Parts of this story are narrated in the Ramayana, but somehow no one seems to link them. I
am just doing that. Swamiji confirmed parts of this story.
Ahalya
was sage Gautama’s wife. She was famous for her beauty all over the worlds.
Anjana Devi was the daughter of Gautama and Ahalya.
The
Sun god was enchanted by the beauty of Ahalya. Being a ‘Kaamaroopi’ – one who
can take any form as per one’s will - he took the form of Sage Gautama when the
sage was not at the ashram and made love to Ahalya. Ahalya consented as she mistook
him to be her husband. Vali was born to the Sun god and Ahalya. It was only
when the Sage returned to the ashram later that Ahalya realized she was
tricked. Indra, the king of Gods, was also enchanted by Ahalya’s beauty and
played the same trick as the Sun god. Sugreeva was born of this relationship. Anjana
Devi who was a child by then understood that her mother was cheated by Sun god and
Indra. Sage Gautama was not aware of the cheating and took Vali and Sugreeva to
be his children and all the three children were growing up together.
Once,
Sage Gautama set off on a trip along with his family. It was midday when they
were to cross the Thunga-Bhadra river. Sage Gouthama was carrying the two boys Vali
and Sugreeva on his shoulders and his wife Ahalya and daughter Anjana Devi were
following him. The sand on the banks of the river was hot from the sun and burnt
little Anjana Devi’s feet as they had to walk quite some distance on it before actually
getting into the waters. Unable to bear the heat, she suddenly shouted at her
father, “Father, this is not fair. You have left me - your own child - to walk on
the hot sand and you are carrying Vali and Sugreeva – who are not even born of you
- on your shoulders. You seem to love them more than you love me.”
Anjana
Devi’s revelation shocked and enraged the Sage. He threw both the little
children into the waters of the river saying, “If they are my children, they
will return to me. If not, they will turn into monkeys and get washed away into
the forest.” Cursed thus, the two brothers were washed ashore, turned into
monkeys and grew up to be the rulers of the monkeys in the forests on the banks
of the river Thunga-Bhadra, which were part of the ‘Dandakaaranya’.
Ahalya
was grieved by the separation of her two sons from her and cursed her daughter Anjana
Devi saying, “You failed in preserving the secret of your mother and it is
because of you that my children have turned into monkeys and have been separated
from me. Let your child too turn into a monkey.”
The
Sage, in his anger, cursed his wife Ahalya to turn into a stone as she behaved
unintelligent as a stone. Ahalya fell on her husband’s feet and asked for
forgiveness pleading innocence saying it was not her fault, but she was cheated
by the gods. Finally, Gautama took pity on her and said, “My curse will come
true. You will turn into a stone, but you will regain your human form when Lord
Rama’s feet touch you.”
Later,
when Anjana Devi was married to Kesari, Hanuman was born to her. But, due to
his own grandmother’s curse, he was either born as a monkey or turned into one.
That should explain why Hanuman is called ‘Aanjaneya’, ‘Anjani Putra’ as well
as ‘Kesari Nandhana’. We know that he is the son of the Wind God (see box below)
– ‘Vayuputhra’, ‘Vaathaathmaja’. Apparently, Hanuman the monkey, went and lived
with his uncles Vali and Sugreeva who were also monkeys and ruled the monkeys
with the city of ‘Kishkindha’ as their capital. Swamiji confirmed that a
village by the name of Anegundi, close to Hosapet in Karnataka about 100 Kms
from Bellary, was the birth place of Hanuman when HH visited Hosapet. When I
Googled for Anegundi, I found there is a trust named Kishkindha Trust near this
village.
Evidently,
all this happened before Lord Rama, at the age of 16 years, set out to the forests
along with Sage Vishwamitra and his younger brother Laxmana to help protect the
yagna from Thaataki the lady demon and other rakshasas including Mareecha and
Subahu. It was on that trip that Lord Rama’s feet touched the stone that was the
cursed Ahalya and she regained her beautiful human form.
People
tell us that when Hanuman saw Lord Shri Rama roaming in the forest much later,
after Sita was kidnapped by Raavana, he did not know Rama. I can’t believe that
because Rama was the one, the mere touch of whose feet turned Ahalya - his
grandmother, from a stone back to human form. Hanuman’s grandfather – Sage Gauthama
was a devotee of Rama (even before Rama was born) as were several other sages and
knew all about him. Therefore, Hanuman was a third-generation devotee of Lord Rama
- like some of us whose grandfathers and/or grandmothers were Swamiji -
Shivabalayogi’s devotees.
