HANUMATH GANAM
It is a common parlance to talk about 'palzam puraaNam' - 'Old Puranam'. Usually the term is of a derogatory and depreciative nature.
People are under the impression that the Puranas are old stories which are long and full of fantasies and fabricated falsehoods.
Over and above this, they dont know what puranas are.
Puranas are actually compendium of stories, events, fantasies which are supposed to have happened long long eons ago in different worlds. Curiously enough, they also deal with future events.
There are eighteen puranas which are of different lengths. The longest is the Skandha Purana.
Apart from them, there are eighteen minor puranas known as the 'UpaPuranas'.
There many stories in these puranas and upapuranas which cannot be seen in Ithihasas or any other genre going by various names like Katha Manjari, Katha Carith Sagara, etc.
There is a story about Hanuman.
Hanuman is known as an immortal genius who had mastered all arts and sciences and other branches of knowledge.
He is known as the embodiment of all knowledge and the Vedas themselves.
He learned all the vedas and all the Vidya Sthanas from Surya, the Sun god.
Hanuman's mother Anjana told Hanuman to go to the Sun god and learn the vedas from him.
When Hanuman went to the Celestial Path and met the Sun, he was told that he, being the creator of day and night - Dinakara, could not stop in one place and teach Hanuman.
Hanuman told the Sun, that he would face the Sun and run along backwards in the same direction of the Sun and receive the vedic knowledge from him. The Sun need not stop.
Upon this agreement, Hanuman took the coaching for twelve years.
The Vidya Sthanas are eighteen in number.
4 vedas, 6 sastras, 4 upangas and 4 upavedas.
Among the upavedas, one of them is called the Gandarva Veda - The Art and Science of Music.
Hanuman was an exponent of music. He had a branch of music under his name - Hanumath Ganam.
The Sage Naradha was also an exponent of music. He had invented a branch of music called Naradha Ganam.
Naradha was overcome with pride that there was nobody who was equal to him in musicology.
One day he met Hanuman.
On that occasion, he bragged to Hanuman about all his musical abilities at length.
After he had finished, Hanuman asked Naradha, "What is that thing that you are you holding in your hand?"
Naradha answered with a sarcastic sneer that it was a musical instrument called veena.
Hanuman aksed Naradha, "May I see it and hold it?"
Naradha gave it to him.
Hanuman held it this way and that way asked Naradha, "How do you play this thing?"
Naradha, with all derisiveness, showed him by playing a few strains of music.
Hanuman took it back and took it near a rock and started playing the instrument
and at the same time singing.
The music was heavenly and was like nothing that Naradha had ever heard until
that time.
As the music was going on, something strange happened.
The rock melted.
At this point, Hanuman threw Naradha's veena into the melted magma of lava.
The veena stuck to it and the rock hardened as before.
Then Hanuman without looking at Naradha said, "Now use your musical prowess and remelt the rock and retrieve your veena!"
And shouting "Up! Up! And Away!",
and leaping into the sky,
flew and went on his way.
People are under the impression that the Puranas are old stories which are long and full of fantasies and fabricated falsehoods.
Over and above this, they dont know what puranas are.
Puranas are actually compendium of stories, events, fantasies which are supposed to have happened long long eons ago in different worlds. Curiously enough, they also deal with future events.
There are eighteen puranas which are of different lengths. The longest is the Skandha Purana.
Apart from them, there are eighteen minor puranas known as the 'UpaPuranas'.
There many stories in these puranas and upapuranas which cannot be seen in Ithihasas or any other genre going by various names like Katha Manjari, Katha Carith Sagara, etc.
There is a story about Hanuman.
Hanuman is known as an immortal genius who had mastered all arts and sciences and other branches of knowledge.
He is known as the embodiment of all knowledge and the Vedas themselves.
He learned all the vedas and all the Vidya Sthanas from Surya, the Sun god.
Hanuman's mother Anjana told Hanuman to go to the Sun god and learn the vedas from him.
When Hanuman went to the Celestial Path and met the Sun, he was told that he, being the creator of day and night - Dinakara, could not stop in one place and teach Hanuman.
Hanuman told the Sun, that he would face the Sun and run along backwards in the same direction of the Sun and receive the vedic knowledge from him. The Sun need not stop.
Upon this agreement, Hanuman took the coaching for twelve years.
The Vidya Sthanas are eighteen in number.
4 vedas, 6 sastras, 4 upangas and 4 upavedas.
Among the upavedas, one of them is called the Gandarva Veda - The Art and Science of Music.
Hanuman was an exponent of music. He had a branch of music under his name - Hanumath Ganam.
The Sage Naradha was also an exponent of music. He had invented a branch of music called Naradha Ganam.
Naradha was overcome with pride that there was nobody who was equal to him in musicology.
One day he met Hanuman.
On that occasion, he bragged to Hanuman about all his musical abilities at length.
After he had finished, Hanuman asked Naradha, "What is that thing that you are you holding in your hand?"
Naradha answered with a sarcastic sneer that it was a musical instrument called veena.
Hanuman aksed Naradha, "May I see it and hold it?"
Naradha gave it to him.
Hanuman held it this way and that way asked Naradha, "How do you play this thing?"
Naradha, with all derisiveness, showed him by playing a few strains of music.
Hanuman took it back and took it near a rock and started playing the instrument
and at the same time singing.
The music was heavenly and was like nothing that Naradha had ever heard until
that time.
As the music was going on, something strange happened.
The rock melted.
At this point, Hanuman threw Naradha's veena into the melted magma of lava.
The veena stuck to it and the rock hardened as before.
Then Hanuman without looking at Naradha said, "Now use your musical prowess and remelt the rock and retrieve your veena!"
And shouting "Up! Up! And Away!",
and leaping into the sky,
flew and went on his way.
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