Hanuman’s Presence in Mahabharata

January 6, 2015 Incredible India Valli Sarvani No comments

Everyone knows the importance of Hanuman in the epic Ramayana. But very few would know that Hanuman was present in Mahabharata too. Hanuman, being an immortal can live forever.

There are situations where Hanuman was mentioned and even appeared. Hanuman is also considered as a half-brother to Bhima because they both have the same father (Vayu).

The first appearance of Hanuman is when Bhima meets Hanuman when the pandavas were in exile. While the pandavas are in exile, Draupadi once asked Bhima to get her Saugandhika flowers for her.

When Bhima was searching for the flower he came across an old looking monkey who could not move from the path. The old monkey tells Bhima to move him to continue his journey.

When Bhima tries to move the monkey he does not move and then Bhima realizes he is not an ordinary monkey. Hanuman reveals his true form and blesses Bhima after that.

The second encounter is with Arjuna who wonders why Lord Rama needed the help of monkeys to build a bridge. Hanuman appears in the form of a normal monkey and challenges Arjuna that his bridge would collapse even under the weight of one person. Arjuna says that if that happens he will jump into a fire.

When Arjuna builds a bridge with just his arrows and Hanuman steps on it, the bridge breaks. When Arjuna tries to jump into fire, Lord Krishna appears and repairs the bridge which does not break again.

Hanuman then reveals his form and tells Arjuna that he will support him in the Kurukshetra war. Hanuman fights alongside Arjuan till the end.

Photo by  Tester on Unsplash (Free for Commercial Use)