The Stories of Bal Hanuman

A compilation of mythological stories about the childhood of Hindu God Lord Hanuman. Lord Hanuman, also known as Anjaneya, Maruti, Bajrang Bali, Pavan Putra, Kesari Nandan and Anjani Putra, is a powerful Hindu God. He is strong, intelligent, witty, kind and generous. Hanuman is a great devotee of Lord Rama.Lord Shiva incarnated as Hanuman. He took the form of a monkey to help Lord Vishnu who incarnated as Lord Rama to kill Ravana, the king of Lanka.

Little Anjaneya

Hanuman was born on the full moon day of the Hindu Lunar month of Chaitra. Every year, this day is celebrated as Hanuman Jayanthi. Hanuman is called Pavan-Putra because he is also the son of Lord Vayu or the Wind God. He was named Kesari-Nandana as he was born to the King of Monkeys Vanaraj Kesari and his queen Anjani Devi, or Punjikasthala, an apsara or a celestial dancer in Lord Brahma’s palace. One day, Brahma was delighted by Punjikasthala’s service and wanted to reward her. He said to her, “Dear child, I am pleased by your services. I will grant you any boon you want!” Anjani asked the God of Creation to remove a curse that a sage had pronounced on her when she was a child. Brahma said, “I can help you, but please tell me what happened.” Anjani said, “When I was a child and playing on earth, I saw a monkey meditating with its legs folded in padmasana, the lotus pose of Yoga. The monkey seemed very funny. I teased him and threw some fruits at it, and he got angry.” Anjani said the sage had cursed her that she would become a monkey when she fell in love with anyone. “I begged his forgiveness and the sage couldn't remove his curse. But, he said a man would love me in spite of my monkey face,” Anjani told Brahma. Anjani requested Brahma to grant her a boon so that she could become her real self. Lord Brahma told her a plan to remove her curse. “Go live on earth for a few years. You will meet a man who you will love. When you turn into a monkey, do a penance to Lord Shiva and ask him to be born as your son. This will remove your curse.” Anjani followed Brahma's advice and went to the earth. She was born in a forest. One day after she witnessed a fight between a strong man and a lion, she fell in love with the brave man. She turned into a monkey. Anjani began to cry, and the strong man asked, “Why are you sad. Who are you?” She told him her story. “Please go and leave me to my fate,” Anjani said to the man. But, he didn’t go away. He was also a monkey-faced man. “I am not a man. I am Kesari, King of Monkeys, with magical powers given by Lord Shiva. I can take a human form when I want,” he said. They got married. Soon, Anjani did a severe penance to Lord Shiva. Pleased, Shiva asked her to seek a boon. She replied, “Please be born as my son, Oh Shiva, so that I am free from the sage’s curse.” Lord Shiva blessed her and told her that he would be born around the same time that Lord Vishnu would be born as Lord Rama in Ayodhya. Soon, in a nearby kingdom, Ayodhya King Dasaratha was performing the “Putrakama yagna” a religious ritual, to seek God’s blessings for having children. Lord Agni, the Fire-God, appeared and gave him some sacred pudding to be shared among his wives so that they could have divine children. When Dasaratha gave his elder wife Kausalya some pudding, a kite snatched some pudding from her hands. The bird flew toward the forests where Anjani was doing penance. It dropped the pudding. The Wind-God Vayu, on Lord Shiva’s orders, caught the pudding and put it in the hands of Anjani. She realized it was Lord Shiva’s blessing and ate it. After a few months, she gave birth to a bright, beautiful, little monkey-faced boy. Kesari was very happy to see his son Anjaneya, the son of Anjani.

Naughty Anjaneya

When Anjaneya was born, Anjani was free from the sage’s curse and wanted to return to the heavens. Bal Anjaneya became upset. He said, “Mother how I will live without you? Please don’t go.” Mother Anjani replied, “Don’t be upset. Your brave father Kesari will raise you. Your Godfather Lord Vayu will protect you.” “But, mother, I don’t know what to eat and not to eat,” he said. Anjani replied, “When you feel hungry, eat fruits that are red and ripe.” She then went back to her heavenly home. Anjaneya ate fruits from the jungle. One day, he woke up early and saw the Sun which was red and looked like a ripe fruit to him. “Looks delicious, I’ll eat that,” Anjaneya said and leapt into the air to catch the glowing Sun. He flew like a bird, as he was divine and had magical powers. When Lord Surya, the Sun-God, saw the monkey-child coming towards him, he was surprised. He threw immensely hot rays at him. But, they had no effect on him. Surya was scared and started calling King of Gods, Lord Indra, for help. Indra immediately climbed on his vehicle, Airavathi the elephant, and went towards the Sun. He thought, “Powerful Surya can burn whatever comes near him. So, who is more powerful than him and why does he need my help?” Suddenly the world became dark, and Indra saw a large monkey-child had caught Surya with his fingers and had put it into his mouth. “O Creature, who are you? Take out Lord Surya from your mouth. Don’t you know that the whole world is dependent on him? Without Surya this world will simply die,” Indra said. “I'm Anjaneya, son of Kesari and Anjani. My mother told me I can eat anything that is red and ripe. The sun looked like a red and ripe fruit. So, I will not take it out,” said Anjaneya, with a mouth glowing bright and red. “Surya is not a fruit, child Anjaneya. Please return it,” Indra pleaded several times. But, naughty Anjaneya did not listen. Indra was angry and struck him with thunderbolt, his weapon. The thunderbolt hit Anjaneya, wounding his chin. He fell unconscious from the sky. His cheeks were swollen. He became a child-sized monkey and hit the earth.

The Brave Hanuman

When Vayu, Anjaneya’s Godfather, came to know that his son had fallen to the earth, he rushed to see him. He was shocked to see Anjaneya on the ground unconscious. He got very angry and upset. “Who has dared to injure my god-son?” he screamed in anger. He roared, but no one answered. Indra had already gone back to the heaven. Surya continued on his journey in the sky. Angry that nobody replied, Vayu decided to punish everyone, “There will be no air for anyone to breathe!” Lifting Anjaneya, he went to the underworld Pataloka and sulked. The air disappeared from earth and everyone began to die. Surya ran to Brahma and told him about the events. Brahma ordered Indra to ask for Vayu’s forgiveness and beg him to come back. Indra went with all the gods and apologised. Vayu said, “How can I return to the earth and the heavens, when my son is lying here helpless?” Brahma cured Anjaneya's wounds and gave him the boon of immortality. “Anjaneya will never be hurt by any weapon ever in his life,” he said. “You will be called Chiranjeevi, the immortal one. And, since Indra aimed and hurt your cheek (hanu) and left a mark there, you will be called as Hanuman!” Brahma said.

The Talented Student

Hanuman requested Surya to be his guru. The Sun God agreed to educate him in all the knowledge of the world and train him in martial and creative arts. But, since Lord Surya had to travel from dawn to dusk, Hanuman got his education travelling with the Sun, under his glare. Hanuman learnt all the four books of knowledge called as Vedas. He studied the six philosophies of Darshanas. He became expert of sixty-four arts of Kalas. He learnt hundred and eight spiritual sciences of Tantras. Not only was Hanuman intelligent, but also hard working. He quickly finished his education. He was the only scholar who learnt the knowledge of the nine Vyakaranas. But, Hanuman was also naughty as a child, full of energy and magical tricks. He roamed the forests and caused disturbance to sages doing meditation and penance. Disturbed by his excessive energy and magical powers, a sage cursed him to lose all his powers. But, when Hanuman asked for forgiveness, and realizing that he was to help Lord Rama in future, the sage lessened the effect of the curse. He said that when anyone reminds Hanuman of his powers, the effect of the forgetfulness curse would be lifted and Hanuman would get complete recollection of his great powers.

The Judicious Messenger

Hanuman was clever, witty, brave and strong. He was an expert in all forms of martial arts and knew all forms of war. After completing education, Hanuman became a minister at the court of Sugreeva, the Monkey King of Kishkindha. Sugreeva’s elder brother was Vali who ruled the kingdom. Once he had gone to fight a demon inside the cave. After a long battle, blood began to flow from the cave and when Vali did not come out, Sugreeva thought Vali was killed. He returned to Kishkindha. On the advice of the courtiers, Sugreeva became the king. But a few days later, Vali returned and was angry with Sugreeva. He tried to kill his own brother. But, Sugreeva and the ministers ran and hid in the forests of the Malaya Mountains. A few years later, Lord Rama and his brother Lakshmana came to the forest. A demon Ravana, King of Lanka, had abducted Sita and taken her hostage. Rama was upset and was wandering in search of Sita. Sugreeva saw Rama and Lakshmana. He feared that they might have been sent by Vali to kill them. He wanted to know who they were. “Please find out their real purpose in coming to the forest,” he said to Hanuman. He disguised himself as a Brahmin to find out. He saw them and recognized Lord Rama as Lord Vishnu immediately. He revealed his true form and said, “My Lord, I am Hanuman. I am delighted to see you here.” “Please consider me your servant from now onwards. I also bring the message of peace from Sugreeva, my king who has been banished by his own brother from Kishkinda,” Hanuman added. Rama was happy to hear Hanuman’s words. He said, “Such an intelligent and fine messenger could not be anyone except the brave and intelligent Anjaneya who has all the knowledge in the world and well-versed with the matters of state.”

The Prudent Minister

Hanuman took Rama and Lakshmana to Sugreeva’s hideout. They became good friends. Rama agreed to help Sugreeva become the king again and rescue his wife from Vali. In turn, Sugreeva agreed to help Rama find his wife Sita. Sugreeva challenged Vali to a fight. Rama killed Vali and made Sugreeva the king. But, after becoming the king, he forgot his promise to Rama that he would send his army to search for Sita. Hanuman did his duty as a minister by warning him. “Sugreeva, you have got back your kingdom with the help of Rama. It is your turn to return their favour. Extend timely help. Otherwise even greatest help offered late becomes useless. Please send your army at once to search for Sita,” Hanuman said. Sugreeva sent his commander Neela to find out Sita’s whereabouts. Lakshmana became angry with Sugreeva’s half-hearted efforts and threatened to kill him. Once again Hanuman warned him. Sugreeva immediately went along with his entire army to Rama. He sent the army in four directions to find out about Sita. Rama then said, “Dear Hanuman, please search for my Sita. I have all my hopes on you. If you see her and talk to her, she may be scared of you. She may not even believe you.” “How do I convince Mother Sita,” asked Hanuman. Rama removed a ring from his finger and gave it to Hanuman. “Please show her this finger ring of mine. She will then believe you. Tell her I will come to get her. We depend on you.” Hanuman then set off in search for Sita.

The Athletic Long Jumper

Hanuman went towards the Southern direction, along with Jambavantha and other leaders. They had to hurry because they only had a month to search for Sita on Sugreeva’s orders. They searched all over the continent and finally came to the end of the land. They stood in front of a vast ocean. The monkeys and bears were weary from the search and upset. There was no sign of Sita. They began to cry and prepared to fast to death at the shore. But, Hanuman counselled them with motivating words. “Do not give up hope. I will continue my efforts. You take rest here.” Hanuman set out to search for Sita again. He met Sampati, brother of Jatayu, a kite which was killed when he tried to stop Ravana from kidnapping Sita. Sampati said, “Sita is a prisoner in Lanka across this ocean. The evil Ravana has kept her captive in the Ashoka vatika gardens.” Hanuman thanked Sampati and left to give the news to the others. The troops were ecstatic at hearing that Sita was alive. They looked at the sea. But, they did not know how to cross the ocean. Hanuman was worried. He had forgotten his strength due to the sage’s curse of forgetting strength when needed. Old Jambavantha then told Hanuman. “You are the only greatest, strongest and wisest one who can jump over the sea to Lanka and come back. No one else has such intelligence, wisdom and knowledge. Jump over the ocean, Hanuman.”

The Unstoppable Giant

When Hanuman was reminded of his immense powers, his face lit up brightly and he was full of self-confidence. Standing on Mount Mahendra, he began to grow.

He grew so large that the ocean looked like a small pond to him. He could jump across the sea. He said to Jambavantha with folded hands, “I can find Mother Sita. I’ll go with the speed of lightning and find her.” He made a giant leap over the sea. All the gods showered him with flowers from the heavens and wished him well. Over the ocean, a demon Surase raised her serpent hood, trying to stop him. She thundered, “I will eat you. You cannot go further without entering my mouth.” But, clever Hanuman said to her, “Okay, eat me if I go into your mouth. But, if I come out, you should let me go.” The demon agreed. Hanuman shrank into a tiny being. When she opened her mouth, Hanuman quickly entered her mouth and came out before she could close it. Surase was pleased with his cleverness and allowed him to go. Hanuman went ahead with his flight. He met another demon who could catch anyone by holding their shadow, and ate them up. She saw Hanuman's shadow on the sea and held it. Hanuman could not go any further. But, as soon as she put him in her mouth, he became large inside her stomach. It burst open and she died. Hanuman came out and continued on his journey. Soon, he saw Lanka. He was cautious and shrunk to his normal size and landed on the shore. As it was night, Hanuman slowly entered the city without anyone noticing. Hanuman began to search for Sita. He remembered that she would be in Ashoka vatika, the garden in Ravana’s palace. He went near the golden palace. At the gates, the demon guard stopped him. “Who are you? You can’t enter this palace.” Hanuman decided to play tricks on her. When she tried to block his path, he appeared in several places at once and she was confused. When she was tired of chasing him, Hanuman wounded her. She fell at the door and begged for his mercy. Hanuman entered the palace.

The Dutiful Devotee

Hanuman entered Ravana’s palace and went to the Ashoka vatika gardens. He was anxious to find Sita. He found her sitting under a big tree, in tattered clothes and looking sad. Hanuman sat on the tree and waited for the sun to rise. In the morning, Ravana visited Sita and asked her to marry him. Sita insulted him and he left angry. The demons guarding her started to tease and torture her. But, an elderly demon asked the others to leave her alone. After they left, Hanuman wanted to come down. But, he was afraid Sita would be scared. So, he started to sing the events of Rama’s life. He narrated the story of Rama. After finishing the story he said, “I see that Mother Sita is under the tree, I wish I can talk to her.” Sita looked at him and thought he might be a magical trick by Ravana. But, when Hanuman came down and fell at her feet, she asked him to rise. Hanuman said, “Dear Mother, please consider me your servant. I am sent here by Rama to find you. Here is his ring.” Sita was joyous at seeing her husband’s ring. But, she started to cry. Hanuman comforted her saying, “Lord Rama will definitely take you from here. But, why wait? I will carry you and this entire city on my shoulders, Mother! I will take you to Lord Rama.” Sita replied, “It is Rama’s duty to come and rescue me, Hanumantha. Bring him here and help him defeat Ravana and take me back.” She took off her choodamani, a jewel from her hair, and gave it to Hanuman. “Give this to Lord Rama as a proof of your having met me.”

The Witty and Wise Messenger

After meeting Sita, Hanuman decided to assess the power and might of his enemy. He also wanted to teach Ravana a lesson. But, he was hungry after his long flight. He picked the most ripe and delicious fruits in the Ashoka vatika garden and ate them. He threw the pips and peels all over the garden. Then, he destroyed the garden by uprooting trees, creepers and flowering plants. He trampled the lawns and ruined the landscaping. When Ravana heard the commotion, he sent powerful demons to kill Hanuman. But, nobody could withstand Hanuman’s rage. Ravana’s son, the great warrior Indrajith, went to capture Hanuman. After a severe fight, Indrajith used the Brahmasthra. Hanuman was immortal and it would not have harmed him. But, Hanuman wanted to show respect to the weapon of Brahma, and allowed it to tie him up. Indrajit took Hanuman into Ravana’s court. Ravana was sitting on a throne high above the court. When Ravana did not offer any courtesy, Hanuman grew his tail and coiled it into a seat that was on the same height as Ravana’s throne. Ravana ordered his guards to move the monkey, but they couldn’t move him even an inch. Ravana asked him, “Who are you and why are you destroying my property and killing my people?” Fearless Hanuman said he was Rama’s messenger. He explained, “I have come here to see Mother Sita. You have sinned by kidnapping her. Leave her alone. Ask for Rama’s forgiveness!” Ravana was furious and shouted, “I will teach you a lesson. Guards kill this monkey!” But, Vibheeshana, Ravana’s wise brother stopped him. He said it was against rules to kill a messenger and asked Ravana to spare the monkey. Ravana asked his guards to set fire to Hanuman's tail for making rude remarks against him. After parading Hanuman through the city, the demons wrapped a cloth around Hanuman's tail, poured oil and set it on fire. Hanuman was busy noting the city plan and went along with the demon’s parade. Once he knew the entire city layout, he leapt into the air and freed himself from the ropes. He killed the demons and then went about setting fire to all the palaces and houses. The whole city of Lanka was in flames. Hanuman was happy with the destruction he had caused. He then sat at the shore and put his burning tail in the water to extinguish the fire. Then, he suddenly remembered that Sita was also in the palace. He sat at the sea shore crying that the worst had happened. With a heavy heart he decided to kill himself for having burnt the city with Sita inside. Then a voice from the sky told him that Sita was a powerful Goddess. The voice asked him to look in the garden. He immediately flew and saw Sita under the tree. He touched Sita’s feet and took her blessings. He flew back across the ocean to the land where Jambavantha, Angada and others were waiting for him. Everybody was relieved to see him back. Hanuman and the troops went back to Kishkinda and narrated the events to Rama. When Hanuman gave the choodamani Rama was overjoyed. He heaped praises on Hanuman saying, “You are the most effective messenger in the whole world. There is nobody who can compare to your bravery, might, intelligence, wit and wisdom. How can I even thank you Hanuman!” Lord Rama then hugged Hanuman.

The Fierce Warrior

Hanuman, Sugreeva, and the army of monkeys and bears set out for a war under the leadership of Rama. Hanuman carried Rama and Lakshmana on his shoulders and flew till the Ocean. Once they reached the shore, the army built a bridge across the sea to Lanka. During the war between Rama and Ravana, Hanuman showed exemplary valour and courage. He was adept at all the forms of war and fought valiantly. He killed many demons army leaders of Ravana. During the war, Rama and Lakshmana were captured by demon Mahiravana, brother of Ravana. He took them to Pataloka. When Hanuman reached Pataloka, he saw that Makar-Dhwaja was guarding the gates. Makar-Dhwaja’s body was half crocodile and half monkey. He was born when Hanuman had put his burning tail in the ocean to put out fire. A drop of his sweat had fallen into the waters and became Makar-Dhwaja. He considered Hanuman as his father. Makar-Dhwaja told Hanuman that he was born from his sweat and asked for his blessings. But, he also said, he had to fulfil his task of guarding the gate. Hanuman defeated Makar-Dhwaja and gained entry to Pataloka. He killed Mahiravana to release Rama and Lakshmana. He extinguished five lamps burning in different directions at the same moment by becoming a five-faced God, Panchamukha Hanuman. He had five heads – two of Lord Varaha and Lord Narasimha. Another head was Garuda. The fourth face was that of Hayagriva. The fifth face was his own. After Hanuman rescued Rama and Lakshmana, he crowned Makar-Dhwaja as the king of Pataloka, and told him to rule with justice and wisdom. Even today, Panchamukha Anjaneya is worshipped at Panchmukhi village in Andhra Pradesh.

The Mountain Weight-Lifter

After the main demons of Ravana’s army were killed, Ravana's son Indrajith decided to use Brahmasthra again. Rama’s entire army became unconscious. Even Rama and Lakshmana had fainted. But, the weapon did not have an effect on Hanuman. He got up and went around the battlefield with Vibheeshana to take stock of the situation. Vibheeshana woke up old Jambavantha. The King of Bears slowly became conscious and asked, “Is Hanuman alive? If he is the only one alive and the rest of the army is dead, then it makes no difference, but if he is dead and the rest of our army is alive, then we have lost the war.” Hearing this praise, Hanuman was filled with enthusiasm to fight again. Rama also soon became conscious. They asked physician Sushena how to revive Lakshmana who had been wounded and made unconscious by the weapon. Sushena asked Hanuman to rush to Dronagiri Hills. “Fly to the Himalayan Mountains to the Dronagiri Hill. Bring four herbs from this hill, Mritha Sanjeevini, Vishalyakarani, Savamakarani and Sandhanakarani. Get them before the sun rises, otherwise it’s not of any use,” he said. Hanuman flew towards the Himalayas with the speed of thought. When Ravana came to know about this, he set up obstacles in his path. He sent Kalanemi demon. Disguised as a holy sage, Kalanemi cheated Hanuman by pointing at some other hill as Dronagiri Hill. But, a rock on that hill became alive when Hanuman stepped on it. A celestial dancer stood before Hanuman and said she was cursed by a sage into a stone. With his touch, she was alive again. She told Hanuman about Kalanemi’s evil plot and he immediately killed the demon. Ravana then ordered Surya to rise earlier than usual as the herbs would be useless after dawn. When the Sun God was forced to arise early, Hanuman enlarged his form and covered the rays from falling on earth. He landed on the mountain with the magical herbs. Since he didn’t know which plants were the four herbs, he tore the entire hill itself from its base. Carrying it with one hand, Hanuman flew back to the army camp. The herbs revived Lakshmana and the whole army. Lord Rama was so touched by Hanuman’s efforts that he hugged him and said Hanuman was as dear to him as his own brother.

The Immortal Devotee

Rama killed Ravana and made Vibheeshana the king of Lanka. It was time for Rama to return to Ayodhya. But, he wondered whether Bharatha who had ruled the kingdom for fourteen years, wanted to continue to be the king. He said to Hanuman, “Hanuman, please go and tell Bharatha that I am coming and observe his reaction. By talking to him try to understand whether he still wants to be king.” Hanuman, the shrewd messenger, told the same to Bharatha, who was delighted with the news. Hanuman then told Rama about Harahan’s genuine joy. Rama returned to Ayodhya and became the king. He rewarded all his friends with priceless gifts. He embraced Hanuman warmly and said he could never honour Hanuman enough for all his services. Hanuman approached Sita and asked her about the red mark she had applied in her hairline. She replied it was sindoor, a red-dyed powder applied as a dot in the forehead and hairline by wives to mark their love and devotion to husbands. Hanuman then poured sindoor all over his body. He said, “My entire life is meant for the service of Lord Rama. Mother Sita, you just put one dot of sindoor, but see I have put sindoor all over my body to mark my devotion for him.” Sita was pleased and gave Hanuman a precious necklace. Hanuman took it and broke the string. He peered into each pearl and previous stone that was part of it. Sita asked, “What are you doing, Anjaneya?” Hanuman answered, “I am looking to check if you and Rama are in them. If not, they are simply rocks and of no value to me. You are part of my very being.” Saying this, he tore his chest open and everyone saw Rama and Sita seated in his heart. Everyone praised Hanuman for his extreme devotion. One day, some sages argued about which was greater –Rama’s name or Rama himself. Narada said to Hanuman, “We need to end this debate. Please help.” Hanuman at once went and disturbed Rama's teacher, a sage, who was doing penance. The angry sage ordered Rama to teach Hanuman a lesson. Rama shot an arrow at Hanuman. The arrow headed straight for Hanuman, but fell to the ground without touching him. Hanuman was chanting Rama’s name. Rama aimed several arrows, but all of them missed him. All the sages agreed on the power of chanting Rama’s name. Rama asked the immortal Hanuman to stay on the earth. He asked him to be present wherever and whenever Rama is worshipped and Rama’s name is uttered.

The Saviour in Pandavas’ Flag

Hanuman was also present during Mahabharata. Pandavas were in exile and one day, Draupadi asked Bhima to bring her the Saugandika flower. Bhima was searching for the flower, when he found a frail old monkey sitting in his path. Bhima asked the monkey to allow him to pass. The monkey said, “You look like an athletic young man. I am old and can’t even move. Please push my tail aside and go ahead.” Bhima tried to push the tail with his weapon, gadha (mace), but it didn’t move. He tried to lift it with his hands. But, the tail did not budge. He folded his hands and said, “I have made a mistake of being proud of my strength. Please forgive me and reveal yourself.” Hanuman said, “We are brothers, Bhima as we are both Vayu-Putra, god-sons of Lord Vayu. I am Hanuman.” Bhima fell at Hanuman’s feet. They embraced. Bhima asked Hanuman’s help in the war against Kauravas. Hanuman said he would be present in the flag of the Pandavas’ chariots and protect them. I already gave your brother Arjuna my word. Arjuna had met Hanuman at Rameshwaram, where Rama had built the bridge to Lanka. Looking at the bridge, Arjuna asked why Rama took the help of monkeys to build a bridge rather than shower a bridge of arrows. Hanuman took the form of a small monkey and challenged him, “Why don’t you build a bridge with your arrows? Arjuna did not know it was Hanuman. He tried to form a bridge of arrows. Hanuman destroyed the bridges made by Arjuna. Krishna appeared before them and scolded them for being vain. Hanuman then decided to be present on the flag of Pandavas’ chariots during the battle of Kurukshetra. After the battle was over, Hanuman stepped down from the flag and the chariot immediately turned to ashes. Krishna told Arjuna that the chariot was standing in one piece only due to Krishna’s presence and Hanuman’s powers.

Krishna said, “Hanuman was protecting you. He is also the only immortal one to have heard the Bhagawad Gita and seen my Vishwarupa.”