Tulsidas, a renowned poet-saint, authored the Shree Hanuman Chalisa in the 16th century.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 7 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 7 Clever and Concerned

विद्यावान गुनी
अति चातुर ।
राम काज
करिबे को आतुर ॥

Vidyavaan guni
an chatur.
Ram kaj
karibe ko aatur.

Educated, virtuous
and clever.
Ram’s tasks
you always do eagerly.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 7 Meaning in English

In the very first chaupai of the Chalisa, Hanuman is described as the ocean (sagar) of Knowledge (gyan) and virtue (gun). This verse also reinforces Hanuman as being knowledgeable and virtuous, and adds that he is also clever (chatur).

This tendency to complement one quality with another is a typical Indian idiom. Just as one spice does not create a dish, and just as a good curry is a clever combination of various spices, even a good person is a combination of various qualities.

In nature, we often say that the strong dominate the weak. But nature does not discriminare against the weak. They are given smartness to compensate for their physical weakness. Strength and smartness are tools to find food and security, to survive and thrive. Hanuman is strong and smart and thus has the best of animal qualities. His knowledge and virtue are what make him human and divine.

This verse reminds us that the educated man is nor smart and the smart man is not educated. And a smart educated man is dangerous unless he has virtue. What is virtue? The ability to look beyond our own hungers and fears and be concerned of other people’s hungers and fears. The way hanuman behaves when he first meets Ram and Sita indicates how his knowledge, his cleverness and his virtue work together.

When he sees Ram and Lakshman wandering in the forest, looking for something, he realizes there is value in introducing them to Sugriv, the monkey-king. He approaches Ram, taking the form of a brahmin, and speaks in chaste Sanskrit, the language of the gods, which is an indicator that he has knowledge of the Vedas. Thus he evokes trust in the wary Ram, who is agonizing over the abduction of Sita.

Later, when it is time to meet Sita in Lanka, he wonders if he should speak in Sanskrit again while introducing himself. But he has seen Ravana speak in Sanskrit, and fears Sita will assume he is an imposter: Ravana’s agent, or Ravana himself, posing as Ram’s messenger. So he speaks to her in the organic language spoken by common folk. This is Prakrit (informal, organic language) as against Sanskrit (formal, designed language).

In neither situation is Hanuman trying to show off or intimidate the other with his knowledge. He is driven by concern for the other. He is not anxious of the other; he can sense the anxiety of the other. He is smart enough to anticipate how people react in stress: how they get startled at the sight of a stranger, and think the worst. The ability to adapt to the situation, and win the trust and confidence of both Ram and Sita through speech, reveals his sensitivity to people and to context, his communication skill, and most importantly, his empathy.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 7 Analysis in English

vidyavana gun! ati chaturai 
rama kaja karibe ko atura ||7||

Supremely learned, virtuous and intelligent,
Ever eager to serve Rama. (7)

One of the most prominent aspects of Hanuman is his illustrious and supreme wisdom. In Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas described him as made of pure intelligence and the foremost amongst men of wisdom. In Sri Rama Raksha Stotra, he is described as the wisest of the wise. In another version, Hanuman is said to be so intelligent that he was able to leam the entire Vedas in a mere fortnight. The sun god, however, was reluctant at the thought of his favourite pupil leaving.

So he repeatedly made Hanuman forget what he had leamt so that the lessons were dragged on and on for many months. Hanuman pleased him so much by his simplicity and devotion that he let him go and bestowed him a boon that henceforth those who invoked Hanuman’s name would never forget their lessons! vidyavana gum ati chatura Yamaraj hurried towards Rama’s camp to give him a piece of news that had really shaken him up.

Ravana’s evil brain had cooked up a way to defeat Rama’s army in a sure shot way. He had organized recitation of the Chandi Stotra, completing which would give him iron-clad immunity from any defeat. The news sent a jitter down the monkey army. The mere mention of Chandi Stotra gave them visions of impending doom.

However, Rama huddled into a meeting with Vibhishana and other advisors to chart out their course of action. After lot of discussions, Rama called Hanuman and gave his final verdict, “I give you full freedom to go to Lanka and do whatever is needed to stop this ritual from being completed. Use any tactic you like, just stop it somehow.”

Hanuman got really excited with this seva; it was more like a fun project. He had open instructions to do what he liked. His brain was already in overdrive, thinking of creative ways to foil Ravana’s plans. He laughed to himself just thinking about what all he could do. Soon he was in Ravana’s palace disguised as a fly. He quickly figured out where the ceremony was happening and evaluated the scene. He couldn’t believe what he saw. Brihaspati, the guru of demigods, was the chief priest leading the recitation.

Why would he help Ravana? But then he saw the security guards pointing their lances at him. ft was only under duress that Brihaspati was helping Ravana. Hanuman was ready for action. He quickly went near Brihaspati and began deleting important words and lines so that Brihaspati would skip important lines.

But to his horror, Brihaspati was hardly referring to the texts because he was reciting from memory. Hanuman came up with another plan. He morphed into a huge atrocious looking monster and appeared in front of him. As soon as Brihaspati’s vision fell on him, he shrieked. He dropped everything and ran for his life. Hanuman quickly changed into the shape of a fly before the guards could see his monstrous form. With Brihaspati shrieking like a mad man, there was no way the ritual could continue.

But Ravana was not one to give up. He decided to start another fire sacrifice to appease Goddess Chandi. He gathered his best brahmanas and started the ceremony within no time. Although they were falling short of brahmanas, they had to manage. Soon a young brahmana came asking to be of assistance. The older brahmanas were only too happy to get more assistance. The young brahmana was enthusiastic and energetic. He helped them sincerely and without any mistakes.

The delighted brahmanas blessed him with a boon to which the brahmana replied, the best boon is to get more seva. The brahmanas were now totally floored by his dedication and insisted on granting him a wish. He sitatingly, the young man asked them to replace two alphabets in the hymns.

Instead of ‘ha’ they should pronounce ‘ka’ He assured them that this small change will greatly benefit their master Ravana, The young man was hoping that they were not learned enough to know what this change meant. Only an exalted Vedic scholar would realize the significance. Luckily, the brahmanas readily agreed, seeing nothing wrong with the substitution.

Jaya tvam devi chamunde
Jaya bhutartha kaarini
Instead of saying haarini they said kaarini!

Little did they know the catastrophic effects of the change! The goddess, instead of being pleased, was absolutely enraged. With her fiery eyes, she burnt everything in the vicinity. How dare they evoke her anger! She would show them how angry she could get. The sacrifice was a total failure producing the opposite of expected results.

The brahmanas fled from there to save their lives while the young man smiled as he came back to his original form. Hanuman. He was glad he knew the significance of the Sanskrit verses and could make the exact change in letters by tricking the learned brahmanas. vidyavana guru ati chatura Mission accomplished, he flew back to his own camp.

Hanuman used his bookish knowledge in the most practical manner according to time, place, and circumstance. He was extremely clever and flexible in the application of knowledge while keeping the essence and goal in mind. The result was that he always managed to achieve what he set out to achieve and that too in the most unique ways.

When there is eagerness, there is opportunity. When one is very eager to do something, nature arranges more of that opportunity. Rama kaj means working for the pleasure of Rama. This is called seva or the spirit of service. Hanuman was always eager to serve Rama, rama kaj a karibe ko atura When Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya with Mother Sita and Lakshmana, the entire Vanara army accompanied them and witnessed the spectacle of the coronation of Sita and Rama as queen and king of Ayodhya.

A few days passed and the monkeys had begun to settle down in the Ayodhyan culture. They really liked being in Ayodhya and of course, they were blissful in the divine company of Lord Rama. Rama called all of them for a meeting in which he instructed them to return to their homes in Kishkinda and continue performing Rama kaj. They were shocked at his instruction. First of all, they did not want to return home. For them, Ayodhya was home now.

Secondly, they were confused as to how they could perform Rama kaj in Kishkinda. Technically speaking, they could engage in Rama kaj or serving Rama if they continued to live in Ayodhya. But if they went back to Kishkinda they would only be able to perform kaam kaj or mundane work.

When they asked Rama, he explained to them that prior to them meeting him, whatever they were doing in Kishkinda was kaam kaj or mundane work. But after they connected with Rama, they belonged to him and their mind, body, and words belonged to Rama now. Thus their kingdom, houses, and even families were Rama’s property. So whatever they did there, technically, was their service to Rama only.

Rama explained that before they saw their family and property as belonging to them, but now they can see that their family and property actually belonged to Rama and thus they ought to take care of them with that consciousness. By taking care of their families and taking care of the affairs of the kingdom of Kishkinda with a higher and purer consciousness, they would be doing Rama kaj or service to Lord Rama. With this understanding, all the vanaras agreed to return to their kingdoms.

Each vanara returned to Kishkinda after bidding farewell to Rama, except Angad and Hanuman. Angad fell at the feet of Rama begging him to allow him to stay back in Ayodhya. Since he had no family, unmarried that he was, he was ready to do any menial service in Ayodhya. Rama embraced him and insisted that Angad return to Kishkinda. With Rama firm about his decision, Angad reluctantly returned to Kishkinda. Rama denied Angad’s plea of staying back in Ayodhya for two reasons.

When Angad asked for any menial service, it showed his attitude towards service, that he categorized service as low and high. The moment you categorize service, it shows that you don’t deserve service. The second reason was that when Angad expressed that he didn’t have family in Kishkinda, it meant that he feared Sugriva. So his motivation to stay back was not love for Rama but fear of Sugriva. Rama knew Sugriva very well and realized that Angad’s fear was baseless and would be allayed once he reached home.

The only person Rama did not ask to return was Hanuman. He didn’t ask Hanuman to leave and Hanuman didn’t need permission to stay. There was an unspoken agreement and pact between the two. It was an agreement of the heart. Hanuman had no existence without Rama and Rama could not bear to live without seeing Hanuman constantly. Hanuman’s greatest satisfaction was to constantly serve Rama in every possible way rama kaja karibe ko atura.

Hanuman Jayanti is a significant occasion for the mass recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics in English.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 6 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 6 Rudra’s Eleventh Form

संकर सुवन
केसरीनंदन ।
तेज प्रताप
महा जग बंद्न ॥

Sankar suvan
Kesari nandan.
Tej prataap
maha jag bandan.

Shankara’s (Shiva’s) manifestation
Kesari’s son
Your glory
is venerated by the whole world

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 6 Meaning in English

This verse connects Hanuman to Shankara, which is another name for Shiva. For many devotees today, Hanuman is a form of Shiva. He is described variously as the son of Shiva, as the manifestation of Shiva, as an avatar of Shiva, as the eleventh Rudra form.

This connection between Hanuman and Shiva began roughly 1,500 years ago, a time that also saw Puranic Hinduism split between two schools of thought: the Vaishnavites who saw the world-affirming Vishnu as the supreme divine being and the Shaivites who saw the world-renouncing Shiva as the supreme divine being.

When the Ramayana became popular, Vishnu-worshippers saw Ram as the mortal form (avatar) of Vishnu who kills Ravana, a devotee (bhakta) of Shiva. This turned the Ramayana into a tale of rivalry between Vishnu and Shiva. To counter this, Shiva worshippers said that Hanuman was the form of Shiva. They pointed to Hanuman’s status as brahmachari (celibate, continent and content, with no wants or needs) and his colour being as white as camphor (karpura-go-ranga) indicative of his being Shiva.

In some stories explaining the origins of Hanuman, it is said that when Shiva saw Vishnu in the form of Mohini, or Parvati, he began to sweat profusely. Vayu collected this sweat and poured it in the ear of Anjana, a vanara woman, who gave birth to Hanuman. Anjana’s husband, Kesari, raised Hanuman as his own son and so Hanuman is also known as the son of Kesari. So besides a mortal father (Kesari) and a Vedic father (Vayu), Hanuman also has a Puranic father (Shiva). Besides a mortal mother (Anjani), Hanuman also has a celestial mother (Shakti).

According to Shaivites, Shiva himself descended as Hanuman to destroy Ravana, an errant Shiva-bhakta. According to them, Ravana had offered his ten heads to Shiva and obtained boons that made him very powerful. But as Rudra, Shiva has eleven forms.

Ravana’s offering of ten heads satisfied the ten forms of Rudra. The eleventh unhappy Rudra took birth as Hanuman to kill Ravana. Hence Hanuman is also Raudreya. In Maharashtra, the seventeenth-century saint Ramdas established eleven Maruti temples, reminding all of Hanuman’s association with the eleven forms of Rudra.

To establish their superiority, Vishnu-worshippers argued that Hanuman, hence Shiva, obeyed instructions given by Vishnu. To counter this, Shiva-worshipers said that without Hanuman’s help, Ram would never have found Sita. In many retellings of the Ramayana, it is Hanuman who enables the killing of Ravana.

For example, in one Telugu retelling, despite knowing that Ravana’s life resided in his navel, Ram shot only at the head of Ravana as he was too proud a warrior to shoot below the neck. So Hanuman sucked air into his lungs and caused the wind to shift direction making Ram’s arrow turn and strike Ravana’s navel.

Hanuman’s association with Shiva, and with celibacy, was reinforced by Hanuman’s association with the various ascetic schools of Hinduism, including the Nath-yogis who followed the path of Matsyendra-nath from around 1,000 years ago, to the Vedantic mathas who followed Madhwa-acharya from around 700 years ago, and Sant Ramdas who inspired many Maratha warriors 400 years ago.

The latter sages, especially during the Bhakti period, introduced the idea of connecting celibacy with service; you give up your worldly pleasures and work for the worldly aspirations of society. Just as the hermit Shiva became the householder Shankara for the benefit of Humanity, these sages spoke of how the ascetic Hanuman became Ram’s servant for the benefit of society.

At one time, women were not allowed to worship Hanuman. By his mere radiance, it is said in many stories, he can make them pregnant. In the stories of Nath-yogis, one learns of queens who become pregnant by simply listening to the song of Hanuman, or fish becoming pregnant by consuming the sweat of Hanuman, for his radiance permeates into his voice and his sweat.

As the centuries passed the overtly masculine nature of Hanuman was toned down. Just as Shiva was domesticated by Shakti, Hanuman’s gentle side is evoked by Sita. Since there can be no Shiva without Shakti, many say that Shakti took the form of Hanuman’s tail and always accompanied him. Hence, today women also worship Hanuman to solve their problems.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 6 Analysis in English

shankara swayam kesan nandanai
teja pratapa maha jaga bandanaii ||6||

As Lord Shiva’s son and Kesari’s joy,
Your effulgent power shines
throughout the universe. (6)

Enough was enough! Ravana had crossed all limits of decency and the most powerful gods in creation were unable to handle the atrocities of Ravana. Imagine the king of the heavens cutting vegetables in Ravana’s kitchen! Even death personified feared him!

After long discussions they decided to visit Lord Shiva in Kailash. Not that they expected him to sympathize knowing well that Ravana was one of Lord Shiva’s greatest devotee. But they were in for a great surprise when they found Lord Shiva equally furious with him.

How was it possible that the Lord was furious with his own devotee? Lord Shiva gave them some shocking facts. He explained that Ravana had undertaken severe austerities to please him. In spite of such intense tapasya when Shiva did not make an appearance, Ravana began to chop off his heads and offer them into the sacrificial fire to appease the Lord. He had offered nine heads and he was now offering the tenth one into the fire. Unable to bear the gruesome sight of a headless Ravana, Lord Shiva appeared in front of him ready to fulfill his desires.

Ravana asked him for two boons at that point. But the boons were like two bombs that Ravana threw at Lord Shiva. He asked for the atma linga, which was a special form of Shivalinga and he asked for Lord Shiva’s wife Parvati. Lord Shiva was flabbergasted.

He had dared to ask for his wife! But having given his word, he had to send Parvati with him. Of course, Lord Vishnu intervened and tricked Ravana, thus getting Parvati back from him. But the impact of the trauma was deep and it had deeply displeased the eleventh Rudra.

Ravana had managed to appease ten of the eleven Rudra forms of Lord Shiva but the eleventh Rudra was incensed. Shiva promised the demigods that the eleventh Rudra would appear in the form of vanara named Hanuman and prove to be the instrument of destruction of Ravana.

While the gods returned happy with this news, Lord Shiva called upon Vayu, the wind god, and handed over his energy to him. Shiva instructed Vayu to place his effulgent energy into the womb of Anjana, a vanara woman, at an appropriate time.

Vayu placed the powerful seed on a special metal leaf that could handle the potent energy. He then handed it over to the Saptarishis for safe keeping till the right time arrived.Meanwhile, Anjana was meditating in a cave way up in the mountains.

While she was absorbed in meditation, someone else was meditating on her beauty. A demon named Shambasadhana had been smitten by lust and been eyeing her for the last few days. When he approached her, Anjana panicked and ran away to escape from his clutches.

She somehow reached a village of powerful sages. When she told them her predicament of being followed by a demon, the sages replied that the only person who could protect her was the vanara chieftain Kesari. And what a coincidence! As soon as they mentioned his name, Kesari arrived. Soon a terrible battle ensued between Shambasadhana and Kesari.

Both were so powerful and skilled that none was able to get an upper edge. Then Shambasadhana began to change forms. Taking on the shape of a giant elephant, he attacked Kesari. Kesari in turn, reduced his size dramatically and continued the onslaught. He perched himself on the head of the giant elephant and began pounding his head with his fists. Shambasadhana was bleeding profusely but there was no sign of him tiring or slowing down.

As Kesari began to worry, Anjana prayed for divine help which came as a vision – the only way the demon could ‘ be killed was by using his own blood. He was immune to everything except that. She dipped an arrow into the demon’s blood that was spilt all over. Holding the arrow in one hand, she grabbed a bow with the other, darted towards Kesari and threw both in his direction.

Kesari lunged forward and caught both in mid-air, understanding her intention. He turned around, knocked the arrow onto the bow and shot it, all in one motion. As Kesari landed on the ground, the arrow shot ahead, penetrated the demon’s body, killing him at once.

The sages who watched this brave act, complimented Kesari and Anjana and blessed them profusely. They declared that providence had willed them to come together. In fact, they predicted, that the child bom through this marriage would be an incarnation of Lord Shiva himself and the cause of destruction of demonic forces. Thus, with blessings from the great sages, Kesari and Anjana happily entered a marriage alliance. Despite so many predictions and blessings heaped upon them, the vanara couple could not beget a child.

They decided to visit Matanga Rishi and seek his blessings. It was a long and arduous journey through forests and mountains, which they undertook barefoot. Anjana additionally vowed to cover this entire journey without a single break. Kesari tried to dissuade her but gave in seeing her determination and decided to do his best to help her. As they began walking, thorns and pebbles greeted their path and soon their feet were sore with blisters, gashes, and cuts. Nonetheless, their determination was so strong that they continued walking.

Meanwhile, Ravana’s spies gave him a full report of the prediction of the sages and the worrisome child that was to be born and predicted to be the cause of future trouble for him. He decided to nip the problem even before it bud by sending Mayavi demon to prevent the vanara couple from completing their journey.

Taking the form of a dangerous looking buffalo, Mayavi came and obstructed their path. Anjana was least concerned about the balloonic demon. She kept walking, much to the shock of Kesari, straight into the powerful demon ahead. He rushed ahead and managed to push the demon out of her way just in time. With this first-hand experience with Kesari, Mayavi realized there was no chance of winning against this mighty vanara and fled to save his life.

Finally the exhausted couple managed to reach the ashram of Matanga Rishi. Anjana’s legs were totally bruised and bleeding. As soon as she sat down to examine them, a sweet little child came running and tended to her wounds very gently.

The child was so beautiful that Anjana was spell-bound. Even Matanga Rishi was awestruck. He had never seen such a beautiful boy anywhere in the vicinity of the ashram. Only when he observed minutely, did he realize that the child was none other than Lord Shiva himself who had come to serve his future mother. After serving Anjana for a while, the child disappeared.

Hurrying back to Kailash, Lord Shiva shared with Parvati his ecstatic experience of serving his mother. Back in the ashram, Matanga Rishi offered Anjana his blessings and also gave her the Shiva mantra. When she began to chant the Shiva mantra, Vayu got his signal that it was time to deposit the energy of Lord Shiva.

Taking the Shiva energy from the Saptarishis, Vayu reached Anjana and placed the potency in her womb. From that moment onwards Anjana became as effulgent as the sun. Kesari understood that a divine child had entered her womb.

When Ravana heard this news, he panicked and immediately got in touch with his friend Vali to warn him of the danger that was coming from Anjana’s womb. Initially Vali did not consider the unborn child of Anjana’s to be a threat. But when Ravana reminded him about the mighty exploits of Kesari, Vali feared that Kesari’s to-be-bom child might excel him in warfare and strength.

To keep Kesari under subjugation was almost impossible. And if his son was bom stronger, then definitely there was a great chance of Vali losing his throne. Coaxed and instigated by Ravana, Vali agreed to find a way out. In order to assist Vali, Ravana handed over a mystical arrow; an arrow that could be aimed at the grossest or the subtlest of targets and would never miss its mark.

Vali then invited Anjana and Kesari to his palace under the pretext of celebration ceremony of his coronation as the king of Kishkinda. They couldn’t refuse the invite and joined the celebrations. Vali was a perfect host and with his gracious hospitality he made them feel comfortable in the palace guest house. In the middle of the night when the whole of Kishkinda was sleeping, Vali released the mystical arrow aiming it at the embryo of the sleeping Anjana.

The arrow whizzed past the palace corridors, entered the sleeping Anjana’s room and penetrated her womb to destroy the child within. In great agony and pain, Anjana screamed out for help. Kesari reached out to his wife and realized that a mystical weapon had attacked his wife and was destroying the foetus. Nothing was visible externally but he knew the existence of such mystical weapons that worked on the power of mantras and did not miss their aim.

Feeling immense pain and helplessness, Anjana began to chant the Shiva mantra. As soon as she began chanting, Lord Shiva instantly made an appearance and neutralised the effect of the arrow. He then went on to revive the child and blessed it to be immune from all sorts of attacks from external forces. Relieved that their child was saved and shaken up by the whole ordeal, Kesari and Anjana fled from the palace in the middle of the night to reach the safety of their own territory.

Eventually, the child that was bom was an incarnation of Shiva himself, Shankara suvana; or in some places it is mentioned as Shankara svayam. The child was also the son of Kesari and thus is called Kesari nandana. Of course, he is also the son of the wind god and thus is known as Pavana suta also. But more than that, he is the darling child of Lord Rama and is known as Rama dulare. How can one person be the child of so many people? Hanuman is connected to all these personalities at various levels

A person exists at three levels, the spiritual, the life breath, and the physical body. At the deepest level of the spirit, Hanuman was an expansion of Lord Shiva. His physical body was bom in Anjana’s womb through Kesari, thus he is physically the son of Kesari. But since the energy of Shiva was transported through the medium of the wind, the life air that flows in his body is a contribution of the Pavana and thus he is Pavana suta. shankara swayam kesarl nandana

After Lord Rama vanquished Ravana and installed Vibhishan as the king of Lanka, He requested Hanuman to share this good news with Mother Sita who was held captive in Ashok Vatika. Hanuman reached Ashok Vatika immediately to deliver the good news.

Sita was thrilled to see him yet again after a month. In great details, Hanuman shared the war happenings with Mother Sita and culminated his narration by revealing the news of the death of Ravana, the victory of Rama, and the establishment of Vibhishana as the king of Lanka.

Sita was overjoyed. Eleven torturous months had ended with this news. She was so happy with Hanuman that she wanted to reward him suitably. But alas, she had nothing in her possession at that time. The only thing she could give him then were her heartfelt blessings. There was nothing in the three worlds that could match the news that Hanuman had just given her.

With gratitude and joy, Sita blessed Hanuman that the day on which he had given her the news would become a day more special than other days of the week. He would be glorified and worshipped on this day forever, all over the universe. She further blessed Hanuman that all virtues would reside in his heart and Lord Rama would always shower his mercy on him.

Hanuman became renowned in all the three worlds by the blessings of Mother Sita and the grace of Lord Rama. By utilizing his talent, strength, skills, and by exhibiting exemplary attitude in the right consciousness, Hanuman forever established a kingdom in the hearts of Sita and Rama and ruled there forever.

Seated on this high throne as a king of their hearts, he rules the hearts of devotees of the Lord spread over the three worlds. His lustre and brilliance is immediately recognized and praised by all who come into contact with him. By the blessings of Mother Sita, the whole world worships the brilliance and power of Hanuman. teja pratapa maha jaga bandan.

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.