Pagan Festival Shout Out! Hanuman Jayanti

Hanuman Jayanti will be celebrated on 25 April in 2013. In Maharashtra and Karnataka, Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated on the full moon day (pūrnima) of the Hindu lunar month of Chaitra. A special feature of Hanuman Jayanti is that according to some religious almanacs (panchāngs) the birthday of Hanuman falls on the fourteenth day (chaturdashi) in the dark fortnight of the month of Ashvin while according to others it falls on the full moon day in the bright fortnight of Chaitra.

To mark the birth of Lord Hanuman, Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated all over India in the month of Chaitra in Hindu calendar. The great Hanuman is known for its great strength, power and his immortal devotion towards Lord Rama. He is considered to be a greatest follower of Lord Rama and played a crucial role in his life. He is also known as Sankat Mochan who people remember in both good and bad times. He is considered to be as one of the most powerful Hindu gods in India.

Celebrations on Hanuman Jayanti began early in the day with special puja being performed by devotees. Devotees perform holy Puja in temples dedicated to Sree Hanuman or at Home. People in India organize special prayers for Lord Hanuman to get rid of evil spirits. The God is known for its magical powers. Prayers and Hymns are sung all day long in various Hanuman temples dedicated to the lord. Hanuman is considered as a symbol of Power and great strength in Hindu mythology. He is believed to have carried a whole mountain in his shoulder. On auspicious day of Hanuman Jayanti, People apply red Sindur from Lord's feet on their foreheads. This is considering being a ritual for good health and good luck.

Spiritual discourses are organized in most of the Hindu temples on this day. Hanuman was the most powerful in the three people the Heaven people, the Hell people, and the Land people. All these Gods had blessed him when he was just a 1/2-year old child.

Some of the prayers, songs, mantras, shlokas, devoted to Hanuman include Hanuman Chalisa, Bajrang Baan, Maruti Strotam, Anjaneya Dandakam , Vadvanal Strotam, Hanuman Sathhika, Hanuman Bahuk,Hanuman Dwadesh, Bhimrupi Strotam, Sundara Kanda, Maruti Gayatri Mantra, Hanumansahasranam stotra (Stotra of thousand names of Hanuman), Ek-mukhi Hanuman Raksha Kavacham, Panch-mukhi Hanuman Raksha Kavacham and Sapta-mukhi Hanuman Raksha Kavacham.

"Ram Raksha Strotam", the Sanskrit Strota, a Shield of Rama has lines devoted to Hanuman, saying, whoever, reads this, will be protected by Hanuman.

Below is an English copy of Ram Raksha Strotam along with a recording of the prayer.

Author : Buddhism Kaushika

Asya OM Sree raamarakShaa stOtramaMtrasya budhakauSika RuShiH
Sree seetaaraama chaMdrOdEvataa
anuShTup ChaMdaH
seetaa SaktiH
Sreemaan hanumaan keelakaM
SreeraamacaMdra preetyarthE raamarakShaa stOtrajapE viniyOgaH
dhyaanamdhyaayEdaajaanubaahuM dhRutaSara dhanuShaM baddha padmaasanasthaM
peetaM vaasOvasaanaM navakamala daLasparthi nEtraM prasannam
vaamaaMkaarooDha seetaamukha kamala milallOchanaM neeradaabhaM
naanaalaMkaara deeptaM dadhatamuru jaTaamaMDalaM raamachaMdram
stOtramcharitaM raghunaathasya SatakOTi pravistaram
EkaikamakSharaM puMsaaM mahaapaataka naaSanam
dhyaatvaa neelOtpala SyaamaM raamaM raajeevalOchanam
jaanakee lakShmaNOpEtaM jaTaamukuTa maMDitam
saasitooNa dhanurbaaNa paaNiM naktaM charaaMtakam
svaleelayaa jagatraatu maavirbhootamajaM vibhum
raamarakShaaM paThEtpraagnyaH paapaghneeM sarvakaamadaam
Siro mE raaghavaH paatuphaalaM daSarathaatmajaH
kausalyEyO dRuSaupaatu viSvaamitra priyaH SRutee
ghraaNaM paatu makhatraataa mukhaM saumitrivatsalaH
Bharata kaMThaM vidyaanidhiH jihvaaM paatu vaMditaH
skaMdhau divyaayudhaH paatu bhujau bhagnESakaarmukaH
KARAU seetaapatiH paatu hRudayaM jaamadagnyajit
madhyaM paatu kharadhvaMsee naabhiM jaaMbavadaaSrayaH
sugreevESaH kaTeepaatu hanumat sakthinee-prabhuH
ooroo raghoottamaH paatu rakShakula vinaaSakRut
jaanunee sEtukRut paatu jaMghE daSamukhaaMtakaH
paadauvibheeShaNa SreedaHpaatu raamOkhilaM vapuH
Well rakShaaM raamabalOpEtaaM EtaaM sukRutee Pathet
sachiraayuH sukhee putree vijayee vinayee bhavEt
paataaLa bhootala chaariNaS vyOma-chadma chaariNaH
na draShTumapi SaktaastE rakShitaM raamanaamabhiH
raamEti raamabhadrEti raamachaMdrEti vaasmaran
Naro nalipyatE paapairbhuktiM muktiM cha viMdati
jagajjaitraika maMtrENa raamanaamnaabhi rakShitam
Well dhaarayEttasya kaMThE karasthaaH Sarva siddhayaH
Yo naamEdaM vajrapaMjara raamakavachaM smarEt
labhatE successful sarvatra avyaahataagnyaH maMgaLam
aadiShTavaan yathaasvapnE raama rakShaa mimaaM haraH
tathaa likhitavaan praataH prabuddhau budhakauSikaH
aaraamaH kalpavRukShaaNaaM viraamaH sakalaapadaam
abhiraama strilOkaanaaM Raamah SreemaansanaH prabhuH
taruNau roopasaMpannau sukumaarau mahaabalau
puMDareeka viSaalaakShau cheerakRuShNaa jinaaMbarau
phalamoolaasinau daaMtau taapasau brahmachaariNau
putrau daSarathasyaitau bhraatarau raamalakShmaNau
Sarva SrEShTaa sarvasatvaanaaM SaraNyau dhanuShmataaM
rakShaHkula nihaMtaarau traayEtaaM nO raghoottamau
aatta sajya dhanuShaa viShuspRuSaa vakShayaaSuga niShaMga saMginau
rakShaNaaya mama raamalakShaNaavagrataH pathisadaiva gacChataaM
sannaddhaH kavachee khaDgee chaapabaaNadharO yuvaa
gacChan manOrathaannaScha Raamah paatu sa lakShmaNaH
raamO daaSarathi SSoorO lakShmaNaanucharO balee
kaakutsaH puruShaH poorNaH kausalyEyO raghoottamaH
vEdaaMta vEdyO yagnyESaH puraaNa puruShOttamaH
jaanakeevallabhaH SreemaanapramEya paraakramaH
ityEtaani japEnnityaM madbhaktaH SraddhayaanvitaH
aSvamEthaadhikaM puNyaM saMpraapnOti nasaMSayaH
raamaM doorvaadaLa SyaamaM padmaakShaM peetaavaasasaM
stuvaMti-divyair naabhir-Nate saMsaariNO naraaH
Lakshmana raamaM poorvajaM raghuvaraM seetaapatiM suMdaraM
kaakutsaM karuNaarNavaM guNanidhiM viprapriyaM dhaarmikaM
raajEMdraM satyasaMdhaM daSarathatanayaM SyaamalaM SaaMtamoortiM
vaMdElOkaabhiraamaM raghukula tilakaM raaghavaM raavaNaarim
raamaaya raamabhadraaya raamachaMdraaya vEthasE
raghunaathaaya naathaaya seetaayaaH patayE Namah
Sreeraama raama raghunaMdana raama raama
Sreeraama raama bharataagraja raama raama
Sreeraama raama raNakarkaSa raama raama
Sreeraama raama Saranam bhava raama raama
Sreeraama chaMdra charaNau manasaa smaraami
Sreeraama chaMdra charaNau vachasaa gRuhNaami
Sreeraama chaMdra charaNau Sirasaa namaami
Sreeraama chaMdra charaNau Saranam prapadyE
pitaa maataaraamO raamachaMdraH mat-
mat-sakhaa svaamee raamO raamachaMdraH
sarvasvaM mE raamachaMdrO dayaaLuH
naanyaM naiva Jaane na Jaane
dakShiNElakShmaNO yasya janakaatmajaa vaamE cha
-yasya puratOmaarutir Tam vaMdE raghuvaMdanam
lOkaabhiraamaM raNaraMgadheeraM
raajeevanEtraM raghuvaMSanaathaM
kaaruNyaroopaM karuNaakaraM Tam
SreeraamachaMdraM SaraNyaM prapadyE
manOjavaM maaruta tulya vEgaM
jitEMdriyaM buddhimataaM variShTaM
vaataatmajaM vaanarayoodha mukhyaM
SreeraamadootaM Saranam prapadyE
koojaMtaM raamaraamEti madhuraM madhuraakSharaM
aaruhyakavitaa SaakhaaM vaMdE vaalmeeki kOkilam
aapadaamapahartaaraM daataaraM sarvasaMpadaaM
lOkaabhiraamaM SreeraamaM bhooyObhooyO namaamyahaM
bharjanaM bhavabeejaanaamarjanaM sukhasaMpadaaM
tarjanaM yamadootaanaaM raama raamEti garjanam
raamO raajamaNiH sadaa vijayatE raamaM ramESaM bhajE
raamENaabhihataa niSaacharachamoo raamaaya tasmai Namah
raamaannaasti paraayaNaM parataraM raamasya daasOsmyahaM
​​raamE chittalayaH sadaa bhavatu mE BHO raama maamuddhara
Rame raamEti raama Sreeraama raamE manOramE
sahasranaama tattulyaM raama Naama varaananE
ITI SreebudhakauSikamuni virachitaM Sreeraama rakShaastOtraM saMpoorNaM
Sreeraama jayaraama jayajayaraama