25 - Up, Up and Away!

Summary

In this episode of 'Stories from India', host Narad Monei explores the mythological tale of Hanuman, a central figure in the Ramayana. The story delves into Hanuman's extraordinary powers, his origins, and his adventures, including his first recorded space flight and the consequences of his encounter with the sun god Surya. The episode also touches on Hanuman's wisdom and his similarities to Superman, highlighting his humility despite his superhuman abilities.

Takeaways

• 🎙️ The podcast 'Stories from India' narrates myths, legends, and folk tales from India, hosted by Narad Monei, a mythological character with eternal life and knowledge.
• 🦸 Hanuman, a central figure in the Ramayana, is compared to Superman for his extraordinary powers and intriguing origin story, including the first recorded space flight.
• 🍉 Anjana, a fairy (upsera), loses her beauty and is turned into a monkey due to a curse after she ridicules a meditating Rishi disguised as a monkey.
• 🙏 Anjana prays to Shiva, who helps her regain her form and gives birth to Hanuman after consuming divine porridge delivered by a bird, influenced by the god of wind, Vayu.
• 🌞 Hanuman is endowed with superpowers by various gods as a result of an incident where he was struck by Indra's thunderbolt, attempting to reach what he thought was a mango, but was actually the sun.
• 📚 Hanuman seeks knowledge from Surya, the sun god, who teaches him everything under the sun, demonstrating Hanuman's wisdom and thirst for knowledge.
• 🎓 Hanuman's 'tuition fee' for learning from Surya is to help and protect Surya's son, Sugri, which leads to significant events in the Ramayana.
• 🎉 The podcast episode coincides with the celebration of Hanuman Janti, emphasizing the cultural and religious importance of the character.
• 👶 Both Hanuman and Superman share similarities such as being abandoned as babies, possessing super strength, the ability to fly, and living among humans without a superior attitude.
• 🏛 The story also touches on Mullah Do Paza, a clever figure from Emperor Akbar's court, illustrating the use of flattery to escape an embarrassing situation.
• 🎵 The podcast features music from Purple Planet and encourages listeners to engage with the show through comments, reviews, and social media.

Q & A

What is the podcast 'Stories from India' about?

The podcast 'Stories from India' is about discussing myths, legends, and folk tales from India.

Who is the host of 'Stories from India' podcast?

The host of the podcast is Narad Mone, a mythological character with the gift of eternal life and knowledge.

What is the significance of Hanuman in the story discussed in the podcast?

Hanuman is a central figure in the story discussed in the podcast. He is compared to Superman and is known for his extraordinary powers and interesting origin story.

What is the role of an 'upsera' in the story?

An 'upsera' is a fairy who lives in heaven and is skilled in dancing and has limited magic, including the ability to teleport to Earth and back.

What happens when Anjana, the upsera, throws a fruit at a monkey during her picnic?

The monkey turns out to be a disguised Rishi who curses Anjana, turning her into a monkey until she bears a child, preventing her from returning to heaven.

How does Anjana regain her upsera form?

Anjana regains her upsera form after giving birth to Hanuman, who was conceived from divine porridge that was brought to her by a bird with the help of the god of wind, Vayu.

What are some of the superpowers Hanuman is gifted with?

Hanuman is gifted with superpowers such as the ability to fly, walk on water, change his size at will, shape-shift, immunity to drowning, burning, and nonplatonic love, and eternal happiness and contentment.

Who teaches Hanuman everything he knows?

Hanuman is taught by the sun god, Surya, who agrees to teach him in exchange for Hanuman's help and protection for Surya's son, Sugri.

What is the significance of Hanuman Janti?

Hanuman Janti is a celebration that honors Hanuman, and it is mentioned in the podcast as being celebrated on a Wednesday, six days after Rahu's birthday.

What is the connection between Hanuman and Superman as discussed in the podcast?

Both Hanuman and Superman are abandoned as babies, have super strength, can fly, and live among people without superpowers without assuming a superior attitude.

What is the story of Mula Do Paza mentioned in the podcast?

Mula Do Paza is a character from the court of Emperor Akbar, known for his cleverness. The podcast mentions an anecdote where he uses flattery to escape an embarrassing situation involving a lost coin with the emperor's face on it.

Outlines

00:00

🎶 Introduction to Stories from India Podcast 🎶

The script opens with a lively introduction to the 'Stories from India' podcast, hosted by Narad Monei, a mythological character with eternal life and omniscience. The podcast explores Indian myths, legends, and folk tales. This week's episode delves into the story of Hanuman, a central figure in the Ramayana, who is likened to Superman for his extraordinary powers and intriguing origin story. The episode promises to cover Hanuman's first recorded space flight and the consequences of underestimating a monkey. It begins with the tale of Anjana, an apsara (fairy) who lives in heaven, skilled in dance and possessing limited magic, including teleportation to Earth. Anjana's encounter with a meditating 'monkey' leads to a curse that turns her into a monkey, from which she seeks redemption through Shiva, one of the Holy Trinity.

05:00

🌟 Hanuman's Divine Birth and Early Powers 🌟

The narrative continues with the story of King Dasharath of Ayodhya, whose divine porridge, leftover from a divine gift, is carried by a bird to Anjana, who consumes it and gives birth to Hanuman. This act not only restores Anjana to her apsara form but also imbues Hanuman with superhuman abilities. Hanuman's early life is marked by the discovery of his strength and the ability to fly. A significant event is his attempt to reach the sun, mistaking it for a mango, which leads to a confrontation with Rahu, the god of eclipses, and the sun god, Surya. This episode highlights Hanuman's divine origins, the acquisition of his powers, and the initial challenges he faces due to his misunderstanding of his abilities.

10:03

⚡ Hanuman's Conflict with the Gods and Acquired Superpowers ⚡

The third paragraph describes a pivotal moment in Hanuman's life when Indra, the king of the gods, strikes him with a thunderbolt, causing Hanuman to fall back to Earth. Vayu, the wind god and Hanuman's father, intervenes to soften his fall and expresses his anger at the gods' actions. In response to the threat of Vayu, the gods bestow additional superpowers upon Hanuman, including the ability to walk on water, change size, shape-shift, immunity to fire and drowning, and eternal happiness. This section underscores Hanuman's transformation from a misunderstood child to a being with a formidable array of powers, setting the stage for his future exploits.

15:05

📚 Hanuman's Education and Parallels with Superman 📚

The final paragraph discusses Hanuman's quest for knowledge, choosing Surya, the sun god, as his mentor. Surya teaches Hanuman everything 'under the sun,' highlighting Hanuman's wisdom and learning capabilities. The episode concludes with a comparison between Hanuman and Superman, noting their similarities in terms of abandonment, superpowers, and humility despite their extraordinary abilities. The script also mentions upcoming celebrations of Hanuman Janti and hints at future episodes that will further explore Hanuman's wisdom. Additionally, it references Mula Do Paza, a clever figure from Emperor Akbar's court, and ends with a teaser for the next episode about twin sisters associated with medicine and resurrection.

Keywords

💡Hanuman

Hanuman is a central figure in the Hindu epic Ramayana and is revered for his extraordinary powers and devotion to Lord Rama. In the script, he is compared to Superman, highlighting his superhuman strength and ability to fly. The story of Hanuman's birth and his journey of discovering his powers is a significant part of the narrative, illustrating his importance in Indian mythology.

💡Upsera

An 'upsera' is a term used to describe a fairy in Hindu mythology who lives in heaven and is skilled in dancing and has limited magical powers, including teleportation. In the script, Anjana, an 'upsera', is cursed to become a monkey until she bears a child, which ties into the story of Hanuman's birth and her eventual return to her original form.

💡Dasharath

King Dasharath is a significant character in the Ramayana, known as the father of Lord Rama. In the script, Dasharath is mentioned in the context of the divine porridge that leads to the birth of Hanuman, showing the interconnectedness of characters in the epic and the divine plan behind their births.

💡Vishnu

Vishnu is a principal deity in Hinduism, known for his role as the preserver and protector of the universe. The script mentions that most of the gods had teamed up to help Vishnu be born as sons to King Dasharath, emphasizing the divine plan and the importance of the characters in the Ramayana.

💡Rishi

A 'Rishi' in Hinduism is a sage or seer who is often depicted as a meditative figure with spiritual and sometimes magical powers. In the script, the character that Anjana mistakes for a monkey is described as a 'Rishi' in disguise, which leads to the curse and the unfolding of Hanuman's story.

💡Curse

In the context of the script, a 'curse' is a supernatural penalty or ban imposed on someone as a result of their actions. Anjana is cursed to be a monkey until she bears a child due to her ridicule of a 'Rishi', which is a pivotal moment leading to Hanuman's birth.

💡Shiva

Shiva is one of the principal deities of Hinduism, known as the destroyer or the transformer. In the script, Anjana prays to Shiva, who hears her prayer and sets in motion the events that lead to the birth of Hanuman, demonstrating the role of divine intervention in the narrative.

💡Porridge

The 'porridge' mentioned in the script is a divine element that plays a crucial role in Hanuman's birth. It is a leftover from the porridge that was to be divided among Dasharath's wives and is delivered to Anjana by a bird with the help of the god of wind, symbolizing the divine plan behind Hanuman's conception.

💡Superpowers

The term 'superpowers' in the script refers to the extraordinary abilities that Hanuman possesses, such as strength, the ability to fly, and immunity to various elements. These powers are a key aspect of his character and are highlighted through comparisons with the comic book character Superman.

💡Indra

Indra is the king of the gods in Hindu mythology, known for his role as the lord of rain and thunder. In the script, Indra is depicted as the one who stops Hanuman from reaching the sun by striking him with a thunderbolt, showcasing the divine conflict and Hanuman's immense power.

💡Surya

Surya is the sun god in Hinduism. In the script, Surya is the one who teaches Hanuman everything under the sun, highlighting Hanuman's quest for knowledge and the role of the sun god in his education, which is a unique aspect of his character development.

Highlights

Introduction to the podcast 'Stories from India' and the host Narad Moneii.

The central character of the episode, Hanuman, is likened to Superman with extraordinary powers and an interesting origin story.

Anjana, an apsara, is cursed to bear a child and lose her beauty due to mocking a disguised Rishi.

Anjana's transformation into a monkey and her eventual appeal to Shiva for help.

The role of King Dasharath and the divine porridge that leads to Hanuman's birth.

Hanuman's unique birth involving a bird, Vayu, and the god of wind, demonstrating divine intervention.

Anjana's return to her apsara form after giving birth to Hanuman and the emotional separation from her son.

Hanuman's childhood and the discovery of his superpowers, including the ability to fly.

Hanuman's encounter with the sun and the subsequent conflict with Indra, the king of the gods.

The gods' response to Hanuman's attack and the additional superpowers he receives as a result.

Hanuman's education under the sun god, Surya, and his unique learning method.

The comparison between Hanuman and Superman, highlighting their similarities and differences.

Hanuman's role in the Ramayana and his significance in the story.

The celebration of Hanuman Jayanti and its connection to the story.

Introduction of Mullah Do Paza, a clever figure from Emperor Akbar's court, with a focus on a humorous anecdote.

The upcoming episode's preview about a folktale involving two sisters and their desperate measures to retrieve cotton.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

hello and welcome to stories from India

a podcast where we talk about myths

Legends and folk tales from

India I am your host narad monei and I'm

a mythological character myself I have

the gift of eternal life and knowledge

of the past the present and the

future by profession I am a traveling

musician and a

Storyteller so the way I'm doing my job

is by

podcast this week we are not exactly in

the ramayan but we are going to meet

someone who's a very central figure in

that

story and that character is

Hanuman Hanuman is the equivalent of

Superman he's got extraordinary powers

with a much more interesting origin

story than his Kryptonian comic book

equivalent amongst other things we'll

see the very first recorded space

flight and why it's a terrible idea to

throw anything at a

monkey the character this week is a

person from the court of emperor akar

and

bebal but who sometimes gets the better

of both of

them our story begins with an

upsera an upsera is a fairy who lives in

heaven upsera are skilled dancers and

typically they have a limited amount of

magic that includes the ability to

teleport to Earth and

back without any of the beam me up

Scotty

stuff

so that's precisely what anjana was

doing it looked like a beautiful summer

Day in India and so anjen and a few

other fellow upser decided to go on a

picnic as they were just generally doing

picnic stuff Anana happened to notice

someone

nearby why it looked like a

monkey but unlike regular monkeys at

picnics this one was very very

different he was sitting and

meditating just like a regular

Rishi and he was wearing regular rishy

clothes that should have been warning

enough but anj couldn't help herself she

had to check if this was a trick someone

was playing on

her so she did the most inhuman thing

possible she threw a piece of fruit at

the

monkey well it was not a monkey it was a

regular Rishi who was praying and for

some reason had taken on the monkey

disguise obviously he was

enraged he cursed

an until she bore a child she could not

return to

heaven and now would she please look in

a mirror

Ana did and discovered to her horror

that she had been turned into a

monkey as was common with upsera she was

proud of her beauty and now she had lost

it all because she had ridiculed someone

else's

appearance some Poetic Justice to go

with the terribly misogynistic

curse she tearfully waved goodbye to her

fellow upsera and resigned to her

fate was there someone she could appeal

to it turns out that there

was Shiva the destroyer of the Holy

Trinity she prayed to Shiva

daily during this time she met another

monkey or wner as I'm going to call

them saying monkey isn't wrong but wner

is certainly more

respectful this wner was

caser and together they were

happy to an

extent anjana longed to go back to

Heaven Shiva finally heard her prayer he

set a plan in

motion at about this time king dasharath

of aoda had received his Togo order of

porridge from

heaven and he was div dividing it up

between his

wives if you haven't heard episode 7 a

kingdom by horse I recommend you check

it

out basically the idea is that most of

the Gods had teamed up to help Vishnu be

born as Sons to King dharat of

aoda one of the sons was Ram after whom

the ramayan is

named so anyway as the porage was

divided up between Dash's wives

a little bit was left over in the

pot it's a good thing dashar didn't

scrape the pot clean otherwise the rest

of the ramine would have turned out very

differently and that's because the

little bit of polish that was remaining

was picked up by a

bird you're probably wondering how a

bird with sharp claws is able to pick up

a semi solid sweet desert and fly for

hundreds of miles with

it well this little bird had a bit of

help from vou the god of the

wind whyou help the bird maintain the

porridge in perfect aerodynamic

equilibrium when the bird near anjana's

Home Vu gently deposited the porridge

right into anj's mouth that happened to

be open just

then now normally if something drops

into your mouth from the sky and all you

see is a bird flying away you should

Panic unless you're a magical upsera who

knows that Shiva has answered her

prayers and it probably helped that the

porridge was

sweet well a few months later anjana

gave birth to a baby

wner

Hanuman the moment she did she was back

into her absera

form no longer of Honor she had to go

back to Heaven she had been aval for too

long and no the baby wasn't allowed to

go with

her I'd like to imagine that it must

have broken her heart to leave behind

her baby

son but she had reasons to be confident

in her son's

welfare the divine porridge together

with shiva's blessings along with her

own limited magical ability had given

the boy a number of superhero

abilities Hanuman had oversight from

three father figures in his

life kri Vu and Shiva

himself in fact Hanuman has at various

points been referred to as the son of Vu

the son of kri and the son of Shiva

as Hanuman grew up with his foster

father casri he started discovering his

own powers sort of like Superman must

have done growing up on the Kent

farm he had inhuman and very unner likee

strength and when he was a toddler he

discovered he could

fly yes he could actually

fly one day the child Hanuman was

feeling more than a little

hungry he checked the pantry for

mangoes but they were fresh out of

mangoes guess I'll just go to the mango

tree and pluck a fresh one for myself

thought

Hanuman on his way to the mango tree

suddenly Hanuman had a

thought hey there's a bright and shiny

mango right there up in the blue

sky it is surprisingly round unlike a

regular mango shaped

mango on the basis of absolutely nothing

at all Hanuman concluded that the mango

in the sky must be at least as sweet as

regular

mangoes he launched himself towards the

sun it took a while to get closer as you

can

imagine the sun is after all 93 million

miles or 150 million kilm away

on the way Hanuman ran into

rahu rahu is the god of asteroids and

was set to cause eclipses

sometimes Hanuman just swatted him away

no questions asked and continued on

towards the

sun the sun god Surya saw this child

making straight for him mouth all

drooling and he panicked

Surya sent a quick SOS to Indra the king

of the Gods in

heaven Indra had to stop the boy before

he gobbled up the

sun Indra fired a thunderbolt at Hanuman

striking him dead on and sending the

child tumbling back to

Earth now Wu hanuman's father saw this

and softened his

fall he was angry how dare the god

strike his little boy he was going to

teach them a

lesson he was going on

strike well when wind or air circulation

completely

stops it can get a bit hard to

breathe and that's what started

happening all the gods panicked and

pleaded with

Wu finally vu

relented but only after they gifted the

child with even more

superpowers Shiva gave him the ability

to walk on

water Surya gave him the power to change

his size at

will Brahma the Creator who also happens

to be my dad gave him the ability to

shapes

shift warun the god of the sky and seas

made him immune to drowning

AGI the fire god made Hanuman immune to

burning yum the god of death made

Hanuman

Immortal and kuir the treasurer of the

Gods blessed him with the greatest

wealth of

all being eternally happy and

content CD the god of nonplatonic love

made him immune to nonplatonic love

his own dad Wu gifted him with even more

speed now you might think that Arnold

schweger in The Terminator movies has

all of these superpowers

too you wouldn't be wrong but let's just

say Hanuman had bigger things in mind

than traveling back in time to rescue

future revolutionaries and accidentally

inspiring

Skynet

as Hanuman grew up he started thinking

about

University he was going to learn a lot

and he had just the professor in

mind that Professor was the son

yes Hanuman had decided that the sun god

observes everything

everywhere so he must be the one to

teach

him Surya tried to make excuses uses of

course I'm too tired all day from going

around the

earth I thought the Earth went around

you said

Hanuman it depends on your frame of

reference replied

Surya I see you have lots to learn

still okay said

Hanuman you can fly around the Earth all

day I'll fly with you I'll match your

speed and I'll fly backwards so I'm

always facing you then you and I are

stationary in each other's frames of

reference and then you can teach me

Hanuman was a fast thinker and a fast

learner

indeed so that's pretty much what

happened Surya taught Hanuman everything

he knew about pretty much everything

under the

sun when it was time for Hanuman to

graduate he asked Surya what his tution

fees were were it was custom back then

for fees to be paid at the end and not

upfront sua replied that his son sugri

needed a friend to help and protect

him Hanuman did do that and that leads

to a very important part of the

ram that's all for now I have a number

of things to note about Hanuman so

buckle

up the reason I Pi Hanuman stories this

week is that we celebrate Hanuman Janti

on

Wednesday yeah it's only 6 days away

from rah's

birthday that should give you a sense of

how long it took the bird to fly from

aoya to anjana's

home all else being

equal the similarities between Hanuman

and Superman are

striking both were abandoned as a baby

though in Superman's case he was shipped

off himself while Hanuman stayed put and

his mom went

away they both had super strength and

could fly

obviously but what I find most

remarkable is that both lived amongst

people who had no

superpowers and yet neither assumes a

superior attitude towards the rest of

humanity I mean apart from the name

Superman but even that was a name that

was given to Clark Kent by others it's

not something that he chose for

himself Hanuman is incredibly wise

something that we'll demonstrate in

future

episodes one minor bit of

contradistinction Hanuman learns in a

very hot

environment since he learns from the Sun

Superman at his Fortress of Solitude is

exactly the

opposite it's incredibly cold

there both caser and Ma and P Kent

pretty much drop out of the plot once

the child has grown

up though I'm sure both Hanuman and

Superman were very grateful to their

respective foster

parents the attack on Hanuman by the

other gods and the idea of the child's

parent threatening to destroy the world

is very similar to ganes

story see episode 6.5 All in the

Family we've encountered sugri before

when discussing his brother

w w was the character of the week during

episode 21 final

Destiny the character this week is a

person from the same court as Emperor

Akbar and

bebul but who sometimes got the better

of both of

them Mula do paza was another clever

person in King akbar's

Court most people think he was

completely

fictional some people believe that given

the Muslim majority in akar's court

mullah was created as a reply to beable

stories that were floating

around given mullah was fic

there isn't much to say about his life

but I'll mention an anecdote that's

often attributed to

him once having wasted all his money and

being down to his last copper coin Mula

was devastated to learn that he had

dropped it somewhere in

court frantically he began hunting for

it all over

Court a rival took this opportunity to

point out to akar that mullah was being

stingy looking for a single copper

coin wasn't he receiving a salary and

all kinds of gifts regularly from the

emperor mullah didn't want to admit to

the whole court that he had wasted all

his money your majesty he addressed the

emperor I don't care about the monetary

value of the

coin this is a coin that has your face

printed on it I worry that someone might

step on

it flattery can get you out of an

embarrassing

situation that's all for this

week if you have comments or suggestions

please leave a comment or a review on

the site sfip podcast.com or tweet at

SFI podcast you can also find me on

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Facebook be sure to subscribe to the

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episodes thank you to all your listeners

for your continued

support the music is from purple

planet.com that's

purple-planet.com

next week we'll do a folktale from

Eastern

India it's about two sisters who go to

Great Lengths to retrieve a little

cotton when it gets Blown Away by the

wind and by that I I mean seriously

Desperate Measures including running for

miles and flying into the

sky the character next week is actually

two characters not one because they're

twins these brothers are associated with

medicine and not just for getting better

when sick they can also bring people

back from the

dead something even the genie in Aladin

could and

do I'll see you next

[Music]

week