Devotees often meditate on the meaning and significance of the Hanuman Chalisa with Meaning.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 27 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 27 Serving the Hermit-King

सब पर राम
तपस्वी राजा ।
तिन के काज
सकल तुम साजा ॥

Sab par Ram
tapasvee raja.
Tin ke kaj
sakal tum saja.

Ram who rules over all
Is the hermit-king.
All those tough tasks
You accomplish them easily.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 27 Meaning in English

The Chalisa gently makes its way from the external to the internal, from conversations on material success to psychological and physical well-being, to the idea of yoga, and the connection between a living creature and the divine. In the verse, all of us are described as the subjects of the hermit-king Ram, whose tasks are executed by Hanuman. At one level, this verse establishes the relationship of Ram and Hanuman.

Ram is the karta, the responsible leader, and Hanuman is the karya-karta, the obedient and effective follower. At another level, we are made to feel that it is Hanuman who enables Ram’s rule, and so prayers to him are worthwhile, for one who makes the life of the king so easy can surely make the life of his subjects easy too.

This division between the grand but passive divine and the accessible and active divine is a common theme in many theistic schools around the world. In Christianity, even Zoroastrianism, there are archangels who carry out the will of God. In medieval India, the common folk rarely saw the king. They saw bureaucrats and soldiers fulfil the king’s will. This is why worshippers of Shiva invoked Nandi, devotees of Vishnu invoked Garuda, and devotees of Ram invoked Hanuman.

Ram is the hermit-king because he desires neither kingship nor the fruits of kingship, these are his duties as the eldest son of the royal family. For him kingship is a role; he is not nourished by or dependent on the power that comes with the crown, which is why it is very easy for him to give it up. When he is asked to let his halfbrother Bharat be king, he gives up his claim to the crown without regret or remorse. He is as happy in the forest as he is in the palace.

Both Ram and Hanuman are as happy in the forest as they are in Ayodhya, but Ram is obliged to be in Ayodhya because of his duty, while Hanuman gives up the forest out of love for Ram. Does that make Hanuman superior to Ram? One wonders. Thus one is cleverly drawn into the Vaishnava-Shaiva conflict that was prevalent in Varanasi at the time the Hanuman Chalisa was written. Ram, who is a Vishnu avatar, is burdened by kingship, and Hanuman, who is a Shiva avatar, helps Vishnu bear the burden with ease.

Hanuman’s love for Ram is different from the romantic love of Sita for Ram, or Ram for Sita. Hanuman’s love for Ram is the love ola devotee for a deity. of a seeker for a guru. of a student for a teacher, for die litter enables the former to transform himself; rise above his limitations. In other words, his mind expands he moves from being dependent on the world co being independent oldie world, and yet dependable for the world.

In medieval India, kings started identifying themselves as Ram. or descendants of Ram. They expected their followers to be like Hanuxnan Sugriv and the obedient monkey army (vanar-sena). And so we and a large number of temples dedicated to Hanuman built by kings oldie Vijayanagar and Maratha empires. They were inspired by acharyas such as Madhwa and Ramdas. who made Hanuman serving Ram and Bhima serving Yudhishitra, who in turn served Krishna. their models.

Love in political spaces is often described as standing by die beloved joyally no matter what and doing things for them without expecting anything in return. This logic is self-serving and does not see the larger narrative. For by this logic, Kumbhakarna’s love for Rayana is no different from Hanuman’s
love for Rani.

Many loyal followers insist they are Hanuman, doing what their leaders tell them to do, thus implying that their leaders are Rani when, in fact, they are simply Kumbhakarnas who are following Rayana. The difference between Ram and Ravana is that Ram is a hermit-king.

Rani desires nothing, least of all dominating people and establishing territory. He is content with himself. He does not even seek, or need, Hanuman’s love. Rim is king by social obligation, not ambition, unlike Rayana. Ayodhya needs Rani; Rani does not need Ayodhya. By contrast, Rayana needs Lanka and the unconditional control over the rakshasas to fed powerful.

For him, disobedience and disloyaity are indicators of a devotee for a deity, of a seeker for a guru, of a student for a teacher, for the latter enables the former to transform himself, rise above his limitations. In other words, his mind expands: he moves from being dependent on the world to being independent of the world, and yet dependable for the world.

In medieval India, kings started identifying themselves as Ram, or descendants of Ram. They expected their followers to be like Hanuman, Sugriv and the obedient monkey army (vanar-sena). And so we find a large number of temples dedicated to Hanuman built by kings of the Vijayanagar and Maratha empires. They were inspired by acharyas such as Madhwa and Ramdas, who made Hanuman serving Ram and Bhima serving Yudhishitra, who in turn served Krishna, their models.

Love in political spaces is often described as standing by the beloved loyally no matter what and doing things for them without expecting anything in return. This logic is selfserving and does not see the larger narrative. For by this logic, Kumbhakarna’s love for Ravana is no different from Hanuman’s love for Ram.

Many loyal followers insist they are Hanuman, doing what their leaders tell them to do, thus implying that their leaders are Ram when, in fact, they are simply Kumbhakarnas who are following Ravana. The difference between Ram and Ravana is that Ram is a hermit-king. Ram desires nothing, least of all dominating people and establishing territory. He is content with himself.

He does not even seek, or need, Hanuman’s love. Ram is king by social obligation, not ambition, unlike Ravana. Ayodhya needs Ram; Ram does not need Ayodhya. By contrast, Ravana needs Lanka and the unconditional control over the rakshasas to feel powerful. For him, disobedience and disloyalty are indicators. of a lack of love. Hence, he kicks Vibhishan out of the house and when Kumbhakarna dies, he blames Ram, refusing to see his own role in the unnecessary war.

Ravana is consumed by his ego, and so does not see the hurt he causes. All he sees is the hurt caused to him by others who do not obey him or who are not loyal to him. He sees Ram as the enemy, even though it is he who has captured Sita and kept her in Lanka against her consent. His craving for power and control reveals how hungry and frightened he is.

He is no Ram. Ravana ‘consumes’ those who love him. Ram ‘nourishes’ those who love him. In serving Ram dutifully, Hanuman nourishes himself. He moves from being vanara, less than human, to being Nara-ayana, refuge for humans.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 27 Analysis in English

saba para rama tapasvl raja
tina ke kaja sakala tuma saja ||27||

Rama, a renunciant king reigning over all,
And it’s you who carries out His every task. (27)

Everyone in Ayodhya loved Rama infinitely and waited eagerly to serve Him. saba para rama tapasvl raja. But Hanuman was much more eager than all of the others put together to serve Rama. So much so that he practically usurped everyone’s seva and did it all himself. tina ke kaja sakala tuma saja. Thoroughly disgruntled with Hanuman, everyone decided to block him from doing any seva.

Even Sita and Bharata had agreed to this proposal of keeping Hanuman out of the palace. They were not envious of Hanuman but rather hungry for rendering some service. Out of desperation, first they sent him on a mission out of Ayodhya for a week. In his absence, they drew up a list of all the services required for Rama. They painstakingly wrote each and every small service that was needed, making sure nothing, absolutely nothing, was left out. Next, they assigned all the sevas amongst themselves, leaving nothing for Hanuman.

Now all they needed was Rama’s approval to implement it. Would he give his approval? Considering that Hanuman was very dear to him. They could only wait and watch. Next day Sita presented the list to Rama to complete the formality.

Everyone waited with bated breath, anxious about the outcome. Would Rama cooperate? Would Rama ever deny Sita’s request? And to their joy and relief, Rama looked at the list, smiled and gave his nod. It was as simple as that. There was euphoria all around which extended into celebration. Finally, they would get to serve Rama without being overshadowed by Hanuman.

When Hanuman returned, he saw the celebratory mood and big smiles everywhere. He was happy to see the mood of joy. But his greatest joy was in serving Rama. Immediately he got into action and ran to do some service. But every place he went to render some service, he was stopped and shown the list of duties. Finally irritated with the list in everyone’s hand, he decided to inspect it carefully.

He scrolled down the list, dismayed at his name missing from each and every seva. He was further distressed to see Rama’s royal seal on the list, indicating it had Rama’s approval. He barged into the courtroom for more answers. Rama calmly advised him to see if there was any seva that was left out, then he could surely take that up. Hanuman thought and thought, scratching his head, if he could do something that was not already taken up. Meanwhile, everyone was enjoying the scene of successfully keeping Hanuman out of every seva.

Not surprisingly, Hanuman’s clever mind came up with a unique seva. He claimed that there was one seva not included in the list. The conspirers were shocked. What had they missed out? He revealed they had missed the seva of snapping. He would snap his fingers every time the Lord yawned. There was no one assigned to this very important seva. When Rama nodded in acceptance of his proposal, everyone was disappointed.

Happy to be back near Rama, Hanuman performed his task sincerely all day. Night came and he followed Rama to his private chambers, anticipating being with him all night, just in case he yawned. Now Sita was not at all happy with this intrusion in her private space. She asked Hanuman to leave the room. But Hanuman asked what if Rama yawned at night? He had Rama’s permission to carry out the seva and no one could stop him. Sita was speechless. Their plan had backfired.

Now Hanuman was stuck to Rama not only all day but also all night. She kept silent, not knowing how to react. After a few hours, when Hanuman was still on active duty, Sita asked him to leave, using a very rude tone of voice. Hanuman did not want to create trouble so he left against his wishes. But how could Hanuman give up his seva to his master?

He went on the roof above and continued to snap his fingers, unwilling to stop serving. Just in case Rama yawned below, at least he would be doing his service, and if not from close then at least from afar. He went into a trance, chanting names and snapping his fingers to counteract all the possible yawns.

Meanwhile, in the room below Hanuman, a lot of drama was going on. Rama’s jaws had gone into a spasm because of continuously yawning. He just could not stop yawning. How could He, when His devotee had not stopped snapping his fingers? When a true devotee serves Him, He has to respond. One after the other the yawns kept coming.

His eyes began to water. His face became distorted. Sita was horrified as to what had happened to Rama. Scared to death, she called her mother-in-law. Soon the entire family had gathered around Rama, trying to stop his spasms. But there was little they could do. Someone then called sage Vashishtha as the situation was getting out of hand.

Sage Vashishtha arrived and assessed the scene. “Where is Ramadoot?” he enquired at once. Sita humbly admitted that she had asked him to vacate the room. Maybe she had offended him, questioning his right to serve Rama. Everyone now began searching for Hanuman. The royal staff scanned the entire palace but Hanuman was untraceable.

Finally sage Vashishtha heard some strange sounds coming from above. They all scrambled up on the roof and found Hanuman in a trance, chanting and snapping his fingers. Vashishtha shook him to break his meditation and Hanuman came out of his snapping spree. He looked at all of them, embarrassed to be surrounded by so many people.

As soon as he stopped snapping, Rama miraculously stopped yawning. Relieved that the agony had ended, Rama jokingly asked them to assign some other seva to Hanuman. There was no need for Hanuman to worry now. His bond with Rama was unshakeable.

His zeal for seva was unmatched. He was unanimously assigned all the sevas he wanted to do without any restrictions! Though everyone loved to serve Rama and Rama ruled over everyone saba para rama tapasvi raja but in comparison to Hanuman, who would carry out every service to Lord Rama, tina ke kaja sakala tuma saja, no one could match his eagerness and zeal to serve.

Nal and Neel had spanned the ocean with a bridge that was a hundred leagues long and ten leagues wide. As the monkey army eagerly tried to reach Lanka using the bridge, Ravana hurled two missiles and destroyed the two ends of it, leaving them stranded in the middle of the ocean. They could neither reach Lanka nor return. Hanuman came up with an excellent idea.

Increasing his size he stretched himself flat holding the edge of Lanka with his hands and the end of the bridge with his legs. The entire army scrambled over his back to reach the golden Lanka. In this way, he never allowed any task of Rama’s to be left incomplete or unsuccessful, tina ke kaja sakala tuma saja.

Hanuman festivals feature grand recitations of the Shree Hanuman Chalisa in temples.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 25 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 25 Takes Away Ailments

नासै रोग
हैर सब पीरा ।
जपत निरंतर
हनुमत बीरा ॥

Nase rog
harae sab peera.
Japat nirantar
Hanumat Beera.

All diseases
and pain vanish.
When one continuously
chants your name.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 25 Meaning in English

If the previous chaupai focussed on mental health and paranormal phenomena, this chaupai focuses on physical health. Hanuman, the mighty warrior and patron god of bodybuilders and wrestlers, is seen as an agent of good health, one who gets rid of diseases and pain.

Hanuman is closely associated with Ayurveda, the traditional Indian system of health and healing, according to which health is the outcome of harmony between water (kapha), fire (pitta) and wind (vata) in the body. Disharmony results in disease. Hanuman, son of the wind, helps in maintaining harmony.

Hanuman is closely associated with yoga, which the yoga sutra defines as de-crumpling the mind crumpled by hunger, insecurity and imagination. Doctors have always known that many physical ailments such as insomnia, skin rashes, allergies, asthma, hypertension and indigestion are actually psychosomatic having their origins in the mind-and so calming the restless and frightened mind, by a rhythmic, repetitive activity, like chanting God’s name, arrests unnecessary thoughts and resolves many health issues too.

This de-crumpling of the mind can be achieved by various modulations of breath and body postures. Hanuman is associated with pranayama, breathing exercises that ensure proper oxygenation of the blood and also relieve mental stress.

He is also associated with asanas, physical postures invented by Hanuman as he jumped from tree to tree and mimicked various forest creatures. Asanas strengthen the joints, the muscles and the ligaments of the body, and when done in alignment with breath, these postures affect the oxygenation of blood and can calm the restless mind.

Hanuman also designed the Surya-namaskar (sun salutation) to venerate his guru, the sun god. He designed the physical discipline of Malkhamb, popular in Maharashtra, wherein boys and girls go up and down a pole, like a monkey on a tree, to improve their flexibility and agility.

The act of chanting plays an important role in calming the restless and tumultuous mind preventing the release of body-harming hormones and chemicals. Hanuman’s association with Sanjivani has linked him to all herbs that cure the most lethal of ailments. The Dronagiri mountain that he brought from the Himalayas to Lanka to save

Lakshman from near death is said to be the source of various medicinal herbs. Offerings to Hanuman include preparations of urad dal, til and butter that are rich in protein and fat, necessary for fighting disease, firing up the metabolism and lubricating the joints. The poisonous Arka leaves and flowers he is offered at temples are a reminder of how he is the embodiment of all antidotes, and can withstand the fiercest of toxins.

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 25 Analysis in English

nasai roga harai saba pira
japata nirantara hanumata bira ||25||

Diseases are destroyed and pains disappear,
By constantly chanting the name of brave Hanuman. (25)

Bodily functions are controlled by the five winds or vayu. These are prana, apana, vyana, samana, and udana. They take care of the different automatic functions of the body like breathing, digestion, excretion and so on, which we are not aware of. There is a figure of Hanuman with five heads, Panchmukhi Hanuman, which corresponds to these five winds. Thus it is said that Hanuman is in charge of our involuntary functions and devotion to him will give us health.

This time, Ravana had come up with a foolproof plan. He had not sent the usual kind of demon who depended on physical strength alone. Neither was it a demon who looked like a demon. Ravana’s evil mind had come up with a unique scheme. He had deployed Panchphan, a five-hooded snake, to manipulate the waters of the rivers in Sumeru.

He was not to poison the rivers but to tamper with them in such a way that those who drank the water, their minds become weak and they get hypnotized by Ravana. Once hypnotized, Ravana would have full control over everyone. Becoming puppets in his hand. Rubbing his hands in glee, Ravana began to gloat over how he would exact revenge on the powerful vanara clan.

However, King Kesari realized that their water was being contaminated and they started digging wells to find an alternative source of water. Hanuman quickened the process by using his tail as a drilling machine and soon hundreds of wells sprouted all over their kingdom, nullifying Ravana’s well-laid plan.

But Hanuman was not satisfied by simply digging wells. He ran after Panchphan to punish him for his wrongdoing. But Panchphan escaped to live another day. He sneaked in again the following night and bit Kesari. He was too frightened of Hanuman so he targeted his father. This was too much for Hanuman to bear.

He caught hold of the wicked snake in anger and pulled out the precious gems from the top of his hood. The gems on a snake’s hood are considered his crowning glory, his pride. Breaking them is breaking that pride. Hanuman proceeded to do exactly that.

Controlling the snake with his power, Hanuman ripped off the gems. His hand was on the fifth one when someone stopped him. He turned to see who it was, with his grip firmly on Panchphan. Who else but a mother would protect a son, however wicked he may be.

Panchphan would have died if his fifth gem were dislodged. But his mother appeared on time. “O” Hanuman, I beg of you to release my son. I give you my word that if you let him go, he will never trouble any living being ever. He will turn over a new leaf. I have heard your mighty power comes from your large heart, please show compassion to my son.”

Hanuman, although he looked dangerous in anger, could be as gentle as a lamb too. Nor would he disobey a mother. He loosened his grip and the fearful snake slithered out to save his life. He had heard his mother’s promise and resolved to fulfil her words. He fell at Hanuman’s feet asking for forgiveness. Hanuman forgave easily and Panchphan became a devotee of Hanuman.

Now Panchphan was afraid that what he had done would yield disastrous consequences. He revealed, “I have done an abominable act by biting your father and your kith and kin. If we don’t get the cure for them within two days, they will die.” And he hung his head in shame. Feeling remorseful, he shared what could revive the dying. “We can ask Shukracharaya, the guru of all demons, to give his Sanjivani mantra which has curative powers to bring everyone back to life.”

Since Panchphan had been a demon himself and knew Shukracharaya intimately, he volunteered to go to him and make a request. But he was in for a disappointment. Demons did not believe in going out of the way to help others. But he did suggest another option. Panchphan returned and told Hanuman, “To save your clan, we need to procure a herb called Vaishali kama pushpa which only grows on an island called Prabal Dvip. Not only the path to this island is dangerous, it is also accessible only to a select few.

One who satisfies three criteria – of being an innocent child, a brahmachari, and a Trideva, only he can enter Prabal Dvip, a hundred yojans away in the south.” He also warned that the red coloured flowers there were guarded by a ferocious brahmarakshasa. No ordinary mortal was a match for this monster. Even before Panchphan could complete the warnings, Hanuman had leapt into the air. He did not care for the obstacles on the way when he was on a mission.

Not knowing the exact location of the island, he stopped on the way for directions. Unfortunately for him, it was Mayasura who came and guided him under a disguise. Not wanting him to succeed, Mayasura sent him on a wild goose chase. After going round and round for many hours, Hanuman finally reached his destination. As expected, the island was guarded by a brahmarakshasa.

The brahmarakshasa was famous for swallowing everything he saw. In fact, he was on a mission of finding a cure by swallowing everything. He had been a rishi in another birth and been cursed to become a brahmarakshasa. The curse would only nullify when a divine energy entered his mouth. Not knowing what that divine energy was, he swallowed, whatever came his way, hungrily.

And that is why, Hanuman too entered his mouth. Hanuman, being that divine energy, killed the demon and released him from the curse. The rishi was so thankful to be liberated from the curse that he offered the rare flowers to Hanuman, which Hanuman accepted gratefully and flew back to his own territory.

He administered the flower remedy in the mouth of his father and every sickly monkey and soon, all of them stirred and sat up as if getting up from sleep. The other monkeys cheered for Hanuman because Hanuman had all the solutions for every ailment and could revive even the dying, nasai roga harai saba ptra Suryadeva was not sure if he should speak his mind.

It was time for Hanuman to give guru dakshina to his guru and Suryadeva was choking with emotions. He was exhilarated that his brilliant student had mastered the entire gamut of knowledge in a record-breaking time. Simultaneously, he felt pained at the thought of his loving student leaving his school. To top that, Hanuman wanted to give guru dakshina. Suryadeva had two pressing problems and Hanuman could solve both of them. Should he open his heart? Or should he suffer in silence? Finally he decided to speak.

“My dear Hanuman. I want you to do things for me. One is to take care of my son Sugriva and save him from Vali’s wrath. And second, which is more difficult, is to bring back my son Shani to me. Shani is an angry young man full of pride. But please convince him to come back,” said an emotionally distressed Suryadeva.

Hanuman, of course, was eager to fulfil his duty to his guru. He immediately departed to bring back Shani. Sugriva, he could take care of when back on earth. On the way to Shani’s abode, Hanuman bumped into planet Mangal, who tried to obstruct his path. Mangal is the God of combat, more specifically, wrestling.

Yet, Hanuman overpowered Mangal easily and tucked him under his arm to continue his search for Shani. When he neared the domain of Shani, he was stopped by Tamra Mai, the guard. She tried to bribe him into not entering by offering him unlimited wealth. Hanuman naturally refused her offer and removed her from his path.

He meted out the same treatment to the next obstacle Ratna Mai. Then he encountered Swama Mai, popularly known as Saadhe saati. He subdued her also and finally reached the innermost region of Shani. Shani, by now, was fuming and fretting because all his expertise had failed in stopping Hanuman. He threatened to bum down Hanuman with his glance.

Hanuman kept his cool and requested Shani to return with him, but when Shani attacked him on his head, Hanuman had no option but to fight back. Very soon, Shani was overpowered by Hanuman. Now that he was helpless, Shani asked for forgiveness and agreed to return and even ask for forgiveness from his father.

He declared that on worshipping Hanuman every Saturday, his devotees would not feel the negative effect of Shani. Mangal too bestowed a similar benediction. Those who worshipped Hanuman on Tuesdays would escape the destructive impact of Mangal.

Suryadeva was overjoyed to have his son back and actually begging forgiveness from him. Shani, feeling emotional, showered more blessings on Hanuman for being instrumental in the reunion. He promised that he would stay clear from the path of all those who take the path of devotion and truthfulness by chanting the name of Hanuman.

Never would he trouble those who believed in the power of Hanuman’s name, japata nirantara hanumata blra Lanka was burning, with the fire spreading wildly and the winds blowing strongly but did Ravana understand? Rama had sent His best doctor with the best medicine to cure him but if the patient refused to take medicine then how would he get cured?

Here was a patient with a serious disease called lust, but he couldn’t get cured with any ordinary medicine, he needed a special treatment… comprising of gold, silver, pearl, and other kinds of ashes. Lanka was full of precious metals and stones; Rama sent a clue to Hanuman to bum all that and use the ash. Hanuman did exactly that. But Ravana did not consider himself sick. He did not think he needed treatment, so he did not take the medicine, did not listen to the doctor; instead he laughed at the doctor. Thus Ravana was incurable.

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 24 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 24 Frightens Away Ghosts

भत पिसाच
निकट नहिं आवै ।
महाबीर
जब नाम सुनावै ॥

Bhoot pisaach
nikat nahin aavai.
Mahabir
jab naam sunavae.

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 24 Meaning in English

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 24 Analysis in English

bhuta pishacha nikata nahi avai
mahablra jaba nama sunavai ll24 ll

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 23 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 23 Three Worlds

आपन तेज
सम्हारो आपै ।
तीनों लोक
हाँक तें काँपै ।

Aapan tej
samharo aapai
Teenhon lok
hank te kanpai

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 23 Meaning in English

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 23 Analysis in English

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 22 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 22 Guardian of Fortune

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

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

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 22 Meaning in English

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 22 Analysis in English

saba sukha lahai tumharl sarana
tuma rakshaka kahu ko darana ll22ll

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 21 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 21 Doorkeeper

राम दुआरे
तुम रखवारे ।
होत न आज्ञा
बिनु पैसारे ॥

Ram dwaare
tum rakhvare.
Hoat na agya
bin paisare.

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 21 Meaning in English

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 21 Analysis in English

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 20 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 20 In Southeast Asia

दुर्गम काज
जगत के जेते ।
सुगम अनुग्रह
तुम्हरे तेते ॥

Durgam kaj
jagath ke jete.
Sugam anugraha
tumhre tete.

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 20 Meaning in English

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 20 Analysis in English

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 19 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 19 Monkeyness

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

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

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 19 Meaning in English

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 19 Analysis in English

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 18 in English with Meaning & Analysis

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 18 Sun as Fruit

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

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

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 18 Meaning in English

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai 18 Analysis in English

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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