Which god taught Hanuman the Vedas?

Surya, the sun god, taught Hanuman the Vedas in a widely told Ramayana tradition.

Hanuman wanted a teacher who could impart complete knowledge, and he approached Surya. Because the sun is constantly moving across the sky, Surya initially objected that he could not stop to teach. Hanuman solved the problem by travelling alongside the sun and listening to his instruction. Surya then taught him the Vedas and other branches of knowledge, including grammar and sacred learning.

This episode explains why Hanuman is portrayed not only as extraordinarily strong but also as learned, eloquent, and intellectually disciplined. In the Ramayana, his command of language and diplomacy is especially important when he meets Rama and later speaks with Sita in Lanka. Hanuman’s learning is therefore part of his heroic identity, not merely an additional miracle.

Readers sometimes confuse Surya with the other gods who appear in Hanuman’s childhood stories. Indra struck him with a thunderbolt when he leapt toward the sun, while Vayu is associated with his divine parentage and many gods granted him protective blessings. Those incidents are separate from his education. In some later retellings, the details and list of subjects vary, but Surya remains the standard answer to this quiz question.