Shri Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics Jai Hanuman Chalisa Meaning in English

Hanuman Chalisa Pdf, Shri Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics, Jai Hanuman Chalisa Meaning in English

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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.

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.

Shri Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics

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.

Jai Hanuman Chalisa Meaning in English

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.

Jay Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics in English with Meaning

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.
Hariharan Shree Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics

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.
Hanuman Chalisa with Meaning

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.

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