Jaya Vayu Hanumantha

Hanuman or Hanumantha is one of the most important deities in India. He is known by different names in different states and his names are as innumerable as is his prowess.

Even in Karnataka, he is known by different names in different regions. In south Karnataka, he is Hanumantha, while in north Karnataka, he is more popular as Maruti. He is also popularly known as Anjeneya. The Haridasas of Karnataka called him Prana Devaru.

Madhwas or Vaishnavas. Who follow the tenets of Madhwacharya,  revere Anjaneya as the first of the Hanuma-Bheema and Madhwa incarnation.

Hanumantha has played a major role in the Ramayana where he is as important figure as others. Popularly known as Monkey God, our scriptures have invested him with superhuman powers.

In the Mahabharata era, he becomes Bheema and in Kali Yuga he is Madhwacharya, the pioneer of the Dwaitha system and a saint-philosopher par excellence.

Madhwa saints and seer after Madhwacharya have eulogized Hanumantha and one among them-Vyasa Raja or Vyasa Theertha (1460-1539)-consecrated 732 idols of Anjaneya or Hanuman throughout India.

Of them, 365 idols of Hanuman were consecrated in and around Penugonda, now in Andhra Pradesh. Vyasa Raja consecrated the first of these 732 Hanuman idols at Chakratheertha in Hampi or Vijayanagar.

Vyasa Raja, who was the previous of Raghavendra Swamy (1595-1671) was as devoted to Hanuman as to Krishna. He has composed a sloka on the Yantrodharaka Hanuman at Chakratheertha and several other hymns in praise of the monkey god.

Jaya Vayu Hanumantha is another composition of Vyasa Raja. Here is the lyrics in English.

    

Jaya vAyu hanumantha jaya bheema balavantha
jaya pUrna mativantha jaya salaho santha  || jaya||

anjaneyali huTTi andhu rAmana seve
nandadindali maaDi kapi balava kuDi
sindhu langisi kalara vana bhangisi site-
dungurava koTTi lankapurava suTTi  || jaya||

harige chuDAmani yanitthu harigala kuDi
sharadiyanu kaTTi aribalavanu kuTTi
uraga bandandinda kapivararu maimareye
giriya sanjivanava thandhu badukisida || jaya||

dwaparAnthyadalli paanDu bhupanatmanendenisi
sripArtha sArathiya bajaka neenAde
paapi baka keechaka hiDimbakara
kopadindali taride mUrjjagadi merede  || jaya||

dhuradali duryodhanana bhalavanu thilide
aritu dushaasanana oDalanu bagede
urava tappisi kauravanna thoDegala muride
hariya kinkara durandharagaaru sariye  || jaya||

kali yugadali kallarudisi durmatigalanu balisi
sri hariya gunagala maresi
kaliyabbu sarisalu guruvaagi avatarisi
kalara durmata muride srikrishna paranende || jaya||

The composition ends with the ankita or pen name Srikrishna. Initially, Vyasa Raja wrote under the ankita Krishna but he subsequently changed it to Sri Krishna. This is because Krishna came in his dream and told the seer that he (Krishna) was a householder and that he was married and he had children. How then could you call me directly as Krishna, he asked the seer and urged him to give him a little respect.

Vyasa Raja immediately changed the ankita from Krishna to Srikrishna.