Devotees around the world recite the Hanuman Chalisa in English with deep reverence.
Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 31 in English with Meaning & Analysis
Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 31 Goddess and Tantra
अष्टसिद्धि
नौ निधि के दाता ।
अस बर दीन
जानकी माता ॥
Ashta-sidhi
nav-nidhi ke data.
As bar deen
Janki mata.
Eight powers
Nine treasures you bestow.
As per the wishes of
Janaka’s daughter (Sita)
Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 31 Meaning in English
This verse explicitly elevates Sita to the level of Goddess and establishes her connection to Hanuman, revealing the influence of the Shakta school of Hinduism. Initially, Hanuman was linked to Vedic gods, then to Vishnu, then to Shiva, and finally to the Goddess. Here, Sita is presented not just as the wife of Ram, but also as the daughter of Janaka, himself a hermit-king.
She is being addressed as mother, which is a title of respect as well as a term for the female divine. Sita blesses Hanuman that he can grant the seeker both siddhis and nidhis. Siddhis refer to powers that enable one to manipulate one’s body and one’s ecosystem and nidhis refer to secret treasures. Embodied, ‘Siddhi’ and ‘Nidhi’ can be seen as Tantrik forms of Saraswati and Lakshmi.
Hinduism has two branches-Vedanta, which is spiritual and mystical, focussing on the mind and soul, and Tantra, which is material and occult, focussing on the body and the world. The object of worship in Vedanta is the male form of the divineRam-while the object of worship in Tantra is the female form of the divine, so Sita.
Around 500 years ago, many Shakta Ramayanas were written that linked Sita to the Goddess. Here she is described as the wild Kali who voluntarily becomes the demure Gauri, embodiment of forest and field, enabling Ram’s greatness.
While Ram could kill the ten-headed Ravana, Sita secretly killed a thousand-headed brother of Ravana, a secret that Ram revealed to Lakshman. In these Tantrik tales, the Goddess enables God; without Shakti, Shiva is a mere corpse (shava), and Ram would not be able to establish Ram-rajya. It is she who gives Hanuman the power to defeat demons and rescue her.
The various siddhis are the ability to reduce one’s size (anima), expand one’s size (mahima), make oneself heavy (garima), make oneself weightless (laghima), acquire anything from any space (prapti), satisfy any desire (prakamya), duplicate oneself (ishtva), and dominate all (vastva).
Hanuman’s many adventures reveal that he has access to this knowledge which is why he can change his size and shape, and fly. In one story, he asks the rakshasas to move his leg and they are unable to, for such is his strength.
The secret treasures have many names such as Mahapadma, Padma, Sankha, Makara, Kacchapa, Mukunda, Kunda, Nila and Kharva. Though Hanuman has access to so much power and wealth, he wants nothing because he is a yogi who has everything but wants nothing. This is why all the gods adore him. This is what makes him the chosen deity of many followers of Tantra.
Both Kali and Hanuman are part of the pantheon adored by the Nath-jogis, or Nath-yogis, who see Shiva as the Adi-guru, or teacher of teachers. These ascetics believe in celibacy and own no property, but are believed to have immense power (the siddhis) and access to many treasures (the nidhis). Their first teacher, Matsyendra-nath, was a fish who overheard a conversation between Shiva and Shakti and so became a human and a jogi. His student, Gorakh-nath, was created from cowdung ash.
In Nath folklore, if a yogi acquires power by resisting sex, then the yogini acquires power by seducing the yogi. This makes them antagonists. The yoginis live in an enchanted banana grove that turns all men into women. Only a yogi can resist the spell of these women and enter this enchanted grove. Matsyendra-nath was ensnared by the queen of these yoginis and had to be rescued by Gorakh-nath who entered this kingdom of women by disguising himself as one.
When the women of this kingdom wanted children, they begged the Goddess to help. She sent Hanuman. Hanuman, however, being a brahmachari wondered how he could satisfy the wishes of these women and keep the word of the Goddess. Seeking a solution, he began to sing a song in praise of Ram. So powerful was the song, its words and its tune, and the voice of Hanuman, that all the women who heard this song became pregnant.
Historically, this branch of Hinduism originated about a thousand years ago, around the time when Hinduism became increasingly monastic and many monks chose to be wandering warriors, offering their services to local warlords and kings, but refusing to marry and settle down. They saw themselves as embodying the principle of the immortal Hanuman, who promised to help the world even after Ram returned to Vaikuntha.
Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 31 Analysis in English
ashta siddhi nau nidhi ke data
asa bara dinha janaki mata ||31||
You bestow eight mystical powers
and nine divine treasures
As given to you by Mother Sita. (31)
As a small baby, Hanuman received 14 boons from Brahma, Indra, and other demigods. And he received 21 boons during his service and association with Rama and Sita. With these boons, he became the most blessed and prosperous being, which elevated him to the status of God in his vanara body form.
Sita had also blessed him with 8 siddhis and 9 nidhis. Siddhis refer to supernatural and mystical powers attained through yoga and meditation. There are many siddhis described in Vedic literature out of which eight are most famous and termed as ashta siddhi.
These are the 8 siddhis that Hanuman had:
1. Anima – The ability to shrink his body to the size of a molecule.
2. Mahima – Ability to expand the body to any size.
3. Garima – The ability to make the body extremely heavy.
4. Laghima – Ability to lighten the body.
5. Prapti – Ability to go to any place without interruption.
6. Prakāmya – The ability to fulfill any desire.
7. Isitva – Ability to have absolute authority over anything and everything.
8. Vasitva – The ability to manipulate every living being.
Nidhis refer to divine treasures belonging to Kuvera, the god of wealth.
Each nidhi is personified as a goddess.
The nine nidhis Hanuman had are:
Mahapadma: Great lotus flower
Padma: Lotus! a Himalayan lake with treasures
Shankha: Conch shell
Makara: Crocodile
Kachchhapa: Tortoise or turtle shell
Mukunda: Cinnabar
Kunda: Jasmine
Nila: Sapphire
Kharva: Dwarf
“Help, help!” Hanuman heard a faint voice of someone calling for help. From the sound of it, it could only be a small child. Hanuman was so sensitive he could not ignore any pleas for help. He instantly zeroed in on the source of the sound and landed over there. He found a little girl, Mamta, crying out from a deep ditch in a forest on a mountain. Extending his hand to her, he pulled her out easily. Expecting the little girl to be in shock and take some time to recover, he was surprised to see her run around collecting twigs and sticks.
“What are you doing?” he asked with surprise. “Won’t you rest a while?” Oh no! My stepmother had sent me to gather sticks to cook for them. If I reach later and their food gets delayed, she and my stepsisters will beat me a lot. I have to go. Thank you for saving me.” And little Mamta sped away like a frightened squirrel to complete her chores.
Hanuman was intrigued. There was fear and sincerity in the child. He followed her to see what the cause of her anxiety was. What he saw next shook him. The stepmother and stepsisters beat her harshly for coming late. And the little girl was so tiny that she could not even protect herself. Instead she continuously begged for forgiveness. And reassuring them that she would complete all the work including cooking for them. More than feeling sympathy for Mamta, Hanuman admired her patience and tolerance. Wanting to help her, Hanuman planned to teach the wicked family a lesson or two.
He went to meet them, disguised as a herbal doctor for beauty treatment. The stepsisters wanted to become the most beautiful girls so they could marry a prince. Hanuman gave them a herbal face pack to apply on her face. But the treatment was attached to a condition. He warned them, “After applying these herbs on your face, do not think ill of anyone. If you do, your face will turn black. For a pure heart, this will enhance beauty. But an impure heart will become uglier with this.”
In their over enthusiasm to become beautiful, they disregarded his warning. Not only the stepsisters but the stepmother too applied the Ayurvedic pack to turn fair and lovely. But alas, their hearts were impure. They harboured only negative and vile thoughts for the innocent Mamta.
No sooner had they applied the pack with much eagerness, that their faces turned as black as a moonless night. This time they started cursing Hanuman along with Mamta for turning them into blackened monsters. Hearing their evil words, Mamta began to cry helplessly. She had no other shelter and no one to turn to.
Hanuman pacified Mamta and gave advice to the wicked family. He said, “It is not Mamta’s fault that you have turned black. It is you yourself who have brought this upon yourself. By mistreating her and always thinking the worst for her. Beauty of the heart is more important than external beauty. A heart full of love and compassion is the most beautiful. When you develop this beauty, your face will automatically glow.” Turning to Mamta, he assured her that he would always protect her as a brother.
Giving her a leaf (apta patta) he sealed his relationship with her. The apta patta was symbolic of happy relationships, health, and wealth. With his blessings, Mamta happily tied the knot with a prince. The Goddess of Laghima siddhi, who represented love and happiness, was extremely pleased with Hanuman.
She promised him that she would always be with him because Hanuman had gone out of his way to fight with fate and bring love and joy in the little girl’s life, ashta siddhi nau nidhi ke data Kashyap nidhi, the rarest of nidhis, was a symbol of wealth and prosperity.
It was possessed only by Indra, given to him by Goddess Laxmi. When Indra heard that Hanuman was out on a search for Kashyap nidhi, he became upset. No way did he want Hanuman to have it and become greater than him. He decided to implant obstacles on his path to waylay him.
Kashyap nidhi was in Kashyap loka, an ocean full of tortoises. The king tortoise was Kashyap. When Hanuman reached there, the guards arrested him and presented him before King Kashyap. The king told Hanuman that to obtain the Kashyap nidhi, he would have to go through very tough tasks and maybe he should drop the idea.
But Hanuman replied that he was there on order of his guru Suryadeva and he could not even think of giving up. This pleased the king very much. He said, “Tell me, what are the three qualities required to protect wealth?” Hanuman replied, “To protect wealth one needs to be powerful. One also should know how to make good use of the wealth else he will lose it soon. And religious consciousness is very important to know who is worthy of sharing the wealth with.”
King Kashyap agreed with Hanuman and said, “I will take your test on these three parameters. If you pass all three, I will give you Kashyap nidhi.” The first test was about power. Hanuman had to fight a gigantic tortoise to prove his strength. The tortoise was so formidable that he could break a mountain on his back. Even Indra had refused to fight with him.
But Hanuman engaged himself in a terrible battle with the super huge tortoise, fighting with great passion and fairness. Midway, the tortoise stopped the fight and told King Kashyap, “I accept defeat because Hanuman has fought with great love and compassion. He is worthy of the Kashyap nidhi.”
The next test involved knowing whether Hanuman was a good judge of how to use wealth. He was given some wealth to spend on earth and the king would watch how he spent it. On earth, Hanuman met a lady who was in a bad shape.
But Hanuman refused to help her. He explained that there were many people around her eyeing to snatch her wealth away. She was too weak to keep it safely and use it for herself. A little ahead, Hanuman saw a man beating his children for wanting to eat food. However, he ignored him too because, as he explained later, one does not value what comes easily, without any effort.
Then he saw a businessman who was on the verge of bankruptcy. He was eating in a hotel but when a few poor children came to him for food, he happily gave his plate to them. Hanuman reflected that this was a good candidate to give wealth to because he could help more people by being a fair employer and he would also not hesitate in giving to charity. So Hanuman gave a little of his wealth to the businessman who in turn helped many others.
Now Indra decided that it was high time he stepped into the picture. He created a scene where he, disguised as a moneylender, severely harassed a few people for not returning a loan. Hanuman decided to give some wealth to those people to repay their loans but they instead spent it on their pleasures.
Immediately King Kashyap appeared and informed Hanuman that he had failed the test. But Hanuman justified that had he not given them money, the moneylender would have killed them. In this case, he gave life more importance than wealth. Satisfied with his answer, King Kashyap passed him and took him for the next test on consciousness.
He told Hanuman to enter a kingdom from the northern gate. It was a kingdom created by King Kashyap especially for this test. The law there was that who ever entered the kingdom from the northern gate after the king died, would be crowned as the new king.
And since Hanuman was told to enter from there, he was offered garlands and announced as their king. Hanuman was aghast at this senseless method of finding a new king. He was not attracted to the throne or the wealth of the kingdom, rather he was interested in making sensible rules for the future.
So he travelled around the kingdom to find someone who was fit to be king. After a long and arduous search, just as he was about to give up, he happened to see a farmer tilling his land without the help of bulls. Hanuman talked to the farmer and leamt that since he did not want to trouble his bulls, he was ploughing himself. Hanuman became happy to learn that the farmer was concerned about the welfare of animals. Then Hanuman asked for water.
The farmer took him home and offered food as well along with the water. Hanuman looked at the simple fare on the plate and asked if he ate this simple food daily. The farmer replied that he believed in simple living and high thinking. Rather than the satisfaction of delicious food, he preferred the satisfaction of helping people.
Hanuman further asked him about his family to which the farmer replied that the entire kingdom was his family and he provided them with food by farming. Hanuman was delighted that he had found the right person to be crowned as the king. But he also wanted to judge how powerful he was because a king should have physical strength.
Just then a few people came with sticks to attack the farmer. They had to settle an old score with him. The farmer, fearlessly, fought single-handedly. He picked up a stout stick and wielded with such agility that all the thugs scrambled for their lives. Finding an opportunity, Indra also came in disguise to fight with the farmer. The poor farmer was no match for him.
Observing the expertise of the new entrant, Hanuman looked closely and realized he was Indra, trying to foil his plans. He immediately transferred some of his power to the farmer and soon the farmer overcame the last challenge as well. Hanuman announced to the royal order that the farmer was suitable in every way to be the king of the land.
Had it been anyone else, he would have fallen for the attraction of the throne and power. But not Hanuman. He had no attachment for all of this. Moreover, he made sure that the right person sat on the throne. Thus, King Kashap was happy to see Hanuman emerge victorious in all his tests and handed over the Kashyap nidhi to him. Kashyap nidhi herself was more than happy to be with Hanuman, fully convinced that Hanuman would use the divine wealth only for the welfare and wellbeing of all living beings, ashta siddhi nau nidhi ke data
After the war, Rama sent Hanuman to inform Mother Sita of Rama’s victory over Ravana. Hearing the fantastic news, blessings flowed out of Sita’s heart for Hanuman. “May all worthy virtues abide in your heart. May the Lord of Kaushal be ever gracious to you. Because this day is so auspicious, it will be known as Mangalvar and you will be worshipped on this day. May you be blessed with the ashta siddhis and the nava nidhis. ” asa bara dinha janakl mata.