Chalisa

The recitation of Shri Hanuman Chalisa is believed to ward off evil and negativity.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 5 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 5 Warrior, Servant, and Sage

हाथ बज्र
औ ध्वजा बिराजै ।
काँधे मूँज
जनेऊ साजै ||

Hath bajra
aur dhvaja biraje.
Kaandhe moonj
janehu sajai.

You bold a thunderbolt club
and a flag in your hands.
And have the sacred thread
on your shoulder.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 5 Meaning in English

In the previous verse, the focus was on what Hanuman was born with-his complexion, his hair, even his earrings. This verse focuses on what he holds in his hands and bears on his body: a mace, a flag and a sacred thread (janehu) made of sabai grass (munja) on his shoulder. These are instruments (yantra) that embellish the icon (svarupa) of Hanuman and help refine our understanding of him.

The common word used for mace is gada, but the word used here is vajra, or the thunderbolt, which is Indra’s weapon. In the Vedas, Indra is the greatest of gods, one who battles demons like Vritra, and releases the waters held by clouds. He is the patron of kings. Yet, in the Puranas, his role is reduced.

He is the lord of Paradise (Swarga), leader of devas, who lives in celestial regions and enjoys worldly pleasures, but lacks wisdom. He needs the help of Vishnu to fight the demons (asuras) who lay siege to Paradise and declare war relentlessly. This shift in status indicates a shift from the older more materialistic Vedic way to the later Vedic (Upanishadic) way where greater value was placed on the mind (on meaning) than on riches and power.

In the Puranas, every deity has a flag (dhvaja) of his own-Vishnu has a flag with the image of a hawk known as garudadhvaja, and Shiva has a flag with the image of a bull known as vrishabha-dhvaja-but Hanuman’s dhvaja belongs to Ram, in keeping with his role as Ram’s messenger and commander of his armies. Hanuman holds both Indra’s weapon and Ram’s flag, which endorses his status as mightier than the old Vedic celestial god-king, but serving the latter Puranic earthbound god-king.

Hanuman’s janchu makes him a twice born (dvija). Hindus believe that we have two births: first there is physical birth and then there is the psychological birth. Physically, we are born out of the mother’s womb into human culture. Our navel reminds us of our origin in the mother’s womb. In Hindu culture, pierced carlobes are indicators of human culture, similar to the practice of tattooing, or tooth-filing, in other cultures.

Our psychological birth takes place when we accept a guru who reveals to us the secrets of the Vedas. The mark of psychological birth is the sacred thread made of munja grass that hangs over the left shoulder. This thread has three strings representative of the Hindu trinity: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shakti. It also reminds us that while animals have only one body (physical), humans have three (physical, psychological and social).

Hanuman accessed Vedic wisdom through Surya, the sun god, who also revealed Vedic secrets to Yagnavalkya, the sage whose words are captured in many Upanishads. Vedic secrets include knowledge of karma and dharma, of aham (our identity based on hunger and fear) and atma (our identity independent of hunger and fear).

Hanuman being given the janehu, despite being a servant of Ram and a wild forest creature, is not highlighted in the Valmiki Ramayana but becomes prominent in later texts, especially regional Ramayanas written in vernacular languages in the last five centuries, when caste excesses had peaked. People were asking: what makes a real Brahmin, effort or birth? Hanuman becomes Brahmin by effort and education, while Ravana is the son of a Brahmin named Vaishrava, who married a rakshasa woman, Kaikesi.

The Vedas turn Hanuman from beast to human, giving him the wisdom and compassion to unconditionally help a man find his lost wife. By contrast, Ravana although human, and despite his Vedic knowledge, behaves like a brute, grabbing another man’s wife for his own pleasure.

That Hanuman holds a weapon in his hand establishes him as a warrior (Kshatriya). That he holds Ram’s flag establishes him as a servant (dasa, Shudra). That he has the sacred thread across his chest establishes him as a Brahmin, one who has accessed the Vedas. Thus the highest and the lowest stations of Vedic society (varna) are accommodated in Hanuman, a creature of the forest.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 5 Analysis in English

hatha bajra au dhvaja biraja
kadhe munja janeu sajain ||5||

Your hands hold a divine mace and
a victory banner,
A sacred thread of munja grass
adorns your shoulder. (5)

Mother Anjana had to return to her celestial abode a few years after she gave birth to Hanuman as the stipulated duration of her curse was completed. Hanuman desperately wanted his mother back. Aware that his mother has gone to the heavens, Hanuman proceeded to Swargaloka to try to get his mother back.

Meanwhile, Kesari was also despondent on seeing his wife missing from his palace. When he realized that their son Hanuman had ventured out to get his mother back, Kesari decided to try something from his side too. He approached a powerful sage named Matanga Rishi to help him. After many requests, Matanga Rishi began a yagya that would transport Kesari into the heavens through yogic means.

Meanwhile, Hanuman had reached the heavens where he met Urvashi. She explained to him that it was impossible to take his mother back, who by then had acquired her original form as Punjakasthali. But Hanuman would hear nothing of that so Urvashi suggested that the only person who could help him was Durvasa Muni who had cursed her to begin with. Hanuman immediately set out to meet Durvasa Muni who was held captive in Yakshaloka

The king of Yakshaloka was a great friend of Ravana’s and Kubera’s bitter enemy. He was always eyeing Kubera’s position, aspiring to be the treasurer of the demigods. With the help of Yaksharaj, Ravana had planned kidnapping Durvasa Muni knowing well that Hanuman would be coming there for him. The plan was to eliminate Hanuman when he reached Yakshaloka.

But exactly the opposite happened. Instead of Yaksharaj capturing Hanuman, Hanuman captured him. The release of Durvasa Muni from the clutches of the Yakshas brought great fame to Hanuman in the heavenly realms. Not only were the demigods grateful but even the powerful Saptarishis expressed their gratitude. Durvasa Muni was so grateful to Hanuman that he agreed to allow Punjakasthali to return with him in vanara form as Anjana.

Indra himself decided to accompany Hanuman and his mother on their return journey to Kishkinda on the earthly realms. While the three of them were on their way, they were attacked by a demon named Vidyutsura who was sent by Ravana. He was one of the most powerful demons at Ravana’s disposal. Indra advised Hanuman to proceed ahead with his mother while he would take care of that demon. But Hanuman was in no mood of turning his back on a good fight.

Moreover, it was his moral duty to stand by Indra during a crisis. Vidyutsura attacked Indra faster than anticipated and as a result Indra’s weapon slipped off his hand. The extremely alert Hanuman jumped to grab the vajra weapon. Vidyutsura turned around to face Hanuman who had by now steadied himself for a fight while his entire rakshasa army attacked Indra.

While Indra busied himself destroying the Rakshasa army, Hanuman jumped high to land himself on Vidyutsura’s shoulders. With a single swift move of his right hand, Hanuman slit Vidyutsura’s throat with the razor-sharp thunderbolt weapon. In a short while, all that was left of the demons was a pile of bodies. Hanuman held out the vajra to return it to Indra.

When Indra extended his hand to take it back, a loud celestial announcement boomed declaring that the vajra now belonged to Hanuman who had saved Swargaloka from the demons and Indra should let him keep it. Indra gladly gifted the thunderbolt weapon to Hanuman along with a victory flag and blessed him to be ever victorious in every battle in life.

Indra also declared that from that day Hanuman would be known as Vajradhari (the carrier of vajra weapon) and Dhvajadhari (the heralder of the victory flag). hatha bajra au dhvaja birajai The literal translation is that Hanuman carries the vajra and a dhvaja in his hands. Vajra means thunderbolt, a weapon of Lord Indra, and dhvaja means flag.

Vajra and dhvaja also refer to lines on the palm of Hanuman’s hands rather than just physical objects which he carried. Lines of vajra and dhvaja on his palms signify immense power and fame respectively. Hanuman’s palms predicted great power and fame in his life. hatha bajra au dhvaja birajai

During their exile, the Pandavas travelled through many forests and met many sages. These were times of great sadness, having lost all their wealth and being greatly insulted. During such despondent times, the Pandava brothers sought wisdom from sages to help them deal with their pain. The sages narrated various histories about kings in the past who had dealt with challenges in life with dignity.

One such time, Arjuna conversed with the great sage Markendeya who was blessed with longevity. Markendeya Rishi narrated the story of Lord Rama and how he took the help of an army of monkeys to build a bridge across the ocean to rescue his wife from the demon king Ravana.

While the story of Rama’s struggle and determination helped Arjuna, a doubt plagued him. Though he didn’t ask Markendeya Rishi, he kept mulling over it. Later, when he was standing next to a lake, pondering about his doubt as to why Rama being such a powerful archer needed to use an army of monkeys to build a bridge which could have easily been made using arrows, an old monkey came and stood next to him.

As if continuing the trail of Aijuna’s thoughts, the monkey said that it would have been impossible for a bridge of arrows to withstand the weight of an army of monkeys. Arjuna begged to differ and argued that an expert archer could achieve any goal with his arrows. In fact, he boasted, that even a small time archer like himself could achieve that feat easily.

The old monkey dared Arjuna to build a bridge of arrows across the lake that could handle his own frail weight. Within a minute, Arjuna created a bridge of arrows. He challenged that if this bridge collapsed with the monkey’s weight, he would end his life.

The monkey didn’t even bother to step on it, but only dropped his tail on it and the bridge collapsed.The old monkey urged Arjuna to try again with greater focus. Arjuna made a sturdier bridge and this time it stood the weight of the monkey.

But when the monkey reached the middle, it collapsed. Disappointed, Arjuna was ready to end his life. Just then, an old brahmana appeared and stopped him from jumping into a pyre. He told the two of them that any conflict between two people needed a neutral witness. The brahmana agreed to become the witness if they tried once more.

Yet again, Arjuna created a bridge with greater concentration. The monkey walked on it but nothing happened. He jumped on it and still nothing happened. The old monkey gave up his disguise and took on his original form of Hanuman. Expanding himself to a massive size, he began to jump on the bridge, still nothing happened. Both of them were shocked.

How could the bridge take so much weight? Then it dawned on them that the old brahmana was none other than their worshipable Lord. Arjuna saw him as Krishna and Hanuman saw him as Rama. Both fell at the Lord’s feet promising never to be proud of their powers.

The Lord then blessed both his devotees and expressed his desire that they both unite for the upcoming war against the Kauravas. The Lord instructed Hanuman to sit on the flag of Arjuna’s chariot. The presence of Hanuman on Arjuna’s flag would herald auspiciousness and serve as a declaration of their imminent victory. Since Hanuman was the one who held the victory flag of Lord Rama in the war against Ravana, his presence on the flag of Arjuna would indicate certain victory.

Hanuman sits on the flag of the chariot of every devotee of the Lord, signalling their victory against illusory forces. Thus Hanuman is dhvaja viraje, one who sits on the victory flag or the one who upholds the victory flag. The practice of keeping Hanuman on war chariot was set by Lord Sri Rama during the war in Treta yuga, when Indra sent a chariot to Sri Rama.

Sri Rama circumambulated the chariot to honour it, and then got Hanuman seated along the banner post as his own personal assistant as well as an alternative war chariot (as an emergency provision), hatha bajra au dhvaja birajai Most people stop learning beyond school.

But Hanuman considered himself an eternal student. As many opportunities as he got to learn from great teachers, he grabbed them eagerly. Every teacher that walked into his life taught him different skills. And he leamt each skill to perfection and thus became multi-talented.

First he was placed under the tutelage of Angavahan Rishi. After a short while of learning there, his father Kesari felt that he would do better if he was given greater exposure and after consultation with the wind god, chose to send Hanuman to learn from Surya dev, the sun god.

While he was under Surya’s tutelage, Lord Rama was under the tutelage of Sage Vashishta. One day something interesting happened. Hanuman was learning archery on the sun planet and Rama was learning archery on earth in the ashram of Vashishta. Hanuman shot an arrow towards the earth and Rama shot an arrow skywards. Both arrows collided in mid-air and created a tumultuous sound that reverberated all over the universe. This was their first connection through the medium of learning.

Hanuman then shifted to the tutelage of Narada Muni to gain music skills. Narada Muni taught him singing and playing musical instruments. Hanuman became so proficient at everything he leamt that even his teachers were highly impressed with him. To test his learning, once Narada Muniasked him to sing a particular song. Hanuman sang it so melodiously that it melted Narada Muni’s heart.

Mesmerized by Hanuman, Narada Muni closed his eyes and did not even realize when his veena (stringed instrument) fell off his hands onto the ground. Amazingly, Hanuman’s singing did not just have this effect on sentient beings but also on inanimate objects like stones and rocks. Hard stones melted in the ecstasy of the song. Narada Muni’s veena also happened to fall on one of those melted stones.

When Hanuman stopped singing, everything assumed its original shape and the melted stones regained their rigidity. Unfortunately, the veena got stuck in the now rigid stone. Narada Muni requested Hanuman to sing again to get his veena released. Hanuman refused to comply and ran all over the place. The helpless Narada Muni ran behind, trying to catch the naughty boy.

After running around considerably, Hanuman returned to the original spot and sang. Soon the veena was released and in Narada Muni’s hands again. When he asked Hanuman why he’d troubled him, Hanuman gave a very interesting answer. He disclosed that he wanted the dust of the feet of his guru to fall all over the place and sanctify it. This was Hanuman’s style of making that happen.

Janeu, a sacred thread worn by brahmanas, represents knowledge of Vedic scriptures. Wearing the sacred thread is an indicator of being a student. Hanuman remained an eternal student, always absorbed in hearing and learning from many teachers. Thus a sacred thread always dons his shoulders, declaring his eternal role as a student who is always eager to leam. kadhe munja janeu sajai The janeu on Hanuman’s shoulder also implies that Hanuman was well-versed in scriptures, because the sacred thread ceremony initiates a person into formal study of Vedic literature.

Once Rama himself had explained the secrets of Brahma Vidya to Hanuman. Sri Rama Rahasya Upanishad states that great sages and seers like Sanak, Sanandan, Sanatan, and Sanat Kumar had learnt the hidden secrets of Rama Tattva from Hanuman. Other sages like Prahlad were his disciples. Janeu saaje describes the thread as Hanuman’s ornament that was his wealth of knowledge, kadhe munja janeu sajai.

People often chant the Hanuman Chalisa in English to seek strength, courage, and protection.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 4 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 4 Darshan

कंचन बरन
बिराज सुबेसा ।
कानन कुंडल
कुंचित केसा ॥

Kanchan baran
biraj subesa.
Kanan kundal
kunchit kesa.

Golden body
seated with elegant adornments.
Rings in the ears
curly locks.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 4 Meaning in English

If the previous verse described the prowess of Hanuman, this verse focuses on his physical form: his golden complexion, his curly hair and his fine clothes, including the earrings. The golden complexion reminds us that Hanuman is a monkey, with golden fur. But his earrings and curly hair draw attention to his humanity, as only humans wear ornaments and have hair on the head.

In some stories, Hanuman was born with earrings. The story goes that Vali, the king of monkeys, had heard that Kesari’s wife Anjani was pregnant with a child who would be more powerful than him. So he cast a missile to hurt this child. However, instead of getting hurt, Vayu ensured the missile transformed into Hanuman’s earrings, a symbol of Vali’s, hence Indra’s, defeat.

Earrings have a special significance in Hinduism. Piercing the ears of a child is a rite of passage (samskara). By piercing the ear, one creates a passage for sunlight through the body, making the body auspicious. Traditionally, men and women both wore earrings. So Vishnu is famous for his dolphin (makara) shaped earrings and Shiva is famous for wearing serpent (naga) shaped earrings.

Hanuman’s earrings connect him to fierce warrior her mits known as Nath-yogi, of the ear-split (kan-phata) order (sampradaya), who were identified by their special earrings made of rhinoceros skin inserted by splitting the ear cartilage. Their gurus, Matsyendra-nath and Gorakh-nath, wrestled Hanuman and earned his respect.

Hanuman is described as well dressed. In folklore, he was born wearing an adamantine loincloth made of thunder, or diamond (vajra-kaupina), to reaffirm his celibacy, and his association with orders of ash-smeared, trident-bearing, warrior-hermits.

This association with warrior-hermit orders starts only around a thousand years ago, following the institutionalization of the Hindu monastic orders, on one hand by wandering Tantrik mendicant jogis of the Nath order (such as Matsyendra-nath), and on the other hand by Vedantic acharyas such as Adi Shankaraacharya who established Hindu abbeys (mathas).

That the verse describes how Hanuman looks and what he wears indicates that we are gazing upon the deity. This is darshan, an integral ritual in Hinduism. The whole purpose of going into a temple is to see the deity and be seen by the deity, who invariably has large, shapely eyes that captivate the visitor even from afar. The devotee describes the deity’s beauty, and hopes the deity will reciprocate, identify the devotee’s needs and wants, and give them what they deserve and desire.

A Christian church, a Muslim mosque, a Buddhist monastery or a Sikh gurudwara are spaces designed to bring the community together and focus on a common goal-confess sins, reaffirm submission, awaken to desires and delusions and learn from the songs of the sages, as the case may be. But a Hindu temple is the house of a deity.

We go to see them and be seen by them, no different from visiting a relative’s or friend’s house, or going to a king’s court, with a petition. The practice of invoking and adoring a deity and then petitioning him for material benefits informed the ancient Vedic ritual known as yagna. It continued to inform the later temple rituals known as puja.

What makes puja different from yagna, however, is the value placed on darshan. The word ‘darshan’ has a double meaning: view as well as world view, sight as well as insight. It is simultaneously about doing and thinking, action and introspection. It seeks to counter the purely intellectual approach of Buddhism where greater value is given to dhyan (meditation) wherein eyes are shut.

It also seeks to appeal to the masses who are not interested in introspection. Deities in Buddhism are just tools to enable better meditation, while Hindu deities have elaborate form, their images, charged with hymn and ritual, are capable of responding to the prayers of the devotee. Darshan acknowledges the value of relationship, between deity and devotee, between self and other – in contrast to the isolation and individualism that informs Buddhist practices, and even Hindu monastic orders.

We prove that we have truly seen the deity on the basis of what offering we make. Every deity is unique and so seeks unique offerings. For Vishnu, there are tulsi leaves, for Shiva, there are bilva leaves. Hanuman is typically offered items sought by wrestlers and bodybuilders: til (sesame) oil, rai (mustard) oil, and urad (black gram) seeds, which build up muscle mass, and are traditionally considered ‘hot’ ingredients, firing up the body with energy rituals known as puja.

What makes puja different from yagna, however, is the value placed on darshan. The word ‘darshan’ has a double meaning: view as well as worldview, sight as well as insight. It is simultaneously about doing and thinking, action and introspection. It seeks to counter the purely intellectual approach of Buddhism where greater value is given to dhyan (meditation) wherein eyes are shut. It also seeks to appeal to the masses who are not interested in introspection.

Deities in Buddhism are just tools to enable better meditation, while Hindu deities have elaborate form, their images, charged with hymn and ritual, are capable of responding to the prayers of the devotee. Darshan acknowledges the value of relationship, between deity and devotee, between self and other-in contrast to the isolation and individualism that informs Buddhist practices, and even Hindu monastic orders

We prove that we have truly seen the deity on the basis of what offering we make. Every deity is unique and so seeks unique offerings. For Vishnu, there are tulsi leaves, for Shiva, there are bilva leaves. Hanuman is typically offered items sought by wrestlers and bodybuilders: til (sesame) oil, rai (mustard) oil, and urad (black gram) seeds, which build up muscle mass, and are traditionally considered ‘hot’ ingredients, firing up the body with energy.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 4 Analysis in English

kanchana barana biraja subesa
kanana kundala kunchita kesa ||4||

Golden-coloured and handsomely dressed,
With earrings and curly locks. (4)

When Hanuman was born, his mother Anjana named him Sundar, or beautiful. From an external point of view, the vanara species may not be the most beautiful. But Anjana naming her child Sundar was more because she wanted her child to be internally beautiful. External beauty wanes with time but internal beauty does not.

By virtue of being in proximity of the sun (both during infancy in his attempt to swallow the sun and later in his childhood while he was being educated by Surya who became his teacher), sunshine had a great influence on Hanuman’s body. His body had a golden tinge, akin to the sun glow which is known as kanchana barana. That golden tinge only enhanced when he began his journey to the south in search of Mother Sita.

When Lord Rama handed over his ring to Hanuman to show it to Sita as proof of being a messenger of Rama, there was confusion in Hanuman’s mind. 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. Especially in a fight or flight situation, when his clothes were sure to get dishevelled. He couldn’t tie it onto 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 when he saw the name of Rama inscribed on the ring. 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.

As soon as Hanuman placed the ring in his mouth, his entire body began to radiate a special kind of effulgence. Every pore of his body began to glow with euphoria. The ring illuminated the body of Hanuman in such a way that it dispelled the darkness of the night and more importantly, the darkness of ignorance. Thus Hanuman became the guiding force for the monkey army that scouted the southern region, searching for Sita. This explains his kanchana barana or golden-hued body.

When Hanuman entered Ravana’s palace in Lanka, he searched all over and finally entered what seemed to be the royal bedroom. In the sea of ordinary beds, Hanuman spotted an opulent stone-studded gigantic golden bed with a white umbrella canopy, bang in the middle of the room. It had a soft sheepskin and silk bedspread, and in place of bedposts were four women waving large silk fans that helped circulate the fragrance from celestial incenses.

Fast asleep on the bed amongst hundreds of women was the person of interest the mighty Ravana, the Supremo of Lanka. The bright light from the golden lamps next to the bed lent a golden glow to his lustrous body. Ravana resembled the moon among a sky full of stars.

Hanuman spotted another well-decorated cot with an angelic woman sleeping on it. She seemed to be of divine origin, quite different from the women he had seen thus far in Lanka. He could see a pure and divine aura around her. Could this be Sita? Hanuman froze! He immediately began a mental comparison between the woman on the cot and Lord Rama’s description of Sita.

It was an absolute match. Finally! Hanuman was ecstatic having found Sita. He began to prance around kissing his tail, jumping, laughing, and singing. Suddenly he stopped. Something didn’t seem quite right. Hanuman regained his composure and now admonished himself for even thinking that she could be Sita.

He went over the description and cross-questioned himself on the gross error in his judgment. How could Sita sleep in Ravana’s bedroom? How could she sleep so peacefully in the absence of Rama? How could she be so decked up despite being away from Rama? When those connected to Rama never falter, how could he even imagine that his wife would?

Even if gods like Indra or Kubera were to come, she wasn’t the one to bend, so why would she even succumb to a demon like Ravana? Had she not rejected all the demigods and chosen Lord Rama, so why would she care to accept Ravana? Hanuman was now convinced that it could not be Sita. He resumed his search.

Hanuman intensified his search and walked in and out of all the rooms he could. Everywhere be looked, he saw women in various stages of undressing and sleep. He had to closely observe every woman he came across to ensure none of them was Sita. It was his job to find her from among all the women in Lanka. This was not something the celibate Hanuman wanted to do, but the job had to be done. Hanuman had scoured the entire palace and still not found Sita.

He had observed more than 12,000 women, and none happened to be Sita. He began to question the righteousness of having to peep into homes and looking at other people’s wives. But his steady and pure mind justified his actions as having been carried out with no impure intent.

He was still not convinced, heavily in conflict about whether this went against his dharma. So he began to chant the name of Rama to calm his disturbed mind. As the names of Rama permeated his being, a state of calmness spread all over his body. Clarity returned.

No, I have not come here with the intent of admiring Ravana’s women. My goal is to find Sita among the women in Lanka. How can I search for a woman amongst deer? Besides, these women have not spotted me observing them and my mind has been steady and pure throughout this search, thought Hanuman.

Hanuman is said to be biraja subesa, splendidly clad or it could also mean clean clothes. Here the reference is not just to his external clothes. But it is rather to being clothed with the right intentions. There may be many that are clothed wonderfully but their intentions are dirty. Hanuman always clothed himself with the purest intentions, making sure his intentions remained pure by constantly questioning them and always aligning them towards the service of Lord Rama based on the principles of dharma.

kanchana barana biraja subesa From the time Narada left Kishkinda, Vali had become miserable. Just when he thought he was the happiest living being alive, the news delivered by Narada destroyed his peace. It was less of news and more of a prophecy. A prophecy that could ruin Vali’s name, fame, reputation, and control for good. If the sage’s words were to come true, then in a few years, no one in Kishkinda would remember either Vali’s name or his rule.

Whilst Vali paced back and forth in great anxiety, a sinister idea struck his evil mind. Wringing his hands, he headed for his chamber to immediately execute the plan that was brewing in his head. The next hour saw him extremely busy implementing what he had envisioned in his mind. He was in know of a secret recipe which he always thought would be useful someday.

He grinned at the bowl of piping-hot liquid that was in his hands. It was golden brown in hue, like a tasty soup of exotic vegetables. But in truth, it was the most deadly poison. Interestingly, this poison wasn’t designed to kill the person who consumed it, but the embryo of the one who consumed it. The amalgam was a combination of five deadly metals melted and then mixed together into a tasty looking gel.

With this most deadly liquid weapon in his hand, Vali walked out of his chamber. Calling his most trusted maid, he handed over the liquid to her with the instruction to feed it to the pregnant Anjana who was a vanara woman and the wife of Kesari, the chief of a section of the vanara army.

The maid walked into the bedroom of Anjana and with great confidence, offered the poison to the pregnant lady, assuring her that it was all for the health and accelerated growth of the child within her womb. With gratitude, Anjana accepted the liquid. The maid waited till Anjana had consumed the entire potion. Only when she had herself seen the lady consume the liquid did she leave with the empty vessel.

Vali couldn’t contain his happiness at how smoothly his plan had worked out. He was pacing around in excitement, this time waiting for the news of the miscarriage. But nothing came. Maybe the effect will be seen the next day, he concluded. When nothing happened the next day either, Vali was bewildered. Maybe he needed to be more patient. Days passed and still nothing. While Vali kept wondering what had gone wrong, Anjana gave birth to a son. That news came as a shocker for Vali.

He ran to the palace of Kesari and Anjana to see the child that was born despite his mother being fed a quantity of poison that could abort a hundred pregnancies. His jaw dropped when he saw the new born! The vanara child was born with earrings adorning both his ears. But that was not all. Those earrings were made of the five metals that Vali had fed his mother.

The metal amalgam had been transformed into beautiful earrings that adorned the child’s ears. From then on, the child Hanuman was famous for many qualities, but the one that was really special among those was his mystical earrings, kanana kundala kunchita kesa.

After their victory in the Mahabharata war and winning back their kingdom from the Kauravas, Narada Muni visited the Pandavas and informed them that their father, who now resided in the heavens, was sad. The reason being that he had always wanted to perform the Rajasuya sacrifice during his lifetime on earth-but could not do so. Now he desired that his sons fulfil that desire. Yudhishthir decided to take up the mission of performing the Rajasuya – yagya immediately, to realize their father’s long-standing yearning.

In order to perform such an elaborate and complicated sacrifice, they needed the expertise of Rishi Purusha Mriga. The task of finding and getting the elusive sage was given to Bhima. As Bhima set out to find the sage, Lord Krishna warned him that it was not going to be an easy task.

The sage was half deer and half human. Furthermore, the sage was extraordinarily powerful and moved at the speed of mind. If Bhima could not match the speed of the sage, then the sage would finish him off. Now that warning really worried Bhima but he was any way going ahead with the mission.

When Bhima reached the Himalayan Mountains, he came across Hanuman. Hanuman saw the worried look on Bhima’s face and offered to help. On learning of Bhima’s difficult task, Hanuman gave him a few strands of hair from his body and asked him to drop one when he needed the sage to slow down. Hanuman explained that as soon as he dropped one strand of his hair, thousands of shivalingas would appear immediately. Knowing the sage well, Hanuman predicted that Purusha Mriga would not move ahead without aptly worshipping each shivalinga carefully. That would give Bhima ample time to cover a considerable distance.

In great excitement, Bhima finally reached the sage and invited him to perform the Rajasuya yagya. The sage warned Bhima that there was a pre-condition. He would follow Bhima and if he managed to catch him, then he would devour him. However, if Bhima reached the palace before the sage, then he would perform the yagya there.

Agreeing to the condition, Bhima took off at great speed. Every time the sage got closer, Bhima dropped a strand of hair given to him by Hanuman and thousands of shivalingas would sprout all over the place. While Rishi Purusha Mriga busied himself worshipping the shivalingas, Bhima would dash ahead.

Outwitting the sage in this way, Bhima managed to reach the doors of the palace of Hastinapur. He had almost entered the palace with one foot inside and was about to place the second foot in when Rishi Purusha Mriga caught his second leg. Now he claimed that Bhima hadn’t reached inside the palace completely and therefore, he had won. But when Yudhishthir and Krishna walked in, the sage stepped back and allowed the just Yudhishthir to make the decision.

Yudhishthir analysed the facts and concluded that since Bhima’s entire body and one leg was already inside, the sage only deserved to devour the second leg of Bhima, sparing Bhima’s body. The sage was very impressed with Yudhishthir’s sense of justice and decided to forgive Bhima.

He also offered to perform the yagya on behalf of Yudhishthir. Bhima silently offered a prayer to Hanuman’s curly hair, each of which had unlimited powers and were as potent as thousands of shivalingas. kanana kundala kunchita kesa.

Hanuman Chalisa Pdf is composed of 40 verses that extol the virtues of Lord Hanuman.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 3 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 3 Thunder Body, Lighrning Mind

महाबीर
बिक्रम बजरंगी ।
कुमति निवार
सुमति के संगी ॥

Mahabir
Bikram Bajrangi.
Kumati nivar
sumati ke sangi.

Great hero
valiant, with Lightning body.
Who drives away bad thoughts
and is always accompanied by good thoughts.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 3 Meaning in English

Having explained his origins and role, this verse presents the qualities of Hanuman that make him worthy of worship. Most villages in India worship a vira, or hero, who protects the village. Hanuman is identified as Maha-vira, or Mahabir, who also protects the mind. Hanuman not only vanquishes physical demons like rakshasas and asuras, but also psychological demons such as negative thoughts (kumati) and ushers in positive thoughts (sumati).

Hanuman stands on the frontier between the wilderness and the settlement, between the animal and the human world, and has the power to turn the negative into positive, poison into medicine. This is why in temples Hanuman is often offered special Arka (Calotropis indica, Bowstring Hemp, Giant Milkweed) leaves and flowers, which grow wild in the forest and are poisonous. This ‘negative’ offering becomes positive after contact with his body.

Hanuman’s status as a special kind of hero is reaffirmed by being called vikram, which is both a common noun meaning valiant and a proper noun referring to a legendary king, Vikramaditya, king of, who was renowned for his worldly wisdom.

There is a famous Sanskrit work known as Vetala Pachisi, which tells twenty-five tales in which Vikramaditya takes difficult decisions. These questions are posed by a ghost, or vetala, feared by all mortals, but not the brave king of Ujjain. Hanuman is like this legendary king, brave enough to face ghosts, and wise enough to solve complex puzzles.

Hanuman is also being addressed as Bajrangi, which means one who possesses a body (anga) that is as powerful and radiant as the thunderbolt (vajra). In Hindu mythology, vajra is the weapon of Indra, the sky god who hurls thunderbolts against dark monsoon clouds to release rain. Indra once hurled this weapon at Hanuman and instead of being hurt by it, Hanuman simply absorbed and qualities of Hanuman that make him worthy of worship.

Most villages in India worship a vira, or hero, who protects the village. Hanuman is identified as Maha-vira, or Mahabir, who also protects the mind. Hanuman not only vanquishes physical demons like rakshasas and asuras, but also psychological demons such as negative thoughts (kumati) and ushers in positive thoughts (sumati).

Hanuman stands on the fronticr between the wilderness and the settlement, between the animal and the human world, and has the power to turn the negative into positive, poison into medicine. This is why in temples Hanuman is often offered special Arka (Calotropis indica, Bowstring Hemp, Giant Milkweed) leaves and flowers, which grow wild in the forest and are poisonous. This ‘negative’ offering becomes positive after contact with his body.

Hanuman’s status as a special kind of hero is reaffirmed by being called vikram, which is both a common noun meaning valiant and a proper noun referring to a legendary king, Vikramaditya, is a famous Sanskrit work known as Vetala Pachisi, which tells twenty-five tales in which Vikramaditya takes difficult decisions. These questions are posed by a ghost, or vetala, feared by all mortals, but not the brave king of Ujjain. Hanuman is like this legendary king, brave enough to face ghosts, and wise enough to solve complex puzzles.

Hanuman is also being addressed as Bajrangi, which means one who possesses a body (anga) that is as powerful and radiant as the thunderbolt (vajra). In Hindu mythology, vajra is the weapon of Indra, the sky god who hurls thunderbolts against dark monsoon clouds to release rain. Indra once hurled this weapon at Hanuman and instead of being hurt by it, Hanuman simply absorbed and internalized his power. Hence he is also called Vajra-angi, one whose body is as powerful as a thunderbolt.

In Buddhist mythology, vajra refers to thunderbolt and diamond, and is a metaphor of incisive analytical abilities. Vajrapani is a guardian of the Buddha and a fearsome deity who strikes the ignorant down and grants the wise incisive, analytical abilities. He is visualized trampling the enemies of the Buddha and holding a vajra in his hand, much as Hanuman tramples demons and holds a mace in his hand, suggesting the overlapping roots of these two deities.

Vedic Hinduism, based on worldliness, thrived over three thousand years ago, but it was over shadowed, two thousand years ago, by Buddhism that valued other-worldliness. In order to spread, both Hinduism and Buddhism assimilated with folk beliefs and to stay relevant, both exchanged ideas. As a result both transformed-Vedic Hinduism became Puranic Hinduism, while Buddhism split into Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. Vedic Hinduism worshipped the vajra-wielding Indra who was assimilated with Vishnu of the Puranic tradition.

The historical teacher, Sakyamuni Buddha, of Theravada Buddhism made room for mythological saviours known as Bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism. When Islam came to India, Buddhism waned out of mainstream, but many Buddhist ideas and icons survived and were absorbed into the mainstream. Hanuman reflects many Buddhist ideals-he has no desires like the Buddha, yet he helps people by solving their problems like the Bodhisattva, and his form mirrors the form of the Buddhist guardian-god Vajrapani.

In pre-Buddhist, even pre-Vedic, times, it has been postulated that the blood of enemies and wild animals was offered to the village guardian-god by the warriors who defended the village frontier. Red became the colour of valour and fertility. Later, as the doctrine of ahimsa (non-violence) gained ground, blood was represented symbolically using sindoor (vermillion).

Even later, the red colour was replaced by saffron colour, indicating celibacy and continence, a rejection of all things sensory. Buddhist monks were the first to use saffron, ochre, maroon and red robes to distinguish themselves from the robes of common folk, but eventually these colours were adopted by Hindu monks and saffron has now become the colour of choice of political Hinduism. Hanuman’s orange-red body is often covered with silver and gold foil representing his Lightning-like body.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 3 Analysis in English

mahavira vikrama bajarangi 
kumati nivara sumati ke sangin || 3 ||

Mighty hero, bestowed with courage,
strong as a thunderbolt,
Dispeller of evil thoughts and
companion of the good. (3)

Mahavir. Courage or bravery is not just an external exhibition but more importantly, an internal strength. Whilst most people extend the title of bravery to those who exhibit great heroism on the battlefield, the Vedic scriptures give more importance to those who exhibit bravery in the battle of life. Often it takes greater courage to show bravery in life than on the battlefield.

Thus Hanuman is considered as Mahavir not just because he won many external battles, but because he was a hero in the internal battles of life. One who shows exceptional heroism in a battle is known as Ranveer. One who has the courage to forgive others by exhibiting great compassion is known as Dayaveer. The courage to give away in charity makes one Danaveer. The courage to stay on the path of righteousness in spite of great obstacles makes one Dharmaveer.

And one with the courage to renounce attachments is known as Tyagaveer. Each of these subtypes of heroism requires great courage and resolve. Even possessing one of these types of courage is appreciated and worshipped by the world. Then what of one who is simultaneously Ranveer, Dayaveer, Danaveer, Dharmaveer, and Tyagaveer; he is celebrated as Mahavir.

When Hanuman was in Lanka, he fought against the entire Lankan army single-handedly. Ravana sent hordes of demons to eliminate Hanuman. But none of them returned alive. He sent some of his best men including heroes like Jambumali and his own son Akshay Kumar. But all of them ended up in the grave. It takes great.

Courage and self-confidence to stand up against an entire army alone and that too in their own country without any allies. Hanuman was the greatest Ranveer in history. And he fought not for any personal gains but to help others. You will never find a single story of Hanuman where he fought for himself.

Hanuman lived a life of compassion, dedicating himself to serve others through their difficulties. He was an ideal Dayaveer who lived a life of compassion. Even today when we find ourselves hopeless and lost, we turn to Hanuman knowing very well that his compassion is all encompassing and endless. There are many charitable people in this world. But they only give a fragment of their wealth in charity. But one who donates himself is the greatest Danaveer.

Hanuman gives himself completely to those who touch his heart by sincerity. Once Hanuman came to the decision that Rama was worth surrendering to, he surrendered completely to Lord Rama, in his mind, body, and words.

Whilst the monkey army was having a discussion about who was going to cross the 800-mile-long ocean, Angad claimed that he could easily cross the ocean and reach Lanka but he wasn’t sure if he would return. Angad knew about the fatal attractions and temptations in Lanka. He also knew his own limitations and weaknesses in self-control.

He doubted if he could resist the temptations in Lanka and come back. Whereas Hanuman not only crossed the 800-mile ocean to reach Lanka but also crossed the ocean of temptations that lay inside Lanka. He was a real Dharmaveer who had the courage to stay on the path of dharma despite great temptations lurking as obstacles to deviate one’s focus from higher goals of life.

For a person who is capable, talented, intelligent, and powerful, the greatest challenge is in accepting a subordinate position. For someone who is an expert, fame and adulation – follow automatically. There cannot be a greater intoxication than fame.

To renounce that fame requires immense inner strength. Giving up other attachments is easy, but only a Tyagaveer can give up attachment to fame. Hanuman was the most powerful and capable person of his era, but he renounced his attachment to fame and followership in order to remain a lifelong follower of Lord Rama.

Hanuman is Mahavir indeed! mahavlra vikrama bajarangi When Hanuman was a small child, he was powerful but naughty. His energy was not channelized in the right direction. Thus he would use all his intelligence in playing pranks and having fun at the expense of others. He harassed sages who were soft targets for his mischief.

Out of great compassion, one harassed sage cursed Hanuman to forget all his strength till he was reminded about them. From that moment, till Rama walked into his life, Hanuman lived a life of ordinariness. Once Rama entered his life, a sense of direction and purpose also found entry.

Having found his calling, Hanuman lived life king size but maintained a heart filled with humility. Every single action of Hanuman’s was immensely inspiring and impossible to imitate. In every power packed action, there was an element of selflessness and a desire to serve.

Whether it was crossing the ocean in one single leap or advising Ravana in his own court or burning the entire city of Lanka or fetching the entire mountain to save Lakshmana. In every action there ,was heroic sacrifice triggered by selflessness.

The word vikram means the one whose actions are mighty. Often, when one is powerful, one tends to become insensitive and self-absorbed. Yes, Hanuman was vikram but always sensitive and selfless.

When Hanuman was an infant, his parents conducted the first grain ceremony. The moment Hanuman ate the first few grains, his appetite got activated. 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 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. Panicking at the sight of a baby monkey zooming towards the sun, the planets began to shift their orbits to stay out of his path.

Shukra, Buddha, and Brihaspati planets stepped aside and their sudden change in position caused tremendous disturbance on earth since these planets influence astrological calculations that affect people’s lives. When sun god Surya noticed the incoming little bundle of disaster, he yelled out to his friends, Kaal, Varuna, and Agni to protect him. Kaal

(destiny or time) was the first to arrive and attack Hanuman. An intense battle ensued. Kaal expanded himself to a huge size and Hanuman instantly matched it by expanding himself. Then Hanuman challenged Kaal. He said expanding is easily done by anyone but shrinking only the great can do. And Hanuman began to shrink himself to a minute particle size.

Kaal fell for the ego trap and shrunk himself much more than Hanuman. Hanuman then bounced back to his original size and captured Kaal in his fist. He let Kaal go only when he begged him and promised not to interfere in his matters.

Then came Agni’s fiery attack, which could do no harm to the little monkey. Unable to cause any damage, Agni realized that this was none other than a Rudra avatar. He stepped aside only to be replaced with the ice-cold missiles of Varuna. None of them could harm or even disturb Hanuman’s progress towards the sun.

Kaal, Agni, and Varuna accepted defeat and departed with their heads hung low. Narada Muni smiled from a little distance away. He was happy to see the gods’ egos thwarted as they had earlier been making fun of this monkey incarnation of Rudra.

Finally, Hanuman was just inches away from the sun when he saw Rahu approaching it from another direction. Now there were two contenders rushing to swallow the sun. The sun was trapped and fearful. Defeating Rahu with ease, Hanuman menacingly proceeded towards the sun. The sun god, as a last resort, tried to warn Hanuman of the dire consequences of coming closer to him. When Hanuman ignored his warnings, he turned on his heat. The heat became so fiery that the entire universe began to perspire.

The residents of earth had no clue why it was suddenly intolerably hot now. Unable to bear the hunger pangs anymore, Hanuman grabbed the sun and gobbled it up. The moment the sun disappeared into the mouth of Hanuman, utter darkness prevailed. The intense heat was replaced with freezing cold.

While this was going on way up in space, back on earth, Ravana under the guidance of Shukracharya, was performing a sacred ceremony that would make him invincible and undefeatable. The completion of the sacrifice had to be timed in such a way that it coincided with the solar eclipse. For years, the guru and disciple had planned this meticulously and strived to carry out every aspect of the elaborate sacrifice to perfection.

Just as it was time for the solar eclipse and the time for completion of the sacrifice, the sun suddenly disappeared, much to their dismay. Thus the solar eclipse didn’t happen as scheduled and the sacrifice got completed in its absence. Thus the evil plan of Ravana was thwarted unceremoniously.

Just as the whole world was reeling in darkness, Indra appeared on the scene to rescue the sun considering it to be in the purview of his universal responsibilities to ensure that the sun continues to shine offering its heat and light unabated in its orbit. He was mounted on his celebrated elephant carrier, Airavata.

Indra lost his head seeing the audacity of little monkey whose mouth was swollen with the sun inside. In his fury, he threw his thunderbolt weapon straight at Hanuman’s face. The thunderbolt hit Hanuman squarely on his chin and cracked his jaw. The hit was so intense that Hanuman was pushed backward and fell over unconscious. His mouth opened involuntarily and the sun escaped. Light was restored in the universe … but something worse had happened. There was no air to breathe!

Hanuman’s injury alerted his father Vayu who caught his falling son and took him into the safety of a cave. Seething in anger at the unjustified attack on his son, he withdrew all air from the world and soon everyone was struggling to breathe.

To appease him, all gods headed by Lord Brahma appeared before Vayu and begged forgiveness for his wounded son. They revived the child and conferred upon the child infinite benedictions that made the child powerful, undefeatable, and literally immortal. They offered him immunity from fire, super intelligence, a healing touch and much more.

Another boon granted was that his body would become as robust as Indra’s thunderbolt, thus giving him the name Bajarangi that literally meant one whose body is robust like a thunderbolt. mahdvJra vikrama bajarangi. The side on which Hanuman stands never loses. And he always stands firmly on the platform of righteousness. Because he is always on the side of dharma, dharma always is on his side. In his presence, the saintly rejoice and the demonic shudder.

Often, we are surrounded by at least one person that throws negativity and toxicity into our lives. For Sugriva, that person was Vali. Fortunately for Sugriva, Hanuman walked into his life without an invitation. Surya, the sun god, who eventually became Hanuman’s guru, sent him to protect and guide Sugriva out of the mess that he was stuck in. Every single day Vali kicked his brother on his head 12 times. Though Sugriva was living in a mountain named Rishimukha on which Vali could not set his foot, due to a curse heaped by

Sage Matanga, Vali still managed to attack him through the aerial route without stepping on the mountain. For performing his gayatri, Vali had to jump across to reach the four oceans three times a day. Every time he jumped, he would pass over the Rishimukha Mountain and deliver a kick on his helpless brother’s head before proceeding to his next destination.

As soon as Hanuman walked into Sugriva’s life, the equation changed. Next time Vali attempted to kick Sugriva on his head, Hanuman caught hold of his feet mid-air. He pulled Vali’s feet down in an attempt to make him touch the mountain, which would immediately bring into force Matanga Rishi’s curse and end the tyranny of Vali for good.

Vali sensing the plan, pleaded and begged Hanuman to let him free, promising to never trouble Sugriva again. Vali leamt an unforgettable lesson and Sugriva experienced relief from pain. He expressed his gratitude towards his newly found protector-cum-guide. Thus, from the moment Hanuman made an entry in Ramayana, he declared to destroy those who support adharma with an evil mind while he stood by those who harbour positive uplifting dharmic thoughts.

Thus he is considered destroyer of evil and companion of the good, kumati nivara sumati ke sangin ordinary monkey. When Hanuman revealed himself, he showed Bhima his awesome form (virat-swarup), making Bhima realize the insignificance of his physical strength and social position.

A king uses his power to serve people and create an ecosystem where people can outgrow hunger and fear. When a king uses his power to dominate those around him, it reveals the king has not outgrown his hunger and fear; he is not yet Ram. Likewise, a king’s agent uses his power to serve his master. When a king’s agent uses his power to dominate those around him, it reveals he has not outgrown his hunger and fear; he is not yet Hanuman.

Devotees around the world recite the Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics with deep reverence.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 2 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 2 Son of Wind

राम दूत
अतुलित बल धामा ।
अंजनिपुत्र
पवनसुत नामा ॥

Ram doot
atulit bala dhama.
Anjani-putra
Pavan-sut nama.

Agent of Ram
Bearer of great strength.
Son of Anjani (mother)
Also known as son of the wind god (father).

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 2 Meaning in English

This chaupai focuses on the origin and role of Hanuman. He is described as the son of the god of wind (Pavan) and a monkey woman called Anjana or Anjani, and has immense strength and uses his strength to serve as Ram’s agent.

In the Vedas, divinity was often personified as natural phenomena: Indra, the god of thunder and lightning; Agni, the fire; Soma, the juices within trees; Surya, the sun; Vayu, the wind. Pavan is a colloquial name for Vayu who is also known as Maruta, the god of storms.

Pavan is also associated with prana (breath in the lungs) and vata (gases in the bowels), and so integral to life. The wind god who connects the earth with the sky is a companion and messenger of Indra, a role replicated by his son Hanuman, who is also known as Vayu-putra and Maruti.

If Hanuman gets his awesome strength from his father, his monkeyness comes from his mother, Anjana, a vanara woman. As the son of Anjana, Hanuman is often called Anjaneya, especially in South India. Not much is known about Hanuman’s mother. In some stories, she was a nymph, an apsara, cursed to live on earth, after she upset a rishi.

In other stories, she is the daughter of Gautama, the sage who discovers his wife, Ahalya, in the arms of Indra. She is cursed either by Gautama for not telling the truth about her mother or by Ahalya for not lying to her father. The curse involves her turning into a monkey. She marries Kesari, a vanara, who lives in Kishkinda.

The idea of a god making a human pregnant is often found in Greek mythology, where it is used to explain the existence of extraordinary heroes. Thus Hercules has a celestial father (Zeus) and a mortal father (Amphitryon) just as Hanuman has a celestial father (Vayu) and a mortal father (Kesari).

Did this story of Hanuman have a Greek influence? At the time the Ramayana was being composed, Indian storytellers may have been exposed to Greek tales that had followed Alexander the Great to the East. We can only speculate as there is little by way of proof.

It is significant that Hanuman’s father and mother are clearly identified. It means he is born of the womb (yonija). He is never referred to as self-created (swayambhu), indicating that his status is lower. In Hindu mythology, there are two kinds of gods: the greater ones who are self-created and are hence beyond space and time, immortal and infinite, and the lesser ones who are born to parents and are hence located within space and time, are mortal and finite.

In the Puranas, all old Vedic gods-Indra, Agni, Vayu, Surya-are given secondary status by being described as children of Kashyapa and Aditi. Primary status is given to Shiva and Vishnu who are described as self-created. Vishnu voluntarily takes a mortal form as Ram, thus striding both categories. Hanuman, however, does not fit so neatly into the second category: yes, he takes birth on earth, but he is also described as immortal (Chiranjivi). There are no stories of his death.

In the Mahabharata, Vayu places his seed in the womb of Kunti, as a result Kunti becomes the mother of Vayu’s son, Bhima. While Vayu had chosen Anjani, Kunti had chosen Vayu. Kunti had invoked Vayu with a mantra, and asked him to give her a child, but Anjani had not. This made Bhima a child of desire, whereas Hanuman was a child of destiny.

As sons of the wind god, both Hanuman and Bhima are brothers. Like Hanuman, Bhima is very strong. But unlike Hanuman, Bhima is not divine. Bhima may be his elder brother’s loyal agent, but that is not the same as serving Ram.

For in serving his elder brother, Bhima does his duty as a younger brother, and is serving his family; in serving Ram, Hanuman is fulfilling no obligation but acting of his own volition and love. Bhima is as strong as Hanuman, but he lacks Hanuman’s humility. While Hanuman is content being a messenger (doot) for Ram, as he is born of a monkey, Bhima feels entitled because he is born of a princess.

In Hindu mythology, destiny determined our body, our family, hence our social role. Our desire makes us either want to change a social role or cling to a social role. Destiny makes Ram the eldest son of a royal family, hence he acts as king. He does not desire to be king.

Destiny makes Hanuman a monkey, he chooses to serve Ram, not for wealth and power, but for wisdom-the realization of the divine potential. Hence, he serves but does not seek. Bhima not only fulfils his social role, he also uses it to dominate the world around him, and benefit from his birth-determined strength and status. Hanuman teaches him to change his ways as we learn from the following story.

In his royal arrogance, Bhima always walked straight and expected all things to move aside and make way for him, even mountains and trees. Those who blocked his path were simply hurled aside or crushed underfoot. In his path, one day, he found an old monkey sleeping. ‘I am too old to get out of your way’, the monkey murmured. ‘Just kick my tail aside and make your way.’ But when Bhima tried to kick the old monkey’s tail, he realized it was really heavy, so heavy that it could not be pushed or pulled, even when he used all his strength.

Bhima realized this was no ordinary monkey. When Hanuman revealed himself, he showed Bhima his awesome form (virat-swarup), making Bhima realize the insignificance of his physical strength and social position. A king uses his power to serve people and create an ecosystem where people can outgrow hunger and fear.

When a king uses his power to dominate those around him, it reveals the king has not outgrown his hunger and fear; he is not yet Ram. Likewise, a king’s agent uses his power to serve his master. When a king’s agent uses his power to dominate those around him, it reveals he has not outgrown his hunger and fear; he is not yet Hanuman.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 2 Analysis in English

rama duta atulita bala dhamai
anjani putra pavanasuta nama ||2||

Rama’s envoy, a reservoir of unsurpassable power,
Renowned as Anjana’s son and ‘son of the wind’. (2)

Early in his childhood, Hanuman’s mother Anjana had told ‘ him a secret that remained etched in his mind. The moment he met his master, he would have a bone-melting experience. And as predicted, the moment Hanuman came in front of Lord Rama for the first time, the very first glance of his eternal master convinced him that this was his eternal shelter. Every bone in his body had begun to melt.

But what really hit him the hardest was the first question that Lord Rama asked him. Because Hanuman was disguised as a beggar sanyasi, Rama asked him why a beggar was wearing a diamond necklace around his neck. Hanuman was stunned with that question because he had worn that invisible necklace all his life, and it had not been visible to anyone till date.

Brahma had gifted it to him in his childhood with a stipulation that it would never be visible to anyone but one. And the one who saw that jewel would be Hanuman’s master. So when Rama asked him about that jewel, it was another confirmation that Rama was his eternal master and he was Rama’s eternal servant.

However, at that time, Hanuman was Sugriva’s servant. And although there was no defect in the speech of Hanuman, he made one mistake in answering Rama. It was a subtle mistake that made Rama step back from developing a relationship immediately with Hanuman.

When Rama asked him to reveal his real identity, Hanuman replied that he was Sugriva’s servant. He was right from a practical point of view but from an eternal point of view, the right answer was that he was the servant of Lord Rama. As soon as Hanuman said that he was Sugriva’s servant, Rama felt hurt and stepped back allowing Lakshmana to continue the conversation.

As soon as Hanuman saw Rama stepping back, he knew he had made a grave mistake in the very first meeting. What was done was done but henceforth Rama would scrutinize thoroughly every action of his. But he hoped that he would win the confidence and favour of Rama once again. Which he did with his sensitivity in understanding subtle nuances in relationships.

When Rama met Sugriva for the first time, Sugriva welcomed him and offered him a seat on the branch of a tree. Sugriva then sat on the same branch with Rama, which sent out a subtle message that he considered himself an equal to Rama. Behaving thoughtlessly, Sugriva did not even offer a seat to Lakshmana who remained standing.

Hanuman immediately perceived the awkwardness of the situation, brought a branch of a better tree (sandalwood) and offered it to Lakshmana. While he himself sat on the ground below Lakshmana. With one action, Hanuman accomplished many things. He showed respect to Lakshmana and undid the insult meted out to him by Sugriva. This sensitive approach of Hanuman’s impressed Rama and he smiled softly.

Thus Hanuman kept gaining the confidence and favour of Rama by displays of sensitivity and such respectful acts. Within four months of the rainy season that Rama spent in Kishkinda, Hanuman managed to win over Rama completely and became a trusted ally. So much so that of the millions of monkeys that were sent out to scout for Sita, Rama chose to give his ring to Hanuman, confident that Hanuman would be the one to find Sita.

Till Hanuman met Sita, he identified himself as Rama doot or messenger of Rama. But after he met her and saw her unalloyed devotion to Rama, Hanuman caught on with her mood and began to call himself Rama das or servant of Rama. Being Rama doot is to forget one’s temporary identities ‘ of this world and focus on one’s eternal identity as the messenger and servant of Rama. Being a messenger is to take the message of Rama to others who are in need to hear that message. Being a servant is to live a life in alignment with that message.

Being a messenger is to do prachar (preach the message). Being a servant is to do aachar (live by the message). It took Hanuman four months to convert from being Sugriva das (Sugriva’s servant) to Rama doot (Rama’s messenger) and another two months to convert from being Rama doot to Rama das (Rama’s servant), rama duta atulita bala dhamd Kesari and Anjana began their journey towards the Himalayas with little Hanuman.

They had been invited to have darshan of Badri Narayana by the disciples of the powerful sage Rishi Vishwambhar. When Rishi Vishwambhar called, no one refused. He wasn’t an ordinary sage. He was a powerful maharishi who had taken a lifelong vow of not speaking a single word other than uttering the names of Lord Narayan. He had followed that vow in the most severe way for the last 50 years.

After an arduous journey, the vanara family made it all the way to the peaks of Badrinath. Soon they were standing in the presence of the great sage Vishwambhar who took them for the darshan of Lord Badri Narayana. As soon as baby Hanuman saw the holy deity, he spontaneously and enthusiastically cried out ‘Rama’, raising his little hands. Kesari immediately corrected his son that it was the deity of Badri Narayana. Just then he heard a hoarse voice that said, “Satyavachan! This is Rama.”

No one was able to believe this! The impossible had happened. A 50-year-long-standing-vow had been broken. Sage Vishwambhar had uttered something other than the name of Lord Narayana after such a long time. The disciples gathered around their guru wanting to know the profound reason behind the unexpected aberration. He explained that he had taken the vow because of his worry for protecting the saintly community from harassment at the hands of the demons.

At the commencement of this vow, Lord Brahma had prophesized that when the name of Rama is spoken from the mouth of an innocent child, it would herald destruction of the demons. Lord Brahma had further predicted that Lord Rama and Lord Shiva (in the form of Hanuman) would descend for destruction of the negative forces. Sage Vishwambhar declared that this child was none other than Lord Shiva and an abode of strength.

In his heart would always reside Lord Rama and together they would destroy the demonic forces. Being himself an abode of strength (bala dhama) and determination, Hanuman additionally encompasses the strength of Lord Rama who is in his heart. Thus his strength is incomparable or atulita.

Thus Hanuman is known as rama diita atulita bala dhama There was an extremely beautiful apsara in the heavens, whose name was Punjikasthala. Though born in the heavens and destined for celestial enjoyments, she was not the least bit interested in materialistic pleasures. She was ever absorbed in deeper seeking of the soul and kept herself engaged in austerities, rituals, and worship.

One day to please her guru, Brihaspati, she designed a beautiful garland made of rudraksha beads. When she presented it to her master, feeling great joy, he instantly blessed her with motherhood. Only later did he realize his folly. Apsaras in the heavenly realms couldn’t have children. But the word of a great sage like Brihaspati could not go wasted either.

When he pondered over why he had offered such an unusual blessing to an apsara from the heavens, he concluded this had to be the divine will. Through his mouth had come out prophetic words indicating that Punjikasthala would be the mother of a child empowered by divine will; a child who would be a great instrument of protection and joy for the world.

From that point onwards, Punjikasthala started getting weird dreams. In almost every dream, she envisioned herself as a monkey holding in her arms a beautiful baby monkey that was always smiling. She could never fathom the meaning of these dreams until one fateful day when Durvasa muni walked into heaven. He wanted to perform a particularly difficult fire sacrifice and asked Indra for his able assistance.

Indra assigned Punjikasthala as the main assistant to Durvasa muni. She was his obvious choice because of all the apsaras in the heavens, she was the only one who was interested in rituals and austerities. While the rest of her friends frolicked and enjoyed themselves in heavenly bliss, Punjikasthala immersed herself in higher consciousness.

Punjikasthala was thrilled at this opportunity and began to serve Durvasa muni in all earnestness. Durvasa was extremely happy with her services and her ever-enthusiastic presence. However, sometimes in over enthusiasm, she would be more energetic than necessary and that irritated him. One day when she was carrying a pot of water towards the sacrificial arena, she spilled the water all over the place in excitement. That was enough for Durvasa muni to fly into a rage. He had tolerated enough of her antics. He instantly cursed her that since she was jumping around like a monkey, she deserved to become a monkey.

As soon as he pronounced the curse, he came to his senses. What was he doing? Why did he curse her so harshly for a mistake so small? Durvasa was confused about his own bitter action. When Punjikasthala fell at his feet besieging forgiveness for her mistake, Durvasa muni immediately forgave her but his curse was simply an indication of some important future chapter in the course of her life. Though he was unable to lift the curse, he modified it. Even as a monkey in future, she would have the ability to change her form at will. He added that her womb would give birth to a very powerful personality who would bring her great fame and reverence from all over the world.

Years passed and Punjikasthala almost completely forgot about this incident. One day, she happened to be on a joy ride in her plane when she saw a beam of light emanating from earth and shooting up the sky forcing her plane to come to a halt. Out of curiosity, she descended to the source of the beam and found it emanating from a pile of mud. Surprisingly, the pile of mud was in the shape of a monkey. She jumped off her plane and began to dig the pile of mud to ascertain the source of that powerful light.

Suddenly, from within that mud emerged a powerful looking sage, shrugging off the mud from his body. He glowed like fire in anger. She had inadvertently disturbed him from his samadhi. She tried to explain how she saw a beam of light that aroused her curiosity and made her dig the mud block. But the sage was in no mood to hear explanations and cursed her that her monkey-like inquisitiveness would make her a monkey. This time Punjikasthala did not get offended or scared of being cursed. She knew that there was a great future waiting for her that was revealing itself in the form of unwanted and unwarranted curses and blessings.

Eventually, true to the curses, she was born as Anjana, to a monkey king named Kunj ar. She later married Kesari who was a very powerful monkey chieftain. Though there were ample predictions about the birth of a superhero, there weren’t any signs of pregnancy for years. Then both Anjana and Kesari decided to perform tapasya to beget a worthy child.

The time when Anjana was performing severe austerities seated on a mountain top in Kishkinda, coincided with completion of the Putrakamesti yajna of Dasharatha maharaj in Ayodhya. A powerful personality ascended from the sacrificial fire and offered a pot of celestial nectar to the king.

The king was to divide the nectar amongst his three wives for them to conceive powerful sons. As soon as Dasharatha offered the nectar to Kaushalya, a huge eagle swooped down, grabbed a portion of that nectar and flew away before anyone could react. The bird flew all the way to Kishkinda and dropped that nectar mid-air. The wind god, sensing the divine arrangement, intervened and began to blow the nectar potion towards a particular pre-conceived direction.

The nectar eventually landed exactly in the extended palms of Anjana who was meditating intensely on the mountaintop. When she mystically received the nectar drops, she knew this was the grace she had been waiting for. With a prayer of gratitude, Anjana consumed the nectar and instantly became pregnant with the much-awaited superhero. Because he was the son of Anjana (Anjana putra) and the contributed grace of the wind god (Pavana putra) therefore he became known as artjani putra pavanasuta nama

Perhaps the most powerful meditation or the most popular hymn in the land of India is the Hanuman Chalisa. Breaking all barriers of diversity, everyone in India can either recite the Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics English by heart or has at least heard of it. It is so omnipresent that umpteen chalisa have been penned glorifying it. And here we are, with yet another chalisa on the glorious Shri Hanuman Chalisa, promising more thrills and delights for Hanuman lovers.

We are not a scholar. Nor do we claim perfection in understanding this most powerful prayer. We are simply a devotee of Hanuman and great admirers of his divine qualities that have attracted millions of hearts. Having said that, this attempt to decode the Hanuman Chalisa PDF is more devotional than scholarly. In this Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics in English, We have tried to associate every word of the Chalisa with stories of Hanuman from Valimiki’s Ramayana, Tulsidas’s Ramacharitramaanas, or the folklore of India in a way that the words come alive and the dohas become fully action-packed, leaving an imprint on the mind.

Shree Hanuman Chalisa, Jay Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics in English with Meaning

Through various events and anecdotes, we see Hanuman’s character weaving into shape. A shape so genuine and lovable that he gets integrated as an indispensable part of our lives. In a few instances in the Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics, you will find a couple of stories repeated. This has been done because the same story can be seen and interpreted in multiple ways, seen through different angles, and each retelling brings something new to the surface.

• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 1 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 2 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 3 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 4 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 5 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 6 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 7 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 8 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 9 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 10 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 11 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 12 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 13 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 14 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 15 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 16 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 17 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 18 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 19 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 20 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 21 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 22 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 23 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 24 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 25 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 26 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 27 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 28 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 29 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 30 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 31 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 32 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 33 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 34 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 35 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 36 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 37 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 38 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 39 with Meaning
• Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 40 with Meaning

Also Read Hanuman Chalisa in Bengali

When an ardent devotee of Hanuman’s reads this Shree Hanuman Chalisa, it will serve as a meditation. When a great ian of Hanuman’s adventures reads this Hanuman Chalisa in English, it will serve as a fountain of unheard fun facts about Hanuman. When a story lover reads this Jai Hanuman Chalisa, it will serve as an ocean of sweet and wonderful stories. When a child reads this Hanuman Chalisa Meaning, it will serve as a source of a million smiles. When a parent reads this Hanuman Chalisa Analysis, it will be a treasure trove of bedtime stories.

The Hanuman Chalisa English Pdf is amazing when recited, sung, heard, or read. With this Meaning of Hanuman Chalisa, we have strived to enhance that experience a million times over. If this Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai does touch a chord in your heart, all I ask from you is a small blessing or a small silent prayer.

Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics in English

shri guru charana saroja raja,
nija mana mukuru sudhari
baranau raghuvara bimala jasu,
jo dayaku phala chari ll

buddhihina tanu janike,
sumirau pavanakumara
bala budhi vidya dehu mohi
harahukalesa vikara ll

Hanuman Chalisa Pdf in English

jaya hanumana gnyana pina sagara
jaya kapisa tihu loka ujagara ll 1 ll

rama duta atulita bala dhama
anjani putra pavanasuta nama ll 2 ll

mahavira vikrama bajarangi
kumati nivara sumati ke sangi ll 3 ll

kanchana barana biraja subesai
kanana kundala kunchita kesai ll 4 ll

hatha bajra au dhvaja birajai
kadhe munja janeu sajai ll 5 ll

Lyrics of Hanuman Chalisa

shankara swayam kesan nandana
teja pratapa maha jaga bandana ll 6 ll

vidyavana gunl ati chatura
rama kaja karibe ko atura ll 7 ll

prabhu charitra sunibe ko rasiya
rama lakhana sita mana basiya ll 8 ll

sukshma rupa dhari siyahi dikhava
bikata rupa dhari’lanka jarava ll 9 ll

bhlma rupa dhari asura
ramachandra ke kaja savare ll 10 ll

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai

laya sanjlvani lakhana jiyae
shri raghublra harashi ura lae ll11ll

raghupati klnhi bahut barall
tuma mama priya bharatahi sama bhalli ll 12 ll

sahasa badana tumharo jasa gavai
asa kahi shripati kantha lagavai ll 13 ll

sanakadika brahmadi munlsai
narada sarada sahita ahlsall ll 14 ll

jama kubera dikpala jaha te
kabi kobida kahi sakai kaha tell ll 15 ll

Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics

tuma upakara sugrlvahi kinha
rama milaya raj apada dinha ll 16 ll

tumharo mantra bibhishana mana
lankeshvara bhae saba jaga jana ll 17 ll

juga sahasra jojana para bhanu
lilyo tahi madhura phala janu ll 18 ll

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

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

Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics English

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

saba sukha lahai tumhari sarana
tuma rakshaka kahu ko darana ll 22 ll

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

bhuta pishacha nikata nahi avai
mahablra jaba nama sunavai ll 24 ll

nasai roga harai saba pirai
japata nirantara hanumata blraii ll 25 ll

Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics in English

sankata te hanumana chhudavai
mana krama bachana dhyana jo lavai ll 26 ll

saba para rama tapasvi raja
tina ke kaja sakala tuma saja ll 27 ll

aura manoratha jo koi lavai
sohi amita jlvana phala pavai ll 28 ll

charo juga para tapa tumharal
hai parasiddhajagataujiyyara ll 29 ll

sadhu santa ke tuma rakhavarei
asura nikandana rama dulare ll 30 ll

Shree Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics

ashta siddhi nau nidhi ke datai
asa bara dinha janak mata ll 31 ll

rama rasayana tumhare pasai
sada raho raghupati ke dasa ll 32 ll

tumhare bhajana rama ko pavai
janama janama ke dukha bisaravai ll 33 ll

anta kala raghubara pura jai
jaha janma hari bhakta kahai ll 34 ll

aura devata chitta na dharai
hanumata sei sarba sukha kara ll 35 ll

Hanuman Chalisa English Lyrics

sankata katai mitai saba pira
jo sumirai hanumata balablra ll 36 ll

jaya jaya jaya hanumana gosai
kripa karahu gurudeva ki nai ll 37 ll

jo shata bara patha kara koi
chhutahi bandi maha sukha hoi ll 38 ll

jo yaha padhai hanumana chalisa
hoya siddha sakhl gaunsa ll 39 ll

tulasidasa sada hari chera
kijai natha hridaya maha dera ll 40 ll

pavantanaya sankata harana mangala murati rupa
rama lakhan slta sahita hridaya basahu sura bhupa ll

Hariharan Shree Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics

Shriguru charan saroj-raj nija manu mukura sudhaari.
Baranau Raghubara Vimala Jasu jo dayaka phala chari.

Buddhi-been tanu janikay sumirow Pavanakumara.
Bala-buddbi bidya dehoo mohee harahu klesha vikaara.

Shri Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics

1. Jai Hanuman gyan gun sagar. Jai Kapish tibun lok ujagar.
2. Ram doot atulit bala dhama. Anjani-putra Pavan-sut nama.
3. Mahabir Bikram Bajrangi. Kumati nivar sumati ke sangi.
4. Kanchan baran biraj subesa. Kanan kundal kunchit kesa.
5. Hath bajra aur dhvaja biraje. Kaandhe moonj janehu sajai.
6. Sankar suvan Kesari nandan. Tej prataap maha jag bandan.
7. Vidyavaan guni ati chatur. Ram kaj karibe ko aatur.
8. Prabbu charitra sunibe ko rasiya. Ram Lakhan Sita man basiya.
9. Sukshma roop dhari Siyabi dikhava. Vikat roop dhari Lank jarava.
10. Bhima roop dhari asur sanghare. Ramachandra ke kaj sanvare.

Hanuman Chalisa in English Lyrics

11. Laye Sanjivan Lakhan jiyaye. Shri Raghuvir harashi ur Laye.
12. Raghupati kinhi bahut badai. Tum mam priye Bharat-bi-sam bhai.
13. Sahas badan tumbaro jasa gaave. Asa-kahi Shripati kanth lagaave.
14. Sankadhik Brahmaadi muneesa. Narada-Sarad sabita Abeesa.
15. Jam Kubera Digpaal jahan te. Kavi kovid kabi sake kahan te.
16. Tum upkar Sugrivahin keenha. Ram milaye rajpad deenha.
17. Tumbaro mantra Vibbishan maana. Lankeshwar bbaye sub jag jana.
18. Yug sahastra jojan par Bhanu. Leelyo tabi madhur phal janu.
19. Prabbu mudrika meli mukh mabee. Jaladhi langhi gaye achraj nabee.
20. Durgam kaj jagath ke jete. Sugam anugraha tumbre tete.

Hariharan Shree Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics

21. Ram dwaare tum rakhvare. Hoat na agya bin paisare.
22. Sub sukb lahae tumbari sarna. Tum rakshak kabu ko darna.
23. Aapan tej sambaro aapai. Teenhon lok bank te kanpai.
24. Bhoot pisaach nikat nahin aavai. Mababir jab naam sunavae.
25. Nase rog harae sab peera. Japat nirantar Hanumat Beera.
26. Sankat se Hanuman cbudavae. Man, kram, vachan dhyan jo lavai.
27. Sab par Ram tapasvee raja. Tin ke kaj sakal tum saja.
28. Aur manorath jo koi lavai. Sobi amit jeevan phal pavai.
29. Chaaron jug partap tumbara. Hai persidh jagat ujiyara.
30. Sadbu sant ke tum rakbware. Asur nikandan Ram dulhare.

Hanuman Chalisa Ki Chaupai

31. Ashta-sidhi nav nidhi ke dhata. As bar deen Janki mata.
32. Ram rasayan tumbare pasa. Sada raho Raghupati ke dasa.
33. Tumbare bhajan Ram ko pavai. Janam-janam ke dukb bisraavai.
34. Ant-kaal Raghuvir-pur jayee. Jahan janam Hari-bbakt kahayee.
35. Aur devta chit na dharebi. Hanumat se hi sarve sukh karehi.
36. Sankat kate mite sab peera. Jo sumirai Hanumat Balbeera.
37. Jai Jai Jai Hanuman Gosain. Kripa karahu gurudev ki nyahin.
38. Jo sat bar path kare koi. Chbutehi bandhi maha sukh boyi.
39. Jo yeh padbe Hanuman Chalisa. Hoye siddhi sakbi Gaureesa.
40. Tulsidas sada Hari chera. Keejai Nath hriday mein dera.

Pavan tanay sankat harana mangala murati roop.
Ram Lakhana Sita sabita briday basabu soor bhoop.

Hanuman Chalisa with Meaning – Hanuman Chalisa Meaning in English

Doha 1: Establishing the Mind-Temple

श्रीगुरु चरन सरोज रज निज मनु मुकुरु सुधारि ।
बरनऊँ रघुबर बिमल जसु जो दायकु फल चारि ॥

Shri guru charan saroja-raj nija manu mukura sudhaari.
Baranau Raghubara Bimala Jasu jo dayaka phala chari.

Having polished my mind-mirror with the pollen-dust of my guru’sfeet.
I bask in the unblemished glory of the lord of the Raghu clan (Ram), bestower of life’s four fruits.

Thus begins the Hanuman Chalisa, composed by Tulsidas four centuries ago in Awadhi, a dialect of Hindi spoken in the Gangetic plains around the cities of Awadh, or Ayodhya, and Kashi or Varanasi. Chalisa means a poem of forty verses (chalis means forty in Hindi). Hanuman Chalisa, however, has forty-three verses. The main forty verses are chaupai, or quatrains (verses with four short, rhythmic segments). Framing these are three dohas, or couplets. (verses with two long, rhythmic segments) – two at the beginning and one at the end-which serve as the entry and exit points into the ‘mind-temple’ that is created by the Chalisa.

Hindus have always believed that a temple can be created in the mind using words and verses, just as brick, wood and stone can be used to construct a temple in the material world. The psychological world exists parallel to the physical world; these are the two worlds inhabited by all living creatures (jiva in Sanskrit) according to Hindu scriptures. Only the non-living (ajiva) exist solely in the physical world.

In Hinduism, mind and matter are seen as interdependent, and their complementary nature was expressed using many words such as dehi-deha, atma-sharira, purusha-prakriti, shiva-shakti. The value placed on the psychological world is the reason why sacred Hindu writings are full of symbols and metaphors. The literal is for those who cannot handle the psychological, and prefer to see the physical as real. This yearning for the literal is indicative of insecurity, for the insecure mind finds it easier to control matter, which is measurable, than the mind, which is not.

The verse refers to the mind as a mirror that reflects the world. We think we engage with the real world, when in fact we engage with the world reflected in the mind-mirror. A dirty mirror will distort our view of the world, so we need to clean it. The cleansing agent is the dust of the guru’s feet, who is so realized that the dust of his feet has the potency of pollen (saroj).

Our dirty mind-mirror is contrasted against the pure (vimala) glory of Ram who offers the four fruits (phala chari) that come from God, that nourish human existence: dharma (social order), artha (wealth and power), kama (pleasure) and moksha (freedom from material burdens).

Is there a relationship between the pollen of the guru’s feet and the fruit bestowed by God? There could be. The mind which is a mirror (mukura) can also be seen as a flower (mukula), similar sounding words when we think about it. Is that deliberate device used by the poet? We can surely speculate. By the use of pollenflower-fruit metaphors a connection is established between the guru’s wisdom, a clear human mind, and the glory of the divine, which together will give us what we desire.

Having sought the blessings of the guru and invoked God, and polished the mind-mirror, it is time to declare the intention behind this enterprise we are embarking upon. It is time for the sankalpa.

shri guru charana saroja raja,
nija mana mukuru sudhari
baranau raghuvara biraala jasu,
jo dayaku phala chari ll

With the dust of the lotus feet of the Guru,
I cleanse the mirror of my mind and then
I sing the glories of Raghuvara, who bestows
the four-foldfruits of life.

Blessings invoke auspiciousness. Anything begun with the seeking of blessings becomes most auspicious. Tulsidas begins the Hanuman Chalisa by seeking blessings of Sri Guru. This could mean Sri who is Guru or Guru who is empowered by Sri. Sri refers to Sita, the divine mother who is the essence of the Ramayana. Sita is considered to be the most important Guru in the Ramayana and an epitome of mercy and grace. In her presence, Rama never killed a demon.

In fact the worst of the demons who deserved to be killed were forgiven by Mother Sita, beginning with Kakasura. Hanuman learnt so much from Mother Sita during his meeting with her in Lanka. With her blessing, anything was possible. Tulsidas, thus begins the auspicious narration of the Hanuman Chalisa with the divine guru Sita’s blessings. Sita is not just a guru but capable of empowering anyone qualified to act as guru.

The entire Sri Sampradaya, a bonafide Vaishnava Sampradaya, falls under the disciplic succession of Lakshmidevi who is an expansion of Mother Sita. The lotus is used extensively in Vedic parlance. This is because the lotus grows in muddy water and yet blooms into a beautiful flower lending purity to its surrounding. Tulsidas refers to the feet of the guru as lotus. However negative the surroundings and circumstances, the guru not only remains unaffected but enlightens the environment.

Tulsidas says that the mirror of my mind has become dirty and contaminated and I am unable to see myself. He asks his guru to give him the dust of his feet to clean it. Charana saroja raja refers to the dust from the feet of Sri Guru. How will the dust clean? But divine dust has the power to clean.
Nijamana mukuru sudhari; he wants the dust from the lotus feet of his guru to clean his eyes and clean the mirror of the mind in order to see Rama as well as himself. Taking dust from the feet of the spiritual master also refers to serving Sri Guru with a menial disposition. To love means to serve and to serve means to please. The most important way to serve Sri Guru is to sit at the feet of the spiritual master and hear from him. But what does one hear from Sri Guru?

Baranau raghuvara bimala jasu, which means one hears the glories of the Supreme Lord Rama, the great descendent of the Raghu dynasty. The greatest mercy of the Spiritual master descends from his mouth. Though Tulsidas has written the Hanuman Chalisa, which is technically supposed to be the glorification of Hanuman, but in truth it is the glorification of Lord Rama. Because whatever Hanuman does is to only bring glory and good name to Lord Rama.

In every action of Hanuman’s, Rama is hidden. Hanuman is most happy when Lord Rama is glorified and Lord Rama is most happy when his devotee Hanuman is glorified. Tulsidas, in glorifying Hanuman, is hoping to attain the mercy of Rama and Sita. The path to enter and understand the master’s heart is through understanding and entering the servant’s heart.

Raghuvara means a descendent from the lineage of Raghu dynasty. Usually the title is reserved for Rama. However, Tulsidas could also be referring to Hanuman. When Hanuman finds Sita in Lanka, she is overwhelmed with emotions of relief and joy and calls him ‘son’. Rama too gets emotional many a times, when Hanuman brings the sanjivani herb to revive Lakshmana, and lovingly calls him ‘son’. By referring to Hanuman as Raghuvara, Tulsidas alludes to the high esteem which Rama and Sita had for him.

When one hears the words of Sri Guru glorifying the Supreme Lord or his supreme devotee’s activities, one attains perfection of four most important fruits of human life. The exalted commentator on the Hanuman Chalisa, Rambhadracharya, explains that the four goals of human life vary, depending on who you are. For a materialistic devotee, the four goals are dharma, artha, kama, and moksha. For a person seeking liberation, the four goals are salokya mukti, samipya mukti, sayujya mukti, and sarupya mukti. For a person seeking only devotion and nothing else, the four goals are dharma, gyana, yoga, and japa, all centred on cultivation of devotion to the Supreme Lord.

Doha 2: Statement of Desire

बुद्धिहीन तनु जानिके सुमिरौं पवनकुमार ।
बल बुद्धि बिद्या देहु मोहिं हरहु कलेस बिकार ॥

Buddhi-heen tanu janikay sumirow Pavanakumara.
Bala-buddhi bidya dehoo mohee harahu klesha vikaara.

Aware that I lack intelligence, I recollect the son of the wind god( Hanuman),
He will surely grant me strength, intelligence, knowledge and take away all problems and afflictions.

Sankalpa is the statement of purpose that marks the beginning of any Hindu ritual. We clarify who we are, and why we are doing what we are doing. This verse is the sankalpa that we are invoking Hanuman-identified here as the son (kumara) of the wind god (pavan) – to get what we want but don’t have, and to rid ourselves of what we have but don’t want. Thus the seed of desire is planted, with the hope of germination and fructification. Perhaps, the poet wants Hanuman to take care of him as Hanuman was taken care of by his divine father, the wind god Vayu, which is why he is addressing Hanuman using his father’s name.

We identify ourselves as lacking intelligence (buddhi). In colloquial language, the one without buddhi is buddhu, a fool, and one with buddhi is either the intelligent (buddhiman) or the awakened one (buddha).

The Buddha is a title that was given to a prince who lived 2,500 years ago after he came to the conclusion that where there is life there is desire, and hence suffering. Suffering ends when we realize that nothing is permanent, neither the world, nor our sense of self. The ultimate aim is oblivion (nirvana) of the self which exists by imagining the world is real and permanent. The Buddha propagated this idea of dhamma (which is Pali for dharma) by establishing monastic orders (the sangha).

By contrast, Hinduism is life-affirming. Desire (kama) is accepted as the force that creates the world, with destiny (karma) as the counterforce that limits the satisfaction of desires. If one wants to give purpose to life, then one must enjoy desire and accept destiny, without being addicted to either, and realizing there is more to life than satisfaction and suffering, desire and destiny. This can only happen when we have buddhi, complemented with strength (bala) and knowledge (vidya), which is what this chaupai refers to.

Strength without intelligence makes us dim-witted tools in the hands of others. Intelligence without strength, on the other hand, means we can never realize our dreams, for strength means a body that has stamina, a mind that has patience, and a life with access to resources and agency.

Knowledge without intelligence prevents us from being worldly. Intelligence without knowledge makes us narrowminded, short-sighted frogs in a well. Knowledge is infinite, it has no boundaries, and in Hinduism, God is the personification of that infinite knowledge. Everyone has access only to a slice (bhaga) of reality; the one who knows all slices is God (bhagavan).

In the information age, as we move towards gathering data about everyone and everything, it is easy to assume we are moving towards infinite knowledge hence God-hood, through computers and databases. However, this data being gathered is material, not psychological. What is being measured is stimulus and its behavioural response. What is being manipulated by technology, is behaviour alone, not thought and emotions. What information is not being gathered is how the mind perceives and processes sensory stimuli. Science today is so focussed on the material, that it assumes measurable input (stimulus) and measurable output (behavioural response) is indicative of thought and emotion, and dismisses arguments to the contrary.

Reality is seen as what we do (measurable), not what we feel (not measurable). At best, doing is seen as an indicator of feeling. At worst, doing is seen as relevant while feeling is considered of no consequence. When the West speaks of an intelligence quotient or an emotional index, it derives all understanding of the mind from measuring behaviour. Measurement limits science. This distinguishes the modern discourse, and disconnects it with traditional Indian wisdom where measurement is seen as establishing a delusion (maya) of certainty.

The obsession with quotients, and indices, hence mathematics, reveals the desire to control, regulate, manipulate human behaviour. Control, in Hinduism, is an indicator of fear. The intelligent seek control: the strong have the resilience to handle the lack of control, and the knowledgeable know the futility of control. Hence, we ask Hanuman for strength as well as knowledge, along with intelligence.

We also ask Hanuman to solve our problems: problems that bother our mind (klesha) and problems that bother our body (vikara). Colloquially, klesha simply means a problem of any kind, but in Sanskrit ‘klesha’ refers to the psychological root of all problems such as lust (kama), anger (krodha), pride (mada), obsession (raga), revulsion (dvesha), jealousy (matsarya), that exists within us or in those around us. In the Bhagavad Gita, these kleshas are identified as vikara, making the two words synonyms. In Ayurveda, vikaras refer to diseases arising from the imbalance of the humours (doshas). Hanuman is being evoked to restore balance and harmony, in our mind and in our body, within us as well as around us.

Note that everything that is being sought from Hanuman involves the mind and body: we want him to give us strength, intelligence, and knowledge. We are not asking for fortune or success. With a healthy mind, we know, we can cope with all of life’s vagaries, and find happiness, always. This doha marks the end of the introduction. Having paid obeisance to the guru and God, having made our statement of intent, we plunge into the main Chalisa, composed of forty chaupais.

buddhihina tanu janike,
sumirau pavanakumarai
bala budhi vidya dehu mohi
harahu kalesa vikara ll

Knowing my body to be devoid of intelligence,
I remember you, the son of Vayu.
Grant me strength, intelligence, and knowledge
and remove all my miseries and impurities.

Tulsidas begins this verse with an attitude of humility. Spiritual life begins with the acceptance that ‘I am weak and I need help’.In this acceptance lies the humility that is needed to grow spiritually. Material life makes one proud of even those things that one has not. Spiritual life makes one humble of even those things that one has. Because spiritual life helps one understand that one’s strengths are not one’s own. If one’s strengths are not one’s own and we are awarded them by some higher source, then why won’t that higher source help us deal with our weaknesses also? That knowledge which makes us receptive to new learnings is the beginning of spiritual life.

Weakness here refers to not physical but spiritual. Spiritual weakness makes one susceptible to temptations of various kinds. When succumbed to, these temptations create miseries and pains. Tulsidas is helping us understand the importance of acceptance of this fact in this doha. He is not just exposing us to our greatest problem but also helping us find a solution for it.

When we accept that we are devoid of spiritual intelligence to deal with our shortcomings, we also simultaneously accept that we need help of someone who is higher in spiritual intelligence. Who is that person who is so evolved in spiritual intelligence and if taken shelter of can uplift us too? Tulsidas introduces Hanuman in that capacity into our lives. He is the one who can give us bala or strength, buddhi or intelligence, and vidya or knowledge, needed to help us deal with our shortcomings.

Rambhadracharya comments on this doha that our shortcomings are not one or two in number but are eleven in all. Tulsidas calls our shortcomings as kalesha and bikara. The word kalesha, according to the Patanjali Yoga Sutra, refers to five types of faults: avidya (mal-perception), asmita (egoism), raga (attachments/indulgences), dwesha (aversions), and abhinnivesa (fears/insecurities).

The word bikara refers to six types of vices: Kama (lust/ desires which are born in the mind), krodha (anger which manifests from frustrated desires), lobha (greed which manifests from insatiable desires), moha (illusion which manifests from ignorance), mada (pride which manifests from the ego), and matsarya (envy which manifests from ingratitude).

Dealing with these five types of faults or kaleshas and six types of vices or bikaras is not easy. Together these eleven make one spiritually weak and ignorant. We need strength, intelligence, and knowledge to overcome these eleven impurities that are spiritually weakening us. Tulsidas recommends us to remember Hanuman who, according to him, is the best person who can easily help us overcome these eleven maladies and help us become spiritually strong and connect deeply with the Supreme Lord.

Tulsidas uses an interesting word here, ‘tanu’, referring to self or body. By using ‘tanu’, he reiterates the source of his ignorance which is his identification with the physical self. He claims that though one knows there is an inner eternal self, one still identifies himself with the outer changing physical body. He prays to Hanuman to bring about a change in that ignorant state by connecting him to divine and dynamic qualities. Ramabhadracharya substantiates this even further by telling us why Hanuman is the best choice.

Being the eleventh Rudra, Hanuman is the most equipped to help us overcome these eleven flaws. Not only is he the eleventh Rudra, he is also the personification of immense strength, intelligence, and knowledge. The entire the Hanuman Chalisa substantiates how Hanuman is actually the reservoir of unlimited strength, intelligence, and knowledge. When we take shelter of Hanuman, he can easily offer us all of these, thus helping us remove (harau) those deficiencies, and re-establishing us in our constitutional position as eternal servants of Lord Rama.

Doha 3: Becoming Hanuman

पवनतनय संकट हरन मंगल मूरति रूप ।
राम लखन सीता सहित हृद्य बसहु सुर भूप ॥

Pavan tanay sankat harana mangala murati roop
Ram Lakhana Sita sahita hriday basahu soor bhoop

Son of the wind, remover of problems, embodiment of auspiciousness
Along with Ram, Lakshman, Sita dwell in my heart forever

With this doha, ends the Hanuman Chalisa. This is the exit from the mind-temple, where we have invoked, observed, adored, venerated, and petitioned Hanuman, who we describe here in three ways: based on his origin (son of the wind god), based

on his function (remover of obstacles) and based on his form (embodiment of auspiciousness). We now invite him to dwell forever in our heart along with Ram, Lakshman and Sita. What do we mean by that? A story explains this well:

Once Hanuman wrote the biography of Ram on a banana leaf. When Valmiki read it, he began to cry, because Hanuman’s Ramayana was outstandingly beautiful, of perfect melody and metre, so beautiful that it would overshadow his own work, the Valmiki Ramayana. Feeling sorry for Valmiki, Hanuman tore the banana leaf with his Ramayana on it, and swallowed it whole, thus destroying his Ramayana forever. When Valmiki asked Hanuman why Hanuman had done this, Hanuman replied, ‘Valmiki needs Valmiki’s Ramayana more than Hanuman needs Hanuman’s Ramayana. Valmiki wrote the Ramayana so that the world remembers him; I wrote the Ramayana because I wanted to rediscover Ram. I have achieved my objective. Valmiki needs to achieve his.’ Thus, for Hanuman, his work was not about fame and glory, it was yoga: a tool to realize divinity within his heart.

Valmiki bowed to Hanuman for revealing to him the great secret of the Ramayana. It is said that Valmiki therefore took birth again and again, in different times of history, in different geographies, to recompose the Ramayana in different languages, so that he too could re-discover Ram as Hanuman did. Many people see Tulsidas as Valmiki reborn.

The gods are already in our heart and around us. It is upto us to discover them, both without and within. Hanuman Chalisa begins with acknowledging the Hanuman outside. It ends with acknowledging the Hanuman within. What does this mean in practical terms?

To understand this we have to remind ourselves that all living creatures are consumed by hunger and fear. In humans, this hunger and fear is amplified infinitely by imagination. To cope, we use imagination to invent technology and gather resources. But all the resources in the world do not explain the purpose of our life. We remain restless. We either cling to wealth, or use power to dominate others.

In the Puranas, Brahma is blamed for misunderstanding the Vedas and creating a culture that values wealth and power. That is why he is not worshipped. Instead worship is offered to Shiva, the ascetic, who shuns wealth and power, and does not participate in culture.

Shiva beheads the fifth head of Brahma and holds it in his hand for the entire world to see. This fifth head embodies ego (aham), the crumpled mind, which is the offspring of imagined hunger and fear that makes us cling to wealth and seek control over others. Hindus worship Shiva, the destroyer, as he reveals this Vedic wisdom, which the Upanishads call atma-gyan.

Vishnu takes a different approach: he acknowledges and accommodates, even appreciates, the crumpled mind of those around him, and continuously makes available wealth, power and knowledge for them, hoping patiently that they will use their life to outgrow their addiction, and de-crumple their mind. He does not always succeed. But he does not give up. For the world is infinite, and every creature has infinite lifetimes to live, and he has infinite faith in the human potential and infinite patience. Hence, he is the preserver.

In the Ramayana, Brahma is embodied in the ambitious Kaikeyi, in the stubborn Ravana, and in the gossipy public who live in Ayodhya. All three are so self-absorbed that they are oblivious to the consequences of their action on others. Their actions cause the separation of Ram and Sita.

Hanuman is Shiva. The colloquial meaning of his name is the destroyer of the ego. He does not seek wealth, power or knowledge. He is content. He has no reason to participate in the Ramayana, yet he does. He helps reunite Ram and Sita. And watches with amazement how this divine couple conducts their life.

Hanuman witnesses how Ram, unlike Lakshman, is not angry with Kaikeyi, or with Ravana, or even with the people of Ayodhya who benefit from his rule and yet gossip about the character of Sita and her suitability to be their queen. He never judges them for being so mean and petty. He asks Lakshman not to judge them, but does not try to control Lakshman’s behaviour, letting Lakshman figure out his own path.

Hanuman also witnesses how Sita is not angry with Kaikeyi, or Ravana, or the people of Ayodhya, or even with Ram who abandons her following public gossip. Like Ram, she sees the underlying fear, and the crumpling of the mind, hence the ego that makes Kaikeyi insecure about her future, and Ravana insecure about his station in society. She watches how Ram’s subjects, despite being showered with wealth and security by the grace of Ram, seek out ‘pollution’ to cast out of their city to make it ‘pure’. This yearning for purity, this lack of compassion for the ‘polluted’, is also fear at work. We are so frightened that to make ourselves valid we render others invalid, to make ourselves feel superior we do not mind gossiping about the inferiority of the king’s chaste wife.

How can you be angry at the frightened? How does it help? Instead, Ram and Sita focus on yoga, on uncrumpling the mind, unravelling aham so that atma shines forth. As embodiments of atma, Sita and Ram have no hunger or fear, hence they do not crave wealth or power, or the approval of those around them. They do not seek to control others. They are not dependent like Brahma; they are not independent like Shiva; they choose to be dependable, no matter what the situation.

By repeating the story of Ram again and again, Hanuman understands Ram, and discovers the Ram within him, the ability to be dependable for those who are dependent, even those who are unworthy, like the stream of hungry and frightened devotees who venerate him in his temples. Likewise, by chanting the Hanuman Chalisa again and again, we hope to understand Hanuman and discover the Hanuman within us.

Why Hanuman Chalisa?

The most popular chapbook is the Hanuman Chalisa. In the midst of the crushing in humanity that is urban life, you see a glow on the reader’s face. It is the most powerful expression of personal Hinduism that one can encounter on India’s streets.

We have always wondered what the Jay Hanuman Chalisa is and what is in it that makes it so popular. Its language-Awadhi-is an old dialect of Hindi, one of the many languages of India. Do people reading it understand what they are reading? Or does the gentle poetic rhythm calm the nervous heart, as it prepares to face the day? Or is it simply a ritual exercise, where the point is to do, not think or feel?

So we decided to explore this popular religious work through which a Hindu god is made accessible to the masses. We realized that reading this Hanuman Chalisa with Meaning is completely voluntary, as in all things Hindu. It is neither a commandment of a guru, nor a prescription of a priest. Its popularity is organic. Its ordinariness makes it sublime.

As explored this work, realized each line allows us to leap into the vast body of Hindu thought, a heritage of over 4,000 years ago, much as Hanuman leaped from his cradle to the sun, or across the sea towards Lanka, or over land towards the mountain bearing the Sanjivani herb, always returning to find Ram. From the particular, we traverse the universal and finally return to the personal. As you go through the forty-three verses in this Hanuman Chalisa Download, you will notice how sensitively the poet has structured his work, how it creates a temple in the mind, and enshrines a deity in that temple, and how the verses take us from ideas of birth, through ideas of adventure, duty and glory, to the ideas of death and rebirth.

We have always avoided the academic approach, as scholars are too busy seeking ‘the’ truth while interested in expanding the truth and the truth of our readers. If you seek 100% perfection, you often lose 99% of readers in cantankerous and often self-serving debates; but if you seek 90% perfection, you are able to reach out to over 90% of readers through thought-provoking elaborations that seek not to convince but to enrich. And that is good enough for us.

The Hanuman Chalisa is a revered devotional hymn dedicated to Lord Hanuman.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 1 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 1 Why Monkey as God

जय हनुमान
ज्ञान गुन सागर ।
जय कपीश
तिहुँ लोक उजागर ॥

Jai Hanuman
gyan gun sagar
Jai Kapish
tihun lok ujagar

Victory to Hanuman
who is the ocean of wisdom and virtue.
Victory to the divine amongst monkeys
who illuminates the three worlds.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 1 Meaning in English

In this verse, Hanuman is addressed for the first time by his most popular name, Hanuman, and identified as a monkey (kapi). Classically, Hanuman means one with a wide or prominent or disfigured jaw, indicating a monkey. Colloquially, in the Hindi belt of India, the name means one without ego, pride and inflated self-image (maan), a meaning that makes sense when we appreciate the structure of the epic Ramayana, where Hanuman appears for the first time.

Some scholars have proposed that the word Hanuman comes from a proto-Dravidian word-an-mandi, which probably means male monkey-later Sanskritized to Hanuman. They also point to Hanuman being called Anuman in Thailand and Andoman in Malaysia, lands where Dravidian culture spread a long time ago.

It has even been proposed that the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal got its name from sailors who told stories of the great monkey who had the power to leap across the sea and reach distant islands. Those familiar with early Tamil Sangam literature dispute this theory. The Ramayana reached its final form roughly 2,000 years ago, and is one of the first epics to be composed in India with the intention of communicating Vedic ideas to the masses. It marks the birth of a new phase of Hinduism known as Puranic Hinduism, which is also marked by the rise of temple culture.

Before the Ramayana, for over a thousand years, may be more,Vedic ideas were communicated using chants, melodies, rituals and conversations, not stories. This had a limited audience, the intellectual elite, such as priests, philosophers and aristocrats, with ample time on their hands. To reach out to a larger audience, Vyasa-the man who is credited with organizing Vedic hymns composed the stories and epics compiled in the Puranas, including the story of Ram.

Some say Vyasa composed the stories himself, some say he compiled stories he heard from other sages, like Markandeya, and still others say he heard it from Shiva, or from the birds and fish who in turn had overheard the conversation between Shiva and Shakti. Amongst the birds was a crow called Kakabhusandi who told the story of Ram to the sage Narad who passed it on to the sage Valmiki, who transformed the story into the world’s first poetry, which is why the Ramayana, the maha-kavya, is also called adi-kavya.

In the Ramayana, we find three sets of characters. In the north are the humans (nara) in Ayodhya, led by sages (rishis) who seek to enable humans to expand their mind, discover their divine potential (brahmana), which is the essence of Vedic wisdom. In the south, beyond the sea, on the island of Lanka are the demons (rakshasas) led by Ravana, son of a rishi (Vaishrava, son of Pulastya), who uses Vedic knowledge for power, and fails to internalize Vedic wisdom. In between, live the monkeys (vanaras).

Words like ‘north’ and ‘south’ in the Ramayana need to be read metaphorically, not literally, because Vedic thought is all about the mind, and secks to inform how we ‘see’ the world. Ram is a metaphor. So is Ravana. So is Hanuman. The Ramayana takes place in the landscape that is our mind.In nature, animals, including monkeys, compete for food, and so dominate and mark territories to secure their food. All behaviour is aimed at ensuring the body survives. This is the jungle way (matsya nyaya).

To outgrow these animal instincts is the hallmark of humanity; it is our divine potential. To walk this path is dharma. But when we indulge in competition, domination and territoriality, we become worse than animals; we become demons, who subscribe to adharma. Ram embodies dharma. Ravana embodies adharma. Hanuman, from amongst all the monkeys, makes the journey towards Ram.

The world is composed of the self (sva-jiva) who lives in the ecosystem of others (para-jiva). For animals, monkeys included, the other is predator or prey, rival or mate. But humans have the ability to outgrow these hardwired animal instincts. The ‘north’ in the Ramayana is the highest potential that we can realize where the self is not consumed by its own hunger for, and fear of, the other, but by empathy for other people’s hungers and fears. This caring world is the world of Ram.

The ‘south’ in the Ramayana is where there is so much hunger and fear that the other is seen only as food and enemy, and the self (jiva-atma) twists itself and transforms into the ego (aham), unable to appreciate the divinity in the other (para-atma), hence the continuum of divinity that permeates the whole infinite universe (param-atma). This self-indulgent world is the world of Ravana.

The rishis, who Ram defends, are sages who go from the north to the south to enable, empower and enlighten the hungry and the weak. They know that the other will see the sages from the north either as invaders or as patronizing benefactors, who seek to destroy their way of life. The rishis also know that should their wisdom slip, they will themselves be enchanted by the knowledge and power they are revealing.

Ravana, a son of one such rishi, embodies what can go wrong. Ravana uses his great strength, knowledge and intelligence to exploit those around him, be their lord and master, make them followers, rather than liberating them to find their own path. The liminal or in-between space between the north and the south is the land of the monkeys, our animal core, that can move either way, towards Ram or towards Ravana, towards empathy or towards exploitation, towards dharma or adharma.

The hungry and the frightened seek combat and conquest, hence vijay-victory where someone is defeated. The wise seek a different kind of victory, jai-where no one is defeated, where the self is able to conquer its own hunger and fear to acknowledge, appreciate, even accommodate the other. Both jai and vijay seem to mean the same thing, ‘hail’ or ‘victory’, but there is a nuance in the meaning, the preference for internal victory in the case of jai over external victory in the case of vijay. This jai is what we want for Hanuman, and from Hanuman, as we read the Hanuman Chalisa.

Many people are uncomfortable with such symbolic, structural, or psychological readings of the Ramayana and want it to be historical. So vanara becomes forest (vana) people (nara), or primitive (va) humans (nara). They see north as the Aryan homeland in the Gangetic plains and the south as the Dravidian homeland south of the Vindhyas.

Such rationalizations are often seen in people who are unable to differentiate the physical from the psychological, the measurable (saguna) from the non-measurable (nirguna), the form (sakar) from the formless (nirakar). Since the world is diverse, diverse readings of the Ramayana must be appreciated with empathy so that we appreciate the diverse needs of the human mind.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 1 Analysis in English

jaya hanumana gnyana guna sagarai
jaya kaplsa tihu loka ujagara || 1 ||

Hail Hanuman, an ocean of
knowledge and virtues
The Lord of monkeys who illuminates
the three worlds.

It is said that a fool is recognized the moment he opens his mouth. And a wise man remains unnoticed unless he opens his mouth. Speech reveals the level of your knowledge. Hanuman was such an ocean of knowledge that it was through his speech that Rama realized what a powerhouse Hanuman was! The first sentence of the first doha of the Hanuman Chalisa brings out the profound abundance of knowledge and virtues packed in Hanuman

When Lord Rama and Lakshmana met Hanuman for the first time on the foothills of the Rishimukha Mountains, Hanuman captured Rama’s heart with the first few words he uttered. On hearing only a few words from Hanuman, Rama pulled Lakshmana aside and extolled the glories of Hanuman.

Rama shared with Lakshmana that Hanuman was an ocean of knowledge and virtues. He had yet to meet someone like Hanuman who was as vaakya kushala or a magical weaver of words. Rama estimated that Hanuman must have spent a large quantum of time studying under expert masters. The quality of his speech reflected the quality of his education.

Hanuman must have been so highly qualified that Rama couldn’t detect a single flaw in either his speech or his body language, which is simply an extension of one’s speech. Rama was convinced that Hanuman had complete mastery over the Vedas. Why? Because mastery over the Vedas manifested itself through expertise in different aspects of communication and self-expression. Mastery over Atharva Veda brings in natural humility that reflects in one’s words and gestures.

Mastery over Yajur Veda, is indicated by lavishness in one’s vocabulary and a great retention power conferred by Yajur studies. Mastery over Rig Veda gives one the power of reproducing things verbatim on hearing just once. Mastery over Sama Veda adds a charm, suppleness, and melody to one’s voice. Eloquence in speech is strength derived from digested knowledge.

Definitely Hanuman knew vyakrana or grammar to perfection. He was expert in mimamsa as he made no mistake in sentences. He was definitely proficient in tarka or logic, as he made no mistake in the tone in which different words were spoken. While talking, his body was so still that the listener was entirely focused on his speech alone. He knew which words were to be uttered from his palate, which to be uttered from the stomach, and which to be uttered from the nasal passage.

The effect of producing sound from different locations created different emotions and had desired effects on the listener at subtle levels. Rama deciphered all this simply by hearing a few words from Hanuman! In fact, Rama was of the opinion that if a cruel enemy with a raised sword heard Hanuman speak, he would drop his weapons. Hanuman could win hearts just by speaking a few words.

When Hanuman was a small child, he expressed his desire to gain knowledge from the best teacher in the universe. His father Kesari directed him to Surya, the sun god, whom Hanuman had intuitively and spontaneously selected as a storehouse of knowledge that he could devour. When Hanuman approached the sun god for admission into his school, Surya declined him stating lack of place in the classroom as the reason. There were already six million sages occupying, the orbiting chariot which was Surya’s mobile classroom.

But nothing could deter Hanuman. When there is intense eagerness, there can be no obstacle big enough to stop you. Hanuman reasoned with his teacher that he didn’t really need a place to sit. All he needed was his permission. Surya, of course, happily gave permission to such an enthusiastic student. For Hanuman, hearing was the most important part of education. As long as he could hear his teacher, nothing else mattered.

Any inconvenience was a price he was willing to pay for the good fortune of hearing from a great preceptor. As the flying school floated around the earth’s orbit, Hanuman flew outside the classroom, parallel to them, facing his teacher. Sometimes Hanuman had to fly forward and sometimes backward, depending on the orientation of the chariot. Though faced with constant inconveniences, Hanuman paid rapt attention to the lessons being imparted and absorbed every word like a sponge.

The master had no need to repeat a single concept and the student did not forget a single lesson. In a matter of just sixty orbits of the sun, Hanuman had mastered all the Vedas and their auxiliaries. In addition, he had mastered the nine vyakranas or rules of grammar in just a matter of nine days, what would take years for normal students. But the most amazing aspect of Hanuman was his humility. Although he was amongst the most knowledgeable people in the world, he served Sugriva who possessed not even a fraction of that knowledge. He served Sugriva simply because his teacher wanted him to do so. To serve someone who is inferior to you in every way requires real humility.

It is often seen that those with vast knowledge tend to become arrogant. They develop a sense of superiority that eclipses humility. But not so with Hanuman. Though he was most erudite even amongst the greatly learned (buddhimatam varistham), his humility stole Rama’s heart. Hanuman was not just an embodiment of knowledge but also the embodiment of every virtue, as a result of having digested that knowledge. He was not just gyana sagar or an ocean of knowledge but also guna sagar or an ocean of virtues, jaya hanumana gnyana guna sagara The word kapi means vanara or monkey. When Lord Vishnu was about to incarnate as Lord Rama, he had instructed all devatas to take birth on the earth as vanaras.

When he heard of this, Lord Shiva also became extremely eager to appear as a vanara. Lord Shiva explained to his wife Sati that he had been waiting for an opportunity to serve Lord Rama. Since his desire was to serve the Lord who was to appear in a human form, Shiva felt that it would be best to take a form that was less than a human form.

Thus a monkey form would be most apt. A human being may hesitate to engage another human in menial service, but a monkey’s service would be acceptable unhesitatingly. Thus Lord Shiva chose the form of a monkey to make his contribution to Rama lila. Since he wanted to focus on his service and not be distracted by the presence of his wife, he decided to remain a celibate in that role.

Sati became sad and dejected at not being able to participate and assist her husband in this incarnation. Then she was suddenly struck by a brilliant idea that would satisfy both of them. She proposed to Lord Shiva that she could incarnate as the tail of the monkey that Shiva became. Shiva agreed and thus Hanuman was bom who was Rudra and Shakti combined together.

The word kapi also has another underlying meaning. This is in connection with its Sanskrit roots. Pi in Sanskrit means to drink and ka means joy. So kapi in this connotation means to drink joyfully. But drink what? Kapi refers to Hanuman as the one who joyfully drinks the nectar of Rama katha.

The word kapish is derived from the words kapi and isha, which means king of monkeys. This verse refers to Hanuman as Kapish, the king of monkeys, when he was clearly not the king. When Vali was alive, Vali was the king of monkeys and after his death, Sugriva became the king. Hanuman was not a king but a kingmaker. Whosoever stood by his side, that person became the king. Then why is Hanuman called the king of monkeys?

This is because true leadership is always measured by influence. Vali and Sugriva only sat on the throne, but Hanuman sat in every heart. Sitting on a throne is easy, but to rule hearts is difficult. Not only did he rule over the hearts of every citizen of Kishkinda, he also ruled over the hearts of Sita and Rama. Not only did he rule over the hearts of Sita and Rama, but by their blessings, continues to rule over the hearts of unlimited beings even today.

Thus he is rightly addressed as kapish or king of Vanarasaya kapisa tihu loka ujagara. The universe was trembling thanks to Lord Vishnu’s pastimes. Because of this, Lord Brahma who was sitting on the lotus and meditating, opened his eyes. The ewer (kamandalu) slipped from his hand. Now this was not an ordinary kamandalu. It held all future events within it. The kamandalu falling meant all the future events stored inside it also fell out. Brahma being alert, gathered all of them meticulously and filled them back in the kamandalu. No harm done, so he thought.

Meanwhile, Indra discovered two galaxies missing from the universe. He informed Lord Vishnu and the two of them went to Brahma to find the cause behind it. Brahma revealed to them how the kamandalu had fallen from his hand and future events had scattered too. Lord Vishnu requested Lord Brahma to check if anything was missing from there. Searching through, Brahma recalled that a demon named Kaalant had also been stored inside the ewer but was missing now.

Kaalant was to be born at the end of Brahma’s life, 33 years later. But the mishap had released him much before his time. He had the power to eat all the universes including galaxies, planets, and stars. He could also swallow Adityas, Arun Deva, and celestial chariots belonging to Indra and Surya. His release could create a dangerous situation for one and all.

Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma wondered what to do. Unfortunately, Lord Shiva was deep in meditation and could not be disturbed. Pushed into a comer, Lord Vishnu remembered Hanuman. Hanuman was one person who could save the world for sure! Lord Vishnu left to meet Hanuman who was at that time an adolescent.

As usual, Lord Vishnu found Hanuman in meditation on his master Lord Rama. Being an emergency, he apprised him of the situation faced by the universe. Things were so bad that Kaalant had even swallowed the Kaal Chakra. Without wasting a minute, Hanuman knew what he had to do and set off in search of Kaalant. All the demigods blessed Hanuman and empowered him to overpower Kaalant. However, Kaalant was not an ordinary demon. He was made of antimatter. When he swallowed matter, it collided with antimatter and both got destroyed. That was the secret of his strength.

Hanuman first tried to persuade him to go back to the kamandalu and come when it was the right time. Kaalant refused point blank. He challenged Hanuman to a duel. During the fight, Hanuman stepped into the Kaal Chakra and got transported to Fairyland. Fairyland was also in chaos. A demon had kidnapped the queen’s daughter and all the angels were wallowing in sorrow.

Hanuman went to the demon to rescue the damsel in distress. The demon shared his woes with Hanuman about a curse upon him by a vampire. To undo the curse, he needed a special pearl from the queen of angels. The glow of the pearl was sufficient to release him. But the queen had refused to part with her pearl leaving the demon with no option but to kidnap her daughter.

From the queen of angels Hanuman learnt that her pearl was in safe custody in Challoka, the world of cheats. Hanuman reached there too but the planet had been captured by dwarfs. Hanuman fought the dwarfs and restored Challoka to its original king who happily gave Hanuman the special pearl. Hanuman dropped the dwarfs to their planets but being in a hurry, he reached the wrong planet which was underwater. He saved the king of that planet too who in turn gave him a compass, a direction indicator. Hanuman used it to come out of the Kaal Chakra and go back to his universe.

Back home, he pursued Kaalant and engaged in another battle with him. Kaalant being antimatter, Hanuman thought of a novel strategy to defeat him. He allowed Kaalant to swallow him. Diving into his stomach, he found all the galaxies and planets that had gone missing. He also found Arun Deva and requested him to rotate the Kaal Chakra in a clockwise direction. Not surprisingly, everything started falling back in its place. Everything but Kaalant who started experiencing severe pain in his abdomen vomited Hanuman out.

Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma then reasoned with Kaalant that if he kept Surya Deva hidden then he would also die before time. Everything should happen in its own time. Kaalant had suffered enough so he understood their logic and agreed to go back into the kamandalu. Before that, he released Surya Deva, the galaxies, planets, and stars and normalcy was restored. Hanuman had saved the world once again, jay a kaplsa tihu loka ujagara.