The Sun Eater
A Child's Divine Appetite
Before becoming a mighty hero, Hanuman was a divine child named Maruti, born to Vanara queen Anjana and King Kesari. Gifted by Vayu, the Wind God, he possessed incredible strength, speed, and an uncontainable mischievous streak. This is the tale of his first great adventure.
A Playful Demigod
Maruti was born with the power to shift his form and soar through the skies. A mischievous child, he delighted in using his vast abilities to play pranks on the forest sages, tugging their beards and interrupting their ceremonies, all in harmless jest.
मारुति
Born of the Wind God, he embodied the breeze's speed and freedom, a spark of boundless energy and wonder.
The Forbidden Fruit
One morning, young Maruti awoke with a growling stomach. Glancing around, he noticed a radiant, reddish-orange sphere emerging in the east. To his naive mind, it resembled a luscious, juicy mango, ripe for the taking.
Step 1: The Innocent Mistake
"What a splendid fruit!" he mused. His mother had gone to fetch fresh fruits for him, but his intense hunger and intrigue wouldn't hold. In an instant, he resolved to claim that enormous 'mango' for breakfast.
A God's Intervention
The gods watched in dismay. Surya, the Sun God, remained indifferent to the child's act, but Rahu, the eclipse-maker, saw Hanuman as a rival. He alerted Indra, the king of gods, who viewed the child's unchecked might as a danger to cosmic balance.
The Vajra's Strike
Mounted on his majestic white elephant, Airavata, Indra faced the soaring child. When Maruti defied his commands, Indra hurled his powerful weapon, the Vajra (thunderbolt), hitting the child’s jaw (Hanu) and knocking him unconscious, sending him crashing to earth.
Blessings of the Gods
Witnessing his lifeless son, Vayu, in sorrow, retracted the world’s air, choking all beings. To calm him, the gods revived the boy and granted him great boons. Brahma made him immune to the Brahmastra, Indra shielded him from the Vajra, and Agni ensured fire could not harm him. From that moment, due to his wounded jaw, he was called Hanuman.
A Power Curtailed for a Greater Purpose
Now eternal and stronger than ever, young Hanuman kept up his antics. To shield both the world and him from his pure yet chaotic strength, sages cast a gentle curse: he would lose memory of his full potential. Living as an ordinary Vanara with his divine gifts hidden, he would only rediscover them when a noble being awakened his true essence for a momentous purpose.