Hanuman Chalisa

Chaupai · चौपाई

Forty quatrains. Chālīs is forty, and it is what the hymn is named for.

1. १Chaupai 1.

   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.

2. २Chaupai 2.

   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.

3. ३Chaupai 3.

   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.

4. ४Chaupai 4.

   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.

5. ५Chaupai 5.

   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.

6. ६Chaupai 6.

   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.

7. ७Chaupai 7.

   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.

8. ८Chaupai 8.

   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.

9. ९Chaupai 9.

   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.

10. १०Chaupai 10.

    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.

11. ११Chaupai 11.

    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.

12. १२Chaupai 12.

    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.

13. १३Chaupai 13.

    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.

14. १४Chaupai 14.

    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;

15. १५Chaupai 15.

    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.

16. १६Chaupai 16.

    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.

17. १७Chaupai 17.

    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.

18. १८Chaupai 18.

    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.

19. १९Chaupai 19.

    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.

20. २०Chaupai 20.

    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.

21. २१Chaupai 21.

    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.

22. २२Chaupai 22.

    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.

23. २३Chaupai 23.

    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.

24. २४Chaupai 24.

    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.

25. २५Chaupai 25.

    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.

26. २६Chaupai 26.

    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.

27. २७Chaupai 27.

    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.

28. २८Chaupai 28.

    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.

29. २९Chaupai 29.

    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.

30. ३०Chaupai 30.

    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.

31. ३१Chaupai 31.

    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.

32. ३२Chaupai 32.

    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.

33. ३३Chaupai 33.

    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.

34. ३४Chaupai 34.

    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.

35. ३५Chaupai 35.

    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.

36. ३६Chaupai 36.

    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.

37. ३७Chaupai 37.

    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.

38. ३८Chaupai 38.

    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.

39. ३९Chaupai 39.

    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.

40. ४०Chaupai 40.

    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.