Hanuman is not a Monkey

[bhargavsai]

Since Childhood we are taught that Hanuman is a Monkey. And I had believed it so, I used to think that Hanuman is a monkey and so are the Vanaras. But I was shocked to realize the fact that Hanuman and Vanaras are not actually Monkeys, but a human tribe living in India during Ramayana times.

Hanuman was actually Human like us. Many of the scriptural sources prove this fact.

I feel that symbologically Hanuman represents "Buddhi"(intellect). As mind is compared with a monkey, and Buddhi is a form of mind therefore Hanuman is represented as Monkey. And therefore we always take Hanuman as Monkey.

I recently found a great link; you may find it interesting:
http://www.angelfire.com/sc3/1010/102.htm

I would like to have some opinions...

[Shaan]

Mahadev came in form of monkey, to serve shri ram, when parvati asked reason to shiva why he chose the body of money to serve shriram, u could have chose any other form and not an animal form, The shiva tells, that i had this chance to serve my lord, and there were chances that i could have hurt or overtaken any of his other servants if i was in any way superior to any of his other sevaks, so i chose the form of monkey.

This is the reason, and the line in hanuman chalisa by goswami tulsidad ji, tells that hanuman ji was lord shiva, Shankar suvan keshri nandan.

Though the link u provided gives a 404 error, but there have been some books like vichitra ramayan which gives malicious informations like these u have in opening posts, but actually hanuman ji;s swaroop is of vanaar.

[LALKAR]

Namaste All,

I too agree that Hanuman Ji was Monkey
This is fact that even animals have language, Than there were Jatayu and Sampatti Giddh, Ricch (Bear) like Jambavan, etc. So this is no proof that Vanar could be a Tribe

[atanu]

This is the reason, and the line in hanuman chalisa by goswami tulsidad ji, tells that hanuman ji was lord shiva, Shankar suvan keshri nandan.

----- but actually hanuman ji;s swaroop is of vanaar.

Namaste Shaan,

How do you know that hanuman ji's swarup is of monkey?

Suvan in awadhi means 'Incarnation'. In Sanskrit it means 'The Sun'. Maruts are all progeny of Rudra and Prishni cow, created to assist Indra, Vishnu, and also Rudra.

http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/sho...2&postcount=15

and also the full thread:

http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/sho...hlight=hanuman

Om Namah Shivaya

[upsydownyupsy mv ss]

Since Childhood we are taught that Hanuman is a Monkey. And I had believed it so, I used to think that Hanuman is a monkey and so are the Vanaras. But I was shocked to realize the fact that Hanuman and Vanaras are not actually Monkeys, but a human tribe living in India during Ramayana times.

Hanuman was actually Human like us. Many of the scriptural sources prove this fact.

I feel that symbologically Hanuman represents "Buddhi"(intellect). As mind is compared with a monkey, and Buddhi is a form of mind therefore Hanuman is represented as Monkey. And therefore we always take Hanuman as Monkey.

I recently found a great link; you may find it interesting:
http://www.angelfire.com/sc3/1010/102.htm

I would like to have some opinions...

Yes! Yes! Yes!!!!!!!!!!!! I knew it, I knew that he wasn't a monkey!!! Yay!
But can u explain the metaphor of his tail being put on fire?
and can you explain Rama giving one of the reasons to kill Vali is that he was an animal. Doesn't make sense, please help.

[Ashvati]

I personally would maintain that he was a monkey, but if it were the case that he weren't then the tail being put on fire could be a later adaptation of his whole body being put on fire. Rama also could have meant that Vali was no better than an animal rather than actually an animal.

[charlebs]

Mahadev came in form of monkey, to serve shri ram, when parvati asked reason to shiva why he chose the body of money to serve shriram, u could have chose any other form and not an animal form, The shiva tells, that i had this chance to serve my lord, and there were chances that i could have hurt or overtaken any of his other servants if i was in any way superior to any of his other sevaks, so i chose the form of monkey.

This is the reason, and the line in hanuman chalisa by goswami tulsidad ji, tells that hanuman ji was lord shiva, Shankar suvan keshri nandan.

Though the link u provided gives a 404 error, but there have been some books like vichitra ramayan which gives malicious informations like these u have in opening posts, but actually hanuman ji;s swaroop is of vanaar.

that's a good explanation. Shiva allows Vishnu to do his job and wishes not to overshadow him.

but anyway, I also read that all the demigods incarnated as a crossbreed of monkeys to be of service. Just like they all incarnated to praise Krishna at his time of birth.
correct me if I'm wrong.

[PARAM]

that's a good explanation. Shiva allows Vishnu to do his job and wishes not to overshadow him.

but anyway, I also read that all the demigods incarnated as a crossbreed of monkeys to be of service. Just like they all incarnated to praise Krishna at his time of birth.
correct me if I'm wrong.

ॐ

I too think there is something right what you said, search on Ramayan and other facts are still going on,

Monkeys is a term to express 'Vanara' in the English language. The term Vanara when analysed can give us vital suggestive clues, to what it really represented, like People of the forest or Vana.

Sri Aurobindo too stated that vanara does not refer to monkey.
British records of the gazette of Bellary district noted that the forest tribes of that area, call themselves the 'Vanara' people.

However about Giddhs like Sampatti and Jatayu, Richh like Jambavan are also there, and those Vanars have tails too, and even Animals have language.

If there some who got the Darshan of Hanumanji, than they can tell who was he.

[bhargavsai]

Yes! Yes! Yes!!!!!!!!!!!! I knew it, I knew that he wasn't a monkey!!! Yay!
But can u explain the metaphor of his tail being put on fire?
and can you explain Rama giving one of the reasons to kill Vali is that he was an animal. Doesn't make sense, please help.

Late Reply, but as "three days grace's" song goes "ITS NEVER TOO LATE"

Very late reply from me, and excuse me for such a delayed reply. I have been stuck in this worldliness.

You can search Internet for material on Vanaras, I had some great Internet material until last year, but now its all gone. Some say Vanaras are not monkeys, but humans. Vanara might mean "One who dwells in forest", and some say that these people might be having tails.

And Rama might have said that Vali is an "animal" in Behavior(mentally), because he kidnapped his own brother's wife...

I'm back

[Vaishnava]

The Vanaras' bodily features like tail and also the way of fight like with claws, biting with trees or fickle mindedness (chapalaH vaanaraH) etc. are well pointed out in Valmiki Ramayan and those indicate that they weren't humans exactly. Even Guha and others were forest dwellers, that doesn't make them Vanaras. Isn't Jambavan referred to as "Reech"?

But again they weren't exactly equal to monkey's of today especially in intelligence that I too agree.

That Vali was eliminated from behind because of him being an animal by birth is well established in Ramayan as otherwise why not eliminate Ravan the same way, whose deeds were similar? Sri Ram says:

"oh, vanara, therefore I felled you in combat with my arrow because you are a tree-branch animal (shaakhaa mRigaH), whether you are not combating with me or combating against me."

And so Ram's greatness is appreciated by Hindus because He made friends with Sugreev, Guha etc., not seeing their birth.

Ravan was a Brahmin and Hanuman a Vanara and so body alone does not make one inferior and we need not worry. That Hanuman was way way advanced than even devas like Indra is well known and so the body type doesn't matter. He understood Ram like no one else.

Hanumanji Ki Jai!!