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Stotra · स्तोत्र
हनुमान चालीसा
Forty-three verses to Hanuman, composed by Tulsidas in the sixteenth century — in Awadhi, not Sanskrit, which is part of why it became the most recited devotional text in North India. The poet signs his own name in the fortieth chaupai.
Doha · दोहा
श्रीगुरु चरन सरोज रज निज मनु मुकुरु सुधारि ।बरनऊँ रघुबर बिमल जसु जो दायकु फल चारि ॥
śrīguru carana saroja raja nija manu mukuru sudhāri ।baranaūm̐ raghubara bimala jasu jo dāyaku phala cāri ॥
Having polished the mirror of my mind with the dust of my guru's lotus feet, I tell the unblemished glory of Rama, which bestows the four fruits of life.
The four fruits are *dharma*, *artha*, *kāma* and *mokṣa* — right conduct, prosperity, desire and release.
बुद्धिहीन तनु जानिके सुमिरौं पवनकुमार ।बल बुद्धि बिद्या देहु मोहिं हरहु कलेस बिकार ॥
buddhihīna tanu jānike sumirauṃ pavanakumāra ।bala buddhi bidyā dehu mohiṃ harahu kalesa bikāra ॥
Knowing this body to be without wit, I call to mind the son of the wind. Give me strength, judgement and knowledge, and take away my afflictions and my faults.
The two couplets that open the hymn: an invocation of the guru, and a request for strength, judgement and knowledge.
Chaupai · चौपाई
Forty quatrains. Chālīs is forty, and it is what the hymn is named for.
जय हनुमान ज्ञान गुन सागर ।जय कपीस तिहुँ लोक उजागर ॥
jaya hanumāna jñāna guna sāgara ।jaya kapīsa tihum̐ loka ujāgara ॥
Victory to Hanuman, ocean of knowledge and virtue. Victory to the lord of the vanaras, whose light reaches through the three worlds.
राम दूत अतुलित बल धामा ।अंजनिपुत्र पवनसुत नामा ॥
rāma dūta atulita bala dhāmā ।aṃjaniputra pavanasuta nāmā ॥
Messenger of Rama, seat of immeasurable strength; called son of Anjani, and son of the wind.
महाबीर बिक्रम बजरंगी ।कुमति निवार सुमति के संगी ॥
mahābīra bikrama bajaraṃgī ।kumati nivāra sumati ke saṃgī ॥
Great hero, bold, your limbs like the thunderbolt; you turn away wrong thinking and keep company with right.
कंचन बरन बिराज सुबेसा ।कानन कुंडल कुंचित केसा ॥
kaṃcana barana birāja subesā ।kānana kuṃḍala kuṃcita kesā ॥
Golden of hue, splendidly dressed, rings in your ears and your hair in curls.
हाथ बज्र औ ध्वजा बिराजै ।काँधे मूँज जनेऊ साजै ॥
hātha bajra au dhvajā birājai ।kām̐dhe mūm̐ja janeū sājai ॥
In your hands the thunderbolt and the banner shine; the munja-grass thread sits across your shoulder.
The munja-grass sacred thread and the *vajra* are Tulsidas's iconography, not Valmiki's; they belong to the medieval devotional Hanuman rather than the epic's vanara counsellor.
संकर सुवन केसरीनंदन ।तेज प्रताप महा जग बंदन ॥
saṃkara suvana kesarīnaṃdana ।teja pratāpa mahā jaga baṃdana ॥
Son of Shankara, joy of Kesari; your brilliance and majesty the whole world honours.
“Son of Shankara” sits beside “son of the wind” without contradiction: one tradition makes Hanuman an *avatara* of Shiva, the other Vayu's son. Tulsidas keeps both in one line rather than choosing.
विद्यावान गुनी अति चातुर ।राम काज करिबे को आतुर ॥
vidyāvāna gunī ati cātura ।rāma kāja karibe ko ātura ॥
Learned, accomplished, exceedingly quick, and always impatient to be about Rama's work.
प्रभु चरित्र सुनिबे को रसिया ।राम लखन सीता मन बसिया ॥
prabhu caritra sunibe ko rasiyā ।rāma lakhana sītā mana basiyā ॥
You take delight in hearing the Lord's story; Rama, Lakshmana and Sita live in your mind.
सूक्ष्म रूप धरि सियहिं दिखावा ।बिकट रूप धरि लंक जरावा ॥
sūkṣma rūpa dhari siyahiṃ dikhāvā ।bikaṭa rūpa dhari laṃka jarāvā ॥
You took a minute form and showed yourself to Sita; you took a dreadful form and burned Lanka.
भीम रूप धरि असुर सँहारे ।रामचंद्र के काज सँवारे ॥
bhīma rūpa dhari asura sam̐hāre ।rāmacaṃdra ke kāja sam̐vāre ॥
You took a terrible form and destroyed the demons, and so carried through the work of Ramachandra.
लाय सजीवन लखन जियाये ।श्रीरघुबीर हरषि उर लाये ॥
lāya sajīvana lakhana jiyāye ।śrīraghubīra haraṣi ura lāye ॥
You brought the life-giving herb and revived Lakshmana, and Rama in his joy held you to his heart.
रघुपति कीन्ही बहुत बड़ाई ।तुम मम प्रिय भरतहि सम भाई ॥
raghupati kīnhī bahuta baḍa़āī ।tuma mama priya bharatahi sama bhāī ॥
Rama praised you greatly: you are as dear to me as my brother Bharata.
सहस बदन तुम्हरो जस गावैं ।अस कहि श्रीपति कंठ लगावैं ॥
sahasa badana tumharo jasa gāvaiṃ ।asa kahi śrīpati kaṃṭha lagāvaiṃ ॥
May a thousand mouths sing your fame — so saying, the Lord of Lakshmi drew you to his throat.
सनकादिक ब्रह्मादि मुनीसा ।नारद सारद सहित अहीसा ॥
sanakādika brahmādi munīsā ।nārada sārada sahita ahīsā ॥
Sanaka and his brothers, Brahma and the great sages, Narada, Sharada and the lord of serpents;
जम कुबेर दिगपाल जहाँ ते ।कबि कोबिद कहि सके कहाँ ते ॥
jama kubera digapāla jahām̐ te ।kabi kobida kahi sake kahām̐ te ॥
Yama, Kubera and the guardians of the quarters — how then should poet or scholar tell it?
अहीसा (*ahīsā*) is Shesha, the serpent — not a separate sage. The line lists the highest beings and then asks, in the next verse, how a mere poet could add to them.
तुम उपकार सुग्रीवहिं कीन्हा ।राम मिलाय राज पद दीन्हा ॥
tuma upakāra sugrīvahiṃ kīnhā ।rāma milāya rāja pada dīnhā ॥
You did Sugriva a good turn, bringing him to Rama and setting him in a king's place.
तुम्हरो मंत्र बिभीषन माना ।लंकेस्वर भए सब जग जाना ॥
tumharo maṃtra bibhīṣana mānā ।laṃkesvara bhae saba jaga jānā ॥
Vibhishana took your counsel and became lord of Lanka, as all the world knows.
जुग सहस्र जोजन पर भानू ।लील्यो ताहि मधुर फल जानू ॥
juga sahasra jojana para bhānū ।līlyo tāhi madhura phala jānū ॥
The sun stands thousands of yojanas off, and you swallowed it, taking it for a sweet fruit.
This verse is the most misread in the Chalisa. It is a comparison, not a measurement: the point is that the sun is unimaginably distant and Hanuman swallowed it anyway. The arithmetic sometimes offered — multiplying *juga* by *sahasra* by *jojana* to “prove” the earth–sun distance — is a modern reading, not Tulsidas's.
प्रभु मुद्रिका मेलि मुख माहीं ।जलधि लाँघि गये अचरज नाहीं ॥
prabhu mudrikā meli mukha māhīṃ ।jaladhi lām̐ghi gaye acaraja nāhīṃ ॥
You put the Lord's ring in your mouth and crossed the ocean — and there is no wonder in it.
दुर्गम काज जगत के जेते ।सुगम अनुग्रह तुम्हरे तेते ॥
durgama kāja jagata ke jete ।sugama anugraha tumhare tete ॥
However hard the tasks of this world, by your grace they come easily.
The line most often recited on its own, and the reason the Chalisa is turned to before difficult undertakings.
राम दुआरे तुम रखवारे ।होत न आज्ञा बिनु पैसारे ॥
rāma duāre tuma rakhavāre ।hota na ājñā binu paisāre ॥
You are the watchman at Rama's door; none goes in without your leave.
सब सुख लहै तुम्हारी सरना ।तुम रच्छक काहू को डर ना ॥
saba sukha lahai tumhārī saranā ।tuma racchaka kāhū ko ḍara nā ॥
Every happiness is found in your shelter; with you as guardian there is nothing to fear.
आपन तेज संहारो आपै ।तीनों लोक हाँक तें काँपै ॥
āpana teja saṃhāro āpai ।tīnoṃ loka hām̐ka teṃ kām̐pai ॥
You alone hold in your own blaze; at your roar the three worlds tremble.
भूत पिसाच निकट नहिं आवै ।महाबीर जब नाम सुनावै ॥
bhūta pisāca nikaṭa nahiṃ āvai ।mahābīra jaba nāma sunāvai ॥
Ghosts and evil spirits come nowhere near when your name, Mahavir, is spoken.
नासै रोग हरै सब पीरा ।जपत निरंतर हनुमत बीरा ॥
nāsai roga harai saba pīrā ।japata niraṃtara hanumata bīrā ॥
Sickness is undone and every pain carried off by unceasing repetition of brave Hanuman's name.
संकट तें हनुमान छुड़ावै ।मन क्रम बचन ध्यान जो लावै ॥
saṃkaṭa teṃ hanumāna chuḍa़āvai ।mana krama bacana dhyāna jo lāvai ॥
Hanuman frees from distress whoever turns to him in thought, in act and in word.
सब पर राम तपस्वी राजा ।तिन के काज सकल तुम साजा ॥
saba para rāma tapasvī rājā ।tina ke kāja sakala tuma sājā ॥
Rama the ascetic king is above all, and it was you who accomplished all his work.
और मनोरथ जो कोई लावै ।सोई अमित जीवन फल पावै ॥
aura manoratha jo koī lāvai ।soī amita jīvana phala pāvai ॥
Whoever brings any other longing to you receives the measureless fruit of life.
चारों जुग परताप तुम्हारा ।है परसिद्ध जगत उजियारा ॥
cāroṃ juga paratāpa tumhārā ।hai parasiddha jagata ujiyārā ॥
Through the four ages your majesty stands; your fame is the light of the world.
साधु संत के तुम रखवारे ।असुर निकंदन राम दुलारे ॥
sādhu saṃta ke tuma rakhavāre ।asura nikaṃdana rāma dulāre ॥
You are the guard of the holy and the good, destroyer of demons, dear to Rama.
अष्ट सिद्धि नौ निधि के दाता ।अस बर दीन जानकी माता ॥
aṣṭa siddhi nau nidhi ke dātā ।asa bara dīna jānakī mātā ॥
Giver of the eight attainments and the nine treasures — such a boon Mother Janaki gave you.
The eight *siddhis* and nine *nidhis* are the classical powers and treasures. The boon comes from Sita, not from Rama — a detail usually lost in retelling.
राम रसायन तुम्हरे पासा ।सदा रहो रघुपति के दासा ॥
rāma rasāyana tumhare pāsā ।sadā raho raghupati ke dāsā ॥
The elixir of Rama is in your keeping; may you remain always the servant of Rama.
तुम्हरे भजन राम को पावै ।जनम जनम के दुख बिसरावै ॥
tumhare bhajana rāma ko pāvai ।janama janama ke dukha bisarāvai ॥
Singing your praise, one reaches Rama, and the griefs of birth after birth are forgotten.
अंत काल रघुबर पुर जाई ।जहाँ जन्म हरिभक्त कहाई ॥
aṃta kāla raghubara pura jāī ।jahām̐ janma haribhakta kahāī ॥
At the end one goes to Rama's city, or is born where one is counted a devotee of Hari.
और देवता चित्त न धरई ।हनुमत सेई सर्ब सुख करई ॥
aura devatā citta na dharaī ।hanumata seī sarba sukha karaī ॥
Hold no other god in your mind; serving Hanuman gives every happiness there is.
Read in context: the verse commends single-minded devotion, in the manner of medieval *bhakti* poetry, rather than making a claim against other deities. The Chalisa itself opens by invoking a guru and closes by naming Shiva as witness.
संकट कटै मिटै सब पीरा ।जो सुमिरै हनुमत बलबीरा ॥
saṃkaṭa kaṭai miṭai saba pīrā ।jo sumirai hanumata balabīrā ॥
Distress is cut away and every pain undone for whoever remembers Hanuman the strong and brave.
जै जै जै हनुमान गोसाईं ।कृपा करहु गुरु देव की नाईं ॥
jai jai jai hanumāna gosāīṃ ।kṛpā karahu guru deva kī nāīṃ ॥
Victory, victory, victory to Hanuman, master! Be gracious to me as my own guru would be.
जो सत बार पाठ कर कोई ।छूटहि बंदि महा सुख होई ॥
jo sata bāra pāṭha kara koī ।chūṭahi baṃdi mahā sukha hoī ॥
Whoever recites this a hundred times is loosed from bondage and comes into great happiness.
जो यह पढ़ै हनुमान चलीसा ।होय सिद्धि साखी गौरीसा ॥
jo yaha paḍha़ai hanumāna calīsā ।hoya siddhi sākhī gaurīsā ॥
Whoever reads this Hanuman Chalisa gains his end — and Shiva himself stands witness to it.
तुलसीदास सदा हरि चेरा ।कीजै नाथ हृदय महँ डेरा ॥
tulasīdāsa sadā hari cerā ।kījai nātha hṛdaya maham̐ ḍerā ॥
Tulsidas, always the servant of Hari, prays: Lord, make your camp within my heart.
The poet signs his own work in the last chaupai, which is how the attribution to Tulsidas is carried inside the text.
Closing doha · अन्तिम दोहा
पवनतनय संकट हरन मंगल मूरति रूप ।राम लखन सीता सहित हृदय बसहु सुर भूप ॥
pavanatanaya saṃkaṭa harana maṃgala mūrati rūpa ।rāma lakhana sītā sahita hṛdaya basahu sura bhūpa ॥
Son of the wind, remover of distress, form in which all good is embodied — king among gods, dwell in my heart with Rama, Lakshmana and Sita.
The hymn ends as it began, with a couplet — here asking Hanuman to dwell in the heart along with Rama, Lakshmana and Sita.
The Devanagari here is the Awadhi original as published at sanskritdocuments.org. That site also carries a Sanskrit rendering of the Chalisa; this is not it. The Chalisa was written in Awadhi, and a Sanskrit version of it is a translation.
The romanisation is generated by the same transliteration service the rest of the mantra library uses, rather than typed by hand — 43 verses is too many to transcribe reliably. It is a mechanical transliteration of the letters through a Sanskrit scheme, so it is faithful to the spelling and makes no claim about how Awadhi is pronounced.
The English is ours, and it is a plain reading rather than a verse translation — the aim is to tell you what the line says, not to rhyme. Nine verses carry a short note where a term needs unpacking or a reading is commonly got wrong; chaupai 18, on the sun, is the one most often misused.
No commentary on the Chalisa was composed before the 1980s. Rambhadracharya's Hindi commentary (1983) and Nityanand Misra's annotated editions are the scholarly starting points for anyone going deeper.