Bheema and the Saugandhika flower - Part 1 of 2

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After Yudhishtar had lost the game of dice, the five Pandavas and their wife Draupadi were exiled from their kingdom for twelve years by the Kauravas. Krishna understood that the Kauravas would never give the Pandavas their kingdom and that a war was coming....

Krishna asked Arjuna to go to Kailash and worship Lord Shiva and get divine weapons from him. Arjuna agreed and left for Kailash. The other four brothers along with Draupadi traveled from one forest to another during the time of their exile.

They once came to the forest of Narayanashram...It was the most beautiful forest and the majestic Ganga flowing across the forest brightened the moods of the Pandavas considerably.

Bheema, the second Pandava, was the son of the Vayu, the Wind God. Bheema was exceptionally strong and powerful and he was proud of his strength. Bheema loved Draupadi very much and during the period of exile he tried to satisfy every single whim and wish she had....

Draupadi also loved the forest of Narayashram. She would daily go the Ganga and offer her prayers to Surya, the Sun God. Feeling at peace she would come back to her hut in the forest...

Once after Draupadi finished her praying, she was about to go home, when a delightful aroma spread through the forest. As a gentle breeze was blowing towards her, Draupadi saw a flower drop before her. The aroma was so enchanting that Draupadi actually felt giddy for a few seconds. Slowly pulling herself together, she picked up the beautiful flower in her hands. It was soft and the flower was shining beautifully in a slight golden colour. Mesmerised she carried the flower back her home.

She showed the flower to Bheema, 'Bheema! Bheema! Look at this...' She said handing over the flower to Bheema. The entire hut was lit up by the shine of the flower and the aroma from the flower surrounded the ashrama...Bheema looked wonderingly at the flower, 'What is it?' Draupadi shook her head mutely not able to talk. 'I was coming back home, when the wind was blowing from the north-eastern direction and the flower fell near me...Isn't it beautiful?' She whispered looking at the flower in awe.

Bheema laughed looking at the child-like face of Draupadi, 'If you like them so much I will get you some more flowers like this...'

Draupadi looked at Bheema eagerly, 'Can you get them...That would be great!'

Bheema looked at Draupadi in the eye, 'I will be back with plenty more such flowers for you my dear!' And off he went...A mace in his hand, Bheema started off towards the north-eastern direction. He walked and walked and walked, along the Ganga...

As Bheema was walking, he saw a beautiful garden before him. The word 'Beautiful' hardly did justice to the garden...It was enchanting. As Bheema neared the garden, a slight breeze picked up and Bheema could smell the flowers though he was very far away. The fragrance of one flower was strong...A hundred of them together felt like heaven to Bheema.....

Happily Bheema realized that this was the garden where the flowers which he was searching for grew....He would now go and pluck as many as he wanted and take them back to Draupadi. She would be so thrilled on seeing them...

Bheema was about to walk when he saw a tough rope on the ground...Puzzled he looked on both sides and on his right saw an old...very old monkey....The monkey was resting under the shade of the tree....It was the monkey's tail which he had first thought was a rope...Shaking his head and muttering to himself, Bheema went to the monkey. 'Hey! Shoo!' He said waving his hands at the monkey.

The monkey was sleeping with his eyes closed and did not seem to hear him. Bheema yelled, ' SHOO!' The monkey opened his eyes and looked at Bheema and spoke, 'Are you talking to me?'

Bheema huffed up angrily, 'YOU ARE BLOCKING MY PATH!' Bheema thought that the monkey was old and deaf and yelled on top of his voice. The monkey said softly, 'I can't hear you! Can't you speak in a lesser tone, so that I can understand!'

Bheema muttered to himself angrily and said, 'Get out of my way!'

The monkey looked at Bheema, 'I was not in your way! What are you talking about?'

Bheema impatiently pointed at the monkey's tail, 'Get your tail out of my way!'

The old monkey looked at the tail and nodded to himself, 'Oh! Ok. Before I do that, tell me who you are? What are you doing here, young man?' The old monkey asked pointing around him, 'This is a dangerous place for humans...'

Bheema laughed aloud, 'You old monkey! What can possibly be dangerous for me? Do you even know who I am? I am, Bheema, the Pandava! I am the son of the Wind God and I am powerful enough to squash you like a bug!' Bheema said arrogantly.

'Son of Vayu?' The monkey said looking slightly impressed. Bheema thought that the monkey had ignored everything else he had said...

'I am Vayuputra!' Bheema said proudly, 'And that makes me the younger brother of Hanuman, the greatest Vanara in the world, you silly monkey! Hanuman is someone who is above all of you!'

'Hanuman? Who is that?' The old monkey asked looking suspiciously at Bheema. That did it. Bheema bristled with anger. 'You silly monkey! How dare you not know about Hanuman! He was the greatest devotee of Lord Rama and he was one of the most important reasons Lord Rama won the war against Ravana! And do you know how powerful he is...He can lift a whole mountain on his shoulders....And he is a perfect master of his own mind....He is one of the few people in the world who are eternal....we worship him as our God...and you don't know him?...' Bheema shook his head in anger, 'Silly monkey!'

The old man feebly shook his head, 'Old age! I don't remember much!'

Useless old monkey! Bheema thought to himself. Irritated he said to the monkey, 'Now move out of the way! I have to go!'

'You did not answer the second question I asked.' The monkey said tiredly. 'What are you doing here?'

Bheema was fed up. He was not used to answering foolish questions from anybody...Frustrated he shouted, 'Why should I tell you anything?'

The old monkey sighed, 'Son! I know you are irritated with me...The least you can do when you are talking to someone older than you is to be polite to them...'

Bheema wanted to punch the monkey...but he knew that would not be right. With great difficulty he controlled himself. 'I want to get some flowers for my wife....I can smell them from here....I was going to go inside the garden, when you stopped me, with your long tail....' Bheema said through gritted teeth.

The monkey looked at Bheema weirdly, 'Seriously, what is preventing you from jumping over my tail and just go your own way?'

Bheem was finally exasperated. 'You silly monkey!...Don't you know anything!....You should not jump over someone who is older than you....Unless you can leap over them like Hanuman...'

The old monkey shrugged, 'Yeah...I know it...You are not Hanuman!' The monkey let out a deep breath. 'OK Look...I am tired...Really tired! And I am also very old... You said you are very strong and all that...Just lift my tail and put it to one side and go your way...Problem solved! You are not going to eat my head yelling at me and I will not block your path!'

Bheema roared with laughter, 'You think I need my strength to pull your tail...God! You are so dumb...I will just push your tail away...I was just being polite to you, thinking you would move out of my way....' Bheema rolled up his mace and went towards the tail. 'Just see what I do now, monkey!'

The monkey shrugged unconcerned and went back to sleep.

Bheema angrily slipped his mace under the tail of the monkey and carelessly lifted it....or atleast tried lifting it.... Bheea was shocked when he felt the mace strain! He looked down and looked that the tail was lying slightly on top of the mace and it felt to him like the mace was struck under it...Bheema looked in bewilderment at the mace and looked furtively at the monkey, who looked as if he was sleeping...

Bheema kept the mace on a tree nearby and with his hands tried lifting the tail. Bheema grunted, heaved and pushed and for all his efforts the tail did not even move one inch! Bheema tried and tried and was exhausted....He could not believe that he could not lift the tail of an old monkey.

Bheema staggered and fell down. He was sweating and breathing hard...and the tail looked exactly where it had been....Bheema staggered to his feet and walked slowly towards the old monkey. He sat down near it and asked in awe, 'Who are you?'

The monkey opened its eyes and looked at Bheema with amused eyes, 'Just an old monkey, nothing more!'

Bheema looked unhappily at the monkey and shook his head, 'Look I am sorry for everything I said...I behaved arrogantly and foolishly...' Bheema took a deep breath, 'Please forgive me and tell me who you are?'

The old monkey grinned, 'I am someone like you....'

Bheema blinked as everything suddenly became clear to him, 'Oh my God! You....Hanuman! Oh my God!' Bheema slapped his forehead, 'I thought of fighting with you...I am so foolish..How could I not know?' Bheema held his head in his hands and shook his head.

Hanuman clasped his brother's shoulders and smilingly shook his head, 'It is ok, little brother, you did it out of ignorance...I do not hold any grudge against you....'

Bheema looked at Hanuman with tears in his eyes, 'I am sorry! I am so sorry!' Hanuman realized that Bheema was genuinely sorry for what he had done and quickly forgave him.

Bheema fell at Hanuman's feet and begged for forgiveness.

Hanuman lifted his brother and told him, 'I came here to warn you, little brother!' He said lovingly ruffling Bheema's hair.

Bheema looked at Hanuman wondering what Hanuman would say, 'I know you have come here looking for the Saugandhika flower...It blooms in Kubera's garden...It is in that garden there....' Hanuman said pointing at a beautiful garden beyond. 'Be careful it is a dangerous place...it is filled with yakshas and powerful beings...' Bheema nodded. Hanuman looked at him and smiled, 'But you are the most powerful man in the world...What should you be worried about?'

Bheema wryly shook his head, 'Nothing...other than old monkeys who are so tired that they cannot move their tails...'

Both the brothers laughed and hugged each other. As Bheema felt his brother's embrace, he felt a change come over him....He flexed his arms and looked at his brother...Bheema felt powerful...stronger than before. Hanuman proudly nodded his head.

'I will always be with you, my brother! Whenever you roar in battle, I will roar with you...The sound would be heard like thunder...' Bheema's eyes shone as Hanuman continued, 'I will also be in your brother Arjuna's flag...for your victory....' Bheema once again fell at Hanuman's feet.

Bheema listened in wonder as Hanuman told him stories of the Ramayana...Bheema was looking at his brother and opened his mouth to say something and closed it again shaking his head. Hanuman was quick to notice it. 'What is it, little brother?' Bheema hesitated. 'Go ahead...Tell me...' Hanuman encouraged him.

Bheema licked his lips, 'I...I just want to see your form when...when you leapt across the ocean to find Sita Devi in Lanka...'

Hanuman laughed. Before Bheema's very eyes, Hanuman grew...and grew and GREW! There was a dazzling light emanating from Hanuman that Bheema was finding it difficult to see...Hanuman was now so big that he looked bigger than the tallest mountain in the world...Bheema gazed in wonder. Suddenly Hanuman was back at his side...

Bheema was thrilled and again fell at Hanuman's feet. Hanuman blessed him and vanished from there....With his brother's blessings Bheema went into the forests in search of the Saugandhika flower....

-From the Mahabharatha

How Anjaneya came to be known as Hanuman

Anjaneya was born to Anjana and Kesari and was an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Anjana was actually a heavenly girl whose name was Punjikastala. She had come down to the earth because of a curse. Anjana was to be free from the curse if she gave birth to an incarnation of Lord Shiva. After the birth of Anjaneya, Anjana was free to return to the heavens.

Vayu, the Wind God loved Anjaneya like his own son and also came often to meet him.

Once Anjana wanted to visit the heavens. She called Anjaneya, 'Anjaneya! I am going to the heavens to my home, to see my sisters!'

Anjaneya pouted, 'I will get bored there...I do not want to come...'

Anjana frowned, 'Ok. You stay here and play with your friends...I will be back soon...'

'Mother...' Anjaneya asked his mother innocently, 'What will I do if I get hungry?'

Anjana laughed, 'You eat the fruits, Anjaneya...You will not be hungry...'

'What fruits should I eat?' Anjaneya asked.

'Any fruits, which look as bright as the rising sun...are yours to eat...' Anjana smiled, little realizing the effects of her words...

Anjaneya laughed, 'Ok Mother...You go home...I will stay here...'

Anjana left and Anjaneya played with his friends. After some time he got bored and felt hungry too...He looked at the rising sun and remembered his mother's words...Any fruits, which looks as bright as the rising sun...'

Anjaneya had a sudden thought...All the fruits here are so small...I will feel hungry again and again, if I eat them...I will eat the sun itself...It is so big..If I eat that I will never be hungry... Thinking thus, the child leapt and headed straight for the sun!

As Anjaneya was nearing the Sun, Anjaneya saw something which surprised him. A huge head of monster was trying to swallow the 'fruit' he was after!.... Anjaneya was furious. Someone else was after the fruit he wanted....That could not be allowed.

What Anjaneya did not know that it was the time of the solar eclipse. In Hindu Mythology it is believed that the head of Rahu, an Asura swallows the Sun during eclipses as punishment for ratting out on him during the churning of the ocean...

Anjaneya pushed the head of the Asura away before it could come near the 'fruit'. Rahu tried fighting with the child, but Anjaneya was phenomenally powerful...Rahu did not stand a chance. Anjaneya thrashed him. Rahu ran away and ran straight to Indra. Though Indra was his enemy, Rahu knew that he was the only one who was strong enough to stop such a strong child...

Hearing Rahu's story, Indra suddenly had worries of his own..A child was racing towards the sun! Why?...What would the child want...If the child actually ate the sun...his next target would be ME! Indra was foolishly thinking all this and clutching his Vajrayudha his weapon and headed towards the Sun.

Meanwhile as Anjaneya came closer and closer, Surya, the Sun God got worried! What was a child doing here so close to him...He shouted, 'Stop child! Do not come any closer....You may get hurt...'

Anjaneya snorted..It would be so odd to listen to a fruit asking him not to eat it..It was obviously a trick..He flew faster towards to Sun...He could feel the sun burning his face, but Anjaneya ignored it and continued towards the Sun.

Surya burnt even more fiercely but it had no effect on Anjaneya. Now Surya was worried...That was when Indra came there.

Indra saw that even the Sun's heat had not affected the child. Indra was now in a full scale panic mode and felt that if he did not stop the child now, he was going to pay for it...

Without thinking about the consequences of his action or about anything else, Indra took out his Vajra and shot it straight at the young child!

The young child was no match for the powerful weapon. The weapon hit the child straight in his jaw and hit him with such a force that the child swooned and fell down on the earth from the skies!

However Vayu, the Wind God flew everywhere. He saw everything and knew everything that happened on earth. He saw his beloved Anjaneya hit by the hasty Indra and saw the child tumble out of the skies. Vayu rushed towards Anjaneya and collected him in his arms. He pulled Anjaneya close to him and to his horror found that Anjaneya was not breathing!

Terrified and furious with the foolish act of Indra, Vayu picked up Anjaneya and hid in a cave in the Paatala [underground]. Vayu felt angry with Indra. He decided to punish the people of the earth for worshiping such a hasty God. He being the Lord of the wind, sucked in all the winds of the earth inside him...Soon there was no air on earth and people, animal and plants all were struggling as there was no air to breath....! But Vayu did not care...His precious Anjaneya was also dead...

The people of the earth, prayed to Lord Brahma to come to their rescue. Lord Brahma ran to the cave in the Paatala to find Vayu. Vayu was sitting beside the lifeless form of Anjaneya tears in his eyes. Lord Brahma spoke, 'Vayu! You have failed in your duty..Why...?

Vayu almost pounced on Lord Brahma, 'MY DUTY? INDRA IN HIS FOOLISHNESS HAS KILLED A DEFENCELESS INNOCENT CHILD AND YOU EXPECT ME TO DO MY DUTY....' Vayu shouted. Lord Brahma pacified Vayu with great difficulty. Slowly Vayu told him the whole story...Lord Brahma became more and more angry as he heard the story. Finally he summoned Indra to come there immediately.

Frightened Indra appeared there. Looking at him, Vayu became even more furious, 'You are a coward! You hit this child with your VAJRA! Seriously is that a weapon to use on a young child....Look my innocent child is lying...' Vayu choked unable to continue...

Indra said, 'He...He was going to swallow the sun..'

Both Lord Brahma and Vayu snorted, 'Really Indra?' Lord Brahma spoke first, 'Is this how you behave...You were supposed to explain to the child what he was doing...not hurl your weapons at people every time you get afraid...'

Indra hung his head in shame..If only he had acted a little prudently...

Lord Brahma said looking at Indra angrily, 'Apologise to Vayu now....'

Indra slowly came up to Vayu and muttered an apology. But Vayu was not listening. He turned his head and ignored Indra. He looked at Lord Brahma with desperation, 'My Lord! No 'sorry' can bring back my son! I just want my son back.. sir! Please!' He almost begged Lord Brahma.

Lord Brahma smiled and nodded. He took some water from his kamandalam [jug] and sprayed it on Anjaneya. Lord Brahma then muttered a prayer and touched the child on his chin.

To Vayu's surprise the child awoke as if from a deep sleep. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the three Gods before him in wonder!

Lord Brahma said, 'The place where the Vajrayudha hit will be always broken...that cannot be mended, Vayu!' But Vayu did not care! A child with a broken jaw was no big deal!

Lord Brahma looked at the child and smiled, 'Son! You will be called as Hanuman henceforth, which means the 'one with a broken chin'. The child rubbed his chin and found that it was broken and nodded his head at Lord Brahma!

Vayu happily allowed the air to once  again flow on the earth as everything went back to normal.

Indra came forward and looked at Hanuman and said, 'Son! I am sorry for hurting you! To pay for my mistakes, I will grant you a boon - you will die only when you want to die!'

Hanuman joined his hands and fell on Indra's feet. As Indra disappeared, Lord Brahma came forward and said to Hanuman, 'One of the most powerful weapons is the Brahmastra – I give you immunity from that son!' Hanuman again bowed to Lord Brahma as he disappeared.

Vayu also blessed his son. By the power of all these boons, Hanuman became immortal and super powerful. Thus the young innocent Anjaneya became Hanuman!

The birth of Hanuman

Hanuman is one of the heroes of Ramayana. He has the face of a monkey and is an ardent devotee of Ram. It was mostly due to his help that Ram was able to defeat Ravana, the demon-king of Lanka. Do you know the story of the birth of Hanuman?

The birth of Hanuman starts with an apsara – Punjikastala. Punjikastala was a heavenly maiden and roamed the skies. Once when she roamed the heavens, she saw a monkey deep in meditation.

Instead of admiring the devotion of the monkey rishi, Pujikastala felt that the monkey sitting in a cross-legged posture was very funny. Unable to control herself she burst out laughing. However the monkey did not take any offence. He was after all a rishi...someone in control of his senses. He was so deep in meditation that he did not even know that someone was laughing at him.

Punjikastala misunderstanding the silence of the rishiand poked fun of him some more. She finally threw stones and fruits at the rishi. When one of the mangoes hit the rishi on his head, the rishi opened his eyes with a start, his meditation broken. He looked around furiously and saw Punjikastala aiming a stone at him.

The sage looked so angry that Punjikastala shivered. She involuntarily dropped the stone and looked mutely at the sage.

The sage looked at Punjikastala angrily, 'Why did you throw stones at me?'

Punjikastala remained mute staring at the Monkey-sage. 'You have now broken my meditation...I can forgive the rest...but I cannot forgive you for interrupting my meditation....'

Punjikastala looked at the furious sage still not able to talk. The sage continued, 'You think I am funny because I look like a monkey...I curse you that you will henceforth become a monkey yourself....'

Hearing this, Punjikastala burst out crying, 'Great sage! I w...was wrong...I did not understand who you were and I threw stones at you....I made...made fun of you....But turning me into a monkey is a ver...very harsh punishment....Please sir...' Punjikastala fell at the the sage's feet, 'I beg you sir! I have learnt my lesson. Please take back your curse. She said tears streaming down her face.

Looking at Punjikastala, the monkey-sage realized that Punjikastala had really repented her actions and was sorry for her actions. But he was a sage. Sages were powerful and when they said anything, they were immediately brought into effect. Their words could not be taken back.

The monkey-sage looked at Punjikastala and said softly, 'I am sorry Punjikastala, but I cannot take back my word! But your curse will end as soon as you give birth to an incarnation of Lord Shiva! Pray to him....'

Punjikastala looked downcast as the sage vanished from there. She felt some change in her body and ran to the nearest river. There she saw that fur had grown in her body, she had a small tail and her face was that of a monkey! Unable to bear the grief anymore Punjikastala walked aimlessly throughout the forest, wishing that the nightmare would be over and that she would again become her normal self. Pray to Lord Shiva...The words of the monkey sage came to her mind.

That night, Punjikastala made a small linga and worshiped Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati before going to sleep. She felt peaceful and fell asleep almost immediately.

In the morning, she again prayed to the Lord and the Goddess and then walked further deep inside the forest. As she walked, she saw a small ashrama there.

The people in the ashrama however did not make fun of her because she had the face of a monkey. They were true ascetics. They did not care how a person looked. True faith in God was all that mattered.

They gave her fruits to eat. Punjikastala was feeling very hungry after a long day. She gratefully ate the fruits.

'Who are you my child?' asked one of the oldest ascetics.

Punjikastala opened her mouth to say, 'I am...' when she stopped. What do I tell these people that I am an apsara who was cursed to be a monkey...These people will make fun of me if they come to know that I was cursed...My past life is done and over...I need a new identity, a new name...a new beginning....'Punjikastala winced as she looked as the calm and wrinkled eyes of the ascetic. She cleared her throat again, 'Sir, I am Anjana...' From deep down, Punjikastala felt that she had more than changed her name...She began to feel that she was destined to greatness because of this name...

'Well Anjana...You are a very brave woman...You have crossed this forest at night...' The ascetic shivered, 'We normally never go out at night...'

Anjana looked quizzically at the ascetic as he continued, 'There is a huge demon Sambasadan who lives here. He...' The ascetic shivered again, 'He is a monster. He terrorizes all the people in the forest....We think he may attack the ashrama today....' Anjana looked at the ascetic, 'We are preparing to defend ourselves against the demon...'

'I will also help you fight...' She said in a determined manner as the ascetic nodded and left to make preparations. 

Anjana walked out of the hut and made a small linga on the ground and worshiped Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. These people are good and kind. They have given me protection, instead of laughing at me and my plight...It is my duty to protect these people...Please give me the strength to fight this demon.

Anjana felt distinct words flow inside her head, 'Sambasadam can be defeated only by his own blood my child...May you be victorious...'

Anjana opened her eyes as a new hope filled her body. She knew she had heard the words of the Lord and the Goddess and that they would guide her to victory....She got ready for battle. She was picking up the weapons, when she saw another man standing beside her who was examining the weapons. The man had turned his face away from her so she could not see his face. However the man was very muscular and well-built. Anjana realized that the man was a professional fighter a king perhaps....and that he probably was called upon by the people in the ashram to fight for them.

The man looked strong and from the scars in his body he looked like he had fought many times.

As Anjana was about to talk to the man, the man turned and Anjana gasped. The man had the face of a monkey...He carried himself like a king and Anjana realized that he was probably the king of monkeys here.

He came forward and spoke to her in a strong voice. 'I am Kesari! I hear that you are also going to fight the demon here. That...' Kesari smiled, 'That is very brave of you...'

Anjana felt proud as she picked up her staff and practiced with it, 'Well, you are also fighting, that makes you a very brave man....'

Kesari laughed, 'Well it is my duty. I am the King of the monkeys here and this ashrama comes within my territory. So I have to give these people all the protection that I can give them...'

Anjana was about tell him about Shiva and Parvati's dream, when they heard a loud roar. Anjana turned and saw a huge demon rush towards the hermitage. His size was so big that Anjana felt that even if he came inside the ashrama by mistake, he would trample the people and destroy the homes of the people in the hermitage....

'We have to lead the demon away from the ashrama...' Kesari said as he picked up his weapon and charged at the demon. Together the two of them along with some people from the ashrama and a small monkey army fought with the demon. Kesari fought the demon brilliantly, but unfortunately he was not able to hurt the demon.... The demon was always able to turn and twist away or change his form, before Kesari could actually hurt him.

However Kesari persistently kept pushing the demon back and once pierced the demon's shield. The demon roared as some of his blood flowed down on the earth.

Anjana who was firing some arrows stopped and ran forward. She dipped the arrows in the blood of the demon and fired the arrows. The demon wailed as the arrow pierced him. Kesari saw this and immediately came forward and dipped his staff in the blood and started fighting.

Whenever the staff or the arrow tipped in his own blood hit the demon, the demon roared as his body started melting.

Soon Kesari dipped his whole staff and pierced the demon straight in the heart. Sambasadan let out a loud roar and slowly disappeared.

The people in the ashrama let out a loud cheer when they saw that Sambasadan was no more. People carried Anjana and Kesari on their shoulders and happily brought them to the ashrama and dancing for hours together.

Sambasadan had been killing and injuring people very often and the forest had become a very dangerous place because of him. However now it was all over...The festivities went on all night and the people had a grand feast to celebrate the victory....

While the festivities were going on, an old ascetic of the ashrama came forward and asked to speak to Anjana separately. The ascetic was looking at her with pride, but he looked slightly uneasy as if he was going to ask a favour from her. Anjana looked at the ascetic and waited for him to continue. The ascetic cleared his throat and said softly, 'Anjana, we have a custom....Generally when a person fights and wins a battle for us, we give a very precious gift to that person...Today both of you have won this battle for us...I was wondering if....' Anjana looked at the ascetic wondering what he was going to give her. 

'Would you consider marrying Kesari?' The ascetic blurted out as Anjana looked surprised. 'He is a brave man and you are a brave woman..You are the best gift for him and he is the best gift for you....Would...?'Anjana looked at the ascetic shyly as she did not say anything. Since she had seen Kesari fight, she was filled with awe at how brave he was. He was also extremely intelligent...Anjana had wondered all day whether Kesari would be interested in marrying her. But then she remembered that she had the face of a monkey...Though he was also a monkey, Anjana did not think she was pretty enough to attract him...

She cleared her throat and said softly, 'If Kesari is willing, I am also....'

The ascetic was happiness personified, 'We have already spoken to him. You see...he thinks you are very brave and beautiful and he wanted to marry you. But he did not know whether you would be...'

Anjana laughed....

An auspicious day was chosen and Kesari and Anjana was beaming as they were married....

After their marriage, both Anjana and Kesari daily worshiped Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. They led a very happy married life.

Meanwhile in a faraway place called Ayodhya, King Dasaratha had no children of his own and was performing a yagna for children. After Sage Rishyashringa performed the Putrakameshti yagna for King Dasaratha, Lord Agni came before Dasaratha and gave him some pudding [payasam] which was to be be shared between King Dasaratha's three wives. 

King Dasaratha gave the pudding to Kausalya and Kaikeyi.  However as Dasaratha was about to hand over the pudding to Queen Sumithra, a bird snatched the payasam and flew away from there. Both Kausalya and Kaikeyi immediately gave a portion of their own pudding to Queen Sumithra, because of which Queen Sumithra gave birth to twins – Lakshmana and Shatrugana. Queen Kausalya gave birth to Ram, the hero of Ramayana and Queen Kaikeyi gave birth to Bharat.

[The bird which stole the payasam also has a story. The bird was actually an apsara – Suvarchala. Suvarchala was very impulsive and often acted without thinking. Once because of her impulsive behaviour, Lord Brahma got very angry with her and cursed her that she would become a bird.  Suvarchala promised Lord Brahma that she had repented her ways. Lord Brahma said that his words could not be taken back and that Suvarchala would have to go to earth and stay as a bird. Lord Brahma however modified the curse and said that Suvarchala was to be freed from her curse if she touched the pudding given by Lord Agni to Dasaratha.]

Eager to have her curse lifted, Suvarchala snatched the pudding from Queen Sumitra. Immediately she changed form and became an apsara. The payasam fell from the bird's claws and was falling to the ground when Vayu, the Wind God following the orders of Lord Shiva, blew the pudding softly without spilling it...Vayu blew the pudding straight towards the forests where Anjana and Kesari were staying

Anjana and Kesari had just finished her morning prayers when Anjana felt something brush her hands. It was the pudding! Anjana and Kesari looked surprised when they heard a heavenly voice, 'Take this offering Anjana. It has the power of the Wind God as he was the one who blew it you and the essence of Lord Shiva inside it. You will have a healthy brave boy, who will be the incarnation of Lord Shiva...Take the pudding...'

Kesari looked with pride as Anjana swallowed the pudding.

Subsequently Anjana gave birth to one of the most powerful heroes of Ramayana – Hanuman. 

However Hanuman was originally called as Anjaneya [Son of Anjana]. He was also called as Pavanputra, [which means son of the Wnd God.He was called so because he had the essence of the Wind God] Hanuman was also called as Kesharinandan  [which means 'son of Kesari']

Anjana was freed of her curse as she had given birth to an incarnation of Shiva. 

Vayu, whose essence was there in the young monkey boy looked after the boy as his own son...

But how Anjaneya got the name as 'Hanuman' is another story!