, of those persons who helped Indra in his After the death of Rāvana, Hanuman was cvil designs on Ahalya, the wife of Gautama. left to guard the kingdom of Lonki, which She had on that nccount been cursed by was conferred by Rāma on Bibhishana, the Gnutama, and threatened with the birth of a brother of Rävann. fatherless child. To prevent the curse from Hanuman is an incarnation of one of the taking effect, Anjani buried herself in the eleven Rudras,t? is a brahmachiri (i.c., one ground as far as ber waist, and began to who has taken the vow of celibacy), a powerobserve religious austerities in the hope of ful and benevolent deity, and a giver of propitiating Shivn. The latter was pleased many blessings. At the same time, he is with her devotion, and sent her a mantra considered to be the master-deity of all through Sārada, who was ordered to deliver bhuts, prets, pishachas, (ghosts, goblins, it in her ear. Váyu, the god of wind, forced fiends), of däkans (witches), shakans, the mantra into her womb, and she conceived chudel, vantri, of the forty-nine virs (male
IK. D. Desai, from the answers of various Schoolmasters. 2 The Schoolmaster of Vasavad. The following couplet mentions all of them :
अवस्थामा बलियांसोहमूमांच विभीषणः।
*T: TAN # f fifra: 11 A group of gods supposed to be inferior manifestations of Shiva, who is said to be the head of the group.
