Hanuman Chalisa Introduction part three- Image of Hanuman
An idol is an external symbol of God for worship. God is infinite, eternal and everywhere, all powerful, all-knowing. It is not possible for all to fix the mind on these attributes of God. A concrete form is necessary for ordinary people for practicing concentration. Idols are the shining channels through which the heart of the devotee is attracted to and flows towards. Pictures, drawings of God are also forms of idol only. By worshipping with faith, a devotee can imbibe the qualities for which that God stands for and can evolve to the highest stage, attaining oneness with the deity himself.
In almost all sculptures and paintings Hanuman is shown with a human body, monkey' face and tail.
In South India, Hanuman's idol carved out of black stone is seen in standing position with folded hands. The most common kind of Hanuman idol found in North India is in red stone or white marble stone. Vermilion paste ( red sindoor ) is smeared all over the body. There is an interesting legend connected with this paste.
One day Hanuman saw the Mother Sita applying a round shaped vermilion mark on her forehead and asked her the reason for that. Sita replied that this mark is symbol of marriedhood and that ensures the welfare of her husband Shri Rama. When Hanuman heard that , he rubbed his whole body with it to seek the happiness and welfare and long life of Rama. Owing to his sweat getting mixed with it, his whole body was covered with a thick vermilion paste. It is said that since then Hanuman' idol is invariably created with this holy paste ( vermilion with butter ). This simple incident reveals the keenness of Hanuman to keep his Lord Rama always happy and well. So the devotees also apply this paste on their forehead ( as prasada ) from the feet of the idol of Hanuman.
Sometimes the son of the Wind-god is shown flying. The most popular form shown is this. His left arm is always raised upwards and hill resting on the palm ( the hill is Sanjeevani herb to revive the unconscious Lakshmana). His right hand holds a club, which rests on the deity's shoulder.
In high art , Hanuman is shown wearing earrings made of five metals. The sacred thread worn diagonally across the chest would imply that Hanuman is a brahmachari ( celibate, a student properly initiated into scriptures
Like most male Hindu deities, Hanuman wears no garment on the chest. However, a fold of his loin cloth is seen taken up diagonally across the chest to the opposite shoulder and then diagonally down back to the loin cloth. In some idols he is shown wearing a royal, bejewelled cloak on the chest.
Deities like Rama and Krishna are shown wearing lower garments that cover their legs right down to the feet. They were kings. Hanuman was a man of action, constantly on the move. Therefore, his loin cloth is normally shown wrapped round his thighs alone. His loin cloth is mostly girdled up. This loin cloth was made up of the same material as the thunderbolt according to later Ramayanas. It was as hard as a diamond and Hanuman was born wearing it, declaring his eternal celibacy.
Hanuman usually carries a mace and a mountain. Sometimes his idol is shown standing on the body of a demon. The famous three demons killed by Hanuman were Kalanemi, Mahi Ravana and Ahi Ravana. The demon under Hanuman could be one of these. He is shown standing on a woman, a symbol for an astrologically unfavourable period involving Saturn, or it could be a demoness depicting lust to show Hanuman' control over the senses
An outstanding icon is that of vira Anjaneya or Vira Hanuman.In this icon, this deity is portrayed in profile, with his right hand raised above his head in the posture of protection ( abhaya hasta ) and his left hand holding the stalk of a lotus flower near his chest. He is shown striding forward and has his tail, usually with a bell tied to the end, encircling his head.
In some pictures Hanuman is shown in sitting postures also. He is shown in Padmasana engrossed in meditation.He is sometimes depicted with right palm in abhayamudra ( the right hand raised with the palm of the hand facing forwards. This indicates blessing, protection and reassurance ) and left palm in varadamudra ( the left hand, with the fingers pointing downwards, with an open palm, indicates granting a wish ).
He is sometimes shown in sitting position with his right hand holding a mace over his right shoulder. Hanuman is also seen with Veena ( a stringed musical instrument ) in his hands.
Sometimes Hanuman is depicted as engrossed in bhajan with hands raised up.
In some pictures Hanuman is depicted in vajrasana position with his hands opening his chest showing the image of Rama and Sita in it. Behind this, there is an interesting tale given in the Ramayana literature. After Rama's coronation, all the bears and monkeys were given gifts as token for their help to Rama in the battle against Ravana. Hanuman received a very valuable pearl necklace. He accepted it gratefully and broke each of the pearls from the necklace and checked it and threw it away. Looking at his tantrum, he was advised by the senior courtier of Rama's court not to waste those pearls away as each was worth a fortune. Then Hanuman explained his purpose of doing so that he was just testing the worth of each pearl. The pearls looked dazzling from outside but did not contain Rama and Sita inside - in their heart. He added that since they did not show the image of Rama and Sita inside in them, they were useless to him. That is why he was throwing them. One of the courtiers commented that Hanuman was saying this with such confidence as if he had the image of Rama and Sita enshrined in his heart. Hearing this comment, Hanuman slit open his chest with his nail. The people present there were amazed to see the dazzling image of Rama and Sita inside his heart. They all bowed down before Hanuman for his such great devotion to the Lord. The story is symbolical as it reveals the emotional character and unflinching faith of Hanuman. In pictures in the company of Shri Rama, Sita and Lakshmana, Hanuman is shown standing humbly at a distance or sitting devotedly at the feet of Lord Rama.
Some Hanuman idols are depicted as five-faced ( panchamukhi ) and eleven-faced ( ekadashamukhi ) also.
Vaishnavas ( followers of Vishnu ) believe that Vayu ( Wind god ) underwent three incarnations to help Lord Vishnu. As Hanuman , he helped Rama, as Bhima , he helped Krishna and as Madhwacharya (12th century C.E ), the founder of the Vaishnava sect ( Dvaita philosophy ), he helped Veda Vyasa to interpret the vedantic scriptures. The Vaishnavas, therefore ,evolved a special form of Hanuman that included the important Vaishnava deities with five heads and ten arms.The Panchamukhi Hanuman has the following: at the centre a monkey face, a lion's visage for Narasimha gazing southwards, an eagle's head symbolizing Garuda facing west, a boar head or Varaha facing north and a horse face or Hayagriva facing the sky. Each face signifies worship of a particular trait. Hanuman for courage and strength, Narasimha for fearlessness, Garuda for magical skills and the power to cure snake bites, Varaha for health and exorcism and Hayagriva for victory over enemies.
The eleven faced Hanuman is a representation of Hanuman along with the ten incarnations of Vishnu. Since Hanuman is considered as the incarnation of eleventh Rudra ( Shiva ), the eleven faced Hanuman stands for eleven Rudras namely Aja Ekapad, Ahir-budhnya, Tvashta, Rudra, Hara, Tryambaka, Vrshakapi, Shambhu, Raivata, Mrgavyadha and Sharva.
According to the scripture Prasadamandana, icons of Hanuman should be installed on south-western side of temples. Agni Purana states that when an idol of Hanuman is installed in a temple he must be depicted as holding vajra in one hand and his feet must seem to tear the ground under them.
Hanuman is usually depicted in varied colours. Red, orange and yellow symbolize the fierce persona of Shiva as Rudra, as in many myths Hanuman is considered to be a son of Shiva. When painted green and black, Hanuman's form is associated with the darkness of Saturn, whose friend he is.
An idol is an external symbol of God for worship. God is infinite, eternal and everywhere, all powerful, all-knowing. It is not possible for all to fix the mind on these attributes of God. A concrete form is necessary for ordinary people for practicing concentration. Idols are the shining channels through which the heart of the devotee is attracted to and flows towards. Pictures, drawings of God are also forms of idol only. By worshipping with faith, a devotee can imbibe the qualities for which that God stands for and can evolve to the highest stage, attaining oneness with the deity himself.
In almost all sculptures and paintings Hanuman is shown with a human body, monkey' face and tail.
In South India, Hanuman's idol carved out of black stone is seen in standing position with folded hands. The most common kind of Hanuman idol found in North India is in red stone or white marble stone. Vermilion paste ( red sindoor ) is smeared all over the body. There is an interesting legend connected with this paste.
One day Hanuman saw the Mother Sita applying a round shaped vermilion mark on her forehead and asked her the reason for that. Sita replied that this mark is symbol of marriedhood and that ensures the welfare of her husband Shri Rama. When Hanuman heard that , he rubbed his whole body with it to seek the happiness and welfare and long life of Rama. Owing to his sweat getting mixed with it, his whole body was covered with a thick vermilion paste. It is said that since then Hanuman' idol is invariably created with this holy paste ( vermilion with butter ). This simple incident reveals the keenness of Hanuman to keep his Lord Rama always happy and well. So the devotees also apply this paste on their forehead ( as prasada ) from the feet of the idol of Hanuman.
Sometimes the son of the Wind-god is shown flying. The most popular form shown is this. His left arm is always raised upwards and hill resting on the palm ( the hill is Sanjeevani herb to revive the unconscious Lakshmana). His right hand holds a club, which rests on the deity's shoulder.
In high art , Hanuman is shown wearing earrings made of five metals. The sacred thread worn diagonally across the chest would imply that Hanuman is a brahmachari ( celibate, a student properly initiated into scriptures
Like most male Hindu deities, Hanuman wears no garment on the chest. However, a fold of his loin cloth is seen taken up diagonally across the chest to the opposite shoulder and then diagonally down back to the loin cloth. In some idols he is shown wearing a royal, bejewelled cloak on the chest.
Deities like Rama and Krishna are shown wearing lower garments that cover their legs right down to the feet. They were kings. Hanuman was a man of action, constantly on the move. Therefore, his loin cloth is normally shown wrapped round his thighs alone. His loin cloth is mostly girdled up. This loin cloth was made up of the same material as the thunderbolt according to later Ramayanas. It was as hard as a diamond and Hanuman was born wearing it, declaring his eternal celibacy.
Hanuman usually carries a mace and a mountain. Sometimes his idol is shown standing on the body of a demon. The famous three demons killed by Hanuman were Kalanemi, Mahi Ravana and Ahi Ravana. The demon under Hanuman could be one of these. He is shown standing on a woman, a symbol for an astrologically unfavourable period involving Saturn, or it could be a demoness depicting lust to show Hanuman' control over the senses
An outstanding icon is that of vira Anjaneya or Vira Hanuman.In this icon, this deity is portrayed in profile, with his right hand raised above his head in the posture of protection ( abhaya hasta ) and his left hand holding the stalk of a lotus flower near his chest. He is shown striding forward and has his tail, usually with a bell tied to the end, encircling his head.
In some pictures Hanuman is shown in sitting postures also. He is shown in Padmasana engrossed in meditation.He is sometimes depicted with right palm in abhayamudra ( the right hand raised with the palm of the hand facing forwards. This indicates blessing, protection and reassurance ) and left palm in varadamudra ( the left hand, with the fingers pointing downwards, with an open palm, indicates granting a wish ).
He is sometimes shown in sitting position with his right hand holding a mace over his right shoulder. Hanuman is also seen with Veena ( a stringed musical instrument ) in his hands.
Sometimes Hanuman is depicted as engrossed in bhajan with hands raised up.
In some pictures Hanuman is depicted in vajrasana position with his hands opening his chest showing the image of Rama and Sita in it. Behind this, there is an interesting tale given in the Ramayana literature. After Rama's coronation, all the bears and monkeys were given gifts as token for their help to Rama in the battle against Ravana. Hanuman received a very valuable pearl necklace. He accepted it gratefully and broke each of the pearls from the necklace and checked it and threw it away. Looking at his tantrum, he was advised by the senior courtier of Rama's court not to waste those pearls away as each was worth a fortune. Then Hanuman explained his purpose of doing so that he was just testing the worth of each pearl. The pearls looked dazzling from outside but did not contain Rama and Sita inside - in their heart. He added that since they did not show the image of Rama and Sita inside in them, they were useless to him. That is why he was throwing them. One of the courtiers commented that Hanuman was saying this with such confidence as if he had the image of Rama and Sita enshrined in his heart. Hearing this comment, Hanuman slit open his chest with his nail. The people present there were amazed to see the dazzling image of Rama and Sita inside his heart. They all bowed down before Hanuman for his such great devotion to the Lord. The story is symbolical as it reveals the emotional character and unflinching faith of Hanuman. In pictures in the company of Shri Rama, Sita and Lakshmana, Hanuman is shown standing humbly at a distance or sitting devotedly at the feet of Lord Rama.
Some Hanuman idols are depicted as five-faced ( panchamukhi ) and eleven-faced ( ekadashamukhi ) also.
Vaishnavas ( followers of Vishnu ) believe that Vayu ( Wind god ) underwent three incarnations to help Lord Vishnu. As Hanuman , he helped Rama, as Bhima , he helped Krishna and as Madhwacharya (12th century C.E ), the founder of the Vaishnava sect ( Dvaita philosophy ), he helped Veda Vyasa to interpret the vedantic scriptures. The Vaishnavas, therefore ,evolved a special form of Hanuman that included the important Vaishnava deities with five heads and ten arms.The Panchamukhi Hanuman has the following: at the centre a monkey face, a lion's visage for Narasimha gazing southwards, an eagle's head symbolizing Garuda facing west, a boar head or Varaha facing north and a horse face or Hayagriva facing the sky. Each face signifies worship of a particular trait. Hanuman for courage and strength, Narasimha for fearlessness, Garuda for magical skills and the power to cure snake bites, Varaha for health and exorcism and Hayagriva for victory over enemies.
The eleven faced Hanuman is a representation of Hanuman along with the ten incarnations of Vishnu. Since Hanuman is considered as the incarnation of eleventh Rudra ( Shiva ), the eleven faced Hanuman stands for eleven Rudras namely Aja Ekapad, Ahir-budhnya, Tvashta, Rudra, Hara, Tryambaka, Vrshakapi, Shambhu, Raivata, Mrgavyadha and Sharva.
According to the scripture Prasadamandana, icons of Hanuman should be installed on south-western side of temples. Agni Purana states that when an idol of Hanuman is installed in a temple he must be depicted as holding vajra in one hand and his feet must seem to tear the ground under them.
Hanuman is usually depicted in varied colours. Red, orange and yellow symbolize the fierce persona of Shiva as Rudra, as in many myths Hanuman is considered to be a son of Shiva. When painted green and black, Hanuman's form is associated with the darkness of Saturn, whose friend he is.
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