The Sun Eater
A Child's Divine Appetite
Long before he was a mighty hero, Hanuman was a divine child named Maruti, born to the Vanara queen Anjana and King Kesari. Blessed by Vayu, the Wind God, he was endowed with unimaginable strength, speed, and a mischievous spirit that knew no bounds. This is the story of his very first epic adventure.
A Playful Demigod
From birth, Maruti possessed the ability to change his form at will and fly. He was a playful and often troublesome child, using his immense powers to tease the sages in the forest, pulling their beards and disrupting their rituals, all in innocent fun.
मारुति
As the son of the Wind God, he was as swift and unrestrainable as the wind itself, a bundle of divine energy and curiosity.
The Forbidden Fruit
One morning, the child Maruti woke up feeling hungry. He looked around and saw a beautiful, glowing, reddish-orange orb rising in the eastern sky. To his innocent eyes, it looked like a delicious, ripe mango, ready to be eaten.
Step 1: The Innocent Mistake
"What a lovely fruit!" he thought to himself. His mother had just left to gather real fruits for him, but his divine hunger and curiosity could not wait. Without a second thought, he decided he would have that giant "mango" for his breakfast.
A God's Intervention
The gods looked on in alarm. Surya, the Sun God, was unconcerned by the child's attempt, but Rahu, the celestial being responsible for eclipses, saw Hanuman as a challenger. He reported the incident to Indra, the king of the gods, who saw the child's unchecked power as a threat to cosmic order.
The Vajra's Strike
Riding his white elephant, Airavata, Indra confronted the flying child. When Maruti ignored his warnings, Indra unleashed his ultimate weapon, the Vajra (thunderbolt), striking the child on his jaw (Hanu) and sending him plummeting back to earth, unconscious.
Blessings of the Gods
Seeing his son lifeless, Vayu withdrew the world's air in grief, suffocating all life. To appease him, the gods revived the child and bestowed upon him incredible blessings. Brahma granted him immunity from the Brahmastra. Indra made him immune to the Vajra. Agni, the Fire God, blessed him to be unharmed by fire. From that day on, because of his injured jaw, he was known as Hanuman.
A Power Curtailed for a Greater Purpose
Now immortal and more powerful than ever, the young Hanuman continued his mischief. To protect the world (and himself) from his own innocent but destructive power, the sages placed a mild curse on him: he would forget the true extent of his abilities. He would live as a normal Vanara, his divine powers dormant, until the day a wise soul would remind him of his true nature for a cause of great importance.