Once upon a time in a far away land, Brahma, the creator of life, came down from the heavens to enjoy the magnificent Mount Meru. Mount Meru was covered with gold and diamonds. Everything sparkled. Brahma, overwhelmed by the scenery, shed a tear of joy, and where it landed grew Earth's first monkey, Riksharaja. Brahma stayed on Mount Meru so that Riksharaja wouldn't be left all alone. The baby monkey danced and played on the mountain while eating all kinds of delicious fruit until one day while drinking from a lake, he became bored of the same old thing every day. He began to wonder how much fun the fish below the water were having, since they were swimming around so carefree.
Suddenly, Riksharaja cannon-balled into the water, making an enormous splash. Riksharaja was enjoying the refreshing water that was swooshing by his fur, tingling his skin for the first time, when he realized his appearance was now that of a girl. So the monkey rushed out of the water and scurried to Brahma to figure out what was the matter with him. Brahma told him that being the only monkey on earth he could act as both a girl or a boy. Surprised, Riksharaja hurried back to the lake and jumped into the water again in an attempt to turn back into a boy, but once out of the water the monkey saw its reflection. She was the most beautiful creature on Mount Meru, and she began to accept her new image.
Meanwhile, Indra, the storm god, and Surya, the sun, caught a glimpse of the breathtaking creature standing at the edge of the lake. It was love at first sight for both gods. First Indra came to embrace Riksharaja, and then Surya came to her second. Within that same day, Vali and Sugriva were born. Vali was Indra's son and Sugriva was Surya's son. Proud of her accomplishments, Riksharaja rushed to Brahma to show off her babies. But before she could make it to Brahma, Riksharaja got swept off her feet by a whirl of wind. It spun her around so fast she thought she was going to be sick, but all she could think about was the safety of her babies. At last, the wind placed her back on Earth, but now she was in her original form. The sudden gush of wind had turned her back into a boy. Riksharaja, stunned by the day's events, quickly grabbed his babies and continued to run to Brahma, but now it was for safety.
Riksharaja reached Brahma in such a commotion it took him a while to recognize the gifts Riksharaja had brought to him. Once he saw the babies, he celebrated the monkey's accomplishments and comforted him, as he knew what events had taken place in Riksharaja's day. As a reward, Brahma gave Vali, Riksharaja's son with Indra, the land of Kishkindhya and populated the kingdom with more monkeys so he wouldn't be all alone. Riksharaja had accomplished his purpose on Earth and Brahma allowed to go with him to the heavens to rest. From afar, Riksharaja watched his boys. He began to notice that Vali was spoiled, and he asked the Wind God, Vayu, to have a child that could be a loyal friend to Sugriva. Vayu agreed and went to Kishkindhya to find a mate. Vayu stumbled upon the most beautiful monkey of all, Anjana. While Anjana was alone in the meadows, Vayu made a baby with Anjana.
Within that same day Hanuman was born. The heavens sang of joy because they knew what kind of steadfast monkey had been born on that day. Unfortunately, Anjana was already married, so she rushed back to her husband in shame, leaving baby Hanuman all alone. Several days went by, and Hanuman grew very lonely. He had to teach himself how to walk so he could survive.
Once Vayu saw his baby had been abandoned, he tried to visit, but Indra knew the destiny of Hanuman was to be the loyal friend to Sugriva which would somehow result in the death of Vali, his son. Therefore, Indra made it impossible for Vayu to ever be able to come near Hanuman again. As a result of this betrayal, Hanuman became very angry. He made a promise to himself to be the most loyal monkey to ever walk the Earth. Seeing that Hanuman was struggling with the abandonment of his dad, Vayu, Brahma came to his aid as Hanuman had been a faithful creature to the gods. Instead of turning his anger into evil, he used it for good by promising to be a faithful friend to all who deserved it. Brahma granted him everlasting life, and the gods came from all over to teach him powers that would sustain him during his life.
Hanuman's favorite power was the ability to grow into a massive monkey that could take one step across the ocean. He lived in the forest for four years, scavenging for his own food and befriending a kingdom of bears. One day, Hanuman decided to cross a lake where he found Kishkindhya. He noticed that the creatures of the land were of the same species as himself, so he entered the city in hopes to find companionship among his own. Unfortunately, while Hanuman was roaming the forest, Indra came to Vali in order to warn him of Hanuman's arrival. He told him that by being friends with this creature it would eventually result in his death. Furthermore, once Hanuman came into the kingdom, everyone immediately shunned him due to the orders from Vali, their king.
However, there was one lonely monkey, Sugriva, that took Hanuman into his home as his long lost friend. Hanuman asked Sugriva, "Aren't you scared of what Vali might do to you if he finds out about my presence?" Sugriva answered, "Don't worry! I will handle my brother." Then Hanuman vowed to be Sugriva's truest friend as long as he should live due to the sanctuary he had just granted him. And so, they both never felt lonesome again, and the pair became inseparable ever afterwards.
Author's Note: I wrote this as a bedtime story for a baby monkey. I wanted to give it the details that would make it fun to read for a little monkey, so that he will stay interested in it even though it is long. Also, the child might fall asleep before it was over. When I was younger, I loved to have a story to continue the next night. It forced my parents to read to me twice! Also, I added some magical events, such as the spinning wind transforming Riksharaja from a girl back into a boy, so it would have the feel of a fairy tale even though the basis of the story is the real history of Hanuman. This will allow the monkey parent to teach their baby monkey a little bit about its history while being entertained. However, once Hanuman was born, I wanted to continue his story to show what a great character had been created for Surgriva. As we have read, Hanuman is very loyal, and I wanted to provide a story that explained what made this monkey so loyal to Sugriva and Rama. I displayed this by adding the details about how Hanuman used his anger for good. I choose the image above because it gives an image of Hanuman to place with the story about his birth that is being told. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a picture of baby Hanuman. I think this will be a great story to put into my portfolio because I enjoy reading it and I hope you do too!
Bibliography: Buck, William. Hanuman. Ramayana: King Rama's Way. (1976): 184-189
