Baby Hanuman and the Sun 'fruit'

Told in English, Telugu.

A long, long time ago, on a green mountain, there lived a baby monkey. His mother was Anjana, and she loved him very much. His father was Vayu, the god of the wind. Wherever the wind blows, Vayu is there.

This baby was small and soft, with a little tail that went wiggle, wiggle. But oh, he was strong! And oh, he was always hungry!

One early morning, his mother went into the forest to pick fruits for him. The baby woke up all alone. His tummy went rumble, rumble.

"I am hungry," he thought. "Where is my fruit?"

He looked out at the sky. Far away, over the hills, something big and round was coming up. It was red and orange and shining bright.

It was the morning sun! But the baby did not know that. He thought, "What a big, ripe fruit! It looks just like a juicy mango!"

So he bent his little knees, and he jumped. Up, up, up went little Hanuman! Can you say it with me? Up, up, up went little Hanuman!

He flew past the trees. He flew past the birds. He flew past the soft white clouds. His father, the wind, blew gently beside him, so he would not be cold.

"Round and red, round and bright, I will catch you, fruit of light!" sang the baby. Up, up, up went little Hanuman!

Up in the sky, Indra, the king of the gods, saw him coming. "Oh no," said Indra. "That baby is going to grab the sun! If he takes the sun, the whole world will be dark."

So Indra threw his shining thunderbolt. It went zing, and gave the baby's little chin a bump. The baby tumbled down, down, down, like a leaf falling from a tree.

But his father Vayu was right there. The wind caught him softly and carried him to a quiet cave. Vayu held his baby close.

Vayu was very sad. "My little one is hurt," he said. "I will stay here with him." And the wind stopped blowing.

Then the whole world became still. No breeze moved the leaves. No breeze cooled the people. The flowers drooped and the children felt hot and tired. Everyone missed the wind.

So all the gods came to the cave. Lord Brahma touched the baby gently, and the little one opened his eyes and smiled. His chin had only a small bump left on it.

Vayu was happy again. Whoosh! The cool wind blew once more, and the whole world smiled.

Then the gods gave the baby beautiful blessings. "You will be very strong," said one. "You will be very wise," said another. "You will be brave and kind, and you will help many people," they all said.

In the old language, the chin is called hanu. Because of the little bump on his chin, the baby got a new name. Hanuman! The one with the special chin.

And what about the sun? The sun was not angry at all. The sun smiled, because a baby who thinks the sun is a mango is a very sweet baby indeed.

When Hanuman grew up, he became strong and wise and good, and he helped Lord Rama in many, many ways. But on that first morning, he was just a hungry little baby, and up, up, up went little Hanuman!

So tomorrow morning, when you see the sun come up, round and red, you can wave and say, "Good morning, sun! You are not a mango!"

Good night, little one.