Traditionally, Hindus ascribe the authorship of the Mahabharata to Vyasa. The first section of the Mahabharata states that it was Ganesha who, at the request of Vyasa, wrote down the text to Vyasa’s dictation. Ganesha is said to have agreed to write it only on condition that Vyasa never pause in his recitation. Vyasa agreed, providing that Ganesha took the time to understand what was said before writing it down. This also serves as a popular variation on the story of how Ganesha’s right tusk was broken (a traditional part of Ganesha imagery). This version attributes it to the fact that, in the rush of writing, his pen failed, and he snapped off his tusk as a replacement in order that the transcription not be interrupted.

The epic employs the story within a story structure, otherwise known as frametales, popular in many Indian religious and secular works. It is recited to the King Janamejaya who is the great-grandson of Arjuna, by Vaisampayana, a disciple of Vyasa.

With more than 74,000 verses, the Mahabharata is one of the longest epic poems in the world. Including the Harivamsa, the Mahabharata has a total length of more than 90,000 verses. It is of immense importance to the culture of the Indian subcontinent, and is a major text of Hinduism. Its discussion of human goals (artha or purpose, kama or pleasure, dharma or duty, and moksha or liberation) takes place in a long-standing tradition, attempting to explain the relationship of the individual to society and the world (the nature of the ‘Self’) and the workings of karma.

The Mahabharata is more than simply a story of kings and princes, sages and wise men, demons and gods. The Mahabharata includes aspects of Hinduism, stories of the gods and goddesses, and explanations of Hindu philosophy.

The core story of the work is that of a dynastic struggle for the throne of Hastinapura, the kingdom ruled by the Kuru clan. The two collateral branches of the family that participate in the struggle are the Kaurava and the Pandava. Although the Kaurava is the senior branch of the family, Duryodhana, the eldest Kaurava, is younger than Yudhisthira, the eldest Pandava. Both Duryodhana and Yudhisthira claim to be the first in line to inherit the throne.

The struggle culminates in the great battle of Kurukshetra, in which the Pandavas are ultimately victorious. The battle produces complex conflicts of kinship and friendship, instances of family loyalty and duty taking precedence over what is right, as well as the converse.

The Mahabharata itself ends with the death of Krishna, and the subsequent end of his dynasty, and ascent of the Pandava brothers to heaven. It also marks the beginning of the Hindu age of Kali (Kali Yuga), the fourth and final age of mankind, where the great values and noble ideas have crumbled, and shows that man is heading toward the complete dissolution of right action, morality and virtue.

Hanuman, the incarnation of Shiva, is one of the most famous gods in Hindu mythology and is known for his devotion, strength, determination, commitment and motiveless services he rendered to lord, Rama. He played crucial roles by not only leading some important missions but also supporting Ram’s expedition against evil forces of Ravana.

Religion is a thing of importance in Hindu society. There are thousands of gods and goddess and they all get due reverence for their different yet important roles. One of such god is Hanuman aka Maruti. Maruti’s has great importance in Hinduism due to the supporting role he played to lord Rama in Ramayana. To know why Hindus worship the lord of monkeys with so much devotion and austerity, we will start exploring the related interesting facts.

The background:

Trinity of gods – Brahma the creator, Vishnu the maintainer or preserver and Shiva the destroyer – generally governs the Hindu religion. As per the Hindu mythology, people believe that the creator, Vishnu, usually takes birth on earth to protect and counterbalance goodness against rising sin and vice in the society. One of such incarnation of Vishnu is Rama in Treta yuga. Bajrang (Hanuman) took birth to follow and serve god Rama – be whatever the situation is, even at the cost of his life.

Birth:

Lord Bajrang was the son of Kesari, the king of monkeys, and Anjani, the daughter of maharishi Gautam. The incarnation of lord Shiva, the purpose of Maruti’s birth is to serve and assist Rama, the incarnation of Vishnu, in Ramayana.

Various names and Role:

Hanuman, who is also known as Bajarang, Anjaneya, Maruti, Pavansut, Pawankumar and many other names, is an incarnation of lord Shiva that he contributed to support and serve lord Rama in his human avatar. Ram has a great place in Hinduism and people worship Marutinandan as a motiveless, devout and real servant of Ram who sacrificed his comfort, happiness and above all, his life to serve Rama for a noble cause.

He is famous for:

Maruti, the mighty ape, is remembered for playing a considerable role by leading at various fronts in Ram’s expedition against evil forces, represented by Ravana, to get Sita released and kill Ravan as well as destroy his diabolic empire. Maruti played a great supporting role not only to eradicate the evil forces but also in laying the corner stone to establish the empire of peace and justice. Due to these qualities, Hindus worship Maruti. He is a staunch follower of Rama as well as a symbol of devotion, strength, perseverance and commitment. To know more about Hanuman, click here .

Worshipping Maruti:

It is believed in Indian mythology that worshipping Maruti solves all purposes – be it financial, moral or any other concerns. Procedure to worship Bajrang is described in details in various Hindu religious books. Tuesday and Saturday are the days of Maruti and people fast to pay obedience as well as give special offerings to him.

A role model:

As per the Hindu Panchang (calendar), people celebrate the birth anniversary of Maruti every year with zeal and enthusiasm on the Purnina (full moon) of Chaitra month (March). The material used to worship includes rice, red flowers, Kumkum/sindur and followers generally wear red cloths to worship Pavanputra. In order to please Pavansut, one needs to chant the hymns devoted to the deity that include Chalisa, Asthak, Bajarang bana, Stawan etc.

The character of Bajrang tells the common masses about unlimited powers every one has and how to use them gain eternal peace and salvation. There have been other gods of great importance, say for instance, the elephant god Lord Ganesha. To know more about lord Ganesha, Click here