From the book: Agora: At the Left Hand of God by Robert Svoboda
Once upon a time Shiva and Parvati were on Mount Kailasa in the High Himalayas enjoying the night air, the stars, and the intense cold. Parvati decided that it was propitious time to ask a question. "Lord," she whispered, "on whom do you meditate?" Lord Shiva smiled and said, "O goddess, my mind is always turned to Vishnu, and even now I am thinking that He is going to be born into the world as Rama. I have decided to be born along with Him to help Him out." And that is why Anjaneya was born, and why He was the servant of Rama.
Anjaneya is called Hanuman. Some say this is because Indra, the King of the gods, once broke Anjaneya's jaw (hanu) with a thunderbolt, but there is a hidden meaning there. Hanuman should be read as Anuman because he is the atomic force (anu means atom), the force which moves all matter in the universe. That is why He is called Pavana Putra or Vayu Suta (Son of Wind, wind being personified as the motile force). And we all know the power of nuclear energy! That is the power of Anjaneya.
You can also read His name as Hanaman. Hana means to kill, and as Maharudra, the manifestation of the God of Death, Anjaneya is a killer. He is called the Ekadasha Rudra (the elventh Rudra) because He has perfect knowledge of both the dual and non dual aspects of Reality. Eleven is 11, 1+1=2, duality. Once Anjaneya said to Rama, "If I look at you from the point of view of Jnana (absolute knowledge), there is absolutely no difference between me and you. But when I see you through the dual viewpoint, from the standpoint of a devotee, then I am your servant."
Arunachala Siva
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