Once upon a time, Mother Anjana laid infant Hanuman down in the hermitage and went outside for a while. After some time, Hanuman felt an intense hunger. Just then, he saw the Sun God rising in the sky. He thought it was a beautiful, red, sweet fruit. In a single leap, he reached the Sun God, caught hold of him, and put him into his mouth.
It was the day of a solar eclipse. Rahu was approaching the Sun in order to devour him. Seeing Rahu, Hanuman thought that he too was some black fruit, and he leapt toward him as well. Somehow Rahu escaped and reached Lord Indra. Trembling with fear, Rahu said to Indra,
“O Lord! What kind of second Rahu have you sent today to swallow the Sun? If I had not fled, he would have eaten me as well.”
Hearing Rahu’s words, Lord Indra was greatly astonished. Mounted on his white elephant Airavata and holding his thunderbolt (vajra) in his hand, he came out. He saw that a young monkey was playing in the sky with the Sun pressed in his mouth. Hanuman too saw Indra riding the white Airavata. He thought that Indra was also some edible white fruit and leapt toward him as well.
Seeing this, Lord Indra became extremely angry. Protecting himself from Hanuman’s attack and in order to free the Sun, he struck Hanuman forcefully on the chin (hanu) with his thunderbolt. Due to the blow of the vajra, Hanuman’s mouth opened, and he fell unconscious to the earth.
As soon as Hanuman fell, his father, the Wind God, Vayu, arrived there. Lifting his unconscious son, he embraced him to his chest. Mother Anjana also rushed there and began to weep upon seeing Hanuman unconscious. Enraged, Vayu stopped blowing altogether.
When the air ceased to move, all beings in the three worlds became distressed. Animals and birds began to faint and fall. Trees, plants, and crops started to wither. Brahma, along with Indra and all the other gods, went to Vayu. Touching Hanuman with his own hands and restoring him to life, Brahma said to Vayu,
“O Vayu Dev! Please start blowing immediately. Without air, the lives of all beings are in danger. If you delay even slightly, all creatures in the three worlds will perish. Today, this child shall receive boons from all the gods.”
Hearing Brahma’s words, all the gods declared,
“From today onward, no weapon of any kind shall have any effect on this child.”
Indra said,
“Even my thunderbolt shall no longer affect him. Since his hanu (chin) was broken by the vajra, his name from today shall be Hanuman.”
Brahma said,
“O Vayu Dev! Your son shall excel above all others in strength, intelligence, and knowledge. In all the three worlds, there shall be none equal to him in any respect. He shall be the greatest devotee of Lord Rama. Merely remembering him shall remove all kinds of sorrow. He shall be completely immune to the power of my Brahmastra.”
Pleased by the boons and hearing the prayers of Brahma and the gods, Vayu began to blow once again as before. The beings of the three worlds were filled with joy.
