Hanuman Chalisa in English
Here is the complete Hanuman Chalisa in its original Awadhi, printed in Devanagari with a Roman transliteration, and an explanation in English beneath each of its 43 stanzas. After the text you will find who wrote it, how it is built, who Hanuman is, and when and how devotees recite it.
- Edition:
- Tulsidas, Hanuman Chalisa, in Awadhi, as given in the English Wikipedia article of 23 December 2013 (revision 587318513), which follows Rambhadracharya's critical reading.
- Written
The Hanuman Chalisa in Awadhi
Two couplets called dohas open the hymn, forty chaupais form its body, and a final doha closes it. Each stanza is printed in Devanagari with a Roman transliteration beneath, followed by our explanation of what it says, its key words, and the stories it recalls.
Edition: Tulsidas, Hanuman Chalisa, in Awadhi. Checked against the text in the English Wikipedia article as of 23 December 2013 (revision 587318513), which follows the critical reading of Jagadguru Rambhadracharya.
Opening doha 1
श्रीगुरु चरन सरोज रज निज मन मुकुर सुधारि।
बरनउँ रघुबर बिमल जसु जो दायकु फल चारि॥
śrīguru carana saroja raja nija mana mukura sudhāri|
baranaum̐ raghubara bimala jasu jo dāyaku phala cāri||
Meaning: With the dust of his guru's lotus feet, a sign of humility, Tulsidas cleans the mirror of his mind. Then he sings the spotless fame of Raghubar, Rama, which grants the four fruits of life: dharma, wealth, pleasure, and liberation.
Opening doha 2
बुद्धिहीन तनु जानिकै सुमिरौं पवनकुमार।
बल बुधि बिद्या देहु मोहिं हरहु कलेस बिकार॥
buddhihīna tanu jānikai sumirauṃ pavanakumāra|
bala budhi bidyā dehu mohiṃ harahu kalesa bikāra||
Meaning: Knowing his understanding is weak, the poet calls on Pavankumar, son of the wind, for bal, budhi, and bidya, strength, intelligence, and knowledge, and asks him to remove kalesa, troubles, and bikar, the faults that cloud the mind.
Chaupai 1
जय हनुमान ज्ञान गुन सागर।
जय कपीस तिहुँ लोक उजागर॥
jaya hanumāna jñāna guna sāgara|
jaya kapīsa tihum̐ loka ujāgara||
Meaning: The hymn proper opens with jaya, victory. Hanuman is a sagar, an ocean, of knowledge and virtue, and Kapis, lord of the monkeys, renowned in the three worlds of heaven, earth, and the underworld.
Chaupai 2
राम दूत अतुलित बल धामा।
अंजनि पुत्र पवनसुत नामा॥
rāma dūta atulita bala dhāmā|
aṃjani putra pavanasuta nāmā||
Meaning: Hanuman is Ram doot, Rama's messenger, and a home of matchless strength. He is called Anjani putra, son of his mother Anjana, and Pavansut, son of Pavan, the wind god honored as his divine father.
Chaupai 3
महाबीर बिक्रम बजरंगी।
कुमति निवार सुमति के संगी॥
mahābīra bikrama bajaraṃgī|
kumati nivāra sumati ke saṃgī||
Meaning: He is Mahabir, the great hero, and Bajrangi, with limbs as strong as the vajra, the thunderbolt. He drives away kumati, wicked or foolish thinking, and keeps company with sumati, good sense.
Chaupai 4
कंचन बरन बिराज सुबेसा।
कानन कुंडल कुंचित केसा॥
kaṃcana barana birāja subesā|
kānana kuṃḍala kuṃcita kesā||
Meaning: The hymn pictures him: golden in color, finely dressed, with kundal earrings and curling hair. Devotional poetry lingers over a deity's form so that the listener can hold the image in mind.
Chaupai 5
हाथ बज्र औ ध्वजा बिराजै।
काँधे मूँज जनेऊ साजै॥
hātha bajra au dhvajā birājai|
kām̐dhe mūm̐ja janeū sājai||
Meaning: In his hands shine the vajra and a banner, though images usually show him with a mace. On his shoulder lies a janeu, a sacred thread of munj grass, the mark of one initiated into sacred learning.
Chaupai 6
शंकर सुवन केसरी नंदन।
तेज प्रताप महा जग बंदन॥
śaṃkara suvana kesarī naṃdana|
teja pratāpa mahā jaga baṃdana||
Meaning: Shankar suvan, son of Shankar, ties Hanuman to Shiva, and many traditions regard him as Shiva's incarnation. He is Kesari nandan, beloved son of Kesari, Anjana's husband, and the whole world honors his radiance and might.
Chaupai 7
बिद्यावान गुनी अति चातुर।
राम काज करिबे को आतुर॥
bidyāvāna gunī ati cātura|
rāma kāja karibe ko ātura||
Meaning: Learned, virtuous, and wise, Hanuman is always eager to do Ram kaj, Rama's work. In the epic, crossing to Lanka, he will not even rest on the mountain that rises from the sea to offer him a seat.
Chaupai 8
प्रभु चरित्र सुनिबे को रसिया।
राम लखन सीता मन बसिया॥
prabhu caritra sunibe ko rasiyā|
rāma lakhana sītā mana basiyā||
Meaning: He delights in hearing prabhu charitra, the Lord's story, and Rama, Lakhan, that is Lakshmana, and Sita dwell in his heart. A popular belief holds that wherever the Ramayana is told, Hanuman is among the listeners.
Chaupai 9
सूक्ष्म रूप धरि सियहिं दिखावा।
बिकट रूप धरि लंक जरावा॥
sūkṣma rūpa dhari siyahiṃ dikhāvā|
bikaṭa rūpa dhari laṃka jarāvā||
Meaning: Taking a tiny form, Hanuman showed himself to Sita, a captive in Ravana's garden; taking a terrifying form, he burned Lanka. In the epic, Ravana's men set his tail alight, and he carried the fire from rooftop to rooftop.
Chaupai 10
भीम रूप धरि असुर सँहारे।
रामचन्द्र के काज सँवारे॥
bhīma rūpa dhari asura sam̐hāre|
rāmacandra ke kāja sam̐vāre||
Meaning: Taking a bhim rup, a huge and dreadful form, he destroyed the asuras, the demon warriors of Lanka, and brought Ramachandra's work to completion. In the battle for Lanka he was among Rama's greatest champions.
Chaupai 11
लाय सँजीवनि लखन जियाए।
श्रीरघुबीर हरषि उर लाए॥
lāya sam̐jīvani lakhana jiyāe|
śrīraghubīra haraṣi ura lāe||
Meaning: When Lakshman lay struck down in battle, Hanuman brought sanjivani, the herb of life, and revived him; unable to pick out the herb, he carried back a whole Himalayan peak. Rama, overjoyed, held him to his heart.
Chaupai 12
रघुपति कीन्हीं बहुत बड़ाई।
तुम मम प्रिय भरतहि सम भाई॥
raghupati kīnhīṃ bahuta baṛāī|
tuma mama priya bharatahi sama bhāī||
Meaning: Raghupati, Rama, praised him highly: you are as dear to me as my brother Bharata. Bharata, who refused the throne while Rama was in exile, is the model of a loyal brother.
Chaupai 13
सहस बदन तुम्हरो जस गावैं।
अस कहि श्रीपति कंठ लगावैं॥
sahasa badana tumharo jasa gāvaiṃ|
asa kahi śrīpati kaṃṭha lagāvaiṃ||
Meaning: May a thousand mouths sing your fame: saying this, Shripati, lord of Shri, that is Rama, embraces Hanuman. Some readers take sahas badan, the thousand-mouthed, to be Shesha, the serpent named in the next verse.
Chaupai 14
सनकादिक ब्रह्मादि मुनीसा।
नारद सारद सहित अहीसा॥
sanakādika brahmādi munīsā|
nārada sārada sahita ahīsā||
Meaning: A list begins that runs into the next verse: Sanaka and his brothers, the eternal child-sages; Brahma and the gods; the great sages; Narada; Sharada, goddess of learning; and Ahisa, Shesha, lord of serpents.
Chaupai 15
जम कुबेर दिक्पाल जहाँ ते।
कबि कोबिद कहि सकैं कहाँ ते॥
jama kubera dikpāla jahām̐ te|
kabi kobida kahi sakaiṃ kahām̐ te||
Meaning: Add Yama, lord of death, Kubera, lord of wealth, and the guardians of the directions: if even they cannot tell all of Hanuman's glory, how could kabi and kobid, poets and scholars?
Chaupai 16
तुम उपकार सुग्रीवहिं कीन्हा।
राम मिलाय राजपद दीन्हा॥
tuma upakāra sugrīvahiṃ kīnhā|
rāma milāya rājapada dīnhā||
Meaning: Hanuman did Sugriva a great kindness. Driven from his kingdom by his brother Vali, Sugriva was hiding when Hanuman brought him to Rama. Rama struck down Vali, and Sugriva gained rajpad, the throne.
Chaupai 17
तुम्हरो मन्त्र बिभीषन माना।
लंकेश्वर भए सब जग जाना॥
tumharo mantra bibhīṣana mānā|
laṃkeśvara bhae saba jaga jānā||
Meaning: Vibhishana, Ravana's righteous brother, heeded Hanuman's mantra, here meaning counsel, and took refuge with Rama; after Ravana's fall he became Lankeshvar, lord of Lanka. In Tulsidas's telling, Hanuman meets him in Lanka and encourages his devotion.
Chaupai 18
जुग सहस्र जोजन पर भानू।
लील्यो ताहि मधुर फल जानू॥
juga sahasra jojana para bhānū|
līlyo tāhi madhura phala jānū||
Meaning: As an infant, Hanuman took the sun, thousands of yojanas away, for a sweet fruit and leapt to swallow it; a yojana is several miles. Tradition says Indra's thunderbolt struck his jaw, hanu, which gave him his name.
Chaupai 19
प्रभु मुद्रिका मेलि मुख माहीं।
जलधि लाँघि गये अचरज नाहीं॥
prabhu mudrikā meli mukha māhīṃ|
jaladhi lām̐ghi gaye acaraja nāhīṃ||
Meaning: Hanuman carried the Lord's mudrika, the ring Rama gave him as a token for Sita, in his mouth as he leapt the ocean. Achraj nahin, no wonder: he had once leapt at the sun.
Chaupai 20
दुर्गम काज जगत के जेते।
सुगम अनुग्रह तुम्हरे तेते॥
durgama kāja jagata ke jete|
sugama anugraha tumhare tete||
Meaning: Every task in the world that is durgam, hard to reach, becomes sugam, easy to travel, by Hanuman's grace. Both words come from the language of journeys, a comfort when the way ahead looks impossible.
Chaupai 21
राम दुआरे तुम रखवारे।
होत न आज्ञा बिनु पैसारे॥
rāma duāre tuma rakhavāre|
hota na ājñā binu paisāre||
Meaning: Hanuman is the rakhvare, the guardian, at Rama's door, and no one enters without his leave. Devotees read this as a teaching that the way to Rama passes through Hanuman, the perfect servant.
Chaupai 22
सब सुख लहै तुम्हारी शरना।
तुम रक्षक काहू को डर ना॥
saba sukha lahai tumhārī śaranā|
tuma rakṣaka kāhū ko ḍara nā||
Meaning: All happiness is found in Hanuman's sharan, his refuge, and with him as rakshak, protector, there is no one to fear. Taking refuge in God is at the center of bhakti, the path of devotion.
Chaupai 23
आपन तेज सम्हारो आपै।
तीनौं लोक हाँक ते काँपै॥
āpana teja samhāro āpai|
tīnauṃ loka hām̐ka te kām̐pai||
Meaning: Only Hanuman can hold his own tej, his blazing power, in check; at his roar the three worlds tremble. Such strength needs restraint, and he uses it only in Rama's service.
Chaupai 24
भूत पिशाच निकट नहिं आवै।
महाबीर जब नाम सुनावै॥
bhūta piśāca nikaṭa nahiṃ āvai|
mahābīra jaba nāma sunāvai||
Meaning: When the name of Mahabir is spoken, bhut and pishach, ghosts and evil spirits, cannot come near. Many devotees say this verse, or the whole hymn, when they feel afraid, trusting in Hanuman's protection.
Chaupai 25
नासै रोग हरै सब पीरा।
जपत निरंतर हनुमत बीरा॥
nāsai roga harai saba pīrā|
japata niraṃtara hanumata bīrā||
Meaning: Disease is destroyed and all pain removed for one who constantly repeats the name of the brave Hanuman; japat means repeating a sacred name. Devotees say this verse for the sick as a prayer of faith, not a promise of cure.
Chaupai 26
संकट तें हनुमान छुड़ावै।
मन क्रम बचन ध्यान जो लावै॥
saṃkaṭa teṃ hanumāna chuṛāvai|
mana krama bacana dhyāna jo lāvai||
Meaning: Hanuman frees from sankat, trouble or danger, whoever keeps their attention on him in man, kram, and bachan: thought, deed, and word. The verse echoes his much-loved title Sankat Mochan, deliverer from trouble.
Chaupai 27
सब पर राम तपस्वी राजा।
तिन के काज सकल तुम साजा॥
saba para rāma tapasvī rājā|
tina ke kāja sakala tuma sājā||
Meaning: Rama, the tapasvi raja, the king who lived as an ascetic in exile, is above all, and Hanuman carried out all his tasks. Some read the second line as Hanuman fulfilling the work of all Rama's devotees.
Chaupai 28
और मनोरथ जो कोई लावै।
तासु अमित जीवन फल पावै॥
aura manoratha jo koī lāvai|
tāsu amita jīvana phala pāvai||
Meaning: Whoever brings Hanuman any other manorath, a wish of the heart, receives, the hymn says, amit jivan phal, the boundless fruit of life. This edition reads tasu, his, where many popular editions read soi, that person; the sense is the same.
Chaupai 29
चारों जुग परताप तुम्हारा।
है परसिद्ध जगत उजियारा॥
cāroṃ juga paratāpa tumhārā|
hai parasiddha jagata ujiyārā||
Meaning: Hanuman's glory shines through all four yugas, the ages of the world. Tradition counts him among the chiranjivis, who live on through the ages, and the Mahabharata has him meet his brother Bhima, another son of the wind.
Chaupai 30
साधु संत के तुम रखवारे।
असुर निकंदन राम दुलारे॥
sādhu saṃta ke tuma rakhavāre|
asura nikaṃdana rāma dulāre||
Meaning: Hanuman protects sadhus and saints, holy people devoted to God, and is nikandan, the uprooter, of demons. He is Ram dulare, the darling of Rama, the one Rama cherishes.
Chaupai 31
अष्ट सिद्धि नौ निधि के दाता।
अस बर दीन्ह जानकी माता॥
aṣṭa siddhi nau nidhi ke dātā|
asa bara dīnha jānakī mātā||
Meaning: Hanuman can grant the ashta siddhi, eight powers such as becoming tiny or vast, and the nau nidhi, nine treasures, a boon from Mother Janaki, Sita. This edition reads dinha, gave; some read dina, with the same meaning.
Chaupai 32
राम रसायन तुम्हरे पासा।
सदा रहो रघुपति के दासा॥
rāma rasāyana tumhare pāsā|
sadā raho raghupati ke dāsā||
Meaning: Hanuman holds Ram rasayan, the elixir of Rama, which devotees understand as the healing power of Rama's name. He remains forever the das, the servant, of Raghupati, and that service is the root of his greatness.
Chaupai 33
तुम्हरे भजन राम को पावै।
जनम जनम के दुख बिसरावै॥
tumhare bhajana rāma ko pāvai|
janama janama ke dukha bisarāvai||
Meaning: Through bhajan, devotion to Hanuman, a person reaches Rama and forgets the sorrows of janam janam, birth after birth, a phrase that assumes the Hindu belief in rebirth until the soul is freed.
Chaupai 34
अंत काल रघुबर पुर जाई।
जहाँ जन्म हरिभक्त कहाई॥
aṃta kāla raghubara pura jāī|
jahām̐ janma haribhakta kahāī||
Meaning: At life's end such a devotee goes to Raghubar pur, the city of Rama, and if born again is known as a Hari bhakt, a devotee of God. Hari is a name of Vishnu, and so of Rama.
Chaupai 35
और देवता चित्त न धरई।
हनुमत सेइ सर्व सुख करई॥
aura devatā citta na dharaī|
hanumata sei sarva sukha karaī||
Meaning: Even one who holds no other deity in mind gains every happiness by serving Hanuman. This is the language of devotion, which praises one form of the divine as all a devotee needs, not a rejection of other gods.
Chaupai 36
संकट कटै मिटै सब पीरा।
जो सुमिरै हनुमत बलबीरा॥
saṃkaṭa kaṭai miṭai saba pīrā|
jo sumirai hanumata balabīrā||
Meaning: Whoever remembers Hanuman, the balbir, mighty hero, finds trouble cut away and pain erased. Sumirai, remembers, makes calling him to mind a prayer in itself. The verse echoes chaupai 25, as refrains in devotional songs often do.
Chaupai 37
जय जय जय हनुमान गोसाईं।
कृपा करहु गुरुदेव की नाईं॥
jaya jaya jaya hanumāna gosāīṃ|
kṛpā karahu gurudeva kī nāīṃ||
Meaning: A threefold cry of victory rings out to Hanuman Gosain, lord and master. The poet asks for kripa, grace, like that of a gurudev, a revered teacher, returning to the guru with whom the hymn began.
Chaupai 38
जो सत बार पाठ कर कोई।
छूटहि बंदि महा सुख होई॥
jo sata bāra pāṭha kara koī|
chūṭahi baṃdi mahā sukha hoī||
Meaning: Whoever recites the hymn sat bar, a hundred times, is freed from bandi, bondage, and gains great happiness. Bondage may be read literally or as the bonds of worldly life; some devotees undertake 108 recitations.
Chaupai 39
जो यह पढ़ै हनुमान चालीसा।
होय सिद्धि साखी गौरीसा॥
jo yaha paṛhai hanumāna cālīsā|
hoya siddhi sākhī gaurīsā||
Meaning: Here the hymn names itself: whoever reads this Hanuman Chalisa gains siddhi, fulfillment, and Gaurisa, Shiva, lord of Gauri, is witness. In the Ramcharitmanas Shiva is himself a great devotee of Rama, which makes him a fitting witness.
Chaupai 40
तुलसीदास सदा हरि चेरा।
कीजै नाथ हृदय महँ डेरा॥
tulasīdāsa sadā hari cerā|
kījai nātha hṛdaya maham̐ ḍerā||
Meaning: Tulsidas signs the hymn, as poets of his tradition did: Tulsidas is forever the chera, servant, of Hari. He asks his Lord, usually taken as Hanuman, to make a dera, a dwelling, in his heart.
Closing doha
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||
Meaning: The closing couplet gathers the hymn into one prayer: may Pavantanay, son of the wind, sankat haran, remover of troubles, embodiment of all that is auspicious, sur bhup, king among the gods, dwell in the heart with Rama, Lakshman, and Sita.
What the Hanuman Chalisa is
The Hanuman Chalisa is a hymn of praise to Hanuman, the devoted servant of Rama in the Ramayana. Its name comes from chalis, forty, after the forty verses called chaupais that form its body. Short and rhythmic, it is among the most widely recited Hindu prayers, at home shrines and temples across India and wherever Hindus have settled.
It praises Hanuman's form and character, recalls his deeds in Rama's service, and asks for his protection. Other deities, such as Shiva and Durga, now have chalisas of their own, but this is the best known.
Tulsidas and the Awadhi language
Tradition credits the hymn to Tulsidas, the sixteenth-century poet-saint of northern India best known for the Ramcharitmanas, his retelling of the Ramayana. He names himself in the fortieth chaupai, and the Chalisa's first couplet also opens the Ayodhya book of the Ramcharitmanas. It is not among the twelve works scholars generally accept as his, so some doubt the attribution, and its date is unknown.
It is written in Awadhi, the language of the country around Ayodhya, closely related to Hindi and printed in the same Devanagari script. Its mix of everyday Awadhi and familiar Sanskrit words is one reason it is understood so widely.
How the hymn is built
The 43 stanzas are two opening dohas, forty chaupais, and a closing doha. A doha is a rhyming couplet with lines of twenty-four beats, divided thirteen and eleven; each chaupai here is a rhyming pair of sixteen-beat lines. The beats are matras, units of syllable length in which a long syllable counts double.
The chaupais follow a clear path. The first eight praise Hanuman's strength and character; chaupais 9 to 19 recall his deeds in the Ramayana and the praise they won; chaupais 20 to 36 describe the protection he gives devotees; and the last four ask his grace, speak of reciting the hymn, and carry the poet's signature.
Who Hanuman is
Hanuman is one of the vanaras, the monkey people of the Ramayana. His mother was Anjana and her husband the monkey chief Kesari, and the wind god Vayu is honored as his divine father, so he is called Pavansut and Maruti, son of the wind. Many traditions also regard him as an incarnation of Shiva.
In the epic he is Sugriva's minister, and in the Sundara Kanda he crosses the sea, finds Sita, and returns with her message. For devotees he is the model of selfless service: immensely strong, learned, and clever, yet wanting nothing but to serve Rama. Tradition holds that he remained celibate all his life, and wrestlers honor him as their patron.
When it is recited
Many Hindus recite the Chalisa every day, morning or evening, at the household shrine. Tuesday is the day most widely associated with Hanuman, and Saturday is another, linked in popular belief with his power to shield devotees from the troubles attributed to Shani, the planet Saturn. It is recited above all at Hanuman Jayanti, his birth festival, which many communities keep at the full moon of Chaitra, in March or April, and some regions at other times of year.
People also turn to it before a journey or an examination, in illness or fear, or whenever they need courage. Some recite it seven, eleven, or 108 times in a sitting, though teachers tend to stress attention over numbers.
How to recite it
There is no single required method. Many devotees wash, sit before an image of Hanuman or Rama, light a lamp or incense, and recite the opening dohas, the forty chaupais, and the closing doha in order, often followed by an aarti, a hymn sung while waving a lamp. Some offer flowers, sweets, or sindoor, the orange vermilion seen on many images of Hanuman.
If you are learning, take a few chaupais at a time: read the explanation, then say the lines slowly from the transliteration. It follows IAST and writes every short a that the meter counts, so jaya hanumāna jñāna guna sāgara is usually sung as jai hanumān gyān gun sāgar.
This edition and its readings
Printed editions differ in small ways, as texts handed down by copying and by memory often do. This page follows the text in the English Wikipedia article of 23 December 2013, based on the critical reading of Jagadguru Rambhadracharya, a modern Hindu scholar and religious leader.
Two readings differ from what many people learned. In chaupai 28 this edition has तासु (tasu, his), where many popular editions read सोइ (soi, that same person); in chaupai 31 it has दीन्ह (dinha, gave), where some read दीन (dina), another form of the same verb. Neither changes the meaning.
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote the Hanuman Chalisa?
Tradition credits Tulsidas, the sixteenth-century poet-saint who wrote the Ramcharitmanas, and the hymn names him in its fortieth chaupai. Its exact date is unknown, and because it is not among the twelve works scholars generally accept as his, some doubt the attribution.
What does chalisa mean?
It comes from chalis, forty, and means a poem of forty verses. The Hanuman Chalisa has forty chaupais framed by two opening dohas and a closing doha, 43 stanzas in all.
Can I recite it if I do not speak Hindi or Awadhi?
Yes. Devotees around the world recite it in Awadhi without speaking the language. The transliteration lets you say every line, and the explanation under each stanza tells you what you are saying.
Does the Chalisa promise health or success?
The hymn speaks in the language of faith: it says that remembering Hanuman removes fear, illness, and trouble. Devotees understand these lines in different ways, as promises of his help or as a picture of the courage and peace that come with prayer. They are the tradition's beliefs, and prayer is not a substitute for medical or other professional help.
Sources
The text above was checked line by line against these public-domain editions. The explanations are our own.