On occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, a festival to mark birth of Lord Hanuman, we are delighted to publish the story about his birth. Listen to this story to learn about his parents and how he came to be born. Finally, learn how he came to be known as Hanuman. This story has some interesting elements- for example, Why and how did Shiva agree to be born as Anjani's son? Why did Hanuman decided to swallow the Sun? Listen to this story to learn more.

Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Hanuman, the Vanar God and devotee of Lord Rama. According to the story, Anjani, an attendant in Lord Brahma's palace, was cursed to become a monkey when she fell in love. Lord Brahma advised her to live on earth and give birth to an incarnation of Lord Shiva to remove the curse. She married Kesari, the king of monkeys, and gave birth to Anjaneya, the incarnation of Lord Shiva. Hanuman is considered a symbol of strength, energy, and the ability to conquer evil spirits. The story of his birth is closely related to the birth of Lord Ram and the Ram Navmi festival.

This episode been revised and rewritten by Amar Vyas and narrated by Sheerali Biju for gaathastory. Music and images obtained from public domain sources or Creative Commons license.

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