Lord Hanuman: Five Popular Forms Of The Monkey God

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Lord Hanuman, is the immortal, Jagruta Daiva (awakened and active deity) who occupies a pride of place amongst Gods of Hindu Pantheon. Blessed with Ashta siddhis (Anima, Mahima, Garima, Laghima, Prapti, Prakamya, Isitva, Vasitva. He is believed to still visit a tribal community in Sri Lanka once in 48 years whose visits are recorded in their books with an undecipherable script.

Devotees have recorded that his presence is most strongly felt in the Hanuman Garhi of Ayodhya even today. He is known to visit especially in the form of an old brahmin, those places where Rama Nama is recited. He is a God that took its form for the first time in the Treta Yuga and later on, he advanced into the Dvapara yuga, to appear before the Pandavas and bless them with success. He is the son of Devi Anjana and Lord Vayu which is the reason why he is called Vayu Putra, the son of air.

He is an avatar with no beginning or end and due to his immortal nature, he is not present as an avatar but has five principal forms for which he is known far and wide. Puranas mention these forms which are explained in detail.

The 5 Forms of Lord Hanuman

Lord Hanuman adopts different shapes and forms when he appears in different svaroopas. In some, he may appear as having 5 heads, in some others, he may appear as a warrior and so on. These manifestations only indicate his superpowers.

Sankat Mochan (The Lord Saviour who saves from perils)

This form is hugely popular amongst his devotees due to the names that he bears, and the sense of comfort that comes from the very mention of this name. Devotees gather to worship this form to seek his powerful blessings and to get rid of any challenge or hurdles in life. The sankata mochan aspect of Lord Hanuman was popularised by Saint Tulsidas, who wrote the famous work Ramcharitmanas under very gruelling circumstances from which Lord Hanuman had saved him. Hanuman is shown as holding a mountain in one hand and a mace in the other.

Virat Swarup (The Gigantic Form Of Hanuman)

As per Valmiki, the original Ramayana author's depiction, Hanuman, in his Virat or gigantic Swaroop, surprised Goddess Sita in the Ashoka Vana with his form. He had expanded his form to unfathomable proportions. This is a separate story that applies only to Lord Hanuman and it is not to be confused with the vishvaroopa of Lord Krishna. He showed this same Swaroopa to Bhima, during the times of Mahabharata, just to curtail bhimas trace of arrogance. Hanuman displayed his mighty form to Sita just to prove that he is capable of destroying Ravana's mighty army and rescue her easily and that he was sent by Rama.

Das Maruti (As a Devotee of Lord Ram)

In the above form, he shows the type of devotion he had towards Lord Rama. There are nine types of Bhaktis, one of them being the dasa type of Bhakti which Maruti had for Lord Rama. The others are Santa Bhava, Madhurya Bhava, Vatsalya Bhava, Dasya Bhava and Sakhya Bhava. Madhurya Bhava is otherwise known as Kanta Bhava, whereas Sakhya Bhava is another type of Madhurya Bhava. Sakhya Bhava is where you see a friend in God. Kanta Bhava is when you see him as your spouse and so on. There is no parallel to the bhakti or devotion of Lord Hanuman towards Lord Rama in the history of ancient Hindu spiritual world.

Even today, great many of us read Ramayana only to know more about the deeds and the devotion of Hanuman towards Lord Rama. Hanuman is analysed from all angles, as an ambassador, as a messenger, as a son, and even for his statesmanly abilities which he exhibited. His devotion still raises eyebrows of many who can not figure out how an emotion can be felt so deeply and strongly. He had great powers that were gifted to him as a result of his penance towards Lord Rama. Several books, have concentrated on the devotee aspect of Hanuman and extolled him sky high.

Panchmukhi Hanuman (The Five-Headed Form Of Hanuman)

Lord Hanuman displaying five heads, ten arms, and a variety of divine weapons. The front face is that of Hanuman, while on the right, there are the heads of a lion and a horse, representing Lord Narasimha and Lord Hayagriva. On the left, there are the heads of an eagle and a boar, representing Lord Garuda and Lord Varaha, respectively.

As per the Ramayana, epic Lord Hanuman took these forms in order to save Lord Rama and Lakshmana from Ahiravana, the lord of hell. This is an example that reflects his infinite powers, and the self-effacing and unassuming nature of Lord Hanuman.

Ekadasa Mukha Hanuman

The term 'Ekadasha' means eleven and Ekadasa Mukha means the one with eleven faces. This is the rarest form of Hanuman that is rarely seen in the scriptures. With 22 hands holding divine weapons, he is the ultimate godly form of Hanuman as per the traditions.

Lord Hanuman is unlike any other deity, who comes to the rescue as soon as worshipped, and who is so humble that he calls himself the servant of Lord Rama. He rises to any occasion in the manner required of him and at other times. This is the reason why he is so popular among his devotees. Disclaimer: The information is based on assumptions and information available on the internet and the accuracy or reliability is not guaranteed. Boldsky does not confirm any inputs or information related to the article and our only purpose is to deliver information. Kindly consult the concerned expert before practising or implementing any information and assumption.

Image sources: Wikimedia Commons