Hanuman: Difference between revisions

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{{Hinduism|Deity=Hanuman}}

 

Devotional practices centered around Hanuman were not prominent in these texts or in early archaeological evidence. His theological significance and the cultivation of a devoted following emerged roughly a millennium after the ''[[Ramayana]]'' was composed, during the second millennium [[Common Era|CE]], coinciding with the advent of Islamic rule in the [[Indian subcontinent]].<ref name="Paula Richman 2010">Paula Richman (2010), ''Review: Lutgendorf, Philip's Hanuman's Tale: The Messages of a Divine Monkey'', The Journal of Asian Studies; Vol 69, Issue 4 (Nov 2010), page 32</ref> Hanuman's abilities are partly attributed to his lineage from [[Vayu]], symbolizing a connection with both the physical and the cosmic elements.{{Sfn|Lutgendorf|2007|p=44}} Figures from the [[Bhakti movement]], such as [[Samarth Ramdas]], have portrayed Hanuman as an emblem of nationalism and defiance against oppression.<ref name=lele114/> According to [[Vaishnava]] tradition, the sage [[Madhvacharya]] posited that Vayu aids Vishnu in his earthly incarnations, a role akin to Hanuman's assistance to Rama.{{Sfn|Lutgendorf|2007|p=67}} In recent times, the veneration of Hanuman through iconography and temple worship has significantly increased.<ref name="JonesRyan2006p177">{{cite book|author1=Constance Jones|author2=James D. Ryan|title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OgMmceadQ3gC|year=2006|publisher=Infobase|isbn=978-0-8160-7564-5|pages=177–178|access-date=26 May 2017|archive-date=20 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020070415/https://books.google.com/books?id=OgMmceadQ3gC|url-status=live}}</ref> He epitomizes the fusion of "strength, heroic initiative, and assertive excellence" with "loving, emotional devotion" to his lord Rama, embodying both [[Shakti]] and [[Bhakti]].{{sfn|Lutgendorf|2007|pages=26–32, 116, 257–259, 388–391}} Subsequent literature has occasionally depicted him as the patron deity of martial arts, meditation, and scholarly pursuits.<ref name="Williams2008p146">{{cite book|author=George M. Williams|title=Handbook of Hindu Mythology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N7LOZfwCDpEC&pg=PA146 |year=2008|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-533261-2|pages=146–148}}</ref> He is revered as an exemplar of [[Temperance (virtue)|self-control]], faith, and commitment to a cause, transcending his outward [[Vanara]] appearance.<ref name="JonesRyan2006p177"/><ref name="Lutgendorf 1997 311–332">{{cite journal | last=Lutgendorf | first=Philip | title=Monkey in the Middle: The Status of Hanuman in Popular Hinduism | journal=Religion | volume=27 | issue=4 | year=1997| doi=10.1006/reli.1997.0095 | pages=311–332}}</ref><ref name=ludvik2>{{cite book|author=Catherine Ludvik|title=Hanumān in the Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki and the Rāmacaritamānasa of Tulasī Dāsa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KCXQN0qoAe0C |year=1994|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-81-208-1122-5|pages=2–9}}</ref> Traditionally, Hanuman is celebrated as a lifelong [[Brahmacarya|celibate]], embodying the virtues of chastity.<ref name="JonesRyan2006p177"/>{{sfn|Lutgendorf|2007|pages=223, 309, 320}}