Lord Hanuman’s childhood was filled with extraordinary events that revealed his divine nature from the very beginning. These stories, passed down through generations, are beloved by children and adults alike.
Story 1: Swallowing the Sun
Young Hanuman woke one morning feeling very hungry. He looked to the east and saw the sun rising — large, glowing, and orange. In his childlike understanding, he mistook the large orange sphere for a ripe fruit and leaped into the sky toward it!
That same day, the demon Rahu was approaching the sun to swallow it and cause a solar eclipse. When Rahu saw Hanuman heading toward the sun, he thought he was being cheated of his eclipse and went to Indra, king of the gods, to complain.
Indra arrived on Airavata (his white elephant) and struck baby Hanuman with his thunderbolt (vajra) to stop him. The strike hit Hanuman’s chin and he fell to earth, unconscious.
Vayudeva, the wind god, was furious at the attack on his son. He withdrew all the wind from the universe. Without air, every living being began to suffocate. The gods rushed to Brahma, who revived Hanuman. To appease Vayu, all the gods gave young Hanuman special boons — Brahma gave immunity from the Brahmastra, Indra gave a body harder than his vajra, Suryadev gave radiance.
This is why Hanuman is called Hanumat — his chin (hanu) was struck (mana) by Indra’s thunderbolt. And it is why Vayu is his divine father — Hanuman is as powerful and as swift as the wind itself.
Story 2: The Sages’ Curse
As a young child, Hanuman was mischievous and full of energy. He would leap into the ashrams of sages and disturb their meditation — pulling beards, scattering sacred vessels, and generally causing mayhem.
The sages placed a mild curse on him: he would forget his own powers until reminded of them by someone else. This is why, in the Ramayana, Hanuman forgets his ability to leap across the ocean until Jambavan reminds him. The moment he is reminded, all his power floods back and he performs his greatest feat — the leap to Lanka.
Story 3: Suryadev as Teacher
When Hanuman came of age and wished to learn, he requested Suryadev (the sun god) to be his guru. Suryadev presented a challenge: “I am always moving — I cannot stand still to teach you. Can you keep pace with me?”
Young Hanuman agreed. He flew through the sky facing Suryadev — walking backwards at the same speed as the sun’s movement across the sky — studying all the scriptures, grammar, music, warfare, and knowledge that Suryadev taught him face to face.
This is why Hanuman is described in the Ramayana as the supreme scholar — knowing all the Vedas and every branch of knowledge — all learned directly from the sun god himself.
Note: The Suryadev-as-guru episode is also told from a different angle on the Hanuman and Sugriv page, which focuses on the guru dakshina and how Hanuman came to serve Sugriv.
Jai Bal Hanuman!
Related Stories & Pages
- Birth of Hanuman (Vayuputra) — Hanuman’s origins and divine parentage
- Anjana Devi — Hanuman’s mother
- Hanuman and Sugriv — the Suryadev guru dakshina story
- Hanuman Folk Tales — all story pages