Prasanna

The Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics in English is a symbol of devotion and faith in Lord Hanuman’s grace.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 24 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 24 Frightens Away Ghosts

भत पिसाच
निकट नहिं आवै ।
महाबीर
जब नाम सुनावै ॥

Bhoot pisaach
nikat nahin aavai.
Mahabir
jab naam sunavae.

Ghosts and ghouls
don’t come near.
Hanuman’s name
when they hear

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 24 Meaning in English

This is undoubtedly the most popular verse of the Hanuman Chalisa, chanted when one is frightened and restless. It is said to drive away ghosts and spirits, or at least give one the strength to face what we believe to be ghosts and spirits. Until the rise of modern psychology and medicine, around the world, mental disorders were seen as the work of ghosts and spirits.

And so, this hymn has as much to do with the paranormal as it has to do psychiatry. Those who believe in ghosts believe that this hymn drives ghosts away. Those who sec ghosts as merely external manifestations of internal fears believe this hymn helps strengthen the mind to overcome internal fears. k is not by accident that the word for ghost, ‘bhoot also means the past.

The idea of ghosts is different in different cultures. In Greek mythology, a ghost is believed to be the aspect of a living person that outlives death, Ghosts need to travel from the land of the living to the land of the dead, across the River Styx.

Those who are unable to make the journey make life miserable for the living with their mourning, wailing and rage at their unfulfilled desires. In Christian mythology, the word soul is used instead of ghost. After death, souls wait in purgatory for Final Judgement. Then, depending on the deeds of their life, God takes them to Heaven or casts them in Hell, Some escape purgatory and haunt earth and have to be driven away using God’s name.

In Hindu mythology, the River Vaitarni separates the land of the living from the land of the dead and souls move both ways continuously, as Hindus believe in multiple lives. The beings in the land of che dead are called pitrs, or ancestors. The dead who are trapped in the land of the living turn into pretas, or ghosts, colloquially known as bhoot. They torment the living.

They hunger for a proper death ritual and rebirth. Some pretas refuse to become pitr as they have unfulfilled wishes that they need the living to assure them will be fulfilled. Other pretas refuse to become pitras they are consumed by a sense of injustice, having died in a violent death, for instance, and so they yearn for justice.

Many pretas are simply those who died while travelling and whose relatives do not know of their death and so have not conducted suitable rites for their passage across the Vaitarni. Pisachas, or vetals, arc different from bhoot and pret.

They are one of the many sets of children fathered by Kashyapa, son of Brahma, such as the deva, asura, rakshasa, yaksha, naga, garuda, gandharva, apsara, and kinnar. They prefer night to day. They hang from solitary trees and prefer crematoriums. They speak a secret language called Paisachi. They enchant travellers in the forest and eat them alive, enjoying their flesh and their fear. They can have sex with a living creature that is asleep and such a person wakes up mad; this is why sex with a sleeping person is described as Paisachi maithuna.

Images of Shiva and Hanuman are kept in Hindu crematoriums to protect the living from pretas and pisachas. In folklore, Hanuman’s father, either Kesari or Vayu, had another wife who was a cat and she gave birth to Preta-raja, lord of ghosts, who some identify with Yama.

As a half-brother of Preta-raja, Hanuman is invoked to get rid of negative and malevolent forces that can afflict people tormented by ghosts and ghouls. One temple where this idea of exorcism is the central theme is the Mehendipur temple of Balaji Hanuman in Rajasthan.

There are also folktales that describe wandering preta or pisacha being captured by a sorcerer and made to do his bidding. So even the pretas and pisachas who encountered Hanuman’s power during his adventures in Patala, worship Patali Hanuman to protect them from such sorcerers. Hanuman, thus, protects the living from the dead and the dead from such sorcerers.

In Tantrik lore, Chamunda is seen in crematoriums riding pretas with an entourage of pisachas. She is worshipped in this form at Betal-Deul in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. This ghastly site can drive people insane unless they seek the protection of Shiva and Hanuman.

This verse refers to chanting the name of Hanuman as protection from these external, malevolent forces. Chanting the name of the divine (naam-jap) became a very popular means to invoke the divine in the Bhakti period. In Vedic times, in order to invoke the gods Brahmins had to know Sanskrit hymns, their complex pronunciations and meaning, and chant them at appropriate times, with appropriate gestures and rituals.

But with time, and the rise of Bhakti, people rejected the complex ways of priests and came to believe that faith alone could invoke the divine. Faith was expressed by simply concentrating on the deity. And this was facilitated by chanting their name, or a set of names, or a sound (bija mantra) that represented the deity.

Many people believe in the concept of aura or energy fields that surround all things. Everyone has an inherent aura but it depletes over time. It can be replenished from outside as well as inside. Humans especially can invoke it from within through prayer and faith. Many are unable to regenerate their own auras and so need the help of external instruments, such as talismans, crystals, gemstones, beads and coloured cloth.

Then there are humans who feed on other people’s auras like predators feed on prey. To create a force field around oneself from such predators, to combat the drain of energy created by social trauma, psychological afflictions and paranormal phenomena, and to restore health and harmony, one can invoke positive energies simply by chanting Hanuman’s name.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 24 Analysis in English

bhuta pishacha nikata nahi avai
mahablra jaba nama sunavai ll24 ll

Ghosts and demons dare not come near,
When one chants your name Mahavir. (24)

When offering oblations to the sun one evening, Hanuman heard an intense chanting of mantras from a distance. He completed his worship and followed the sound. What he saw surprised him. Four divine-looking people were worshipping the earth with special mantras. He realized that these were the gods in charge of dharma, artha, kama, and moksha.

And that they were invoking mother earth to accept them within her. Why would they do such a thing? Then Hanuman saw that the earth had actually split open and they were about to enter into the earth’s womb. Immediately Hanuman knew that this would be a disaster if these four went missing from earth.

Without the boundary of these four to regulate human life, only animalistic civilisation could remain. These four were in fact the very source of strength for the demigods. He stopped them just in the nick of time, before they could jump off into the crater. When asked for an explanation, they expressed that there was no point in them staying on the earth planet.

They didn’t want to be misused by a new demon named Trayambakasura, who had recently acquired great strengths and was systematically taking over all affairs of the universe. They explained to Hanuman that this demon had such a herculean body that he was overshadowing even the demigods in the heaven. When the demigods cannot protect themselves against his atrocities, then who could they rely on?

Trayambakasura was the great-great- grandson of Mahisasura. He was the only person in the universe who had managed to please the holy trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh and received a boon from all three simultaneously. As every demon tries, he also initially tried asking for etemality. But when they flatly refused, he resorted to asking them a boon each. First he asked Lord Brahma for creative abilities like Brahma’s. Lord Brahma approved the request. Then he asked Lord Shiva to grant him the boon that he would never be killed by any weapon or carrier of weapons. Lord Shiva granted it.

Then he turned to Lord Vishnu, the maintainer of the whole universe. Since Lord Vishnu is the Paramatma within everyone’s heart, Trayambakasura asked him for vision to see both the visible and invisible things.

Vishnu gave him the ability to see anyone hidden anywhere. Soon Trayambakasura declared war against the gods in the heavens, and these four Purusharthas personified fled. Trayambakasura ordered his minister to capture them and get them back. Unfortunately for him, Hanuman came in between.

Using his mace, Hanuman hit the minister and flung him far away. Then Hanuman hid the four Purusharthas in four trees. He hid dharma inside a banyan tree. Artha inside a golden leaf tree. Kama inside a kadamba tree and Moksha inside a peepal tree.

Hanuman then called Jambavan to protect these four Purusharthas camping inside the trees, and then left to deal with the Trayambakasura demon.In the heavens, an interesting type of combat was happening. This was perhaps the most unique war scenario ever in the history of civilization.

Trayambakasura, with his creative abilities, had created duplicates of each demigod. Since Lord Brahma had blessed him with his own creative abilities, he was able to replicate an exact clone of each god with the same strength and abilities.

The only hitch was that although the duplicates possessed the exact strength as the originals, their intelligence did not quite match up to theirs. Indra’s clone was fighting with Indra. Agni’s clone was fighting with Agni. There was complete mayhem all around. The original demigods ran to seek shelter of Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma. But when they reached them, they were shocked to see clones of the three as well.

The beaten-up minister of Trayambakasura returned with a bruised face. He told his master of his inability to capture the four Purusharthas personified due to the presence of a vanara child who had beaten him black and blue and then hidden the Purusharthas. Trayambakasura needed to annihilate the four of them urgently since they were the source of strength of the demigods.

Once they were done with, it would be easier to finish off the gods too. Using his Vishnu-given power, Trayambakasura discovered that the four had been stowed away in Aranyavan by Hanuman. When he reached there, Hanuman came and stood between them. Without batting an eyelid, Trayambakasura created a duplicate of Hanuman to fight with him. The only difference was that the duplicate was of a blackish complexion (shyam vama). But he had the same strength.

A fantastic fight began between the two Hanumans creating wild tremors. Trying to bring the matter under control, the three principle deities appeared and explained to the shyam vama Hanuman that although he had been created by an asuric force, he should still behave like the real Hanuman.

Though he did not have the intelligence of the real Hanuman, the duplicate one comprehended and readily cooperated. The real Hanuman explained to his clone that since the asuric forces had created him, he had to cease to exist. But at the same time, because he was so cooperative, they would ensure that he is respected by everyone.

The real Hanuman then created another clone of himself, which was exactly like the shyam vama Hanuman created by Trayambakasura. Then the two shyam vama Hanumans merged into one and immediately took on a deity form. The three principle gods blessed the shyam vama Hanuman with the boon that he would be worshipped in this form. When souls troubled by ghosts, pisaach, and evil forces worship shyam vama Hanuman, they will immediately be relieved of all such troubles.

Thus shyam vama Hanuman continues to reside on earth in a deity form, bhuta pishacha nikata nahi avai / mahabira jaba nama sunavai Once that was taken care of, Hanuman returned to the demigods who were still in fear of the demon. He requested Surabhi cow to allow the demigods to reside in her body as the demon Trayambakasura was determined to kill them all and would find them from anywhere else they hide. She gracefully agreed and all the demigods took different positions in her body.

Finally Hanuman requested Jambavan to get the four Pumsharthas there too. Precisely at that time, Trayambakasura reached there and challenged Jambavan. A long fight ensued and ended with Jambavan using the Brahmapasha to tie up the demon. While the demon was struggling to free himself from bondage, Jambavan took the four Pumsharthas to the place where Hanuman and Surabhi were waiting. The four of them gratefully entered into the four legs of the cow.

Next, Hanuman hid Surabhi in Matanga Rishi’s ashram. Yet again, Trayambakasura understood the trick and kidnapped the cow, taking her to Patalaloka. His plan was to perform a Gomedha yagya, which would culminate in the cow being sacrificed and thus killed.

But Hanuman made an appearance just before the sacrifice was completed and created a whirlwind effect, blowing away everything and destroying the whole sacrificial arena. Trayambakasura was livid at Hanuman and rushed to kill him. But before he could fight with Hanuman, Surabhi came in between them. Suddenly it dawned on Hanuman that the only way this demon would die was through Surabhi, without any weapons.

No matter how much anyone else tried, it would not work. Surabhi being innocent and weapon-less was the ideal candidate to kill him. Using her horns, which were not weapons technically, the cow continuously attacked the demon till his life ebbed away.

The demigods then appeared out of Surabhi and declared that since she protected them like a mother, she would eternally be worshipped as a mother all over the world. They also blessed Hanuman profusely for not giving up till the end and thus saving the world. Neither evil spirits nor demons could harm any devotee of Hanuman.

Devotees believe that the Shri Hanuman Chalisa has the power to fulfill sincere prayers.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 23 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 23 Three Worlds

आपन तेज
सम्हारो आपै ।
तीनों लोक
हाँक तें काँपै ।

Aapan tej
samharo aapai
Teenhon lok
hank te kanpai

Your glory
You alone can contain.
The three worlds
Tremble when you roar.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 23 Meaning in English

This verse refers to the glory of Hanuman manifesting as his radiance and his roar. No one can contain his radiance and no one can withstand his roar. Yet, despite this great power, Hanuman does not seek to dominate the three worlds, which distinguishes him from other powerful people. His power is balanced by his immersion in the idea of Ram.

The quest for power (siddhi) from the divine is the central theme of Tantra, while the quest for immersion in the divine (samadhi) is the central theme of Vedanta. These two arms of Hinduism complement each other. In Tantra, the world is power (shakti); in Vedanta, the world is delusion (maya). Tantra seeks control over nature; Vedanta seeks transcendence.

Tantra binds us to the earth and the world below, while Vedanta elevates from the earth to the world above. Hanuman’s tales span the dark regions below the earth to the bright regions above the sky. In other words, he features across Tantrik as well as the Vedantic landscapes, adored by followers of Tantra and Vedanta, who would otherwise be rivals. Between these two antagonistic worlds is the world of Bhakti, the emotional highway between devotee and deity, the self and the other.

The concept of three worlds is found in the Vedas and the Puranas, but is very different in both. In the Vedas, the three worlds are the earth, the sky and the atmosphere in between. Indra separates the earth and sky and creates the three worlds. His younger brother, Vishnu, can traverse it in three steps and is hence known as Trivikrama, conqueror of the three worlds. The Vedic gods are classified as those who live on earth (fire, for example), those who live in the sky (the sun, for example) and those who live in between (wind, for example).

In the Puranas, on the other hand, the three worlds refer to earth, the celestial regions (Swarga), home to the devas, and the nether regions (Patala), home to nagas and asuras. Initially, there was not anything negative about the nether world. The two were just different. But gradually, perhaps under the influence of Christianity, or Islam, as society became increasingly linear in its worldview, the devas came to be seen as forces of good, while the asuras came to be seen as forces of evil. Devas started being associated with Vedanta, while asuras were linked with Tantra.

Patala was equated with hell (Naraka) and Swarga with heaven. There are two Adbhut Ramayanas, both written roughly 500 years ago, one in Assamese and one in Sankrit, which reveal the different ways in which Patala was seen. In both, Hanuman plays an important role. In the Assamese Adbhut Ramayana, Hanuman enters the kingdom of serpents, Naga-loka, located under the earth, to rescue Luv and Kush, abducted by Vasuki, king of serpents, on the instructions of Sita, who misses her children.

The story comes from a local retelling of the final chapter of the Ramayana where gossip in the streets of Ayodhya about Sita’s relationship with Ravana leads to Ram casting her away in the forest while she is pregnant, an episode that bothers most devotees of Ram. Sita raises her two children, the twins Luv and Kush, on her own and lets them go back to their father, but refuses to return to Ayodhya herself, choosing instead to descend into the earth, for she is the daughter of the earth.

But then she misses her children and wants Vasuki to bring them from Bhu-loka to Naga-loka. In the war that follows, a compromise is reached. The children return to earth and Sita promises to visit them and their father in secret. Thus the royal family of Ayodhya is reconciled thanks to Hanuman.

The idea of Hanuman watching over Sita and her children when she was in the forest is a theme found in many folk retellings of the final chapter of the Ramayana. He takes the form of a monkey and plays with Luv and Kush, watching over them, providing them food and revealing to them the secrets of the forest. Only Sita knows what Hanuman is up to.

In the Sanskrit Adbhut Ramayana, also based on regional stories from the eastern part of India that is renowned for its Tantra followers, Hanuman goes to Patala where he encounters not nagas, but asuras, demons and ghouls who worship Kali, perform human sacrifices and practice sorcery.

In this work, Ravana invokes his sorcerer brother, Mahiravana, who abducts Ram and Lakshman and takes them to Patala to offer them as sacrifices to Kali or Bhairavi. In the previous verses, we learnt of Hanuman as a doorkeeper and a guardian and provider of shelter. In the Adbhuta Ramayana, Hanuman uses his tail to create a fortress in which Ram and Lakshman can be safe. He lets no one in. Still, Mahiravana is able to outwit him and abduct the two brothers and take them to a place below the earth where there is no sun or wind.

At the entrance of Patala, Hanuman meets a doorkeeper, who is part monkey and part fish, who refuses to let him in. In the duel that follows, Hanuman realizes he has met his match. ‘Who are you?’ he asks. The doorkeeper identifies himself as the son of Hanuman. How is that possible, wonders Hanuman, for he is a celibate ascetic.

The warrior explains that he was born when a fish in the sea consumed a drop of Hanuman’s sweat that fell as he was flying across to Lanka. When Hanuman reveals his identity, his son bows to him, and lets him pass, revealing to him the many secrets of the subterranean region.

Hanuman enters Patala, defeats the demons and ghouls there and outwits Mahiravana who he eventually beheads, thus pleasing Kali and asking her to never demand human sacrifice again. Kali places the condition that Hanuman should serve her, after Ram leaves the earth. Hanuman agrees.

In one of the many plots of this story, Hanuman has to simultaneously extinguish five lamps located in five different directions to kill Mahiravana’s son, Ahiravana, which he is able to accomplish by sprouting four extra heads-that of an eagle, horse, lion and wild boar. This form of Hanuman with five heads transforms him from a god who is part of Ram’s entourage, to an independent god in his own right.

In other words, this story transforms Hanuman from being dependent on Ram to becoming dependable for Ram, from devata to bhagavan, from Ram-das to Maha-bali, from karya-karta to karta, for he takes initiative and decisions on his own, and not instructions from Ram.

The Hanuman who went to Patala, or Patali Hanuman, is a special form of Hanuman invoked, for protection from sorcery. Patali Hanuman’s temples are often located close to temples of the Goddess. Near Indore in Madhya Pradesh there is a temple to Ulte (upside down) Hanuman, for it is believed that everything in Patala is upside down.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 23 Analysis in English

apana teja samharo apai
tinau loka haka te kapai ||23||

You alone can face your radiant strength,
The three worlds tremble in fear when you roar. (23)

Even before Hanuman was born, his parents Kesari and Anjana had received a boon for him. Sages had blessed their marriage with a child who would rock the three worlds! Anjana was meditating in a cave on top of a secluded mountain. Her eyes were shut in deep meditation,  but she felt like she was being watched – intensely. When she opened her eyes, in front of her was a sight so grotesque that she backed off with a startle and hit the wall of the cave inside which she was seated.

Standing a few metres away from her, blocking the entrance of the cave was this intensely ugly, extremely frightening, gigantic rakshasa. There was no escape from the demon’s cruel intent to ravish her then and there. She stood up, pushed him and rushed out of the cave. Her shove was so intense that the rakshasa tripped. The few moments he took to recover from the shove were enough for her to make her escape toward the closest village. An intense chase began. She used every ounce of her energy to save her life. She had heard of a wise sage who lived somewhere in this village.

His fame rested on the fact that he had answers to the most complex problems that existed. Right now, what could be more complex than this demon? She barged in, crashing down at the feet of the saint who was seated inside with his eyes closed in deep absorption. The sage looked at the distraught girl and said, “This is a powerful asura, Sambasadhana.

No one can do anything to stop him from achieving what he seeks to achieve. He is indestructible. It appears as if Lord Shiva himself has empowered him to destroy everything in this universe. As far as I know, barring the monkey-hero Kesari, no one has the power to destroy him. I have no idea where he could be at this time and how to even convince him to come to your aid.”

Suddenly Sambasadhana broke open the hermitage and the two were exposed to his gruesome stare. As he took the next step toward her in an attempt to grab her, he was hit by something so hard that his ears began to ring loudly and he felt torturously deafened by a relentless buzzing. Unable to bear the pain any longer, he collapsed on his knees. He turned around to see a strong vanara standing with his hands on his hips and a grin on his face. “Kesari!” the sage exclaimed. The girl opened her eyes with a smile. Miraculously Kesari had appeared there just in the nick of time.

Sambasadhana, unable to bear the insult, lunged at the standing monkey. Although he was massive, Kesari’s power was formidable and matched his. The two of them pounded each other’s bodies ferociously. When fists were not enough, they uprooted trees to attack each other. The entire village including all the sages assembled to see this close-quarter fight.

Just then something unimaginable happened. Sambasadhana transformed into a giant elephant. He was now ten times his original size and appeared to be ten times stronger. He began demolishing everything within his reach, razing the entire village to the ground. Not one house was left standing. To the horror of the villagers and sages, even Kesari seemed clueless.

But the next moment Kesari did something that surprised all of the onlookers. He shrank himself down to a tiny size, jumped onto the elephant and began pounding him on the forehead with his tightly clenched fist. Although he was tiny, Kesari’s blows were powerful enough to hurt Sambasadhana the elephant. Kesari was relentless with his punches, knowing well that the forehead was an elephant’s weakest spot.

Soon Sambasadhana was bleeding profusely, his blood dripping all over the village as he ran amok shaking his head violently, trying to throw Kesari off-. No matter how much he bled, Sambasadhana wasn’t dying. Anjana knew that the answer to all problems lies in prayers. She began to pray intensely to Lord Shiva for direction and in her inner voice she heard “Blood!”

She got up and started running toward where Kesari had initially appeared. There she found what she was looking for, his quiver of arrows and his bow. She quickly picked up the bow and an arrow and rushed to the combat area. She stopped at a particular spot and crouched onto her knees. She carefully dipped the tip of the arrow in the puddle of blood that had dripped from the demon’s body.

Despite being at each other’s throats, both Kesari and Sambasadhana noticed the girl’s action. But Kesari also caught the fleeting moment of panic in Sambasadhana’s eyes. Pulling himself away from the demon, Kesari ran toward the girl who stood arms outstretched with the bow and arrow. In one swift move, he grabbed the bow from her hand, nocked the arrow, and in an instant released it straight into Sambasadhana’s chest. As soon as the arrow hit the demon, he fell dead!

The sages and the villagers jumped up in joy hailing their saviour Kesari. They lifted him on their shoulders and began to dance around. The girl’s eyes brimmed with tears-tears of joy and gratitude. The sages sat Kesari down in front of her. Kesari was just as grateful to her as she was to him. The sages proposed that it was apt that Kesari accept Anjana as his wife.

The two stole glances at each other and smiled in agreement. The sages thus blessed the happy couple, saying, “Through this marriage will be born a historic figure that will create a revolution in the world of devotion! His splendour will be so intense that the three worlds will tremble seeing his prowess.”

Thus Hanuman was born, blessed with such power even before his birth, apana teja samharo apai/tinau loka haka te kapai Hanuman’s ‘teja’ continued even as he was at a ripe old age. A much older Hanuman was once meditating on the shore of the ocean. It was the same ocean that had been the site of many adventures that he had had with Lord Rama.

This was not just an ordinary ocean for Hanuman but rather a very important place of worship. Every time he visited this place, he would go on a mental journey back into the past and relive all his adventures. Soon he was totally immersed in his internal ecstasies. He was so immersed that he didn’t even feel the touch on his arms. Only when that touch became a nudge did he even feel it. But when that nudge became a shove, he opened his eyes and saw a threatening figure looming over him. Hanuman chose not to react in his meditative mood.

But the dark figure began to provoke Hanuman, demanding a fight. Least bothered, Hanuman waved him off. He had dealt with enough arrogant people in his younger days and couldn’t care less for one more. Introducing himself as Shani, the dark figure began to challenge Hanuman for a fight for establishing supremacy. Hanuman straightaway refused, declaring that he had better things to focus on. Shani then went on to tease him harshly.

Calling him a foolish monkey, Shani announced that his time was up and his days were up. Kali yuga was his era where Hanuman had no say and no control. Though Hanuman had rescued him from Ravana’s clutches in Treta yuga and he was grateful for that, that was old history that had no relevance today. Shani began to push Hanuman with great force.

The next moment something unexpected happened. Shani was suddenly flying in the air, held tightly in the grip of Hanuman’s tail. Hanuman took him straight into the ocean and began to bang him hard on all the rocks and stones of the ocean.

Badly bruised and swollen all over, Shani was totally dazed. It happened so fast he didn’t even have time to react. After the bang, Hanuman asked him if he still wanted to have a fight. Shani was, of course, hurt physically and experiencing great amount of pain but his ego, that was seething for revenge and self-establishment, was in a greater pain.

Shani arrogantly proclaimed that Hanuman may be stronger physically but he was much stronger mentally. There was no way Hanuman could defeat him in a mental game. If only he entered Hanuman’s mind, then he could wreak havoc there till Hanuman submitted. He had been given the authority to influence every human being on earth for seven and half years every twenty-two and half years.

Not wanting to continue this discussion, Hanuman told Shani that he wasn’t a normal human being and was considered amongst the celestials. But Shani was not ready to agree. He argued that anyone who had lived on the earthly realms was under his jurisdiction.

Just to irritate Hanuman a bit more, he added that his favourite targets were old people who were closer to death. That statement really broke the straw. Hanuman was extremely put off by his snobbish interaction. He asked Shani to demonstrate how he influenced people’s minds.

Jumping at the chance, Shani immediately leaped into Hanuman’s head, giving him an intense headache. Hanuman walked towards a nearby mountain and picked it up placing it on his head. Though the mountain was so huge, Hanuman didn’t even feel its weight on his head. But deep inside Hanuman’s head Shani could experience the whole weight of the mountain on his back. He suddenly realized that he was in big trouble.

The headache hadn’t decreased. So Hanuman picked up another mountain and placed it on top of the first one. The pressure on Shani’s back grew exponentially and he began to scream aloud. But Hanuman wasn’t satisfied with even two mountains stationed on his head. He placed a third one and then a fourth one.

When he was about to stack a fifth mountain over his head, Shani broke out, wailing loudly. He begged Hanuman to let him go. Hanuman feigned surprise. Shani began to plead helplessly. He was ready for a compromise now. He promised that he wouldn’t stay that long in the body of Hanuman but rather only stay for two and half days instead of seven and half years.

Hanuman didn’t care for his promises and proceeded to pick up the fifth mountain. Shani became hysterical and declared that he would never ever even think of entering into Hanuman’s mind and not only that he would not even trouble anybody who chanted Hanuman’s name.

He begged for relief from his suffering. Hanuman dropped the mountains one by one. Finally Shani flew out of Hanuman’s head and fell on the ground writhing in great pain. He literally begged Hanuman for some oil to massage every sore limb of his body.

Hanuman being a recluse, had no access to oils and other luxuries. He advised him to beg for oil from those people whom he troubles. From that day onwards, everyone who visits the temple of Shani offers a little oil to soothe his pains.

Of course, Shani’s temples are almost always near Hanuman temples just to commemorate this story and connection. Also to remind Shani of the splendour and valour of Hanuman which is famous all over the world, apana teja samharo apai / tinau loka haka te kapai.

The Hanuman Chalisa in English is a cherished part of Hindu religious literature.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 22 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 22 Guardian of Fortune

सब सुख
लहै तुम्हारी सरना ।
तुम रच्छक
काहू को डरना ॥

Sub sukh
lahae tumhari sarna.
Tum rakshak
kahu ko darna.

All joy
exists in your shelter.
With you as guardian
there is nothing to fear.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 22 Meaning in English

This verse seeking shelter and protection from Hanuman evokes humanity’s most primal needs. Every village in India had a guardian-god (vira) who protected the village from danger: wild animals and raiders. He or she protected the settlement (kshetra-pala). Hanuman emerges from the kshetra-pala tradition. He protected Sugriv, and he protected Ram, and he protects Ayodhya.

The idea of submitting to a divine being and seeking his shelter is prevalent in most religions. However, the reasons are different. A Buddhist surrenders (sharanam) to the Buddha, as he seeks freedom from a world of suffering.

A Christian seeks shelter in the love of Christ, as he abandons his way of sin and returns to God’s fold. A Muslim submits to Allah, promising to live by His commandments revealed by His final prophet, Muhammad. These ideas informed the idea of submission in the Bhakti period of Hinduism.

The Hindu devotee submits (sharanagati) to either Ram, or to Shiva or Shakti who are worshipped by Ram, or to Hanuman, who worships Ram. The object of adoration (aradhana) could be all of them simultaneously, or each one of them sequentially, depending on need and mood.

This complication arises because Hinduism is not monotheistic and does not seek to be monotheistic unlike most religions and doctrines. It acknowledges the diverse needs of people, and so the need for different deities for different people, each form being seen as one of the myriad manifestations of the divine.

In Hinduism, unlike Buddhism or Christianity or Islam, submission does not mean following a particular doctrine or a set of rules. It is submitting to the will of the divine, which in earlier pre-Bhakti times meant submitting to what is determined by one’s karma. If things happen as we desire, it is the grace of God (Hari-krupa). If things don’t happen as we desire, it is the will of God (Hari-ichha). Hari is another name for Vishnu. It is also another word for monkey. And monkey is a metaphor for the restless human mind.

Western scholars using Western religious frameworks and the atheistic contempt for religions, often reduce Hindu devotion (bhakti) to some kind of feudalism with God presiding as master. They ignore the strong component of affection and love in the relationship, like a parent’s for a child (vatsalya-bhav), like a lover for their beloved (madhurya-bhav), like a friend for a companion (sakha-bhav).

Bhakti is essentially the construction of an emotional highway connecting the devotee to the divine. God is not always in a position of power: he can also be the playful child, the gullible hermit, the mischievous monkey; which enables the devotee to take on the role of a parent, or a friend. Hanuman can be at once awesome (adbhuta) and silly, displaying monkey qualities (kapitva). The latter part is missing in most non-Hindu religions.

If one looks at the verse carefully, one realizes that the deity works for the devotee. The devotee submits and then the deity works to enable the happiness and security of the devotee. And so, in this verse, the protection is a kind of spiritual hug from God that comforts the frightened and lost devotee.

The emotional aspect of the divine elevates the stature of the otherwise rustic guardian and fertility gods of the village. From material, he becomes spiritual,transcendent. He makes the devotee feel that he matters, for there is someone celestial watching out for him, even if fellow humans do not. Thus the devotee is granted meaning.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 22 Analysis in English

saba sukha lahai tumharl sarana
tuma rakshaka kahu ko darana ll22ll

There’s all happiness under your shelter
When you give protection, there’s nothing to fear. (22)

“These villages were given to us by Lord Rama and Hanuman was a witness,” the brahmanas cried out in unison.The brahmanas of Kanyakubja had been in possession of about 4,400 villages, which they claimed that their ancestors were gifted by Lord Rama, with Hanuman as the witness.
But King Kumaarpala would not believe them. Where was the proof? He wanted tangible proof of ownership. If they couldn’t prove it, the villages belonged to him. It was as simple as that.

Having lost their home and all their possessions overnight,the brahmanas wondered how they could gather proof. Their only hope was finding Lord Rama or Hanuman. They decided to search for them and three thousand brahmanas left on foot on a journey to south to validate their claim.

It was a difficult journey. They crossed dense jungles, dangerous rivers, and difficult terrains. They survived on fruits and roots. Day by day, they became weaker and weaker in mind and body. Till one day they could not go any further. Helplessly, they prayed to Lord Rama to come to their rescue. Instead of Rama, an old yogi came.

He asked what they were doing in the middle of nowhere and when the brahmanas informed him about their mission to find Rama,he discouraged them totally. However, the brahmanas did not have any other proof, so they continued their journey to Rameshwaram.

Next day, they met another travelling yogi. He too thought they were wasting time searching for Rama. Who has ever met Him, he asked. It’s all a fairy tale, with no substance of truth. But the brahmanas, instead of believing him, were suspicious of who this yogi really was. “Are you the same yogi who met us yesterday?” they asked suspiciously, “or are you Hanuman himself?”

The yogi smiled broadly and assumed his original form. The brahmanas gasped in astonishment as they saw Hanuman standing in front of them. Tears flowed as they bowed down to him and paid obeisance. Hanuman held out his palm and offered them fruits. These were divine fruits that would satiate hunger and bring them joy.

Next, what he did made no sense. He plucked a hair from his right armpit and placed it in a pouch. He plucked another hair from his left armpit and placed it in a separate pouch. He wrapped both the pouches with tree bark and handed it over to the brahmanas.

“Go back to Kanyakubja and tell the king I have instructed him to return the land to you. If he refuses, then remove the hair from the left pouch. Once the king begs forgiveness and promises to return your land, use the right pouch. Follow these instructions carefully and you will get your land back.” The brahmanas were delighted with Hanuman’s assurance and danced joyfully.

Hanuman then flattened a rock and asked them to spend their night peacefully on it. Whilst they slept, Hanuman lifted the rock and carried them back to their homeland in a matter of hours which otherwise would have taken them months to cross.

When the brahmanas woke up, they were shocked to find themselves back home. They thanked Hanuman from the bottom of their hearts. They proceeded to the palace to convey Hanuman’s instruction to the king. But as expected, the king only laughed at them. “You expect me to believe you met Hanuman?” he scoffed at them. “Get lost now!”

The brahmanas removed the hair from the left armpit pouch and dropped it. The king sneered even more. As soon as the brahmanas left the palace, they turned behind to see a cloud of smoke rising up from it. Within minutes the palace was on fire. People ran out from there trying to save their lives. Miraculously, only the palace was on fire. The fire did not spread anywhere else.

They were not surprised to see the king also trying to save his life. He hurried towards them, bewildered and humbled. There was no need for any words. His eyes begged them to stop the fire and take the land. The brahmanas dropped the hair from the other pouch and lo and behold, the fire disappeared, restoring the palace to its original condition.

He immediately issued a decree to return the land to the brahmanas, stating that it belonged to them forever. He had enough proof to believe that now. The brahmanas could only thank Hanuman for giving them shelter and returning their life, their homes, and happiness. Hanuman never disappointed his devotees, saba sukha lahai tumharlsarana.This was calamity no one knew how to heal with.

The vanaras could handle weapons used by Ravana’s army but what they saw right now was just one man! He was walking all over the battlefield, burning everything. He was a resident of Patalaloka. It could only be Ravana who invited this terrible demon named Bhasmalochana.

With the departure of his brother Kumbhakama, Ravana had lost his mental balance. He had even started attacking his own people in madness and fear. All of a sudden, he remembered Bhasmalochana. Who could be better than Bhasmalochana to lead his dwindling army and lend confidence to his attack?

Bhasmalochana did what was expected of him. He strode out with an air of confidence to take on the monkey army. Such was his confidence that he was not only alone, he was also blindfolded! At first, it seemed funny and audacious on his part, but as he came closer, he became more and more visible and menacing. They could see the glow surrounding his eyes, underneath the band.

They wondered if his eyes could be glowing. Realization dawned on the monkeys, then. Bhasmalochana! He was none other than the man who could bum with his sight! From humour, the monkeys turned to panic. They ran helter-skelter, not wanting to turn into ashes. They wanted to be nowhere around when he opened his blindfold. The entire monkey army was in chaos all of a sudden.

The generals and leaders of the army were equally stunned. They were all overwhelmed with fear, thinking of what step to take to protect themselves. Attack was no longer a priority. Saving themselves was. In the midst of all this, Bhasmalochana uncovered his eyes.

His eyes dazzled like the sun in all its glory. When he looked at someone, there was a flash of light, followed by a scream. Then came the smell of flesh and finally a heap of ashes. It all happened so quickly that the ashes were not even hot. Because the burning process that normally took hours was reduced to nano seconds.

As this mass destruction was taking place, Hanuman came into action. But instead of running towards them, he began to run in the opposite direction. The monkeys were horrified to see him running away from the site of disaster.

Why was he abandoning them and fleeing? The monkeys had no hope left now. There was no way they could survive if Hanuman himself was running away. While they were drowning in sorrow, they caught a glimpse of Lakshmana smiling. He had in fact seen Rama whisper into Hanuman’s ears so he knew Hanuman was up to something brave.

Now the monkeys could also see a masterplan behind Hanuman’s actions. They saw Hanuman climbing high up. “Look! Where Hanuman has reached! He is so amazing.” All the monkeys huddled together to watch their hero Hanuman. It was fascinating to watch him and guess what he was up to. Despite the impending danger, there was sudden excitement in the air.

Hope had returned. They could now see Hanuman’s tiny figure at a distance, scaling up the fortress of Ravana. He had reached the city. Naturally he would not run into the enemy camp if he was trying to save himself. There was a deeper motive behind this. What could it be? They didn’t have to wait too long to find out because they saw Hanuman flying out of the fort with a huge plank of iron on his back.

Holding the plank with one hand and his tail, he balanced himself in air. He used his other hand to navigate the flight. But it was still a mystery as to what Hanuman was planning to do. Lord Rama and Lakshmana showed no such anxiety. The monkeys even saw them exchange a knowing glance. Hanuman had now landed right behind Bhasmalochana.

Whereas the monkeys were behind rocks, trees, inside water bodies anywhere at all, to hide themselves from the demon’s fiery glance. Peeping out of their hiding places, they were less concerned about their own safety and more curious about Hanuman’s next step. Hanuman’s agile tail shot up to carry the iron plank high in the air over Bhasmalochana’s head. He then expertly twisted the tail and flipped the iron plank.

Wow! What brilliance! The tail was the centre of attraction as it began to lower the vertical iron plank such that it came right in front of Bhasmalochana in the path of his vision. As soon as he brought it in front, there was a deafening sound. Boooom! It was an explosion. Bhasmalochana had turned into a pile of ashes. A huge cheer went out from the monkey army as they ran to hug their saviour. There were a few who had not yet grasped what exactly Hanuman had done to blast their enemy.

They looked at the iron plank. What a surprise, it was a mirror! Hanuman showed Bhasmalochana a mirror to see himself! With this heroic act, Hanuman easily overcame something that could have potentially won the war for Ravana, wiping out the monkey army. The vanaras had nothing to fear as long as Hanuman was there.

His devotees have nothing to fear as long as they sought protection from Hanuman. tuma rakshaka kahu ko darana Draupadi worshipped Hanuman for the protection of Pandavas. A deity of Hanuman is present in every household altar. Because he overcomes difficulties for gods also. He rescued all gods from Ravana’s prison. Whether it is Suryadeva or Varuna or Agnideva, or even Sita, everyone takes Hanuman’s shelter.

Hanuman devotees recite the Hanuman Chalisa Pdf to seek blessings for health and well-being.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 21 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 21 Doorkeeper

राम दुआरे
तुम रखवारे ।
होत न आज्ञा
बिनु पैसारे ॥

Ram dwaare
tum rakhvare.
Hoat na agya
bin paisare.

Ram’s door
has you as guardian.
Without your permission
no one can cross it.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 21 Meaning in English

Doorkeepers of the gods are very important in Hindu mythology. The door marks the liminal in-between space between outside and inside, wild and domestic, nature and culture. Like security guards and secretaries, the doorkeeper maintains the integrity of the inner world.

They decide who gets access to the deity within the temple, and who does not. In Puri, Odisha, at the Jagannath temple, for example, Hanuman stands outside, they say, preventing even the sound of the sea from entering the temple and disturbing the deity inside.

The doorkeepers’ presence draws attention to the hierarchy of communities (jati) that characterize Indian society. For centuries, a resident of India was identified by the larger community his family belonged to. Usually, members of a community followed one profession.

Each jati isolated itself, like most tribal communities around the world, by not permitting marriage with outsiders, thus protecting its knowledge system, which was its source of income. About 500 years ago, Europeans who visited India used the word ‘caste’ for jati, as it reminded them of the clan system in Europe where blood purity mattered greatly.

There are over 2,000 jatis in India today. For centuries, people have been trying to classify these into a fourfold hierarchy (chaturvarna), with Brahmin priests at the top, powerful landowners after them, followed by rich traders and the rest below. But what makes the jati system unique is not the economic and political hierarchy, but the concept of purity: some communities are seen as intrinsically pure (priests, for example), while others as intrinsically impure (janitors, butchers, undertakers, for example).

The ‘impure’ were denied access to temples, kitchens, and even the community well. Thus, in a grand temple, only the pure could access the inner shrine where the deity was enshrined, while the impure ones had to stay outside, outside the door, at times even outside on the street.

Those who were not allowed to enter the temple, naturally, turned to Hanuman whose image was located outside the temple, at the entrance, or even on the street. He was far more accessible than the royal Ram, who sat deep within the complex, accessible only to the elite.

Hindu history reveals a long tension between the hierarchy of purity imposed by priests and the doctrine of atma revealed by the poet-saints. The latter doctrine led to the ritual of the gods going out on processions regularly, stepping out of the temple on palanquins and chariots, to meet those communities who were not allowed inside the temple. It also led to many doorkeepers being made to look very much like the deity enshrined within the temple. This was to assure those being excluded that while humans may exclude humans, God excludes no one.

The doorkeepers of Vaikuntha are called Jaya and Vijaya. The doorkeepers of the sacred groves of the Goddess are called Maya and Laya. Nandi the bull is Shiva’s doorkeeper and vehicle (vahana). Hanuman is Ram’s doorkeeper, messenger, secretary, and strongman.

Once Ravana paid a visit to Shiva but was stopped by Nandi at the door as Shiva was with Shakti, and the couple wanted privacy. Ravana did not like being stopped, and without heeding Nandi, tried to get past him. When Nandi blocked Ravana, Ravana called Nandi a monkey. Nandi did not appreciate Ravana’s rudeness, for he was only carrying out his duty.

He cursed the arrogant Ravana that monkeys would be the cause of his downfall. To make this happen, it is believed, a portion of Shiva’s divinity manifested on earth as Hanuman. Nandi, the doorkeeper of Shiva, was avenged through Hanuman, Ram’s doorkeeper, who defeated Lankini, Ravana’s doorkeeper.

With Hanuman guarding the gates of Ram’s palace in Ayodhya, even the god of death, Yama, feared entering the city when it was time for Ram to leave his mortal body and return to Vaikuntha. Finally, Ram moved Hanuman from the gates so that Yama could do his duty.

Ram dropped his ring in a crack in the palace floor and requested Hanuman to fetch it. Hanuman entered the crack in the palace floor in the form of a bee, only to discover it was a tunnel leading to the land of serpents (Naga-loka) where he found a mountain made of Ram’s rings.

He wondered what was the secret. To this Vasuki, king of the nagas, said, ‘The world goes through cycles of birth and death just like all living creatures. Just as every life has a youth, so does the world have a Treta Yuga when Ram rules the world. In this yuga, each time, a ring falls from Bhu-loka to Naga-loka, a monkey follows it, and Ram up there dies. As many rings as there are Hanumans and Rams. Nothing lasts forever. But what goes, always comes back.’

In north India, temples of many mountain goddesses who are manifestations of the tiger-riding Sheravali are guarded by Bhairo-devata and Langur-devata, the former looks like a child-warrior who drinks bhang (a narcotic), the latter looks like a monkey who drinks milk. Both these deities embody domesticated masculinities, the principles of brahmacharya (celibacy, continence) and yoga (inward orientation). Nowadays, many identify the Langur-devata with Hanuman.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 21 Analysis in English

rama duare tuma rakhavare
hota na agnya binu paisare ll 21ll

You stand guarding Rama’s gate,
No one can enter without your consent. (21)

When the bridge construction was almost complete and the monkeys were set to march to Lanka, Vibhishan felt restless and uncomfortable. He wasn’t satisfied with the information from Lanka that his spies had brought him. His intuition said something else. That something sinister was cooking on the other side of the ocean.

Taking the form of a pigeon, Vibhishan flew across the ocean and landed on the dome of the Lankan royal courtroom. Before he could hear a single word, what he saw was enough to increase his heartbeat. Two robust rakshasas stood before Ravana with a smirk on their faces. From the size of the two, Vibhishan realized the size of trouble.

Soon leaders of the monkey army along with Rama and Lakshmana were gathered around Vibhishan. He shared with them the problem ahead. It wasn’t a single but a double- edged problem. The name of the problem was Ahiravana- Mahiravana. These were two cruel magician friends of Ravana who derived great pleasure in tricking innocent people into their sinister web and offering them as human sacrifice.

Vibhishan had reliable information that they had been contracted for killing Rama and Lakshmana. Vibhishan warned the monkey leaders that dealing with these two meant dealing with a lot of treachery. The two brothers could change their form at will and pull off any trick, possible or impossible, in the blink of an eye. The primary goal now was to ensure that Rama and Lakshmana remain in a highly protected environment.

In order to safeguard them, the entire monkey army assembled together to form circular layers. They were fully armed and fully alert. Around the concentric wall of monkeys, Hanuman made another robust wall with his tail. Only a small entry gate remained through which a single person could walk in or out. Hanuman personally stood guarding that.

When Vibhishan studied the entire protective structure, he was delighted with their efforts. Vibhishan requested Rama to invoke the Sudarshan chakra to guard the sky ways which was the only loophole left in the whole structure.

Placing Sugriva and Angad inside to guard Rama and Lakshmana personally, Vibhishan chose to station himself outside the wall to be in continuous interaction with Hanuman. To be doubly sure that there was no loophole in their security system, Vibhishan walked around the wall in circles and Hanuman stayed put at the gate, rama duare tuma rakhavare hota na agnya binu paisare.

Hanuman guarded the gate of Lord Rama and no one could enter without his consent.As soon as Vibhishan turned around the comer out of sight, an elderly royal king approached Hanuman. Introducing himself as Dasharatha, the father of Rama and Lakshmana, he begged to be allowed in to spend some time with his sons whom he hadn’t seen for more than a decade now. Immediately Vibhishan’s warning struck in Hanuman’s mind. Mahiravana and Ahiravana were masters of illusion.

Not wanting to take a risk and yet at the same time not wanting to be disrespectful to Dasharatha, he requested the king to wait a little till Vibhishan arrived. But Dasharatha left in a hurry saying that he would return soon. When the confused Hanuman explained the incident to Vibhishan, he warned Hanuman that even if his father Kesari comes, he should not let him in without Vibhishan’s approval.

The instruction was clear now. From then on Hanuman had no hesitation denying entry to Bharata, Rama’s brother, then to Kaushalya, Rama’s mother, and even Janak Maharaj, Sita’s father. Vibhishan was extremely pleased with Hanuman’s alertness. The system was working very well and so far there was nothing to worry as long as they maintained this vigil.

With a pat on Hanuman’s back, Vibhishan continued his stroll around the wall. In a matter of a few minutes he was suddenly back. Hanuman was surprised but concluded that there must have been some emergency he perceived due to which he had returned hastily. Speaking with a sense of urgency, Vibhishan asked Hanuman to step aside and allow him to enter the gate to inspect the situation inside. Hanuman complied and Vibhishan entered swiftly. Sealing the gate once again Hanuman stood on high alert.

In a few minutes, Vibhishan came to the gate once again. How was this possible? When he had already entered, how could he come back again outside? Hanuman initially thought that this was the imposter Ahiravana or Mahiravana. But when Vibhishan gave him some solid proof, Hanuman panicked understanding that he had sent the imposter inside.

Dismantling the tail, Hanuman and Vibhishan entered only to find that every single monkey inside was lying unconscious and both Rama and Lakshmana were missing. The question was where were they now? The answer stood right in front of them in the form of a pit. Not wanting to waste any time, Hanuman leaped into the pit, promising to bring back the divine brothers.

The pit was actually a portal that led him all the way to the netherworld or the Patalaloka. When Hanuman fell into the beautiful city of Patala, he transformed himself into a regular monkey. Suddenly an old lady saw him and began to scream. When a few onlookers gathered, she pointed out to the monkey and said that the king had a curse that the day monkeys and humans enter his city, it will mark the end of it. She warned everyone to leave the city soon. Hanuman jumped away from the crowd, happy to hear good news on arrival.

While he was in another comer of the city, he heard another lady conversing with someone that there was going to be a huge festival inside the palace today where the king would be performing a human sacrifice for the pleasure of Goddess Mahamaya. He leamt from that conversation that the brothers Ahiravana and Mahiravana had brought two handsome humans for that purpose. Armed with this information, Hanuman assumed a very tiny form and found entry into the palace in spite of heavy security and inspection.

Once inside, Hanuman began his search. He came across a heavily guarded door, which he deduced to be the sacrificial arena. When he tried to sneak through the door in his really tiny form, he was stopped by a very powerful looking personality. His face resembled a vanara’s and his body resembled a crocodile’s. He pounced on Hanuman and a tremendous fight ensued, with Hanuman finally tying up that half-vanara half-crocodile with ropes and hurling him onto the ground.

Thus humbled, the guard introduced himself as Makharadhwaja, the son of Hanuman. This unexpected introduction bewildered Hanuman who had never been married. How could he have a son that he didn’t know of? When questioned, Makharadhwaja explained that when Hanuman had burnt Lanka and then dipped his tail into the ocean to quench the fire, a drop of sweat had fallen into the ocean, which had been swallowed by a female crocodile. From that crocodile, Makharadhwaja was born. Hanuman was happy to meet his son and Makharadhwaja promised to help his father in finding Rama and eliminating all the Ravanas.

Makharadhwaja suggested Hanuman to meet Chitrasena who was a Nagakanya held captive by Ahiravana and Mahiravana. She held many secrets of the demonic brothers and could definitely help Hanuman find a solution. From what Vibhishan had told him, Hanuman knew that killing the brothers wouldn’t be easy and straightforward, as they would have magical ways to remain immortal. Thus it was imperative that Hanuman met Chitrasena and gain her confidence so that she would reveal the inner secrets of the demons.

Taking the form of a small bumblebee, Hanuman entered the room of Chitrasena and hovered over her. When he had managed to capture her attention, Hanuman revealed his original form to her and began a conversation. Initially she wasn’t ready to believe him because he could be one of the evil brothers who had taken a vanara form just to test her loyalty. But when she saw the genuineness and the love he had for Lord Rama, she was convinced that this could not be them, as there was not even a shade of evil in his persona.

She agreed to help Hanuman on one condition. Her condition was that Rama would have to marry her in return for the favour she was going to do to help them save their lives. Seeing no way out, Hanuman agreed to her condition but not before posing a condition of his own. As a condition to her condition. His condition was that Rama would marry her only if her bed could handle the weight of Rama. Not seeing any harm in it, she agreed to his condition. She was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu and the moment she had seen Rama, she had completely surrendered her heart to him.

Chitrasena then revealed few of the well-guarded secrets of the evil brothers. She explained that Mahiravana had once saved the lives of a group of honeybees who became so grateful that they always resided in the palace, assisting the demons. Whenever one of the brothers got killed in a battle, the bees would fly out and sprinkle celestial nectar, that could revive the dead, into his mouth.

Thus, as long as these bees were alive, the brothers would live. She further disclosed that the lives of the two brothers existed only partly in their bodies; the rest of their lives were stored elsewhere. The life of Ahiravana was stored in a large diamond and the life of Mahiravana was stored in five lamps that were constantly lit in five adjacent caves in a nearby mountain. Along with actually killing the brothers, the two life sources had to be destroyed simultaneously, only then would the demons die.

Having learnt their secrets, Hanuman took the form of a bumblebee once again and ventured out to find the hideout of the bees. What followed was a tremendous battle with the bees. He slaughtered all the bees in that hive one by one until there was just one bee left who helplessly took shelter of Hanuman promising to assist him in every possible way. Hanuman smiled. He had just the right idea for using this bee’s services. He instructed the bee to proceed to Chitrasena’s room and make her bed hollow and weak internally.

While the bee left to do its service, Hanuman made his way into the temple of the goddess Mahamaya also known as Kamakshi devi. There he spent some time with the goddess, explaining to her the entire situation and asking her permission to do something drastic in her presence. The goddess blessed Hanuman to save the lives of Rama and Lakshmana. He next proceeded to the prison where Rama and Lakshmana were held captive and explained to them the whole plan.

By the time Hanuman finished explaining, guards had arrived to take them to the sacrificial arena. Hanuman immediately proceeded to the five caves where a herculean task awaited him. Meanwhile, Mahiravana and Ahiravana asked Rama and Lakshmana to bend themselves and place their necks on the pedestal. Feigning ignorance, Rama asked for a demonstration.

The brothers bent down to show what is the right way to place the neck in the pedestal for an easy chop. That very moment both Rama and Lakshmana broke open their shackles and picked up the swords that were placed close by and lopped their heads off. Immediately, Lakshmana jumped up with a hammer to the place where the diamond was kept. Rama began his onslaught to massacre all the remaining demons in that arena.

Hanuman had reached the cave and began to blow off the lamps one by one in the five caves. To his consternation, by the time he blew off one lamp, the previous lamp would light up again. It was obvious to him that all five needed to be blown off simultaneously. Since the caves were in five different directions, he took up a five-headed form known as Panchamukhi Hanuman.

Facing north was the Varaha or boar face, facing south was Narsimha or lion face, facing west was the Garuda or eagle face, facing east was Hanuman’s original face, and facing up was the Hayagriva or horse face. With one blow, he extinguished all the five lamps at one go. Exactly at the same time, Lakshmana smashed the diamond. Thus permanently eliminating the two demonic brothers.

Returning to Rama and Lakshmana, Hanuman touched their feet and they happily embraced him. Of course there was still a small problem left to deal with. Hanuman explained the promise to Chitrasena in order to get her to divulge her secrets. Without asking Rama, he had agreed for the marriage proposal from her. Rama smiled and went to her room. Chitrasena was so happy that she was going to be finally united with her worshippable Lord and master. But as soon as Rama sat on the bed, it broke.

Chitrasena immediately realized that this must be a trick of Hanuman’s. But even before she could express her anger on him, Lord Rama, with a sweet smile on his face, explained to her that in this life he had taken eka-patni vrata and thus he could marry no one other than Sita.

But he assured her that in his next incarnation as Krishna, he would surely marry her and she would be one of his chief queens named Satyabhama. Satisfied with that assurance, Chitrasena decided to wait for the right time to come back and stepped aside.

Rama then coroneted Makharadhwaja as the king of Patalaloka. Once everything was in order, Makharadhwaja handed over the responsibilities of the kingdom to the ministers and decided to travel with his father for assisting him in his mission. Hanuman lifted Rama and Makharadhwaja lifted Lakshmana on their shoulders and zoomed out of the Patalaloka to return to the eagerly awaiting monkey army. Cheers broke out when the monkeys saw Hanuman safely back with Rama and Lakshmana. With Hanuman present at Rama’s door, who can dare to defy and enter forcefully?

Some families have a tradition of reciting the Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics together every Tuesday.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 20 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 20 In Southeast Asia

दुर्गम काज
जगत के जेते ।
सुगम अनुग्रह
तुम्हरे तेते ॥

Durgam kaj
jagath ke jete.
Sugam anugraha
tumhre tete.

All tough jobs
in this world.
Become easy
with your grace.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 20 Meaning in English

A few years ago, Indian media went abuzz with the news that Barack Obama, former President of the United States of America, carried, amongst many things, an image of Hanuman in his pocket. On closer examination, it turned out to be not the image enshrined in Hindu temples of India, but the image of Hanuman popular in Thailand.

Hindus who see this image will not feel the same emotion they feel on secing a Hanuman image from India.Be that as it may, Hanuman grants everyone the psychological strength to cope with crises, which makes solving problems easier. Even an exiled Ram was able to raise an army of monkeys, build a bridge across the sea, defeat Ravana and his army of demons, and rescue Sita, with Hanuman by his side.

This story of Hanuman’s ability to solve problems travelled beyond Indian shores on merchant ships travelling to Southeast Asia, which Indians knew as the golden land, or Suvarnabhumi. It is said that on the long sea voyages, sailors created the art of shadow-puppetry projected on the ship’s sail using leather dolls, to tell the story of the Ramayana.

Hence, along the coast of India and in many islands of Southeast Asia one finds this art form even today. In Thailand, the old capital was called Ayuthaya, the local name for Ayodhya, and the kings were seen as descendents and embodiments of Ram. The Southeast Asian Ramayanas include the Hikayat Seri Rama of Malaysia, Yama Zatdaw of Burma, and Ramakien, the national epic of Thailand. In these epics, one encounters a local version of Hanuman.

There are three differences between the Hanuman of India, and the Hanuman of Southeast Asia. First, the Ramayana mingles and merges with the local Buddhist lore of the regions. Second, the Hanuman depicted in these regional epics is a more strong and clever and funny monkey; loyal to Ram, but not quite a wise devotee, suggesting that the stories reached there from Indian shores over a thousand years ago, before the widespread popularity of the Bhakti doctrine.

Third, Hanuman is not necessarily depicted as a celibate brahmachari or yogi; he is a charming rake, and a powerful warrior who battles demons and is able to satisfy the demonic desires of rakhasa women including Ravana’s sister, Surpanakha, and his wife, Mandodari.

In the Vedas, there is a ribald argument between Indra and his wife Indrani over a huge male monkey, Vrishakapi, who happens to be Indra’s friend. The conversation deals with Indra’s lack of virility, Vrishakapi’s excess virility, and Indrani’s frustrated desires. It ends with the journeys and sacrifice of the monkey who restores Indra’s power and Indrani’s fertility.

Some people postulate that this Vedic Vrishakapi transforms into the Ramayana’s Hanuman. Details of his potent sexuality were rejected in India where society preferred a Hanuman with control over his senses, emotions, and desires.

However, this idea may have travelled to Southeast Asia where Hanuman is known for his humourous erotic adventures.There are many stories of Hanuman that are unique to Southeast Asian retellings. In one story, he battles the mermaid queen Suvarna-maccha (golden fish) who tries to disrupt the building of the bridge across the sea to Lanka.

In another story, Benyakai or Benjkaya, the daughter of Vibhishan, uses her magical form to appear like the dead body of Sita washed up on the shores; Hanuman senses mischief and decides to cremate the ‘dead body’, which suddenly comes alive as the flame rises and runs away.

When Ravana tries to break the bridge to Lanka, he expands in size and stretches his tail so that Ram and the army of monkeys can cross to Lanka with ease. These tales remind us how Hanuman, even in other lands, makes the toughest jobs look easy, even fun.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 20 Analysis in English

durgama kaja jagata ke jete
sugama anugraha tumhare tete ||20||

All impossible tasks in this world,
Become easily doable with your mercy. (20)

Some acharyas analyse that Sita represents the Jivatma and Rama, Parmatma. Whereas Ravana represents pride or false ego. Hanuman achieves the difficult task of uniting the soul with the Parmatma by defeating ego.

Hanuman had found Sita in Ashok Vatika and passed Rama’s message on to her. With Sita’s blessings and permission, Hanuman proceeded to observe the city of Lanka. As he was scrutinizing the strategic points in the city, he noticed a shining golden altar. Situated on the golden altar under the canopy of a giant Ashok tree was a beautiful temple. Hanuman crept inside the temple and saw an effulgent dark complexioned goddess.

The goddess was beauty personified with her three eyes resembling Cupid’s bow. Wearing a garland of skulls, she was dancing to the auspicious sounds of drums and bells that she played with her four hands. Surrounding her were her followers dressed as yoginis.

All of them were eulogizing Ravana. Shouts of ‘Hail Ravana’, ‘Victory to Ravana’ filled the room. Hanuman was disgusted at this sight. Letting out an angry roar, he jumped into their midst terrifying the yoginis. The goddess herself was startled at the sudden intrusion. Pacifying her frightened followers, she asked Hanuman, “Who are you, O’ Vanara? And how did you get in here?”

Hanuman introduced himself, “My name is Hanuman. I am the son of the Wind God. I have accepted the servitude of Lord Rama by whose mercy I can destroy the entire earth with its oceans and forests. I came here searching for Mother Sita who has been held captive by wicked Ravana.

Who are you and why are you wishing for the victory of a sinner like Ravana?” The goddess replied, “I am the daughter of Himalayas residing in Chandasvarupa. Hence, I am known as Chandika. I am also known as Parvati and Kali. Ravana has conquered me with his devotional worship due to which I shield him from his enemies. O’ monkey, kindly show me your colossal form about which you were boasting some time ago.”

Hanuman obliged by expanding himself. Eyes popped out as the goddess and her followers observed his gargantuan size. The goddess could see different rakshasas smashed and shred into pieces dangling from Hanuman’s sharp nails and teeth. From his pores emerged innumerable colossal vanaras who were annihilating the rakshasa army. On Hanuman’s head shone the beautiful emerald complexioned Lord Rama killing Ravana with his arrows.

He held the severed head of the giant Kumbhakaran in his hand that wielded the bow. On Hanuman’s forehead stood Lakshmana whose complexion was like gorochan. Fixing his gaze upon the lotus feet of Rama and Sita, Lakshmana destroyed Meghanada, Ravana’s unconquerable son. A blazing and burnt Lanka lay between Hanuman’s eyebrows and the pious Vibhishan ruling Lanka as the king could be seen in Hanuman’s heart. The goddess was astounded looking at Hanuman’s wondrous form.

Humbly, she prayed, “O’ divine monkey, it is certain that you are none other than Lord Shiva himself who has appeared as a vanara for the annihilation of Ravana and his clan. It is for this very purpose that you have accepted the service of Lord Rama. Please let go of your anger and command me as to what can I do for you.”

Hanuman assumed his original form and said, “O” divine goddess, I request you to leave Lanka at this very instant. Why do you wish victory for a sinner like Ravana? The entire universe will be in chaos if he doesn’t die. If you continue to protect Ravana, the expansion of my energy in you will also be contaminated for siding with this sinner.”

The goddess replied, “The one who insulted Sita has also insulted me. I will leave Lanka as you have instructed.” Hanuman said, “O’ Parvatnandini Maheshwari, you are worshipped by the great trinity, Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesha. You are the great illusory energy that maintains this material world. You are the Adishakti and maintainer of all the demigods and Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesha. Please bless Rama with victory and assist him in eliminating Ravana.”

Goddess Chandika blessed Rama, saying, “Sri Rama will surely gain victory over Ravana and shine as the sun of the glorious Ikshvaku dynasty. He has all my blessings to annihilate Ravana. O’ Hanuman, the demigods are obliged to anyone who appeases them by performing rituals as prescribed in the Vedas.

In the Pousha Magha month, the period for worshipping demigods is 13 days, which has passed. Thus, Ravana cannot restrict me now. Had this been the stipulated worship period, it would have been difficult for me to leave Lanka. Since I am not compelled now, I bless Rama with victory.”

Chandika then departed from Lanka. Hanuman returned to Ashoka Vatika. He killed the rakshasas that tried to resist him and offered them to Goddess Chandika with their blood. Uprooting the trees, he offered them as flowers unto her. Ravana’s son Akshay Kumar was her sacrificial offering. When Hanuman was finally captured by Indrajeet and his tail set on fire, he lit up the entire Lanka and set it ablaze as offering of incense and lamps unto the goddess.

After having completed his mission, Hanuman went to Mother Sita to seek her blessings. After bidding her farewell, he leapt over the ocean and returned to his eagerly awaiting retinue to convey Sita’s message to Rama, durgama kaja jagata ke jetei sugama anugraha tumhare tete.

Every time Rama would sever his limb, it would rejoin once again. It was magnetism of the highest order. It appeared as if Ravana was practically immortal. Even when all his heads were chopped off, they would roll back into place. Even when Rama threw his severed arms far into the ocean, they would fly back and rejoin the body instantly.

It had been more than an hour since Rama had been trying his best. By now he had come to the conclusion that it was impossible to eliminate Ravana by normal methods. There had to be a secret to this whole thing, and obviously a well-guarded secret at that. Vibhishan walked towards him and reconfirmed his premonition. The secret was in a boon that Lord Brahma had offered Ravana. It was definitely a boon, but there was a condition to it that could prove to be useful to Rama.

Vibhishan explained that Lord Brahma had offered the boon to Ravana that his limbs even if severed, would rejoin instantly. Thus his body could never be destroyed. Technically he had ensured Ravana’s immortality. But while giving this boon, Brahma also offered him an arrow within which he had locked Ravana’s destiny. He warned Ravana that his life was literally within that arrow.

If this arrow was shot at his navel, it would instantly sap away all his strength, eliminating him that very moment. As long as that arrow remained protected, Ravana’s life remained protected. The monkeys became really excited that some hope was still there, though they also wondered if they would ever find that wonder arrow. Of course, as usual Vibhishan had an answer to that too. He announced that the only person other than Ravana who knew the whereabouts of that arrow was Mandodari.

The question now was who would do the impossible. Hanuman immediately stepped in and said that he could try. durgama kaja jagata kejete, all the arduous tasks of this world Hanuman would be always eager to try. Taking the blessings of Rama and with a loud cry of Jai Sri Rama, Hanuman leaped towards the inner sanctorum of Lanka. When he landed, he wasn’t Hanuman the vanara hero anymore but an old frail and wise astrologer who had to walk with the help of a stick since he was stooped with wisdom.

Every demon in Lanka flocked to him to hear predictions about their life and that of their family members. The mothers were especially worried about their sons who had gone to war. The old astrologer was so accurate with anything he told that people were astounded.

Soon word spread across the length of Lanka till it did rounds of the royal palace and reached the ears of Mandodari. She immediately wanted a private audience with him. Soon the astrologer was wobbling into the palace with a naughty grin on his wrinkled old face.

The moment they were alone, Mandodari broke down. She was really worried about the safety of her husband. She had almost lost everyone she considered a relative and now her world only revolved around one person, Ravana. She wanted to know from the astrologer whether her husband would win. She wanted to know if there was any processes that would ensure his victory.

Looking very grim, the astrologer began to study his astrological charts intensely. Finally he declared that today was doomsday. Either Ravana would rule forever or he would be dead. The word death sent a shiver down Mandodari’s spine. When she asked for a plan that could seal his victory, the astrologer looked at her very seriously.

He told her that her husband’s life was safe as long as she held the secret a secret. She was confused what that meant. At the same time, she felt that he was referring to the secret arrow that she had hidden away carefully. But when he told her to not to give it to anyone who comes to her asking for it including Lord Brahma himself, she knew that he knew about that secret arrow. Reassured that he was her well- wisher, Mandodari promised him that she would not give to anyone, no matter who.

The astrologer smiled at her and got up to leave. Just as he was stepping out of the room, he turned around partially and asked her if she was sure that the secret hideout was really a secret after all this time especially since Vibhishan had now joined the enemies. He knew every small and big secret of the palace. What was the guarantee that he didn’t know about the secret arrow?

That question made Mandodari think a bit. But after a moment she snapped out of her thoughts and reassured the astrologer that there was no way Vibhishan or anyone else could know about the secret place. But not wanting to take any risk since it was the question of her husband’s life, she asked the astrologer if he had a better place to house the arrow than the glass pillar within which she had embedded it.

The moment she pointed out to the pillar, the next moment itself the pillar shattered to pieces with a thunderous sound followed by an intense chant of Jai Sri Rama. The shocked Mandodari saw Hanuman jump out of her window with the secret arrow in his hand. That was the end of Ravana! sugama anugraha tumhare tete

The Hanuman Chalisa tells the tale of Hanuman’s devotion and unwavering loyalty to Lord Rama.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 19 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 19 Monkeyness

प्रभु मुद्रिका
मेलि मुख माहीं ।
जलधि लाँघि
गये अचरज नाहीं ॥

Prabhu mudrika
meli mukh mahee.
Jaladhi langhi
gaye achraj nahee.

With Ram’s ring
in your mouth.
You leapt over the sea
how amazing is that.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 19 Meaning in English

Being knowledgeable and wise does not stop Hanuman from popping Ram’s ring in his mouth while leaping over the sea. Mundane rules of propriety make no sense to Hanuman, reminding us of his animal side. His monkeyness evokes his childlike nature. In this, he reminds us of Bholenath, the guileless, innocent form of Shiva. This form of Hanuman is often addressed as Balaji, or the child-like form of Hanuman.

Hanuman’s paradoxical qualities mirror the paradoxical qualities of Shiva. Both are wise and mighty, yet both are totally unaware of worldly ways. Shiva may have the power to destroy the three worlds (which is why he is call Tripurantaka) and enlighten the sages on the wisdom of Vedas and Tantras (which is why he is called Dakshina-murti), but he does not know how to function as a husband, a father, or a son-in-law, and has to be taught the ways of a householder by his patient wife, Parvati.

Likewise Hanuman, who can leap over the sea with a mountain in hand and the sun in his armpit, does not know the value, and status, of a king’s ring and does not understand why humans find his act of keeping Ram’s ring in his mouth inappropriate.

The concept of ‘value’ exists only amongst humans. For pearls. When asked to explain his behaviour, Hanuman said, ‘I was biting to see if Ram resides in these pearls. He doesn’t, so they are useless to me.’ The people found this to be an absurd idea, for Ram sat on a throne and could not be seated inside pearls. But Hanuman was surprised at their assertion and confidence.

He just tore open his chest and there within his heart was Ram with Sita by his side. Suddenly, the people of Ayodhya realized what Hanuman was innocently drawing their attention to. For him, a thing had value if it was either food, or if it evoked divinity. He saw no value in expensive, royal pearls-for they neither nourished his body, nor his mind, as Ram did. Possessing pearls could make people rich. But engaging with Hanuman could make people experience what it meant to be Ram.

Just as humans give value to things, we also give value to gestures. Animals recognize only two kinds of gestures-those that threaten their security, and those that assure them of security. Humans, however, have complex gestures to establish hierarchy that are beyond Hanuman’s understanding, for he does not understand the need for hierarchy when one has experienced Ram.

Once Narada told Hanuman that he had to bow to all the sages who paid a visit to Ram, everyone except Vishwamitra, who did not like anyone bowing to him. Hanuman complied, not knowing that this was Narada’s trick to create a rift between Hanuman and Ram. Vishwamitra saw this as an insult and demanded that the monkey be killed.

So Ram raised his bow and shot arrows at Hanuman. Hanuman simply chanted Ram’s name – and such was the power of Ram’s name that it created a force field that even Ram’s arrows could not penetrate. Everyone bowed to Hanuman who showed the world in his very innocent way, that the idea of Ram is greater than Ram the king.

Thus, as the verse reiterates, Hanuman amazes you with his many incredible qualities-his ability to leap over an ocean, rip his chest open, resist Ram’s arrows by chanting Ram’s name. Simultaneously, he amazes you with simian innocence holding Ram’s royal ring in his mouth, biting pearls, trusting the mischievous Narada. This reminds us that Hanuman has no desire to impress anyone. His knowledge and powers exist to help others, materially and spiritually; else he is happy being a monkey.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 19 Analysis in English

prabhu mudrika meli mukha mahi
jaladhi laghi gaye acharaja nahi ||19||

With the Lord’s ring in your mouth,
You jumped across the Ocean – no wonder in that. (19)

When the monkey army was being allotted different directions to search for Mother Sita, Sugriva addressed Hanuman, who was in the group going south, headed by Angad and assisted by Jambavan and others: “If Jambavan is the wisdom and Angad the youthful dynamism behind this group, then you are the strength that carries everyone along.

The success of the entire mission of searching for-Mother Sita rests on you. There can never be any impediment big enough to stop you in your transit on land, sea, or sky. You are like your father, Vayu, the wind god. I don’t think anyone can match your prowess, astuteness, adventurous spirit, or intellect in the three worlds. However, more than any of these things, your greatest asset is your spotless character. I have a lot of hope pinned on you. Somehow, please find Sita.”

Rama was intrigued and inspired as He watched Sugriva single out Hanuman for such attention and praise. Hanuman had definitely impressed Him right from the moment He saw him disguised as that beggar. In fact, every act and speech of Hanuman’s had touched Rama very deeply. His sensitivity, intelligence, strength, resourcefulness, kindness, skills, and servitude together made him stand out in the crowd of the vanara sena.

Now that Sugriva was so effusive in his praise for Hanuman, Rama’s appreciation for Hanuman went up several notches. By this time Rama had developed good faith in Sugriva’s abilities to judge people. Sugriva would only give such importance to someone whose record had been outstanding. In fact, Rama was now convinced that Hanuman was one of the most special beings in his world

“O’ Hanuman, I totally depend on you now!” Hanuman’s heart melted with Rama’s first words of dependence. Rama continued, “I am convinced you will succeed in the current expedition. With this conviction, what I am going to offer you right now is the most valuable thing in the universe!”
Rama held out something glittering in His right hand.

Hanuman bent down on one knee, cupped his palms and extended them to Rama. Rama dropped that glittering object into his palms. As soon as it touched Hanuman’s hands, a shiver ran through his body. It was a golden ring studded with a large precious stone on top and two small stones below.

Hanuman noticed, inscribed on the larger top stone, the syllable Sri and on the lower stones, the syllables Ra and Ma. Originally, this ring must have been Sita’s. It couldn’t have been Rama’s. A humble person like Rama wouldn’t arrogantly wear a ring with His name inscribed on it. Sita wore this ring on Her finger to remind Her always of the protection of Rama’s name in Her life.

When the boatman Kevat ferried them across Ganga, Sita had given this ring to Rama to offer it as a token of gratitude to Kevat. He hadn’t of course accepted it. From then on, Rama had retained the ring on His finger. Sita had wanted to ask Rama back then about why He had kept the ring, but She let it go, concluding that Her husband always backed His action with some good reason. Rama had probably known that this ring would unite them someday.

Hanuman rose to his feet, held the ring between the index finger and the thumb of his right hand and touched it reverentially to his head. He then safely tucked it away in his waistcloth. Hanuman then bent low and held Lord Rama’s feet. With the blessings of Rama in his heart and the ring in his hand he left for the search mission. He began to wonder where to keep that special, invaluable, and extremely potent ring, in the course of his arduous journey.

He wanted to keep it in a place that was respectful and yet secure. He definitely could not wear the ring on his finger since it belonged to Lord Rama. That would be arrogance. He couldn’t find any place in his clothes that would be safe enough. The long journey and tough encounters on the way would make it impossible to retain it within the folds of his clothes. He couldn’t tie it on to his sacred thread, as it would be too visible and also too susceptible to the risk of falling off or accidentally snapping off the thread during the journey.

He possibly couldn’t keep it in his hands as it could fall off during a careless moment or even when he would have to use his hands to climb or fight. Hanuman finally got his answer. There was only one place where the holy name of Lord Rama really belonged.

And that was the tongue. The tongue should ideally reverberate the holy names of Rama constantly. Presence of the ring in his mouth was symbolic of the holy name of Lord Rama being constantly on his tongue. Moreover, it would act as a constant reminder to him to absorb his mind in the holy names, prabhu mudrika meli mukha mahi.

The ring has a special place in Ramayana. It served to unite Rama and Sita more than once. It so happened in Ayodhya that Rama and Sita had an argument one day and stopped talking to each other. Few days passed and neither took the initiative to break the deadlock. Neither wanted to admit His or Her mistake. Although Sita was very anxious to end the impasse, Rama seemed determined to continue. Unknown to Sita, Rama too longed to talk to Sita and forget the argument.

One day as they were sitting in the royal garden, together but not talking, Sita had an idea. She purposely dropped her ring in the nearby bushes and called out aloud, “Is there anyone here who can help me find my ring?” Rama immediately sprang up from his seat to search for the ring. Having found it victoriously, He slipped it back on Sita’s hand. Sita smiled happily and this loving gesture broke the ice. They embraced each other and promised to never argue again.

When the whole vanara army was contemplating who would cross the 800-mile ocean, Jambavan reminded Hanuman of his powers. Of course Hanuman wasn’t aware of his own powers but very well knew of a greater power that was with him. The ring of Lord Rama with His holy name inscribed. Other monkeys did not have that ring.

Angad was confident of jumping to Lanka but he doubted he could come back. Angad, a visionary, knew none of them had the means to cross the ocean. Though Lord Rama sent all of them but he gave the ring only to Hanuman. So if anyone could cross the ocean, it was Hanuman.

In that jump of Hanuman’s, the five elements were involved intricately. He himself being the son of the wind god, so the air element was involved. Because the jump was over the ocean, the water element was involved. He used the skyway and thus the ether element was involved. Since the whole search mission was to find Sita who is Bhumi suta or the daughter of the earth, the earth element was also involved.

And while he was in Lanka, he set the whole city on fire, thus involving the fire element. Hanuman strongly believed that everything in one’s disposal should be involved in the service of Lord Rama and this Hanuman proved in his mystical jump to Lanka by involving all the elements in Rama’s service.

Not only was the jump long but it was dangerous. Hanuman came across four obstacles during his jump across the ocean, each of which tested his commitment to the mission. Along with his character, intelligence, and strength. The first obstacle was a golden mountain named Mynaka that arose from deep within the sea. The presiding deity of that mountain invited Hanuman for a break and to enjoy the pleasures of life before proceeding ahead on that arduous journey.

A break was completely justified, considering that Hanuman had already been on a two-month intense search operation that took him across thousands of miles. Not just that, the journey that was waiting for him ahead was going to be more intense and dangerous.

But instead of choosing to accept it, Hanuman outrightly rejected it. For Hanuman, everything including personal comforts and conveniences came after his service to Lord Rama. There was absolutely no scope for personal space. His love for the Lord and His mission superseded his need for comfort and relaxation.

If Mynaka pushed him to focus on his comforts, the next obstacle distracted him from the goal, pushing him to focus on proving his greatness. The obstacle was named Surasa. She was sent by the demigods to test Hanuman’s preparedness for Lanka. The gods weren’t sure if Hanuman was equipped enough to handle the diplomacy and power of Ravana.

She rose from the ocean and blocked Hanuman’s path stating that she had Brahma’s boon that anyone who passed over the ocean would have to enter into her mouth. Very humbly Hanuman requested her to step away from his path and allow him to execute his mission.

Surasa reacted by increasing the size of her mouth to block his forward movements. That angered Hanuman who increased his size assuming a size bigger than her. Surasa beat him in size and then Hanuman became even bigger. She outdid Hanuman once again.

As this went on, Hanuman realized that in trying to prove that he was better than her, he was forgetting his goal and his mission. His destination was Sita that could only be attained by humility. Sita represents bhakti devi and bhakti is the path of reducing oneself to nothingness.

It is a path that teaches you that god is everything and you are nothing. Surasa represented the desire for greatness and self-promotion. Hanuman realized that the only way to deal with the Surasa mentality was by admitting defeat and showing yourself to be insignificant and humble.

The only way you can deal with desire is to become zero. Hanuman not just became small but atilaghu which means veiy small. When you make yourself zero, which means when you take shelter of the Lord, then desire can’t eat you. Hanuman became very small and entered her mouth and came out, thus fulfilling Brahma’s boon. Surasa was impressed with his intelligence and in turn blessed him to be victorious. The demigods certified Hanuman to be the right candidate to thwart Ravana’s fortitude.

After covering a considerable distance, Hanuman found himself locked in mid-air. He couldn’t move an inch in any direction. Suddenly he was sucked in towards the ocean with great force. He fell into the open mouth of a demoness named Simhika who could capture anyone by their shadow. She swallowed Hanuman completely in one gulp without realizing what a huge mistake that was.

Even before she realized it, Hanuman tore open her belly from the inside and swam out of the bloody waters and once again rose into the sky heading towards Lanka. Simhika represents an envious mind-set who is drowning in an ocean of envy. The nature of envy is to drag down high-flying people using one single fault of theirs as a hook. Hanuman realized that the only way to deal with envy is by destroying it. Envy pulls you down and does not allow one to reach bhakti devi and thus shouldn’t have any place in our lives.

Finally when he reached Lanka on the other side of the ocean, he came across his fourth obstacle in the form of Lankini, the security chief of Lanka. When Hanuman tried to enter, she pushed him out forcefully. The angered Hanuman punched her. With that punch, she came to her senses and realized who her real master was. She was serving a master that was feeding her but had forgotten that master who had brought her to existence.

With that realization, Lankini gave up the service of her false master Ravana and began to serve her true master Rama. Though the journey was arduous for anyone, but for Hanuman who held the holy name of the Lord in his mouth, the blessings of the Lord in his heart, and the remembrance of the Lord’s constant presence and protection in his mind, nothing was difficult and impossible. Crossing over the ocean of difficulties wasn’t at all a tough task for Hanuman jaladhi laghi gaye acharaja nahi.

Pilgrims visiting Hanuman temples often offer the recitation of Hanuman Chalisa with Meaning as a form of worship.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 18 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 18 Sun as Fruit

जुग सहस्त्र
जोजन पर भानू ।
लील्यो ताहि
मधुर फल जानू ॥

Jug sahastra
jojan par Bhanu.
Leelyo tahi
madhur phal janu.

The distant
faraway sun.
You mistook
for a tasty fruit.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 18 Meaning in English

The Hanuman Chalisa is not linear. So the story of Hanuman’s life does not appear sequentially. One moves back and forth. And so, after speaking of how Hanuman helped Ram, Sugriv and Vibhishan, this verse goes back in time to Hanuman’s childhood when he mistook the rising sun for a fruit and jumped into the skies to grab it.

This fantastic tale reveals how Hanuman is able to contract space and time. He is able to travel a huge distance as if he is jumping across the branch of a tree. And he is able to consume the vast fiery ball that is the sun as if it is a fruit. Some people have taken the phrase ‘jug sahastra jojan’ to refer to the distance between the earth and the sun, proof therefore that ancient India knew how to calculate distances in space

using observation. They have taken jug or yuga to mean 1,200 , sahastra to mean 1,000 and jojan or yojan to refer to 8 miles (approximately 13km ). So the line, they suggest, means roughly 150,000,000 km, in other words, the distance of earth from the sun. However, yuga refers to traditional time measurement (an era), and jojan refers to a traditional distance measurement.

When you multiply the two you get speed, not distance. Such interpretations, however appealing, are misleading. It simply refers to Hanuman’s ability to bend space and time, to not only reach the sun but also consume it by increasing his relative size. Hanuman does this as a child, without any training, without any knowledge of his own strength.

This is when the gods panic and Indra, god of the sky, hurls his thunderbolt at Hanuman, causing him to come crashing down to earth, disfiguring his jaw, giving him his name-Hanuman. But Vayu gets annoyed at the way Indra treats his son and hides in a cave with his son, until the gods beg Vayu’s forgiveness and ask him to leave the cave and enable all creatures to breathe once again. In exchange, Indra and all the gods bless Hanuman with many powers.

In some stories, during his journey to the sun, Hanuman assumes all the other celestial bodies (grahas) and the constellations (nakshatras) to be toys and tosses them around. Hindus believe that the location of the grahas, relative to each other and relative to the nakshatras, provides the map of human destiny.

The purpose of astrology (Jyotish) is to appreciate this cosmic pattern. Hanuman has the power to change the location of these celestial bodies, hence the power to change human destiny. The sun impacts our radiance, the moon impacts our emotions, Mars our aggression, Mercury our intelligence, Jupiter

our rationality, Venus our creativity, Saturn our patience, Rahu our clarity and Ketu our calm. People pray to Hanuman on Tuesday and Saturday so that he ensures the grahas exert positive, not negative, influence. The verse tells us how for Hanuman the flaming ball of the sun is equivalent to a juicy fruit. We also know how he held the sun in his armpit, and some say his mouth, while finding Sanjivani. Hanuman is therefore considered a force that can change our destiny, influence the power of the grahas, remove their malevolent influence and enable their benevolent influence.

The sun god is also Hanuman’s guru. Hanuman wanted to learn everything that there was in the world. He was advised to go to Surya, who sees all things. But Surya refused to be Hanuman’s teacher arguing that he was busy travelling all day and at night he had to rest and so had no time to teach.

Hanuman then began flying in front of the sun’s chariot, facing the sun, suffering his glaring heat, determined to learn whatever the sun god could share during his daily journey from the east to the west. Impressed by this display of determination, the sun-who is lord of all grahas-taught Hanuman many things, amongst them how to counter the ill effects of dangerous planets, plants and animals. Therefore, one prays to Hanuman in times of crisis.

In the Ramayana, Ravana is a great astrologer who wrote the Ravana-samhita, a treatise on astrology. But he did this to figure out a way to manipulate the stars and planets to grant him fortune. Hanuman does not seek fortune. And he uses his strength to limit the malevolent influence of celestial bodies, and to give humans the strength to cope with the malevolent influence of celestial bodies. For Ravana, the sun has to be controlled. For Hanuman, the sun is a toy who entertains, and a teacher who enlightens.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 18 Analysis in English

juga sahasra jojana para bhanu
lilyo tahi madhuraphalajanu ||18||

Though the sun is thousands of miles away,
You swallowed it, thinking it a tasty fruit. (18)

juga sahasra jojana para bhanii refers to the distance between the earth and the sun.
1 Yuga is 12000 years
1 Sahasra is 1000 years
1 Yojan is 8 miles
Yuga x Sahasra x Yojan = par Bhanu (to the Sun)
12000 x 1000 x 8 = 96000000 miles
1 mile is 1.6 km
So, 96000000 x 1.6 = 153600000 km

This is the exact round figure distance of earth from Sun when the earth is farthest. When Hanuman was an infant, his parents conducted the first grain ceremony. The moment Hanuman ate the first few grains, his appetite got activated. His mother fed him all possible fruits, but nothing could satisfy his hunger. Finally not wanting to trouble her, Hanuman stopped demanding.

But the hunger pangs did not subside, causing a lot of distress to him. One day, as he was tossing and turning in hunger, Narada Muni appeared to him and offered him some fruits. Even that wasn’t enough to satisfy the intense fire in his stomach. Finally, Narada Muni pointed out to the sun.

Mistaking the sun to be a big fruit, Hanuman jumped towards it in one leap, lllyo tahi madhura phala janu Knowledge can be gained only if you possess the eagerness to gain it. Hanuman was a reservoir of so much knowledge that it even impressed Rama because he had that eagerness for it. Hunger for knowledge is akin to hunger for food. When you are really hungry, you desperately search for food that will satisfy your hunger. Hanuman was an extremely hungry child.

But his hunger was not like the hunger of regular babies. His was an intellectual hunger. The hunger for understanding the deeper truths of life. While the story of baby Hanuman jumping to gobble up the sun is often seen as the hunger of the belly, great acharyas consider that to be the hunger of the heart to gain knowledge. The sun represents light of knowledge. When Hanuman jumped towards the sun and swallowed it up, symbolically it represented his eagerness to gain infinite knowledge.

At one point during the war, a catastrophe struck Rama’s army when Ravana struck Lakshmana with the Shela weapon, which was created by Mayadanava. Ravana had planned the attack well. He shot the weapon much after sun set knowing full well that the effect of the weapon was connected to the movement of the sun. Mayadanava had made such a weapon that would work its poison into a person as soon as the sun set and it would completely destroy a person at sunrise.

So, essentially Rama’s army had only the time between sunset and sun rise to revive Lakshmana by bringing an antidote to the poison. While everyone in the army was crying, Jambavan was busy looking for Hanuman who was engaged in a brutal fight on the other end of the battlefield.

He knew that as usual the only person who could save the day was Hanuman. Giving him a proper brief of the whole matter, Jambavan instructed Hanuman to immediately depart to fetch the herbs that were required as an antidote to the poison.

By the time Hanuman left it was close to midnight. As he began his ascent, he saw something else rising parallel to him almost simultaneously. He was shocked to see that it was the sun, rising at midnight! Only a few hours back the sun had set, so how could it rise so early? The moon was as confused as Hanuman. It was his stipulated time to rule the skies. How did the sun come back, out of turn? In the middle of that crazy confusion, Hanuman heard a shrill laughter.

He turned around in mid-air and discovered the source of that laughter to be Ravana. As soon as he saw that naughty look on his face, he deciphered that Lankeshwar Ravana was the cause behind the unnatural phenomenon. Of course he had the power, ability, and insensitivity to change the course of nature according to his whims. Hanuman realized that there was no point in trying to do anything with Ravana since time was of essence now. There was no time to waste in arguments or fights since Lakshmana’s life was at stake.

Rather than rushing towards the mountains to bring back the life-saving herbs, Hanuman soared towards the sun in an attempt to prevent it from rising so early. He had treaded this path many times before. Once as a baby hungry for food, once as a young child hungry for knowledge, and now as a dynamic youth hungry for service. Though his prime service at this point was to get the herbs back, the secondary condition was to get it on time before sunrise.

He decided to first take care of the secondary condition and thus ensure his primary service got completed on time. Reaching the sun god Surya who was seated on his sun chariot, Hanuman landed with a thud. He needed to have a private chat with the Sun god who had also been his teacher. Obviously with the charioteer Aruna being around there was no question of privacy.

Thus Hanuman kicked out Aruna from the chariot and took charge of it, bringing it to a screeching halt. Surya was now completely dumbfounded. What did this monkey want from him now? He was never sure what mood Hanuman approached him in.

Sometimes he was aggressive and sometimes so humble. In that state of confusion, he asked Hanuman why was he behaving so violently. Hanuman glared at him. Surya immediately understood what that meant. He confessed to Hanuman that he was dead scared of Ravana’s wrath.

But Hanuman’s question was how could that make him do something that would cause harm to Rama? Fear shouldn’t make us change our loyalty. Hanuman reminded Surya that Rama was his ultimate master and that he derived all his strength from the Supreme Lord. While Surya seemed to agree to Hanuman’s points, his eyes kept darting towards Ravana’s palace where Ravana was stationed on the balcony monitoring the sun’s rise.

Hanuman realized that there was no point in discussing with someone who was overcome with fear. Fear makes one do foolish things. He said something that immediately seemed to draw Surya’s attention. He told Surya that he had a brilliant idea that could help both of them simultaneously. He could win Ravana’s trust as well as Rama’s favour with this brilliant idea. To get Surya to trust him even more, Hanuman used a brilliant emotional connect.

He told Surya that since he was called Bhanu and he, Hanuman, was called Hanu, therefore, since their names were similar, they could do something nice together. Now that Surya was open to listening to his idea, Hanuman called him closer to whisper the idea into his ears, lest someone heard it and conveyed to Ravana. The innocent Surya bent closer and offered his ears to Hanuman. Hanuman informally put his arm across Surya’s neck as if bringing him closer and suddenly grasped the neck firmly with his arm, locking the sun god in the grip of his armpit.

Shocked by the sudden turn of events, Surya tried to pry himself out of Hanuman’s grip but in vain. The more he struggled, the more Hanuman tightened his grip. Now Surya realized that his fate was sealed. He stopped struggling and Hanuman took a leap from the chariot with the sun god in his armpit. No more was sunrise a concern because the sun god himself was under his control. When Hanuman began to fly with the sun under his armpit, everyone below in Lanka was amazed.

Ravana was totally taken aback. How could a monkey control the sun like that? As Hanuman flew, his armpits glowed effulgently with the sun god trapped in there. Without any further obstacles, he reached the mountains, home to the particular herbs and plucked them in a large quantity and brought them back to Lanka.

While Jambavan and Shushena busied themselves reviving Lakshmana, Hanuman flew back to the stationary sun chariot to release the captive sun god. As soon as he released the sun god, he begged forgiveness from him for his audacity. Though it was extremely embarrassing for the sun god, he did not take offense knowing that Hanuman’s intention was right though his action may have been wrong.

Not that he had been happy serving Ravana. But he had no option other than obeying, sponsored by his fear. Thus, in one way Hanuman prevented him from serving Ravana and saved him from making a ghastly mistake. Surya concluded that the embarrassment of being under Hanuman’s armpit was better than the embarrassment of rising at the wrong time on the orders of Ravana. This was the third time Hanuman did juga sahasra jojana para bhanu.

Hanuman Chalisa Meaning is considered a source of spiritual strength during challenging times.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 17 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 17 Empowering Vibhishan

तम्हरो मंत्र
बिभीषन माना ।
लंकेस्वर भए
सब जग जाना ॥

Tumharo mantra
Vibhishan maana.
Lankeshwar bhaye
sub jag jana.

Your counsel that
Vibbishan accepted.
Made him Lord of Lanka
as the world knows.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 17 Meaning in English

This verse reveals the difference between the Valmiki Ramayana, composed 2,000 years ago, and Tulsidas’s Ram-charit-manas, composed 500 years ago, and draws attention to the many variations found in regional and folk retellings of Ram’s tale.

While everyone acknowledges Valmiki as the first post to compose the Ramayana, the epic itself has been reimagined, and retold, in many ways in various Sanskrit plays, Prakrit compositions, and-from about tenth century onwards-in various regional languages.

The difference between the oldest work and the later compositions is of two kinds. First, is the theme: while the focus of the Sanskrit epic was dharma and the obligations of a royal prince, the focus of the regional epics came to be bhakti and the veneration of a deity by his devotees. The second is the change in plot.

In the Ram-charit-manas we find an episode that is not found in the Valmiki Ramayana: the meeting of Hanuman and Vibhishan when Hanuman visits Lanka in search of Sita. Hanuman finds a man chanting Ram’s name in Lanka. It turns out to be Ravana’s younger brother. After introductions are exchanged, Hanuman informs Vibhishan that Ram is coming to Lanka to set things right.

Vibhishan then directs Hanuman to the Ashoka garden where Sita has been confined. Vibhishan does not agree with his brother’s action of abducting another man’s wife and imprisoning her in his garden. There are many reasons for this. There is the moral reason of respecting a woman’s consent. There is the ethical reason of respecting another

man’s wife. Then, there is the practical reason: Ravana’s actions damage Lanka’s reputation and threaten Lanka’s security. There is also the dharma reason: a king’s misbehaviour affects the welfare of the entire kingdom.

Vibhishan wants his brother to see sense and Hanuman urges Vibhishan to have a talk with his brother. Unfortunately, Ravana does not like Vibhishan’s arguments and protests and kicks his brother out of Lanka. Hanuman gives Vibhishan the courage to take a decision to override his deep love for his brother, and join forces with Ram.

Vibhishan reveals the various secrets and weaknesses of Ravana that enables Ram to defeat the rakshasa-king. And so in popular lore, Vibhishan is not respected. He is seen as a traitor, a disloyal brother. He is contrasted with Kumbhakarna, another of Ravana’s brothers who shares Vibhishan’s stance in the matter of Sita’s abduction, but remains loyal to Ravana.

He attacks Ram and is brutally killed by Ram’s army of monkeys in the battlefield. The question emerges: is loyalty superior to dharma? For Ravana, the one who grab’s another man’s wife, is no follower of dharma.

Kubera, the king of yakshas and elder brother of Ravana, was the one who built the city of Lanka. Ravana drove Kubera out of Lanka and made himself king. Thus Ravana behaved as animals do, using force to establish his authority.

This action is an even greater tragedy because Ravana is no barbarian; he is a Brahmin well versed in Vedic knowledge. But he misuses Vedic knowledge to dominate and exploit the world. In other words, he is not interested in the fundamental theme of the Vedas-atmagyan, or self-awareness, which enables humans to outgrow animal instincts and empathize with the world.

Hanuman gives Vibhishan the strength to choose dharma over loyalty. Loyalty indulges the self-image at the cost of the other. It values reputation of the self (sva-jiva) over the welfare of the other (para-jiva). Dharma is all about the other. It is what defines our humanity.

After the defeat of Ravana, Vibhishan marries Ravana’s widow and becomes king of Lanka. He rules as a good king should taking care of his people, rather than getting people to take care of him.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 17 Analysis in English

tumharo mantra bibhlshana mana
lankeshvara bhae sabajaga jana ||17||

Vibhishana accepted your advice,
And became the king of Lanka, this the whole world knows. (17)

Hanuman was in Lanka searching for Sita. He was searching for her not inside the houses but inside the temples because where there was Sita, that place was naturally a temple. Expecting Sita in every place, Hanuman considered every house in Lanka to be a temple. He did not find her in the temple of Ravana. Ravana’s palace was also a temple because full- scale worship happened there! Who did Ravana worship? He worshipped his body the most because he wanted to live in this body eternally, be immortal.

In fact, all the citizens of Lanka worshipped their body. No wonder then that Hanuman referred to the houses in Lanka as temples. They had a choice to worship God or worship their bodies. They chose the latter. Materialistic people keep their bodies in the centre of their life. Every demon of Lanka, from an ordinary citizen to Ravana, believed that sense gratification and enjoyment were the ultimate goals of life. The only exception to this was Vibhishan. He lived not in a temple where the body was worshipped but in a house where God was.

Hanuman was delighted to hear sounds of chanting of the holy name coming from this house. He decided to find out who it was. Vibhishan welcomed Hanuman as he heard Hanuman saying ‘Jai Sri Rama’. When asked who he was, Hanuman introduced himself in an unlikely manner. He did not say, “I am Pavanputra Hanuman. I swallowed the sun as a baby.” Instead, he introduced himself as servant of Lord Rama. And after that he began a mini Rama katha, glorifying his divine master.

But Vibhishan still did not know who his visitor was. He again asked him to tell his name. Hanuman then gave his name reluctantly. “I am Hanuman, but please do not chant my name. The only name worth chanting is Rama’s.” Hanuman realized how difficult it must be for Vibhishan, Ravana’s brother, to live in Lanka amongst demons.

Vibhishan described to him the hazards of being a devotee amongst demons. He performed his sadhana in hiding, fearing fatal repercussions if caught. His brother Ravana usually turned a blind eye to him but if anyone complained then there would be stem action taken against him. He was constantly walking on a tightrope.

“Why don’t you leave Lanka and take shelter of Lord Rama?” asked Hanuman. “How can I,” sighed Vibhishan, “leave my brother? After all he is my brother. Lanka is my home.” Vibhishan’s face showed genuine remorse, trapped in a demonic birthplace with no route to escape.

Hanuman explained to him gently, “It all depends on who you think you are. What is your ‘swa dharma’? If you think you are Ravana’s brother, then your dharma is to stay in Lanka and be his advisor. Then you can fulfil your duties at a physical level, your bodily relationships. If you think you are my brother, belonging to the family of Rama and Sita, then your dharma is spiritual, which means you can leave Lanka and take Rama’s shelter. Dharma is always dynamic, never static. It changes with the understanding of who you really are.”

Hanuman’s words of wisdom overwhelmed Vibhishan. He promised Hanuman he would think over it and take the next step. After Hanuman departed, Vibhishan had another visitor. It was Ravana, his brother, the king of Lanka. His arrival always meant only one thing, some sort of trouble. Ravana came barging inside Vibhishan’s palace and roared in anger. “Vibhishana, because of you I have to constantly face embarrassment. You are a blot on our esteemed Rakshasa dynasty.”

“What did I do?” asked a baffled Vibhishan.
“What did you do?” spat Ravana. “Whatever you do is unforgivable. You are constantly chanting Rama, God’s name. Which demon does that? Why are you hell bent on behaving like heavenly citizens instead of a true demon?”

“Oh!” said a relieved Vibhishan. “Is that it? I can explain that. I’m not chanting God’s name. I’m actually chanting your name. ‘Ra’ is short for Ravana, my venerable older brother, and ‘Ma’ is short for Mandodari, my reverent sister- in-law. I am constantly chanting your names. Since chanting Ravana Mandodari becomes quite long and time consuming, I have invented a short form of it Ra-Ma. Simple!”

Hearing these words, Ravana’s anger immediately melted. From a roaring, fiery wild animal he turned into a smiling, loving domestic pet. “Is that how you feel about me?” He couldn’t stop grinning with the respect Vibhishan had bestowed upon him. His chest puffed up more than ever and his voice was now sugar coated.

“I want you and every citizen of Lanka to fill their walls with ‘RaMa’. Every wall should carry my name. And every citizen of Lanka should begin chanting Rama from today. That’s my order.” Pleased with himself, he returned to his palace, tumharo mantra bibhishana manat One day in the court of Lanka, there was a discussion on how to handle the tricky situation of Sita’s obstinacy. Ravana’s ministers could never go against him or speak against him so they suggested forcing Sita into submission.

This is what Ravana liked, flatterers. Yes men. He did not have any well- wisher who could tell the truth. Except Vibhishan, who had never approved of Ravana’s evil actions. But by kidnapping Sita, Ravana had gone too far. Vibhishan had to figure out what he should do now. Speak up or shut up. If he spoke up, Ravana would in all probability kick him out of the kingdom. If he shut up, he would continue with his life of opulence.

He had to choose between a life of opulence and a life of satisfaction. A life of compromise or a life of focus. A life of show or a life of substance. A life of exploitation or a life of sacrifice. A life of vices or a life of values. It was a question of security versus uncertainty. If only he could tolerate Ravana, he would have everything. Hanuman’s words rang in his ears. “If you think you are Ravana’s brother, then your dharma is to stay in Lanka and be his advisor.

Then you can fulfil your duties at a physical level, your bodily relationships. If you think you are my brother, belonging to the family of Rama and Sita, then your dharma is spiritual, which means you can leave Lanka and take Rama’s shelter.” Vibhishan had clarity now.

Hanuman’s words made perfect sense. He knew what he had to do. He would go with his spiritual dharma, the ultimate dharma. tumharo mantra bibhlshana mana He gave Ravana a piece of his mind, “Please leave Sita. It is a sin to kidnap another’s wife and force yourself on her. It does not befit a king to behave in this manner.”

But Ravana was blind with lust. He kicked Vibhishan out of his court and out of Lanka. With that kick, Ravana kicked out Rajya Lakshmi (the goddess of kingship) also. And with that kick Vibhishan found the greatest opulence the lotus feet of Rama. Although insulted, Vibhishan left the assembly feeling great exhilaration. He believed that this attack of Ravana’s foot would lead him to another pair of feet that would bring him great joy. Had he not felt the hard feet of Ravana, how would he have experienced the soft feet of Rama?

Most people experience happiness only when things are going as per their expectations. This is a materialistic mind set. To experience happiness even when things are going wrong, is a spiritual mind set, a sadhaka’s mind set. A spiritualist or a devotee is happy even in unfavourable conditions. Vibhishan was happy even though he had been chucked out of Lanka.

He was happy to be seeking shelter of Rama, tumharo mantra bibhlshana mana What is surrender? Surrender is understood in two parts. One is akincanatvam. Which means to surrender with hands folded. The folded hands indicate humility.

It implies everything belongs to God and nothing belongs to me and thus I have nothing to give. And second part of surrender is ananyam gatim. This means I have nowhere else to go other than your shelter. Sometimes, people offer obeisance with their legs crossed locking each other, which indicates that my legs are tied and I cannot go anywhere else now.

Vibhishan, along with his four trusted friends, left Lanka and flew over the ocean to reach Rama’s camp. He informed the guards of the vanara army that he had come seeking shelter of Rama. Seeing Vibhishan beg with folded hands, the monkeys dashed inside to deliver the startling message. They themselves were shocked with Vibhishan’s arrival.

When the monkeys gave Rama the message, he was with Sugriva, Hanuman, and few other trusted friends. He looked at others to know their opinion. Rama always sought their opinion before he made any decision. Sugriva was not keen on the enemy’s brother joining their camp. He said candidly, “O’ Lord, it is unwise to let the enemy enter our camp.

He may open all our military secrets. How can we trust someone who is betraying his own brother?” The other vanaras too agreed with their king’s analysis. When Sugriva saw Rama was not convinced, he said, “You are not a very good judge of people either, so please send him away.” Hearing this, both Rama and Hanuman smiled because Sugriva was himself such a bad judge of people. Sugriva had mistaken Rama and Lakshmana to be Vali’s spies.

Next Rama turned to Hanuman for his opinion. “What do you say, Hanuman? Both Sugriva and I trust your opinion so we will do as you say.” Hanuman recalled his experience with Vibhishan in Lanka. He narrated to them how Vibhishan was the only pious person in the whole of Lanka, chanting God’s names against all odds. Despite constant threat from Ravana and other demons. And how his was the only sane voice that had prevented Ravana from killing Hanuman. “In my opinion, Vibhishan is genuine. He should be given shelter.”

Rama’s eyes lit up with Hanuman’s words. Rama recalled his encounter in Panchvati with Surpanakha, Vibhishan’s sister. She had criticized Vibhishan saying he had no qualities of rakshasas. Being a pious person, he was the black sheep of their family. Surpanakha had given vivid examples of Vibhishan’s unwarranted pious behaviour.

When all the siblings had done penance to please Brahma, Vibhishan had asked not for immortality or name or fame but for dharma to be always present in his life. This had shocked all his siblings. Rama reflected that despite the association of demons like Ravana and others that Lanka was full of, Vibhishan had still managed to retain his purity. That was definitely commendable. And he had also saved Hanuman’s life.

When Ravana had ordered him to be killed, it was Vibhishan who had come to his rescue arguing that a messenger is innocent and should not be killed. Ravana had then reversed his order of killing and set fire to his tail. Vibhishan’s act of kindness had not gone unnoticed by Rama. As far as Rama was concerned, Vibhishan, by this single act, had become qualified for his shelter.

Any kindness that we do, makes us attractive in Rama’s eyes. Rama said, “I will give shelter to Vibhishan. My dharma is to accept in my fold anyone who comes to me. No one is ever turned back.” He asked the monkeys to allow Vibhishan in. As soon as Vibhishan entered, they all stood up and Rama said, “Lankesh, you are welcome here. You are my fifth brother from now.”

Vibhishan turned red as a beetroot when he heard Rama addressing him as Lankesh. He was embarrassed that his deep- rooted desire had become obvious to Rama. But Vibhishan’s embarrassment caused Rama a lot more embarrassment. Because there was no need for Vibhishan to turn red since Rama was only giving him what was rightly his.

Rama arranged for a fire sacrifice for coronation and Vibhishan was immediately crowned as the king of Lanka. Much before the war was fought, much before Ravana was killed, Vibhishan became the king of Lanka, lankeshvara bhae saba jaga jana Rama always knew how to build bridges. Whether it was difference of opinions, difference in behaviour, or difference in feelings, Rama removed all differences by building bridges and joining people.

The next step for the vanara army was to cross the vast expanse of ocean. Vibhishan suggested that Rama pray to the ocean god and take his help to cross. Lakshmana, however, believed in action. He did not want to wait for the ocean god to come and help. Lakshmana advised Rama, “Only the weak stand and wait and do nothing. Just shoot your arrows and make way to cross.”

Lakshmana and Vibhishan were poles apart. One was Rama’s younger brother while the other was the enemy’s younger brother. One loved his brother to death while the other had not an iota of love for his brother. One believed in action while the other believed in mercy.

Rama had to cross not just the vast ocean but also the vast expanse of differences between the two. Who would he listen to? He didn’t want to take sides. He wanted to unite them. He was an expert in finding the essence of unity even in the midst of differences. The common theme between the two was that they both loved Rama. And the common goal was to cross the ocean.

Vibhishan did not expect Rama to take his advice when Lakshmana was so openly not in favour. His face fell in anticipation of being rejected. But Rama said, “Yes, Vibhishan, we will try what you say.” Vibhishan became ecstatic. Then Rama said, “Lakshmana, we will have to use your method also.”

And with his body language he conveyed to Lakshmana that he valued his opinion. For three days, they tried Vibhishan’s suggestion and the next day, they tried Lakshmana’s suggestion and in this way Rama succeeded in maintaining unity by building bridges between hearts.

Devotees organize Shree Hanuman Chalisa Satsangs to collectively chant this sacred hymn.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 16 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 16 Benabling Sugriv

तुम उपकार
सुग्रीवहिं कीन्हा ।
राम मिलाय
राज पद दीन्हा ॥

Tum upkar
Sugrivahin keenha.
Ram milaye
rajpad deenha.

Eternally grateful to you
is Sugriv.
You introduced him to Ram
who made him king.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 16 Meaning in English

This chaupai draws our attention to events in Kishkinda that led to Sugriv becoming king, thanks to Hanuman’s intervention, with the help of Ram. As stated earlier, the story of Ramayana draws attention to the state of affairs between three, worlds: Ayodhya, where humans (manava) uphold dharma; Kishkinda, where monkeys (vanara) reside and struggle with dharma; and Lanka, where barbarians (rakshasa) reside and ignore dharma completely. Vanaras are thus located between the world of dharma and adharma.

In dharma, you give in order to get, and accept whatever you receive. In adharma, you grab whatever you want, as there is no concept of, or regard for, personal property. In between these two worlds is the world where you give and take: you are bound by obligations to fulfil.

This is the world where you demand fair exchange, where fairness is not spontaneous, but enforced, through law or force. This is demonstrated in the politics of Kishkinda. The king of Kishkinda, Riksha, once fell into a pond and turned into a woman.

Two gods fell in love with his female form: the rain god Indra and the sun god Surya. From his union with the two gods, Riksha had two sons: Indra gave him the mighty Vali, and Surya gave him the meek Sugriv. Riksha, who had been both father and mother to the two brothers, asked them to share the kingdom equally after his death.

All was well until there was a misunderstanding. A rakshasa attacked Kishkinda and in the attack that followed, Sugriv assumed that Vali had been killed. But Vali had been victorious, and saw his brother’s hasty conclusion as indicative of his guile and ambition.

Rather than sort out the mistrust, and re-establish faith, Vali drove Sugriv out of Kishkinda by force and claimed the kingdom for himself. He made Sugriv’s wife, Ruma, part of his harem. In other words, Vali behaved like a typical alpha male monkey who corners all the foraging lands and females of the troop for himself.

Had Hanuman not intervened, Vali would have killed Sugriv. Hanuman was a student of the sun god and had been asked by the sun god to take care of his son Sugriv; and Hanuman had promised to protect him.

Hanuman observed that Vali wanted to kill Sugriv and Sugriv survived by hiding atop Rishyamukh mountain – the one place that Vali feared to go. A sage had once cursed Vali that if he ever stepped on this mountain, he would die. So Vali, determined to hurt Sugriv, would fly over the mountain and kick Sugriv on the head.

When Hanuman saw this happening day after day, he decided to stop Vali. He caught Vali’s leg and threatened to drag him to the mountain top to perish. Vali begged for mercy and Hanuman let him go after threatening him with a slap (resulting in the icon known as ‘tamacha’ Hanuman) and extracting a promise: Vali would quit his petty behaviour and let his brother be.

If Hanuman wanted, he could have hurt, even killed Vali. But he did not, as he had no quarrel with Indra’s son. In other words, he did not interfere in the Sugriv-Vali conflict and focussed on taking care of Sugriv, as instructed by his guru.

It was Hanuman who spotted the jewels that Sita cast down to mark a trail as she was being taken to Lanka by Ravana on his flying chariot, the Pushpak-viman. This led Hanuman to Ram and Lakshman who were moving south in search of Sita. He introduced Ram to Sugriv. He felt the two could help each other: Ram could help Sugriv become king of Kishkinda and Sugriv could help Ram find Sita.

While Hanuman had sensed Ram’s nobility and valour, Sugriv had no faith and wanted proof of Ram’s talent as an archer. Ram had to shoot an arrow through seven trees, convincing Sugriv that he was indeed a worthy ally. Sugriv then challenged Vali to a duel and while the two were fighting, Ram who was hiding behind the bushes shot Vali dead with his arrow.

Vali condemned this act as cheating and Ram argued, ‘One who does not know how to share, or forgive, one who lives by the jungle way, and uses his might to establish his authority, should not condemn the use of cunning in a duel, for that too is the jungle way, available for the survival of the meek. Besides, if I challenged you to a duel, by the ways of the jungle, Kishkinda would be my kingdom, not Sugriv’s.’

Thus, with Ram’s help, Sugriv became king. But when it was time to fulfil his end of the bargain, Sugriv said, ‘Let’s wait until the rainy season ends, travelling in the rain is dangerous.’ While Ram waited patiently, Sugriv indulged in the pleasures of his harem, for even Vali’s wife Tara was now his. He forgot all about his promise to help Ram even after the rains ended.

Finally, an angry Lakshman decided to force Sugriv to help. ‘I shall kill the cheat if he refuses to help; declared Ram’s brother. It was Hanuman who sensed trouble and restored peace. While he got Tara to calm the angry Lakshman down, he went to Sugriv and told him to mend his ways, and keep his promise. Sugriv finally saw sense, apologized to Ram and organized his troops to find Sita.

Thus it was Hanuman who not only protected Sugriv from Vali’s wrath but also enabled Sugriv to become king with Ram’s help and protected him from Lakshman’s outrage. Hanuman got Sugriv to follow the ways of dharma-not just take, but also give. Ideally, Sugriv should have helped Ram without any reminding or nudging.

Hanuman had to remind Sugriv of his obligations. While Lakshman expected Sugriv to keep his end of the bargain, Ram had no such expectation. For Ram was a yogi, who knows a man has rights only to action, not to the results of action. Only Hanuman noticed this and wanted to be the servant of the man who had no desire to be anyone’s master.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 16 Analysis in English

tuma upakara sugrlvahi kinha
rama milaya rajapada dinha ||16||

You rendered Sugriva a great favour,
Connecting him to Lord Rama
and making him king. (16)

In Treta yuga, the Supreme Lord helped Surya’s son, Sugriva, and killed Indra’s son, Vali. But in Dwapar yuga, he helped Indra’s son, Arjuna, and killed Surya’s son, Kama. Was there any hidden significance behind this change in order with the change in yuga? Was he trying to balance it out? Though to the external vision it may seem to be a balancing act, but the real reason is much deeper than this understanding. In Dwapar yuga, Aijuna was humble and Kama was egoistic. In Treta yuga Sugriva was humble while Vali was full of pride.

So who does the Supreme Lord help? He helps the one who has no pride. One who is devoid of the ‘me’ mind-set gets God’s grace. God does not like pride; his nature is to destroy it. Sugriva was weak physically and he was definitely weak in his character and he had no courage; but his only plus point was that he had no pride. Pridelessness was his only qualification.

One cannot demand grace. When and how it will come no one can tell. But if we get saintly association, our weakness can become an asset in getting the grace of the Supreme Lord. This is where Hanuman comes into the picture in Sugriva’s life.

Hanuman was that saintly person who united Sugriva with God. Hanuman led Sugriva to God through the path of mercy and not effort. In this world, there are three categories of people materialists, sadhakas (those pursuing the path of spiritual perfection), and siddhas (those who have perfected the path of spirituality). The materialists are least likely to reach God.

Sugriva is one such materialist. Hanuman, the exact opposite of Sugriva, is a prime example of a siddha who has reached perfection. Hanuman’s character has so many strengths and Sugriva’s character has so many weaknesses. But Sugriva, who more or less falls in the materialist category, still attained God. If it weren’t for the perfect Hanuman, the imperfect Sugriva wouldn’t have met Rama.

The mind is known as Tripurasur because it lives in three cities of desire, anger, and greed. Greed can be counteracted by giving charity. But charity leads to pride. After giving charity, one desires to be praised and recognized for it and wants respect in return.

And knowledge means absence of desire for respect. When Hanuman completed his education with Surya, he wanted to offer guru dakshina, which is a form of charity. The charity that Surya sought was not wealth but a promise.

He wanted Hanuman to promise him that he would take care of his son Sugriva and serve him. Hanuman immediately made that promise and from then on stood beside Sugriva through thick and thin. Though he offered charity, Hanuman had no desire to be recognized or respected for that charity and he had no pride of being a giver. Thus he proved that he had gained complete knowledge from his guru Surya. Because knowledge means absence of desire for respect.

Not only did Hanuman serve Sugriva, but he also made him respectable in the eyes of Rama and in the eyes of the world. From Sugriva’s example we learn that it is not by our own sadhana and efforts that we attract God’s grace but by God’s mercy that comes through the grace of the saintly people. Sugriva received God’s grace without any sadhana or effort. To such an extent that Sugriva is constantly thinking of Rama and Rama is constantly thinking of Sugriva.

That makes Sugriva extremely respectable. This perhaps is the greatest help Hanuman rendered Sugriva. tuma upakara sugnvahi kinha Hanuman’s entry in the Ramayana is to give hope to others. This is his role even in today’s times. Giving hope to others.

“Do not worry! There is no fear on this mountain!” These were Hanuman’s first words to Sugriva and his assistants who hid on the Rishimukha Mountain due to Vali’s fear. In fact these were his first words in the Ramayana.

He entered into the Ramayana and in this world to give hope, assurance, and confidence to everyone. When Sugriva and his assistants saw Hanuman, they smiled through their fears. Every inch of Hanuman’s body was chiselled with rippling muscles that indicated years and years of disciplined lifestyle. He wore a yellow silken garment on his lower half and his upper torso was bare except for the golden ornaments that decorated his broad and deep chest.

With a set of armlets and bracelets embracing his arms, he looked powerful and regal Hanuman assured the scared vanaras, “There is no fear of Vali on this mountain anymore. As long as we are by your side and the curse of Matanga Rishi favours you, there can be no danger for you on this mountain from Vali.” With that assurance Sugriva turned in the direction of the problem he had recently perceived. He had spotted two humans making their way towards them and he was afraid they had been sent by Vali to kill him.

“Look at their lengthy arms. Look at their broad eyes. Look at their bows and arrows. Just one look at these two beings instils fear in me. Vali has surely, drafted these two divine-looking handsome human beings to ensure my death. Hanuman, if my premonition is true then there is no one that can save me and there is no place that is safe for me to feel safe in.”

Following Sugriva’s gaze, Hanuman walked forward towards the edge of the cliff and carefully looked down at the two handsome human beings that were walking by the edges of the Pampa Sarovar heading towards the Rishimukha Mountain.

From his vantage point, Hanuman could immediately decipher a few facts about these two stunning personalities. They appeared to be the most virtuous people that Hanuman had ever glanced upon. In fact, their brilliant lustre gave them godly looks. Were they in reality gods in human form? But such divine beings wouldn’t engage in immoral acts.

Walking back towards the shaken Sugriva, Hanuman revealed his observations. “O’ Sugriva, look at the two of them carefully. They seem to be oceans of mercy. They don’t seem to be indulging in acts of violence for their own sadistic pleasure or to facilitate anyone else’s adharmic whims.

It appears that their weapons are meant for protecting the weak. O’ Sugriva, there is no fear from them.” Sugriva thought of a plan that he revealed to Hanuman. “Hanuman, I can’t rely on intuition anymore. When my life is at stake, I need clear proof before making any conclusions.

I want you to use your guise-changing ability to ascertain the intentions of these personalities. I specifically want you to take the form of a genuine wandering sanyasi. Any dharmatma cannot possibly hide his intentions from a saintly soul. Use your expertise in analysing human psychology through behavioural sciences to decode their minds.” Hanuman immediately took the form of a sanyasi and left to find the identity of the two strangers.

In the short conversation that followed, Hanuman could easily understand that the two were not enemies but friends. But in that short conversation, Rama understood that Hanuman couldn’t be a sanyasi nor could he be any ordinary entity. The first impression of Hanuman on Rama was intense. Rama was very highly impressed hearing the flawless speech of Hanuman’s from which he got a glimpse into his character and mind-set.

“If this is the quality of a servant, what must be the quality of the master?” Rama whispered into Lakshmana’s ears while looking at Hanuman with great admiration. “Just by meeting Hanuman, I am thoroughly convinced that Sugriva is the right person to help us find Sita.” As soon as Rama declared that Lakshmana agreed too.

He expressed their eagerness to connect with Sugriva to Hanuman. Hanuman’s face lit up with great joy. More than joy it was a hope that Sugriva would soon be liberated from his bondage.“It is actually Sugriva who is fortunate to have your refuge. In fact, Sugriva should have come himself and sought your shelter rather than you having to go to him.

But now Sugriva is tired of life. If the patient cannot go to the doctor then the doctor has to go to the patient, ” saying this Hanuman bent down on one knee. Folding his hands in front of the brothers, he made a request. “Please allow me the fortune of carrying the two of you on my back to meet Sugriva who lives on top of the invincible Rishimukha Mountain.” One who is capable can reach God himself but if one is incapable, then God goes to him.

Soon both the brothers, seated on Hanuman’s broad shoulders, were cruising up the lofty stone mountain. Hanuman was nimble and agile as any other monkey. He made sure that the two brothers weren’t inconvenienced too much and were comfortably seated on his shoulders. He carried them up the mountain where Sugriva was.

When Rama met Sugriva, he declared that he saw all nine limbs of bhakti in Sugriva simply because he had the association of the saintly Hanuman. Sugriva had a simple heart. He was so simple that he had no hesitation in telling Rama all his shortfalls.

He could have easily covered his faults but he frankly narrated to Rama how he had been running from Vali like a coward. He admitted all his failures and his weaknesses. The ability to admit one’s weakness is actually the sign of one’s inner strength, humility, and simplicity.

The word Sugriva means neck. A humble person always stands with his neck bent. A special feature of Sugriva was his humility. Sugriva had many capabilities as well as weaknesses but Hanuman channelized those capabilities in the right direction.

One should know one’s capabilities and incapabilities. Some people after knowing their inabilities become dejected and so disappointed with life that they commit suicide. But after knowing your inabilities, if you search for your abilities then that knowledge is worthwhile. Most often when we focus heavily on our inabilities, we lose sight of our abilities. That is when we need a guide to step into our life. Hanuman helped Sugriva look beyond his inabilities and look towards Rama. Hanuman was the link between Bhagawan (God) and Bhakta (devotee).

Once Rama and Sugriva shook hands and mutually agreed to help one another, Hanuman lit a fire to seal the friendship between them. Both wood and fire need each other to bum. Both represent the dharma of friendship. But Rama says more important than the wood and fire is the person who brings them together. Even if there is wood and fire but without vayu or air the two cannot bum together.

So if Pavanputra (son of air god) Hanuman was missing then there would be no friendship between Rama and Sugriva. Rama milaya rajapada dinha Lakshmana asked Rama why he chose Sugriva and not Vali to find Sita. Rama laughed at Lakshmana’s assumption that Vali was stronger.

Sugriva had two unique strengths. One was that he was fast in running. Because of that neither Vali nor pride could catch him. Second was that he was very resourceful. He had found out that he could stay on Rishimukha Mountain, which was out of bounds for Vali. These two strengths were the right qualities to find Sita.

Finding Sita through Hanuman would not have been a miracle. Miracle lies in making a person like Sugriva, a sadhaka, to find Sita (bhakti). To highlight the incapacity of Sugriva, Shabri takes his name. And the last certificate is given by Hanuman.

Sugriva’s life is full of deficiencies, which he presents to Hanuman. Then the saintly Hanuman brings Rama into his life and unites him with God. Finding Sita is a process. First knowledge of God should dawn which then facilitates bhakti. Sugriva takes help of Hanuman to get this transcendental knowledge. And Hanuman is faith personified. This implies that we need intelligence to learn about material knowledge but faith to acquire knowledge of God.

However, after Rama killed Vali and made Sugriva the king of Kishkinda, he immersed himself in worldly pleasures. Once in a while he would remember God but his mind would say that there’s no time limit given so what’s the hurry.

God had not given a time frame to find Sita. This is also an excuse people give, what is the hurry to practice bhakti. In fact, they tell youngsters also that they should not take up bhakti in young age. Do it later. They assume death will wait till they are ready. If we knew our time of death then we could allot a certain time for bhakti. But not knowing when death will come, we are only fooling ourselves.

Meanwhile, Hanuman reminds Sugriva about the promise he gave to Rama. He gave such a Rama katha that the clouds of desires covering Ramachandra from Sugriva got scattered. Hanuman being the son of the wind god could scatter the clouds.

He asked Sugriva if he knew what happened to the arrow that Rama used to kill Vali. Sugriva said that it went back to Rama because Rama does not let anybody leave Him; He calls everyone back. Hanuman rejected it; this logic was not right for this situation.

Hanuman told him that the arrow was back with Rama because he had vowed that if Sugriva forgot his promise then he would use the same arrow on him. As soon as Sugriva heard this, he began to tremble. The clouds of lust were scattered and the moon of Ramachandra started rising. Sugriva ran back to Rama and rendered his service of assembling the monkey army to find Sita.

Thus in every step in Sugriva’s life Hanuman was present. He not only helped him connect with Rama, but he also helped him gain a kingdom. But when he was lost in the pleasures of the kingdom, Hanuman helped him gain back Rama, tuma upakara sugrivahi kmha/rama milaya rajapada dinha

The Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics in English is often accompanied by bhajans and kirtans in temples.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 15 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 15 Admirers in Every Direction

जम कुबेर
दिगपाल जहाँ ते ।
कबि कोबिद्
कहि सके कहाँ ते ॥

Jam Kubera
Digpaal jahan te.
Kavi kovid
kahi sake kahan te

Yama, Kubera
other guardians of the directions
Poets as well as scholars
cannot praise you enough

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 15 Meaning in English

While the Hanuman Chalisa enables immersion into the idea of Hanuman, it also expands our understanding of the Hindu worldview. In this verse we are being introduced to the idea of Digpaal, or Digga-pala, the guardians of the sky who are located in eight spots: the four cardinal and the four ordinal directions. Here Hanuman’s popularity is being reaffirmed. Even the guardians of space are singing praises of Hanuman, as are the poets (kavi) and scholars (kovid).

As the Puranas came to be composed, the Hindu universe came to have a unique architecture. The world was seen as a lotus flower, with continents spreading out like petals from a central mountain called Meru. The continent on which India is located is called Jambudvipa, stretching from the Himalayas to the oceans, and watered by seven rivers; it is the land of the blackbuck.

Spreading over it like a canopy is the sky, pegged at eight different locations: north, south, east, west, northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest. At each peg is located a guardian (Digga-pala) and a pair of elephants (Digga-gaja).

The north is marked by the Pole Star, and is the land of permanence. This makes the south the land of impermanence, ruled by Yama, the lord of death. In the south rules Ravana, the king of rakshasas, who drove his elder brother Kubera, king of yakshas, to the north.

If Ravana lives in Lanka, Kubera lives in Alanka, or Alaka. If Ravana grabs the fortune of others, Kubera, as the lord of treasures, gives fortunes to others. Metaphorically, the two directions counter each other. Yama fills life with fear while Kubera fills it with hope. Life is a combination of fear and hope. Both these deities complement each other, and both praise Hanuman.

Other Digga-palas include Indra on the east and Varuna on the west, who also complement each other: Indra embodies fresh water of rain while Varuna embodies saltwater of the sea. The ordinal directions are marked by the sun complemented by moon, and wind complemented by fire. These gods of space praise Hanuman. He is being adored in all directions.

Many Hanuman temples declare themselves to be Dakshinamukhi, with Hanuman facing the south, the direction of death and decay. In this, Hanuman mimics Dakshina-murti, the southfacing form of Shiva found in South Indian temples. This form of Shiva is called the teacher of teachers as he gives discourse on the Vedas, Tantras, Nigamas and Agamas for the benefit of sages.

But Dakshina-mukhi Hanuman is more ferocious than intellectual; he protects devotees from rakshasas, demons who reside in the south. This is not the literal south, but the metaphorical south. One can say it refers to the negative impulses in our body, located in the lower part of the brain. One can say it refers to our base instincts or the base instincts of others, such as jealousy and rage that wreak havoc in relationships.

Hanuman has a special relationship with poets and scholars. Poets respond to the world with their heart, scholars with their head. Both adore this warrior monkey-god. Why? Because Hanuman is one of them: a poet and a scholar, and there are many stories testifying to that.

His love for knowledge is evident when he begs the sun god, Surya, to be his teacher, and reveal to him the secret of the Vedas. He does not mind suffering the glare of the sun while he is studying. His love for storytelling is revealed when he narrates the story of Ram (Ram-katha) first to Sita in Lanka and later to Bharat in Ayodhya.

In these narrations, he describes Ram using the most beautiful words and phrases. Hanuman’s love for music is revealed when Narada, the musician-sage, watches him melt ice on the Himalayas with the sheer power of his singing the praise of Ram (Ram-bhajan).

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 15 Analysis in English

jama kubera dikpala jaha te 
kabi kobida kahi sakai kaha te ||15||

Yama, Kubera, and the guardians of the quadrants,
Poets and scholars – none can truly express
your infinite glories. (15)

Even before Hanuman had a chance to regain his balance or even his breath, he got a tight kick on his back and began to topple over. His warrior instincts took over instantly and he leaped. There was no rest in a warrior’s life. He hadn’t even recovered from his long arduous travel to Lanka and here was a new challenge.

One moment he was fallen on the ground and in the next he was standing on his feet. Steadying his arms ahead of him, ready for a duel with his unseen enemy. He could only see a thick mist in front of him. Whoever or whatever had kicked him was hiding behind that mist.

Suddenly a very scary looking personality came into view. Hanuman relaxed. “O’ Mrityudev! O’ god of death! I can’t believe it’s you! Why would you be on Ravana’s island? And why would you kick me?” The ice-cold stare disappeared suddenly and was replaced by a look of recognition.

“O’ son of Vayu! O’ Pavana Putra! What have I done? Please forgive me for inadvertently kicking a gentle soul like you. I know very well that I myself had given you a boon that you wouldn’t ever be touched by death. But what can I do! I am now a helpless prisoner. I no longer have the freedom to do what I want. Ravana has

chained me on this mountain with the shackle of Rudra mantras and has instructed me to kill anyone who dares to step on this mountain. No matter how much I try, I am unable to break free from this bondage.” One touch by Hanuman and the shackles of Rudra , mantras fell off and Yama was free once again.

Hanuman was extremely impressed by Ravana’s foresight and strategy. Profusely thanking Hanuman, Yama blessed him. He was so grateful to his saviour that he blessed him with fearlessness.In fact he told Hanuman that anyone who remembers him would never have to be afraid of death.

Yama will personally protect whoever follows Hanuman. jama kubera dikpala jaha te This happened on the eve of the most obnoxious episode of Ravana ransacking the palace of his stepbrother Kubera. It wasn’t just enough for Ravana to forcibly take over Kubera’s kingdom Lanka, he also couldn’t tolerate Kubera being settled in his newly acquired place in the vicinity of Kailash mountains, offered by none other than Lord Shiva himself.

Because Kubera was carrying out such an important role on behalf of the gods, being their treasurer, Lord Shiva felt that he deserved a decent residence. Especially after Ravana kicked him out unceremoniously from his own kingdom Lanka that had also been offered to him by the gods.

Seeing his brother resettled unsettled Ravana; again he made a surprise attack on Kubera. He forcibly took away everything valuable from Kubera’s kingdom and his followers carried away the rest. Of all the things he acquired, the most prized possession was the Pushpak Vimana. He had an eye on it right from the time their father, the powerful Sage Vishrawas, had given it to Kubera.

So far watching the world from afar and from high up in the air had only been a dream. Now it was about to come true. Ravana stepped into the Pushpak Vimana with his uncle Maricha and an aide, Prahasta, to make an aerial tour of the Kailash Mountain, to turn his dream into a reality. Whilst they were in the middle of their first joy ride, the plane began to slow down over the Kailash Mountain. Both Ravana and Maricha had no idea how to handle a fully automated plane.

As the uncle-nephew team was trying to make sense of it all, a unique creature with a robust torso and pillar-like arms emerged from behind the peaks of Kailash. One hand wielding a spear and the other placed on the hip, the creature’s posture was certainly aggressive.

His daunting personality seemed menacing and his booming voice sounded authoritative, just as loud as the rumbling clouds atop the mountains. “This is a restricted area. Ordinary mortals, rakshasas, gandharvas and even devas are not permitted here without the sanction of Shiva, the lord of this area.”

Ravana was very agitated with the obstruction, much like a child prevented from entering the kitchen to steal sweets. But something about the creature’s demeanour tickled his funny bone. Although right in the middle of a warlike situation, Ravana began giggling impetuously, much to the surprise of all.

He tried to muffle his giggles with his hand, but this impudence did not go unnoticed by the daunting warrior from Kailash. “You mock me because my face resembles a monkey’s? Your pride will soon be vanquished in the most humiliating way, you haughty fool!” scowled Nandishwar, the loyal bull mount of Lord Shiva.

“Very soon a monkey will destroy your Lanka. He will bum your city and deface your people. You will be able to do nothing but watch everything you are proud of bum. He will bring hordes of monkeys and annihilate your entire race. When you are on your death bed, you will remember this costly snigger. Then you will cry, and the monkeys will laugh. I could kill you this instant, but then it will not be a shameful enough death.

I want you to die feeling helpless, watching everything you value demolished right before your eyes.” jama kubera dikpala jaha te Just as Hanuman was about to move forward towards the city of Lanka, he heard something. He had just saved Yama and was now moving towards his mission of finding Sita. There, he heard it again! It was a very feeble voice.

But Hanuman’s keen ears didn’t miss it. As he stepped in that direction, the voice became louder, clearer. It was coming from a cave on the mountain. He ran towards the cave not knowing what to expect. But there was a sense of desperation in that voice. It almost seemed to be begging. The scene that greeted him as soon as he stepped into the cave shocked him.

Hanging from the ceiling of the cave was someone who had been mercilessly hung upside down with his face closely staring at the wall. His hands and legs were tied in such a way that he couldn’t even turn or make a move in any direction. “Please help me!” was all he could say in that dire condition.

Yet another prisoner of Ravana’s! Taking off the chains that were hooked to the ceiling, Hanuman carefully brought that suffering personality down. Once down, Hanuman turned him around and got the first glance at his face. He was utterly shocked to see that it was Shanidev. The one whose infamous stare reduced people to nothingness was here himself reduced to nothingness.

Now it all made sense. Being an astrological scholar, Ravana knew the power of Shani’s stare. He knew that Shani glanced favourably at an individual for two and half years and unfavourably for the next two and half years.

Timing his visit to Shani’s abode during the time when astrologically Shani had been favouring Ravana, he had imprisoned him to ensure that he didn’t stare at him at all in the future. So that there was no question of unfavourable glances. Ravana wanted to ensure that Shani didn’t glance unfavourably at not just him but at anyone in Lanka and even at anything in Lanka.

Thus blocking him in a cave on the edge of Lanka, he had tied him up in such a way that he could only stare at the wall of the cave and nothing else. Shani expressed his gratitude to Hanuman for rescuing him after months of torture.

Shani blessed him that anyone who remembers Hanuman would never be affected by miseries caused by Shani’s glance. Devatas like Shani and even Indra, important personalities in the universal administration, are eternally grateful to Hanuman. jama kubera dikpala jahd te At one point Ravana decided to attack the heavens directly along with his son Meghanada.

News of the attack of the invincible father-son duo spread far and wide forcing the demigods to scurry for safety. Indra tried his best for protection from Lord Vishnu, but strangely, this time the lord had other priorities, which left Indra broken-hearted.

The war had begun at a frenetic pace. Indra took on Ravana headlong as Jayanta, Indra’s son, attacked Meghanada. During this point in the war, it seemed as if Indra would be the victor, especially when he strategically engaged his army to surround Ravana and capture him alive. But right then Meghanada resorted to the art of samadhi, Lord Shiva’s gift to him.

Soon Jayanta swooned against his chariot and was carried off the battlefield by his men, to be safely hidden in the ocean bed. Assuming his son dead, Indra went ballistic with rage and launched a full-throttle attack on Ravana with his explosive thunderbolt. Ravana fell unconscious, unable to withstand the power of the bolt.

Everything seemed perfectly aligned for Indra’s victory. And then, everything froze! A cold eeriness enveloped the atmosphere. Indra could move only his eyes. What had just happened? Why did his body freeze? The army looked at him for orders as he helplessly looked back at them. Indra hoped that they would understand and forgive him, while they hoped he would speak and save them. Without his directions, his army was mercilessly chopped to death right in front of him, as helpless tears rolled down his cheeks.

Soon a pair of muscular hands seized his shoulders in a crocodile grip and his body was back in motion. But he was now tied up with ropes. Meghanada’s magic had worked yet again. Hanging his head in defeat, Indra was hauled into the Pushpak Vimana and disgracefully tied to the flag post. With their leader captured alive, the demigods who saw no more sense in continuing the fight, dropped their weapons. They, too, were rounded up and pushed into the magical air chariot. At last all the universal directors were under Ravana’s control!

Meghanada got a new name, Indrajit, after that but Indra got a gift of a magical prison cell in which he was locked in. It wasn’t like a regular prison but a prison that was blocked with magical spells from all sides. It was impossible for anyone to enter or exit. When Hanuman made his entry into Lanka, Narada appeared in front of him and gave him the whereabouts of Indra and requested him to release the king of heavens.

Hanuman swiftly killed the watchmen who were guarding the prison and disabled the spells that were blocking the cell. Setting Indra free from the prison, Hanuman destroyed the prison cell itself. Indra was so indebted to Hanuman that he blessed him profusely and departed immediately, not wanting to be caught once again. jama kubera dikpala jaha te Lord Rama had a big heart and ruled with great magnanimity.

One day he was invited to be the guest of a Gandharva king along with Sita and his brothers. The king worshipped Lord Rama with great reverence and they sat down for lunch. The royal kitchen was a beehive of activity, preparing food fit for God himself. But before they could begin to eat, they were interrupted by some brahmanas.

They had reached the Gandharva king’s palace looking for Lord Rama. On hearing about their arrival, Rama left the feast untouched and went to welcome them himself. He brought them in and gave them a reverential welcome. He then invited the brahmanas to first have lunch. The brahmanas were not sure what they should do.

They had come to ask their king for charity and lunch was not on their agenda. Some of them were keen to speak to Lord Rama before partaking in the lunch offering. Others wanted to go along with whatever Lord Rama said, knowing well that they would not be disappointed either way. Sensing their reluctance and confusion, Rama said, “O’ brahmanas, I know what is on your mind.

I will surely give you a kingdom that you have come seeking. In fact, you could have just sent your disciples for it. Why did all of you take so much trouble? I declare that the kingdom of Brahmapur now yours. Please eat first.”

Rama asked Lakshmana to call the royal sculptor to get a stone and inscribe Rama’s order and his seal on it as a legally valid notification. It was the kingdom’s law for travellers and kings governed by Rama, to carry with them a letter bearing Rama’s stamp. Rama wanted his stamp engraved on a big shila and given to the brahmanas as proof of his charity to them.

The happy brahmanas now had no problem in eating. They even requested Rama to finish his meal, which had been served but left unattended. They were not in any anxiety or hurry now to complete the formalities. Rama had assured them of his intentions. But Rama could not eat. He said, “I will honour the food only when the entire process is completed to your satisfaction.

It is necessary to complete an act of charity because wealth, intentions, and life are all uncertain and highly unpredictable. You never know when Yama, the god of death, may come. Therefore, always finish the task at hand. Scriptures say that one should leave a hundred tasks at hand to eat one’s food, a thousand tasks to bathe, a lakh of tasks to chant the holy names. One crore

obstacles are said to be seen in the course of Gita recitation, ten crore obstacles in the course of bathing in Ganges and hundred crore obstacles while donating charity. Hence, charitable acts should be accomplished as soon as possible. One’s consciousness changes significantly before and after eating food. This is my humble opinion. So please allow me to complete the process of donating the kingdom unto you after which I will sit for lunch.”

Soon, a 9-feet long stone arrived from the river Gandaki. The royal sculptors then carved the message on it which read, “I, the scion of Suryavansha and the Lord of the Seven islands, Maharaj Dasharatha’s son, Shri Ramachandra happily give the kingdom of Brahmapur to the brahmanas in charity. Till the sun shines, will my name exist, till my name exists will the winds continue to blow and till then will this charity remain valid. I request the kings succeeding me to protect this boon.” Next Lord Rama asked Hanuman to engrave his royal seal to validate the message.

Hanuman eagerly engraved Lord Ram’s insignia on the stone. Brahmapur was renamed Ramnathpur. Shri Rama donated wealth equal to the weight of the shila to the brahmanas and asked Hanuman to assist the brahmanas in carrying the shila to Ramnathpur. Having completed the task at hand, Rama and the brahmanas accepted their food. The brahmanas and Hanuman then went back to Ramnathpur on the Pushpaka airplane.

Many generations of brahmanas lived peacefully in their kingdom, singing glories of Lord Rama. No one disturbed them for many centuries. But once the brahmanas went into a crisis, facing great danger from kings who wanted to take over their kingdom. In panic, the brahmanas submerged Lord Rama’s shila under a lake, in an attempt to prevent it from being destroyed.

Little did they know that this act would endanger them further, it so happened that the next time they were attacked, the king asked them to show proof of their ownership. But they had submerged the proof under a lake. The angry king gave them one month’s notice to produce the proof before him or they would be killed. The hapless brahmanas broke down the dams surrounding the lake hoping that the water from the lake would drain out to reveal the shila. However, nothing like that happened.

The water level remained as it was. Refusing to budge. One month passed and there was no sign of the shila. The brahmanas now had no option but to get ready for their last moments in life. They consoled their grieving family members, distributed charity, bathed in the lake to purify themselves and stood facing the north to embrace their death, praying, “O’ Rama, the charity we asked from you has become the very cause of our death. The wealth that you gave our ancestors is now exhausted. The wicked king will kill us and snatch away our kingdom -”

“Aaaaaaaarrghhh!” The brahmanas’ prayers were interrupted by a roaring sound which seemed to be coming from a nearby Hanuman temple. Hanuman, in his deity form, had come alive. The brahmanas were astounded to see his gargantuan form in front of them.

He had long hands, yellowish hair and was now old. Hanuman said, “O’ brahmanas, there is no need of giving up your life. Just chant the name of Lord Rama.” And he dived into the lake, retrieving the shila effortlessly in one stroke.

The elated brahmanas dragged the huge shila to the baffled king. Hanuman then caught hold of the shocked king, dragged him to the lake and crucified him as a punishment for harassing the brahmanas. He even killed the king’s soldiers when they tried to intervene by merely lashing out at his tail.

He then named the lake as Hritaparshmana Lake and directed the brahmanas to bury the shila in a cave and continue to remember Lord Rama. With this, Hanuman merged back into his deity form having saved Sri Rama’s promise to his devotees, kabi kobida kahi sakai kaha te