Five Faces Or Panchmukhi

In Sanatana dharma, Mahabali, Veda Vyasa, Vibhisana, Kripacharya, Parasurama, Ashwatthama, and Hanuman are Chiranjeevi.

Hanuman is a revered devotee of Lord Rama. Hanuman is said to have knowledge gained both by birth and deeds. He is faster than the wind, has great morale, and possesses Ashta Aishwarya Siddhi; as well as the power to grow bigger and smaller. It is said that those who worship Hanuman will attain good intellect, strength, fame, courage, eloquence, good health, and fearlessness.

It is possible to get rid of our weaknesses by worshiping him. The saffron offering to Hanuman Swami is very effective for all auspiciousness and happy life. The legend behind it is as follows:

Lord Hanuman took the Panchmukha or Panchmukhi(five-faced) form to kill Ravana's brother Ahiravana.

Ahiravana was a powerful demon. He kidnapped Rama and Lakshmana to help Ravana during the Ramayana war. Lakshmana had killed Ravana's son named Indrajit during the ongoing war. Ravana had then approached Ahiravana for help. The latter was the ruler of the underworld or Patala.

When Vibhishana heard about this, he rushed to warn Lord Rama. He told Hanuman to be alert and not allow anyone to enter the place where Lord Rama and Lakshmana lived.

Ahiravana tried to enter the premises but failed. Lord Hanuman foiled all his attempts. Ahiravana finally decided to disguise himself in the form of Vibhishana. Hanuman could not recognize him, and he allowed him to enter the room where Ram and Lakshmana were lying.

Ahiravana entered the room and abducted Rama and Lakshmana and took them to the underworld. When Hanuman came to know of this, he went to Vibhishana and told him about it.

Vibhishana told Hanuman to rescue them soon, as Ahiravana would sacrifice them otherwise. So, Hanuman went on his rescue mission to save the two brothers. When Hanuman reached Patala, he was stopped by a weird creature.

Half its body was of a Vanara and half of it was a reptile. He was guarding the door. He stopped Hanuman from entering the Patala Loka. When Hanuman asked about him, he said that he was the son of Hanuman, and his name was Makardhwaja.

This baffled Hanuman, as he had been a strict Brahmachari. Makardhwaja explained that when Hanuman was leaping over the sea, a drop of his precipitation fell into a crocodile's mouth, and that was how he was born. Hanuman told Makardhwaja about himself and embraced him. The latter was very pleased with seeing his father.

Then Hanuman told Makardhwaja about the reason for his visit and to let him get into the Patala Loka. However, Makardhwaja was also Hanuman's son and was loyal to his master just like his father. Hence both of them had a duel. After defeating Makardhwaja, Hanuman entered Patala Loka.

Ahiravana had a strong army. Chandrasena told Hanuman the secret of killing Ahiravana. The demon's life force was in five different lamps, which faced five different directions. To kill Ahiravana, all the five lamps had to be blown out at the same time. Hanuman then appeared in his Panchamukhi form and extinguished the five candles, killing Ahiravana. He then rescued Rama and Lakshmana who were lying unconscious due to a magic spell. Lastly, Hanuman crowned Makardhwaja as the king of Patala on the advice of Shri Rama.

The five faces of Hanuman are :

Hanuman: The face that looks east. Supposedly, worshipping this form removes one's sins and makes the mind peaceful and pure.

Narasimha: This looks south and grants victory over one's enemy. Narasimha is an avatar of Lord Vishnu, which he took to protect Prahlada.

Garuda: This is the west-facing form. Worshipping this face protects one from evil influences, black magic, and evil spirits.

Varaha: This face faces the north and removes bad planetary effects.

Hayagriva: It faces upward. Those who worship this face gain knowledge and progeny.