Hanuman Chalisa — opening doha
The first couplet of the Hanuman Chalisa: the poet cleans the mirror of his mind with the dust of his guru's feet before he begins.
Hanuman Chalisa, Tulsidas opening doha (1 of 2)edition
Sanskrit · संस्कृत
Read in another script
No verified recitation yet. We publish audio only with a named reciter and a recorded licence, rather than files of unknown provenance.
Meaning
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.
This rendering is by a DharmSetu editor, not a quotation from a published translation. Compare with the public-domain translation.
A Hindi meaning has not been written for this mantra yet. Hindi is authored by a named editor rather than machine-translated, so it arrives more slowly.
How to recite
- Time
- Tuesday, Saturday
Pronunciation key — sounds commonly got wrong
- ट ठ ड ढ ण · ṭ ṭh ḍ ḍh ṇ
- Retroflex — the tongue curls back and touches the roof of the mouth. Distinct from the dental त थ द ध न, where the tongue touches the teeth.
- श ष स · ś ṣ s
- Three different sounds: ś as in “shy”, ṣ retroflex and further back, s plain. Collapsing them changes words.
- ः · ḥ (visarga)
- A soft outward breath echoing the preceding vowel — not a hard “ha”.
- ं · ṃ (anusvara)
- Nasalises the vowel; the closing sound follows the consonant that comes next.
- Long vs short vowels — a / ā, i / ī, u / ū
- Vowel length is meaningful in Sanskrit. Hold the macron vowels roughly twice as long.
- Aspirated consonants — kh, gh, ch, th, dh, ph, bh
- A distinct puff of breath. ph is an aspirated p, never an English “f”.
Context
Shadanga — the six limbs
The traditional analytic frame for a mantra. Blank limbs are simply not recorded for this text.
- devata
- Hanuman
Recited at / traditionally recited for
Classified as Stotra — Devotional hymn literature — praise poetry rather than a Vedic formula. Basis for this classification.
Related mantras
Aham Brahmasmi
The mahavakya of the Yajurveda — I am Brahman. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10.
Ayam Atma Brahma
The mahavakya of the Atharvaveda — this self is Brahman. Mandukya Upanishad 2.
Bhaja Govindam — opening verse
Worship Govinda, you fool — when the hour comes, grammar will not save you.
Om Ityetad Aksharam — the opening of the Mandukya
The definition of Om that opens the Mandukya Upanishad: all that was, is, and will be is Om — and what lies outside time is Om too.
Prajnanam Brahma
The mahavakya of the Rigveda — consciousness is Brahman. Aitareya Upanishad 3.3.
Tad Vishnoh Paramam Padam
The wise always see that highest step of Vishnu, spread out like an eye in the sky. Rigveda 1.22.20.