SRI HANUMAN CHALISA commentary

DOHĀ 1       śrī guru carana saroja raja, nija mana mukura sudhāri| baranaũ raghuvara bimala jasu, jo dāyaku phala cāri||

The pollen-like dust of the lotus feet of the revered Guru cleanses (and purifies) the mirror of my mind.  I narrate the untainted glory of Śrῑ Raghuvara who bestows the four fruits.

 Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ commences his short composition with a humble and respectful homage to his guru. It is in the tradition of Indian writers to first worship the Guru or the deity before proceeding. It is to seek the grace of guru or God so that the work be successfully concluded and will please him. The opening dohas are therefore the mangalācarana of the cālīsā, an auspicious beginning. An auspicious beginning will make an auspicious end.

The phrase śrῑ guru carana means the ‘revered and sacred feet of (my) Teacher’. In the spiritual tradition, guru’is more than what is understood by the English word ‘teacher’. The Sanskrit word may be understood as ‘one who takes the disciple out of the darkness of ignorance and brings to him the light of knowledge.’

 The word śrῑ is also a name of Mother Lakśmῑ. Here it refers to Mother Sῑtā who is an incarnation of her. Thus Goswāmῑ Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ is also remembering Mother Sῑtā (Śrῑ) and further invoking auspiciousness.

Goswāmῑ Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ mentally prepares to sing the glories of the Lord. Only a clean mirror will reflect an object clearly; only the pure mind will give a clear reflection the Lord who is purity itself.

The Lord bestows on one the four fruits (phala cāri), that is, the four puruṣārtha-s, namely, kāma, artha, dharma and mokśa. The first two refer to sensual pleasures and material acquisition which are easily obtained. One has to struggle a great deal to lead a dhārmic life and attain mokśa.

Interestingly enough, this dohā is found at the beginning of the ‘Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa’ of RCM in the mangalācarana.

DOHĀ 2                    buddhi hīna tanu jānikai, sumiraũ pavana kumāra | bala budhi bidyā dehu mohĩ, harahu kalesa bikāra||

Knowing myself to be ignorant, I remember you, O son of Pavana Deva. Bestow on me strength, wisdom and discriminating knowledge; and remove all my miseries and blemishes.

Goswāmῑ Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ realises that it is an enormous undertaking to describe the glories of the Lord, and confesses the deficiency of his intellect (buddhi hīna tanu jānike). He therefore calls to mind (sumiraũ) the son of Pavana Deva (pavana kumāra). The wind is a purifying agent, and he prays to Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ to burn away the impurities of his mind and give him illumination so that he can sing the glories of the Lord. He prays to Lord Hanuman-jῑ for three things, namely  strength, wisdom and discriminating knowledge (bala buddhi vidyā).   And he asks for the removal of eleven things: the five kinds of kleśa-s and the six vikāra-s. The five kleśa-s: avidyā (ignorance), asmitā (ego-sense – a product of ignorance), rāga (attachment), dveśa (aversion or hatred), and abhiniveśa (excessive attachment to life and fear of death). The kleśa-s produce pain and sorrow. Sorrow and suffering will come to us as long as we think of ourselves as a limited perishable physical body. By calling on Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ and taking shelter in him, the devotee will feel that his body is permeated by Lord, and has come to life by the power of the Lord.

The six vikara-s are: kāma (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (attachment), mada (pride), and matsarya (jealousy). Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ defines the saint as one who has conquered his passions (vikāra-s), is sinless, and has no desires: ṣaṭa vikāra jῑta anagha akāmā (RCM 3.44.7)

CAUPĀĪ 1      jaya hanumāna jñāna guna sāgara| jaya kapῑsa tihũ loka ujāgara||

Victory to thee, O Hanumān, an ocean of wisdom and virtue. Victory to the Lord of monkeys who is well-known in all the three worlds.

The word jaya may be translated as ‘Victory!’ or ‘Long live!’

The name ‘Hanumān’ originates from the Sanskrit hanu, meaning ‘jaw’ and mān, meaning ‘prominent’. Hanumān means ‘one with large or prominent jaw’. It can also mean ‘one whose jaw is praiseworthy’.  When Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ leapt up to swallow Lord Sūrya, Indra struck him on the left jaw with his vajra. But there was no injury. Goswāmῑ Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ says that the spikes on the vajra of Indra were ashamed. Then Indra praised him and named him Hanumān, meaning ‘he whose jaw is praiseworthy’.  He says (VR 7.36.11): Since his jaw was unhurt by the vajra hurled by my hand, this lion among vānara-s, indeed, will be known by the name ‘Hanumān.’

 Sometimes ‘Hanumān’ is explained as one whose jaw is disfigured or broken (hanu = chin or jaw).

The word kapi means a monkey. But Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is an exceptional monkey: he is not just kapi, an ordinary monkey, but he is kapīśa, lord or ruler of the monkeys.  (īśa means ruler; kapi+ īśa = kapīśa). In the mangalācarana of the Sundara-Kāṇḍa of RCM, Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is given the epithet vānarānāmadhīśam, the leader of the vānara-s or the monkeys. He is the uncrowned king who is respected and honoured by all.  His glory is celebrated in the three worlds (tihũ loka ujāgara). The three worlds are heaven (svarga), the earth, and the netherworld (pātāla).

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is described as jñāna guna sāgara, an ‘ocean of knowledge and virtue’.   He is a knower of all the scriptures. Despite this, Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is humble.

2              rāma dūta atulita bala dhāmā| añjani putra pavana-suta nāmā||

You are the envoy of Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ, and a repository of immeasurable and incomparable strength. You are known as Añjani-putra (son of Anjanā) and also Pavana-suta, the son of Pavana Deva, the Wind-god.

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is the emissary of Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ (rāma-dūta), ‘a dutiful servant [who] is greater than the master’.

The mission of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ it was near impossible: he had to leap across the ocean, overcome various obstacles on the way, enter the impregnable city, and find Mother Sῑtā. All this required superhuman strength and abilities. But it was possible for Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ because he is the abode of incomparable strength (atulita bala dhāmā).

And then too, he had to deliver the message of the Lord to Mother Sῑtā. It was a delicate situation and required a special sensitivity and understanding. It required a deep and sympathetic understanding of the heart of Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ, and of the mind of Mother Sῑtā at that time in her condition. But Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ was able to gently take Mother Sῑtā out of her depression and helplessness and fill her with hope and courage.  

When we look carefully at the battle scenes in the Laṅkā-kāṇḍa, we find that he is there in every major encounter.

Now we will trace how Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ gets the name añjani putra. Añjani is the mother of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ. Previously, she was Puñjikasthala, an apsarā, in the court of Indra. Once, in her youth, she was cursed. On the advice of Lord Indra, she came to the earth. Once, she saw a youth fighting a tiger, and was enamoured by him. It was was Kesari, king of the vānara-s. And so they married. Later, she performed intense tapas so that she could have a son. Lord Śiva granted her the boon that he himself would be born as her son. The creative power of Lord Śiva was carried to the womb of Añjani by Pavana Deva. There was no other agent that was so pure and so powerful that could accomplish this. And so Añjani gave birth to Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ, an incarnation of Lord Śiva.      

In this was way, Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is Añjani putra, and is also called Āñjaneya, son of Añjanā. He is also called Pavana- putra, Pavana-suta and Pavana-kumāra, the son of Pavana Deva, the Wind-god. And he is the eleventh incarnation of Lord Śiva, and so is Śankara-suvana.

At the time when Añjanā was performing tapas, King Daśaratha was performing the kāmeṣṭi putra yajña to have a son. At the end of the ritual, Lord Agni gave him a golden bowl of pāyasam which was divided among the three queens, who subsequently begot sons. A kite took a piece of the pāyasam still remaining in the bowl and flew away.  By divine grace, the bit of pudding from its beak fell, and was carried by Pavana Deva and placed in the palm of Añjanā who was meditating on Lord Śiva. She, understanding it to be the grace of Lord Śiva, accepted it as prasād, and at once ate it. And, like the queens of King Daśaratha, she too, bore a child after partaking of the pāyasam. The sons of King Daśaratha were, of course, in the line of King Raghu, and so were raghuvara. That same pāyasam was consumed by Añjani and so her offspring would, of course, be a raghuvara. In this way, Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is said to be a raghuvara.

3              mahābῑra bikrama bajaraṅgῑ|kumati nivāra sumati ke saṅgῑ||

You are valiant and brave. You have a special capacity to leap. Your body is as hard and strong as diamond (or like the thunderbolt of Indra). You are the remover of wicked thoughts, and (you) grant us the company of the wise.

The word mahābῑra means a great and powerful hero, one full of astounding courage, one who conquers the enemy and achieves success. There are two areas in which the hero makes his efforts: the external and the internal worlds. In the external world, the hero needs physical strength, competence and knowledge, experience and wisdom. When he has these, he can become a world conqueror. In fighting the internal enemies (such as lust and greed), he has need of self-control and purity. Then he becomes a saint. Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is a hero in both the senses: there is his heroism in facing challenges, his heroism on the battle-field, and above all, his heroism as a devotee – in his service to Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ, he was totally selfless and dedicated: while looking for Mother Sῑtā in Rāvaṇa’s palace, he saw beautiful women in a world of sensuality – but his mind remained un disturbed and pure.

There are five kinds of heroism (vῑraḥ) according to our scriptures: tyāga-vῑraḥ, hero in renunciation and sacrifice; dayā-vῑraḥ, hero in compassion; vidyā-vῑraḥ, hero in knowledge and learning; dāna-vῑraḥ, hero in charity; and raṇa-vῑraḥ, hero in on the battle-field. Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ exhibited all five forms of heroism in the fullest measure, and so he is called mahābῑra.

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is described by the word bikrama, which means he has great might and valour, and is endowed with a special power of striding. Thus, for example, as a child, he leapt up to the sun and swallowed him; he carried both Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ and Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ on his back and leapt up to the Ṛṣyamukha hill; he easily leapt across the ocean in search of Mother Sῑtā; he flew from Laṅkā to the Himalayan mountains to get the sañjῑvani plant for the recovery of Lakśmaṇa. 

The word bajaraṅgi tells us that the body of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ was as hard as diamond or strong as the thunderbolt of Indra (vajra = thunderbolt). Indra conferred on him the boon that his body would not be pierced by any weapon, not even by his thunderbolt.

When we think of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ, he removes the negative tendencies of our mind, destroys our ignorance and foolishness (kumati nivāra). Then the mind naturally turns to spiritually elevating thoughts. Further, he grants us the company of the good and wise (sumati ke saṅgi). He is a friend of those who have a good intellect.

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ can change the kumati to sumati. We see this in the Laṅkinῑ episode. She is the demoness guarding the city, and is loyal to Rāvaṇa. She threatens to devour Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ. But when he strikes her lightly with his left hand, she falls, spewing blood. Then she recalls Brahmā-jῑ’s prediction that when she is felled by a blow from a monkey, it would foretell the doom of the demon race. She then extols the glory of satsaṅga. Vibhῑṣana was essentially good but lived in the midst of the evil-minded. But having obtained the friendship and company of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ, he attained the greatest heights – he became a king and had final liberation.

 4             kañcana barana birāja subesā|kānana kuṇḍala kuñcita kesā||

Your golden complexion shines; you are resplendent in your elegant and attractive clothes, your glittering earrings and (your) curly hair.

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is well-dressed, adorned with shining earrings, and has a comely appearance. His golden colour is like molten gold, and adds to his beauty.

This is a not a description of a vānara but of a Brahmin. Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ appears as a Brahmin on three occasions: When he appears before Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ and Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ in Kiṣkindhā (RCM 4.1.6); when he meets Vibhῑṣaṇa in Laṅkā (RCM 5.5.5); and when he comes before Bharata-jῑ who is anxiously awaiting the arrival of Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ in Ayodhyā (RCM 7.1A). The light complexion of a Brahmin was regarded as an indication of his high birth, and here Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ’s light colour is described as the colour of gold.  

5              hātha bajra au dhvajā birājai|kāndhe mūñja janeū sājai||

Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ holds the thunder-bolt in one hand, and in the other hand shines the victory flag of Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ. He is adorned by the sacred thread of muñja grass which goes across his shoulders. 

 Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ’s hands are strong and powerful as the vajra itself. It is with these hands that he strikes his enemies and lays them low, often with just a single blow.

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is carrying the victory flag of Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ. The flag represents truthfulness, good character, and faith in God’s name.

In the very early days, the janeū was made of muñja grass.

6             śaṅkara suvana kesarῑ nandana|teja pratāpa mahā jaga bandana||

You are an incarnation of Lord Śiva and the son of Kesarῑ. Everyone in the world respects and adores you because of your lustre and great valour.

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is known by various names: in C2 he is ‘pavana-suta’, the son of Pavana-Deva, the Wind-god; in C6 he is ‘kesari-nandana’, the son of Kesarῑ; he is ‘rāma-dulāre’ (C30), the ‘filial darling of Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ’.  Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is the son of Pavana Deva as it was he who ‘delivered’ the creative energy (tejas) of Lord Śiva to the womb of Añjani. And so he is ‘pavana-suta’ or ‘pavana-kumāra’.  He is the legal son, as it were, of Kesarῑ, the husband of Añjani – hence, ‘kesarῑ-nandana’.  And he is the adopted son of Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ and Mother Sῑtā, so, ‘rāma-dulāre’. And of course, he is the incarnation of Lord Śiva – therefore ‘śaṅkara suvana’. 

Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ purifies everyone who comes to him; and like the Wind-God, he has the purity of intellect. He blesses everyone, as does Lord Śiva.

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ has a grand splendour and brilliance which is unmatched. Such is his fame that the entire creation is adoring him.

7              vidyāvāna gunῑ ati cātura|rāma kāja karibe ko ātura||

You are the repository of learning, virtuous, very wise and intelligent. You are ever willing to carry out the behests of Lord Śrῑ Rāma.

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is an adept in all the fields of learning and is a storehouse of all scriptural knowledge. (‘vidyāvāna’). Thus, he will give any knowledge, be it secular or spiritual, to one who worships him.

A person of great virtues is ‘gunῑ’. One of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ’s most outstanding virtues is his total devotion and surrender to Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ.  It is through this quality that a host of other noble virtues manifest in him. He expresses his devotion through his service that shines with his excellence and perfection. No work is ever left incomplete, and no undertaking is too difficult. No matter how exceedingly difficult the situation looks to us, Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ never loses his courage, his faith in the Lord never shakes even for a fraction of a second.

With his deep knowledge and wisdom, Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is able to uplift a person who is sunk in grief from separation from Lord. Mother Sῑtā is in the depths of depression and wants to end her life as she sees no hope of rescue — Rāvaṇa had given her an ultimatum that he would kill her if she did not accept him in a month’s time.

Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ, hiding among the leaves of the tree, softly sings the glories of the Lord; and as he sings, the cloud of sorrow that is hanging over Mother Sῑtā starts to dissipate. It is a similar situation when he sees Bharata-jῑ waiting the return of his Lord, his mind sinking in the ocean of grief because of separation from Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ. If the Lord does not return as he promised, he would put an end to his life. Again, Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ, in the guise of a Brahmin, comes to his rescue. He gives him the news of Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ, that he has conquered his enemy and is safely returning with Mother Sῑtā and Lakśmaṇa. This news takes Bharata-jῑ out of his sorrow.  

Humility is in direct proportion to one’s surrender and effacement of one’s ego.  Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ’s humility reflects his total self-abnegation and obliteration of his ego. He sees himself as an instrument, and knows that it is Lord’s power that works through him. When Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ returns to Śrῑ Rāma-Jῑ after his heroic and marvellous deeds, Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ is wonder-struck and asks: ‘Tell me, O Hanuman, how were you able to enter the impenetrable stronghold, kill so many demons and set alight the golden city of Lanka?’

 Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ replies without pride: ‘A monkey’s greatest valour lies in his skipping from one bough to another. That I should have been able to leap across the ocean, burn the golden city, kill the demon hordes and lay waste the Aśoka grove was all due to your might. No credit is due to me for that.’ (RCM 5.32.6-9) 

When Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is flying across the ocean, Maināka, a winged mountain, rose from the bottom of the sea, and offered him a place of rest. But Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ refused, saying: ‘There can be no rest for me until I have accomplished the work of Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ.’ 

The word cātura indicates that Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ resolves difficult situations with shrewdness, creativity and intelligence. With Surasā, he first challenges her by increasing his size as she opens her mouth wider and wider. Then he makes himself small, enters her mouth and comes out – thus winning the goodwill of the mother of the serpents, and showing to the gods his capability of penetrating Laṅkā and finding Mother Sῑtā. Again, he enters the city at night, reducing his size to that of an insect.  Again, when his tail is to be set alight, he sees the benefit in it, and so elongates his tail to a huge length. And with that long tail burning, he leaps from building to building, setting the golden city on fire. When he goes in search of the life-restoring herb for the cure of Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ and cannot identify it, he carries the whole Droṇa Mountain to Laṅkā.  

8              prabhu caritra sunibe ko rasiyā|rāma lakhana sῑtā mana basiyā||

You delight in listening to the glories of Lord and you have Lord Śrῑ Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ and Mother Sῑtā residing in your heart.

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is more eager than anyone to listen to the nectar-like stories and glories of Lord Rāma. Rāma-Kathā is dearer to him than the company of the Lord himself. When Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ listens to Rāma Kathā he has horripilation, he sheds tears, and has a stuttering voice due to the bliss he experiences.

Once Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ told him that he could go to Sāketa Loka, the abode of the Lord; but when Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ learnt that there was no singing of Rama-Kathā there, he refused the offer. In return, he asked for a boon: that he should remain on earth as long as Rāma-Kathā was sung. Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ granted him this boon, and added that as long as the Rāmāyaṇa was sung, so long would the fame of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ last.

Lord Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ and Mother Sῑtā residing (permanently) in his heart because of his constant and intense devotion to them. Lord Rāma represents Self-knowledge (jñāna), Mother Sῑtā represents devotion (bhakti) and Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ stands for sacrifice and dispassion (vairāgya). Thus, in   Śrῑ Hanumān there is knowledge, devotion, and dispassion – all in full measure!

We can also translate this line as: You have a place in the hearts of Lord Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ and Mother Sῑtā. Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ and Mother Sῑtā have a parental affection for Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ, and so they hold Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ in their hearts; Lakṣmaṇa–jῑ gives him a place in his heart because of his gratitude to him for bringing him back to consciousness. 

9            sūkśma rūpa dhari siyahĩ dikhāvā|bikaṭa rūpa dhari laṅka jarāvā||

You assumed a diminutive form when you revealed yourself to Mother Sῑtā, but you assumed an awesome and fierce form when you burned down Laṅkā.

10           bhῑma rūpa dhari asura sãhāre|rāmacandra ke kāja sãvāre||

You assumed a dreadful form to destroy the demons, and you accomplished the mission of Lord Rāma with great finesse.

Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ takes various forms: sometimes small, sometimes minute; and sometimes awesome and terrible; sometimes he is in the form of a vānara and sometime we see him as a Brahmin. He knows what form to assume in what circumstance. He appears before Mother Sῑtā in a diminutive form, and then shows her his colossal form to inspire her and inject her with hope and courage. But Rāvaṇa knows only the language of power. Therefore Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ assumes a terrible form and destroys the garden and kills the guards; when he is brought before Rāvaṇa and he is not given a seat, he elongates his tail and creates a seat for himself – one higher than the demon’s throne; he assumes an awesome form when setting alight the city. 

When Mother Sῑtā has grave misgivings about the capability of the monkeys, thinking that they all would be as small as Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ, he allays her doubt by revealing his colossal form (bikaṭa rūpa). He shines like a mountain of gold, terrible in battle, possessing great might and full of valour. Mother Sῑtā’s doubt is dispelled and she feels gratified at heart. Then she bestows her blessings on him: ‘May you become a repository of strength and virtue, dear child. May you ever remain immune from old age and death, and prove to be a storehouse of good qualities, my son; and may the Lord of the Raghus shower his abundant love on you.’ Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ feels totally fulfilled.

When Rāvaṇa ordered Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ’s tail to be burnt, he continues to lengthen it, until all the rags and all the ghee in Laṅkā are used up. The moment his tail is set alight, he assumes a diminutive form and so slips out of his bonds. Then he again assumes a terrible form (bhῑma rūpa) and leaps from building to building, setting ablaze the golden city of Laṅkā. In the twinkling of an eye, Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ burnt the whole city except for the house of Vibhῑṣaṇa.

The words bikaṭa rūpa and bhῑma rūpa describe Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ’s fearsome form that struck terror in the hearts of the demons themselves who ran helter-skelter in panic.

In KA (5.7), Goswāmῑ Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ compares the burning of the city to a yajña (fire sacrifice).  Laṅkā is the havan kuṇḍa. The buildings are like the wood or fuel. The demons are materials offered into the fire. Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ’s tail is a ladle. The heroic enemy are the special items (such as butter, pudding, sweets) that are offered into the fire. The high-pitched war cry of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is the chanting of the Mantras as oblations are made.  

Another fire is the fire of Mother Sῑtā’s sorrow. It is said that when a noble person is tortured, the fire of his or her sorrow that arises cannot be quenched. Thus it is that the fire of Mother Sῑtā’s sorrow burnt Laṅkā to ashes.

When Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ appears before Mother Sῑtā, he assumes a small form (sūkśma rūpa). Apart from avoiding detection, he comes before Mother in all humility.

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ completes all the tasks of Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ with perfection. This is an important pointer to the seeker: in the service of Teacher and God, everything must be done to perfection. Nothing but the best! There is no room for hasty work or sloppiness. The external presentations are a fair indication of the mind of the seeker: the more refined the mind, the more aesthetic, perfect and orderly will be the service.

 11          lāya sãjῑvani lakhana jiyāe|śrī raghubīra haraṣi ura lāe||

You fetched the sañjῑvani to revive Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ (who had fallen unconscious on the battlefield). Lord Rāma rejoiced and embraced you. 

 Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ, in his fight with Meghanāda, shatters his chariot, smashes his driver and strikes him so many times and so severely that he is all but dead. In utter desperation, Meghanāda resorts to a special weapon, the Vῑraghātinῑ. The word vῑraghātinῑ literally means ‘one whose nature is to kill heroes’.

When Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ is struck by it, he falls unconscious. The physician Suṣeṇa says that the only treatment for his recovery is the sañjῑvani plant, which is found only on the Droṇa Mountain in the Himalayas, and which must be administered before the sunrise for the treatment to be effective. . Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ flies from Laṅkā to the Himalayan mountains, overcomes Kālanemi, picks up the Droṇa mountain on which the plant grows (for he is unable to identify the plant), and returns within the stipulated time. Suṣeṇa applies the remedy and Lakśmaṇa-jῑ recovers. Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ is transported in joy and embraces Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ.

 This episode is an extended metaphor for the human condition – the state of the human being, his problems, and the ultimate solution.  Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ represents the jῑva who is struck by the weapon which represents worldly attachment.  The jῑva disconnects from the Lord and becomes attached to the sense pleasures of the world. The weapon has been hurled by Desire, represented by Meghanāda. This means that worldly attachments come from desires. On being struck, Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ faints, that is, the jῑva falls into a state of ignorance, and he becomes unconscious of his relationship with Lord, and of his own true nature, which is detachment from the world. The state of the jῑva (that is, his ignorance of his real nature) is understood by the Guru in the form of Suṣeṇa. He says that Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ will only come out of his swoon with the use of the sañjῑvani plant. This means that the jῑva who is spiritually unconscious will regain his conscious state (become aware of his spiritual nature) when he is injected with bhakti and develops love for Lord. This is done by bringing Rāma-nāma to him. This is accomplished by Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ who brings the whole Droṇa Mountain on which grows the sañjῑvani plant. The Droṇa Mountain represents all the Vedas and Purāṇas and spiritual teachings, and the essence of it is the sañjῑvani plant, that is Rāma-nāma.

In modern times, Sw Vivekananda has given it to us in this wonderful sūtra: ‘Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature, external and internal. Do this either by work, or worship, or psychic control, or philosophy – by one or more or all of these – and be free.’ (CW 1: 257)

12 raghupati kīnhῑñ bahuta baḍāῑ| tuma mama priya bharatahi sama bhāῑ||

Lord Rāma praised (you) very highly (and said), ‘You are as dear to me as my brother Bharata.’

Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ always expressed intense and self-sacrificing love for Bharata-jῑ. In their childhood competitions, such as shooting down mangoes from the trees, Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ would take mangoes from his own basket and stealthily place them in that of Bharata-jῑ’s to ensure his victory. When he learns that he has to go to the forest and Bharata-jῑ is to be made the king, he shows no animosity, but speaks of him as bharatu prānapriya, Bharata is dear to me as life. And Bharata-jῑ loved Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ as much: rāmu bharata kahũ prānapiāre, Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ is dear to Bharata as his own life.  

King Daśaratha had granted Kaikeyῑ two boons, which the devious queen claimed: first, Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ be banished to the forest; and second, Bharata-jῑ be the king. But Bharata-jῑ did not want to be king, and instead placed the sacred sandals of Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ on the throne, lived like a hermit in Nandigrāma, and ruled on behalf of Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ. He had no desire for kingship, no love for power and pleasure. He wanted Lord and Lord alone. Therefore Bharata-jῑ is dear to Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ. And similarly, Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ has no desire other than to serve the Lord. 

13         sahasa badana tumharo jasa gāvaĩ|asa kahi śrῑpati kaṇṭha lagāvaĩ||

Saying:  ‘Śeṣa, the thousand-headed serpent, shall continue to sing your glory’, the Lord of Śrῑ (Lord Rāma) embraced Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ.

The phrase sahasa badana comes from the Sanskrit sahasra-vadana , meaning thousand mouths.  It refers to Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ who is the incarnation of Śeṣa, the thousand-hooded snake, who is  the cause / support of the universe, who came down to dispel the fear of the earth. 

Though Śeṣa is singing the glories of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ, even then his thousand tongues are not enough to sing the glories of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ sufficiently. Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ will always sing Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ’s glories for, if not for Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ, how would he have regained consciousness?

It is said that everyone meditates on Lord Rāma, but Lord meditates on Bharata-jῑ – so dear was he to him. But he tells Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ he loves him as much as he does his dear brother Bharata-jῑ whom he remembers at all times with great love.

The word śrῑ-patih is also lakśmῑ-patih and refers to Lord Rāma, the Lord of Śrῑ or Lakśmῑ. He embraced Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ to his heart and praised him.

14 / 15   sanakādika brahmādi munῑsā|nārada sārada sahita ahῑsā|                jama kubera dik-pāla jahāñ te|kabῑ kobida kahi sakaĩ kahāñ te||

Sanaka and his brothers, Lord Brahmā and the other deities, the great saints and sages, the great sage Nārada and Goddess Sarasvatī along with Viṣṇu (or Śiva), Yama, the god of death and guardian deity of the southern direction, Kubera, the lord of wealth and the guardian deity of the northern direction, and the ten guardian deities, poets and scholars – are all unceasingly describe your glory. But is there anyone who is truly able to do so?

Sanaka and his brothers are the sages Sanaka, Sanātana, Sanandana, and Sanatkumāra. They are the mind-born sons of Lord Brahmā, having the form of naked children. They roam throughout the universe to spread the name of the Lord.

Nārada is a great bhakta of Lord who travels throughout the universe, ever singing the glories of the Lord and teaching devotion to the Lord.

Sāradā is Mother Sarasvatī, the goddess of knowledge and wisdom, music and art and science.

Ahῑsā means Lord of the Serpents, and here it does not refer to Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ but either to Lord Viṣṇu or Lord Śiva. Yama or Yama-rāja is the god of death, the guardian of the south direction, as well as of the underworld.

Kubera is the Lord of wealth and guardian of the northern direction

Dik-pāla devata-s are the deities of the ten directions: the four cardinal directions (north, east, south and west and the four intercardinal directions N-E, N-W, S-E, S-W), and two more directions are the zenith (above) and nadir (below). They are collectively called ‘daśa-dik-pāla’.

 Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ’s glory is sung everywhere: from the north to the south, in the three worlds (by Śeṣa in Pātāla Loka, by the sages Nārada and the Sanata Kumāras on earth, and by Lord Brahmā and the other deities in heaven.

The word kobida is from the Sanskrit kovida: ko refers to the Vedas, and vid means to know. Hence, kovida is a knower of the Vedas.

Goswāmῑ Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ asks when the glory of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is sung by such as these, can ordinary poets and scholars dream of singing his glories?

16           tuma upakāra sugrῑvahiñ kῑnhā|rāma milāya rāja pada dῑnhā||

You rendered a great service to Sugrῑva: you introduced him to Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ and installed him on the throne.

Sugrῑva was the brother of Vālῑ and the son of Sūrya; and Vālῑ was the son of Indra. Once, Vālῑ was fighting a demon Māyāvῑ who ran into a cave. Vālῑ told Sugrῑva that if he did not come out after a fortnight, he should close the opening of the cave, assuming him to be dead. When Sugrῑva saw blood flowing out through the cave opening, he assumed that his brother was dead. And so he closed up the opening.  On his return to Kiṣkindhā, he was crowned king.

 But Vālῑ was not dead, and on his return, seeing his brother on the throne, he assumed that Sugrῑva had been treacherous, and beat him severely. Sugrῑva ran off to the Ṛṣyamūka hill, a place that Vālῑ could not enter due to a ṛṣῑ’s curse. With him were a few loyal friends, including Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ.  (When Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ had completed his studentship, Lord Sūrya did not want to accept any guru dakṣiṇa, it being sufficient that he had such a brilliant and unparalleled student. But on being pressed, he asked Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ to befriend Sugrῑva and be his guide and help in his times of difficulty.)

It was at this time that Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ and Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ came by in search of Mother Sῑtā. When Sugrῑva saw them, they appeared as ‘the highest embodiments of immeasurable strength and beauty’, and he became very alarmed, thinking that they had been sent by Vālῑ to kill him. He sent Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ to find out who they were. Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ recognised Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ as his long awaited Lord, informed him about Sugrῑva’s plight; and seating him and Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ on his shoulders, he leapt up to the hilltop. When Sugrῑva saw them, he felt that his life had been blessed.

Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ and Sugrῑva pledge to help each other. Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ despatches Vālῑ, and Sugrῑva becomes the king. Sugrῑva sends his monkey troops to find Mother Sῑtā and Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is, of course, the one who finds the whereabouts of Mother Sῑtā.

Sugrῑva is fearful by nature, and has no special merit that qualifies him to meet the Lord. But the grace of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is on him. He is with him in these times of difficulties and dangers.

The sentence rāja pada dῑnhā can be understood in two ways. The word rāja means king; and pada means both a position and a foot. Hence, rāja pada means: (1) the position of king, and (2) at the feet of the king (ie Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ). Thus there is the dual meaning here that by bringing Sugrῑva to Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ, he (1) ensured that he got the throne, and (2) obtained liberation.

We note that the plot of the Rāmāyaṇa takes us through three cities: Ayodhyā, Kiṣkindhā, and Laṅkā. One of the major issues in each place is that of kingship involving two brothers.  Laṅkā was first ruled by Kubera, but he was overthrown by his half-brother Rāvaṇa. In Kiṣkindhā, the conflict was between Vālῑ and Sugrῑva. In Ayodhyā, Kaikeyῑ wanted her son Bharata-jῑ to be king, and by her cunning Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ was banished to the forest and Bharata-jῑ made king. But Bharata-jῑ did not want the throne; he wanted his brother Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ to be the king. On the other hand, Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ was happy that his brother should rule and that he should live in the forest.

Now look at Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ. He first serves Sugrῑva and then he serves Lord whom he meets later.  While both Sugrῑva and Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ serve Lord, their motives are different. Sugrῑva wants the help of Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ to get the throne. Therefore, he wants a demonstration of the power of the Lord. But once he obtains the throne, he forgets his part of the agreement to help Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ, and is immersed in the sensual luxuries of the court. When Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ is sent by Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ and he comes to remind Sugrῑva of his promise to Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ, it is Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ who saves him from the wrath of Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ.

 But Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ has no wishes and desires apart from serving his Lord. He is a bhakta and knows that Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ is the Lord supreme.  

17         tumharo mantra bibhῑṣana mānā|laṅkeśwara bhae saba jaga jānā||

By heeding your advice, Vibhῑṣaṇa became Lord of Laṅkā. This is known throughout the universe.

Not only did the Lord make Vibhῑṣana king of Laṅkā, but he also gave him final liberation. Vibhῑṣaṇa’s life is a journey from Laṅkā to the camp of Sri Rāma, from Rāvaṇa to Sri Rāma, from bondage to surrender.

Laṇka is all external beauty, indicating the sensual and material pursuits of the inhabitants. There is no suggestion of internal beauty, the beauty of the calm and restrained mind and shining intellect, the glory of the atman in all its splendour.

Rāvaṇa rules from here. He had the boon that he would be killed by none but monkeys and men. Though learned in the scriptures, he is the embodiment of delusion. By delusion is meant identification of the ātman / Self with the body and mind. With this comes ignorance and lack of discrimination. In addition, he is greedy to no end. Almost everything that he possessed was as a result of looting and plundering: Laṇka, the beautiful women, and the treasures.

On the other hand, Vibhῑṣaṇa had asked Lord Brahmā for pure love for the lotus feet of the Lord.

The antithesis of Rāvaṇa is Sri Rāma. The name ‘Rāma’ means ‘one who delights’, ‘he who revels’, or ‘one in whom all revel’.  Sri Rāma is the one who bestows delight upon the yogis.

 All the while that Vibhῑṣaṇa was in Laṇka, he worshipped the Lord, but at the same time he was loyal to his brother Rāvaṇa. It was a life of compromise: he was silent on the wicked and sinful actions of Rāvaṇa.

When Vibhῑṣaṇa meets Sri Hanumān-jῑ and listens to Rāma-Kathā, he awakens from his comfortable spiritual lethargy and becomes a dynamic devotee. He tells Sri Hanumān-jῑ where Mother Sῑtā is being held, and how he can reach her undetected. He has the moral courage to tell Rāvaṇa that Sri Hanumān-jῑ is a messenger should not be killed as it was against all rules of polity. He breaks his silence on the kidnapping of Mother Sῑtā and advises his brother to return her to her Lord. Vibhῑṣaṇa tells Rāvaṇa that Sri Rāma is no ordinary mortal but he is the Lord of the universe and is full of compassion; and implores him to seek the shelter of Sri Rāma.  

But Rāvaṇa grows more and more and angry, and kicks him. Vibhῑṣaṇa leaves Laṅkā with a few loyal ministers and proceeds to meet Sri Rāma. Now Vibhῑṣaṇa has an unshakeable faith in the Lord and is certain that the Lord will accept him.

When he is brought before the Lord, he is stunned by the entrancing beauty of the Lord. He says that he has heard of Lord’s glory and fair renown, and therefore has come to him. Crying out ‘Save me! Save me!’ he falls prostrate at the feet of the Lord.

Now the Lord picks him up, raises him, clasps him to his bosom, and seats him next to him. And he addresses him as ‘Lankesa’, king of Laṇka. This is Vibhῑṣaṇa’s surrender to the Lord.

18           juga sahasra jojana para bhānū|lῑlyo tāhi madhura phala jānū||

You thought that the Sun, who is thousands of miles away, was a sweet fruit. And you swallowed him.

This episode takes place when Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is just a baby. Seeing the rising sun, he takes it to be a ripe fruit, waiting to be eaten. In one mighty leap, he flies up and swallows the sun. Indra strikes with his powerful vajra and Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ falls unconscious.  Pavana Deva (the deity of air) is greatly angered to see his son in that state, and he withdraws his prāṇa from the universe. As there is no air, all life faces imminent death. It is only when the gods intervene and propitiate him and offer many boons to his son does he relent.

This incident reflects the very problem of human existence. The jῑva, bound soul, acts out of ignorance, is driven by desire, and acts only to enjoy pleasures of the senses. Just as Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ had a misconception of the sun, the jῑva, too, has the wrong notion of the world. Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ’s powers were infinite and immeasurable; and the jῑva, too, has infinite powers and capacities. But, they are all hidden deep within him. And whatever powers he does have access to are all directed to the wrong ends, namely, sensual pleasures that are transient. The jῑva take the objects in the world to be real and the sources of all his joys. But an object in itself is not a source of joy, nor is it a permanent entity. In fact, all objects (like the body) are perishable, and the joy is not in the object but in the mind alone. The sense objects enslave the jῑva and become the source of endless pains and sorrows, and bind him more and more to the endless cycle of births and deaths. In his struggle and search, the jῑva ruins himself.

19     prabhu mudrikā meli mukha māhῑñ|  jaladhi lāṅghi gaye acaraja nāhῑñ||

You placed the Lord’s ring in your mouth and leapt across the ocean. There is no wonder in that.

Monkeys have cheek pouches that extend down both sides of the neck and are used for storing food. Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ placed the ring in his cheek pouch.

The act of leaping across the ocean is such a marvellous feat. He flew over the ocean like a bright streak of lightning.  Mandodarῑ herself reminds Rāvaṇa of this astonishing feat, saying that the fearless lion among the vānara-s (Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ) came to your Laṅkā after leaping across the ocean – as if it were child’s play.

But Goswāmῑ Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ says that there is no wonder in that because Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ placed the ring on which is writ the name of Rāma in his mouth, and taking the name of the Lord, he crossed the ocean despite the temptations and difficulties that reared before him in the form of Maināka who offered him rest, Surasā who wanted to swallow him, and Siṃhikā who also tried to drag him into her mouth, Laṅkinῑ who tried to prevent his entry into the fortress, and of course, the powerful demons themselves. But he overcame all and reached the goal, that is, Mother Sῑtā, who is bhakti. All this because of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ’s total surrender to the Lord and the grace of the Lord himself.

There is another perspective to this episode. Mother Sῑtā represents bhakti, devotion. To find or gain  devotion or liberation (mokśa), one has to cross this ocean of the feeling ‘I am this body’ (dehātmabhāvah). This is as difficult as crossing an ocean. But by chanting the Lord’s name, we will understand that we are not this body, and in this way we cross this ocean of saṃsāra (world). There is no doubt (acaraja nāhῑñ), that one can accomplish anything by chanting the Lord’s name and acting with full faith and devotion.

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

The most difficult tasks in the world become easy to accomplish by your grace.

There are various components or factors that contribute to the success of any undertaking. They include, inter alia, physical strength, knowledge and expertise, material resources, inspiration. But it often happens that despite having all the requirements, the work at hand seems impossible to complete. On the other hand, there are times when a person has little or no resource with which to attend to a task or face a situation. Yet that person attains success when he takes refuge in Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ, and obtains his grace. Then, no matter how difficult the task, and no matter how impossible the situation, all will seem easy – as easy as it was for Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ to leap across the ocean.

  21         rāma duwāre tuma rakhavāre|hota na ājñā binu paisāre||

You are the sentinel at the door of Lord Rāma’s divine abode. No one may enter without your permission.

As the door-keeper of Lord Rāma, Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ can allow or deny access to anyone wanting to see the Lord. It is usual for the Lord to choose who should or should not enter. But with Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ, the matter is different: he himself chooses. Thus we see that without consulting Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ, he allowed entry to Sugrῑva and Vibhῑṣaṇa.

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is the ever-vigilant guard at the door of Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ. He pulls people towards Lord Rāma. That is his task. And for this he is so dear to Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ.

22   saba sukha lahai tumhārῑ śaranā|tuma rakśaka kāhū ko daraḍaranā||               

All those who seek refuge in you enjoy every kind of happiness. You are the protector, so there is no fear of anyone.

Most human endeavours are directed towards material gain and sensual enjoyments. Only a very few strive for ultimate freedom and merging into the Lord. The former include such things as success in education, attainment of scholarship, proficiency in the arts and science, gaining name and fame. Much effort is required to achieve the first goal; the second is realised but by a few.

However, when we take shelter in Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ, we obtain bhukti as well as mukti. The examples are, of course, Sugrῑva and Vibhῑṣaṇa. Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ has infinite powers, he is a store-house of excellence. All his powers and good qualities are availed to us when we seek the feet of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ. And he unites us with Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ, which is the greatest goal of all human beings. 

23           āpana teja samhāro āpai|tῑnõ loka hāñka te kāñpe||

When you remember your radiance and power, all the three worlds tremble at you roar.

When Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ was still very little and full of mischief, he was cursed by the ṛṣis and so he forgot his tremendous powers. When the group of monkeys, including Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ, reached the ocean and none among them could leap across to Laṅkā, Jāmbavān reminded Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ of the powers he had and which he had forgotten because of the curse, that he was all powerful and he could accomplish anything, that he was born to do the work of the Lord. Then Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ remembered his own strength and declared that he could accomplish anything.

So awesome is the radiant power of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ that when Bhῑma was shown this form, he closed his eyes, unable to bear it. When Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ roared as he left the burning Laṅkā, the women who were pregnant aborted.

When Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ’s mighty roar is heard, all the three worlds (heaven, earth and the lower worlds) tremble in fear.

24           bhūta piśāca nikaṭa nahĩ āvai| mahābῑra jaba nāma sunāvai||

Evil spirits and hideous demons dare not go near a devotee who is singing aloud the name mahābῑra.

The name mahābῑra was used in the third caupāῑ as one of the many names of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ. But here, Goswāmῑ Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ repeats the name to show its glory by stating that on hearing that very name, evil spirits and demons fly away.

Piśāca-s are flesh-eating demons that feed on human energies. Sometimes, they possess human beings and alter their thoughts, and the victims are afflicted with a variety of maladies, physical and mental.

Bhūta-s are usually the ghosts of deceased persons who may have had a violent or premature death, left matters unsettled in their lives, committed suicide, or for whom the proper funerals rites were not performed. As a result, they are not able to take another birth or go to heaven. They may wander about, sometimes seeking revenge or wanting to fulfil some goal not completed.  They may thus become a source of supernatural afflictions.

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ terrifies those evil spirits and demons. So potent is his name that its mere repetition wards off these negative forces, and drives them away, even if they are possessing a particular person. In HB (32), Goswāmῑ Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ says: ‘The most powerful mantras and yantras, deceptions and frauds, diseases and planetary combinations that bring ill-luck run away upon hearing your name.’

His power and strength know no limits. Chanting the name of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ transfers the same power and courage to his devotee.

25           nāse roga hare sab pῑrā|japata nirantara hanumata bῑrā||

When his name is chanted continuously, the heroic Hanumān destroys all the ailments and diseases and takes away all pains and suffering.

Human suffering is experienced at various levels: physical, emotional /mental. Physical pains may be due to diseases, injuries on the body, or old age. Emotional pains include fear, anxiety, grief, guilt, depression, low self-esteem, loneliness, bitterness.

The spiritual aspirant is cautioned to be wary of what are regarded as the six enemies (sad-ripu) in spiritual life. They are:

1              Desire (kāma): Desire (and attachment) to all things of this sensory world (wealth, honour, status, fame, etc.) 

2              Anger (krodha):  This results from an inability to fulfil a desire, and so wanting to harm others and cause ruin to them because they have thwarted the fulfilment of a desire.

3              Avarice (lobha): Not wanting to share the joy or objects of joy that brought about the fulfillment of a desire

4              Delusion (moha): Seeing life incorrectly; inability to distinguish between the Real and the unreal. It includes such erroneous thinking that one is the body, that some people are nearer and dearer to one than others and the desire to please them more than others.

 5             Arrogance (mada): The false pride and egoism that develops from fulfilled desires. It includes absence of reverence for elders and lack of consideration for others’ feelings.

6              Envy (matsarya): Finding it intolerable that others are as happy as (or happier than) oneself; and becoming miserable over other’s good fortune.

When one constantly chants the name of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ, one’s sufferings at physical, mental, emotional, spiritual levels are removed.

26           saṅkaṭa tẽ hanumāna chuḍāvai|

mana krama bacana dhyāna jo lāvai||

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ delivers from difficulties those who worship him with full focus in thought, action, speech and prayer.

If we worship Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ in thought word and deed, he will release us from all difficulties and afflictions. Mana is mind, krama (karma) is deed, and bacana (vacana) is words. So all our thoughts, words and actions should be directed to the worship of the Lord.

One of the names of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is ‘Saṅkata-mocana’, meaning ‘one who delivers from difficulties’. The Śrῑ Hanumān Aṣṭakam (also popularly known as ‘Saṅkata Mocana’) has the refrain:   ko nahĩ jānata hai jaga me kapi|                saṅkaṭa-mocana nāma tihāro||

O Lord Hanumān, who in the world does not know that your name is sankata-mocana, the one who delivers us from all sorrows.

27           saba para rāma tapasvῑ rājā| tina ke kāja sakala tuma sājā||

Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ, the renunciate king, is supreme to all. You accomplished all his tasks with great finesse.

Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ is ‘supreme to all’ because he is none other than the embodiment of the supreme Brahman.

A tapasvῑ is one who has renounced the world and is without attachments and desires. A rājā is one who rules over the world. It seems contradictory but a glance at the Yoga Vāsiṣṭa clarifies this.

When Sri Rāma with his brothers returned from a pilgrimage after they had completed their education at the guru-kula, he was filled with a deep sadness: he had seen so much suffering and misery in the world, yet there was a bliss on the faces of his teachers. He wanted to know how to live in the world and do his duty, yet enjoy that bliss which the ṛṣis were experiencing. Vasiṣṭa Muni taught him the philosophy through many illustrative stories. At the end Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ had realisation of his self and was immersed in that bliss. He was full of śānta bhāva. It was because of this that Sri Rāma was neither filled with sorrow nor moved by the unfortunate turn of events. And when he did show grief, etc, it was only his lῑlā. Thus, the Lord was detached from the world, and free from selfishness. He ruled the kingdom in the interest of all people. He was therefore the perfect ruler.

Because Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ dwelt in the forest for fourteen years in the garb of a hermit (tāpasa beśa) and was wholly detached from the world, he was a tapasvῑ. He was rājā as he ruled over all – he was beloved of the saints and sages as well as people of the world.  

Though Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ is the supreme Lord and king of all, he relies on Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ to accomplish all his tasks. Implicit in this statement is that all devotees should seek the grace of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ. 

28           aura manoratha jo koῑ lāvai|tāsu amita jῑvana phala pāvai||

Moreover, whoever comes to you with a desire, has his wishes fulfilled beyond expectation in this life.

Human wishes are seldom completely realised. But one who is devoted to Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ has all his wishes fulfilled. In Hanuman Bahuka  (9) Goswāmῑ Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ says: nāma kali kāma-taru kesarῑ-kisora ko|In the Kali-age, the name Kesarῑ Kisora (Hanumān) is the wish-fulfilling tree.

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ will fulfil our wishes and desires as long as they are noble.

29           cārõ yuga paratāpa tumhārā|hai parasiddha jagata ujiyārā||

Your brilliance and glory is acclaimed all through the four ages and it illuminates the whole world.

The largest unit of time in Hindu literature is a day of Brahmā. It is called a kalpa and is 4,32 billion years. This kalpa includes 1 000 mahāyuga-s. Each mahāyuga (or catur-yuga) consists of the four well-known yuga-s:

Kṛta (or Satya): Lord appears as Varāha to kill Hiranyakśa, and as Narsiṃha to kill Hiranyakaśipu

Tretā: Lord incarnates as Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ and kills Rāvaṇa and Kumbhakaraṇa

 Dvāpara : Lord appears as Śrῑ Kṛṣṇa

 Kali: Lord will come as Kalki

The four yuga-s make up a mahā yuga.

1 000 mahā yuga-s = I kalpa = 4,32 bn years = I day of Lord Brahmā

Both Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ and Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ are eternal, and the glory of their names are supreme in all the four yuga-s.

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ was there in the Treta Yuga in the service of Lord. Then in Dvāpara Yuga, he met Bhῑma; and later, he positioned himself in the flag of Arjuna, roaring during the Great Mahābhārata War. Goswāmῑ Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ himself (in the Kali Yuga) met Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ in Vārāṇasi, and later the Saṅkatamochan Temple was built on that very site. 

It should be remembered that the four yugas follow each other in a cycle, and so Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ’s glory will be remembered in all ages.

30           sādhu santa ke tuma rakhavāre|  asura nikandana rāma dulāre||

You are the protector of the sadhus and the saints. You are the destroyer of the wicked. [Therefore] you are very dear to Lord Rāma.

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ protects those who are journeying on the spiritual path, which is very difficult.

 Because the seekers are sincere and are making the effort, Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ comes to their aid (even though they may not ask him for any guidance). He also guards those that have become accomplished in their spiritual lives, so that they will not fall back but will always retain what they have attained. In the āratῑ of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ, we sing in the fifth verse:

 bāẽ bhujā  asura dala māre| dahine bhujā santa-jan tāre||

He killed asura-s with his left hand, and protected the deva-s with his right hand.

31           aṣṭa siddhi nau nidhi ke dātā|  asa vara dῑnha jānakῑ mātā||

You are the bestower of the eight supernatural powers and the nine divine treasures. Mother Sῑtā has given you this boon.

The eight supernatural powers (siddhi-s) are:

1              Aṇimā: reducing one’s body even to the size of an atom. (Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ reduced himself to a minute size when he entered the mouth of Surasā, when he entered Laṅkā, and when he went to the Aśoka Garden.)

2              Mahimā: expanding one’s body to an infinitely large size (Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ took a gigantic form when he was burning down Laṅkā and when he fought against the asura-s.)

3              Garimā: becoming infinitely heavy (The mighty Bhῑma could not move aside the tail of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ which lay on his path.)

4              Laghimā: becoming almost weightless (Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ, though he assumed a huge and powerful form as he burnt down  Laṅkā, was flying lightly from rooftop to rooftop without crushing the buildings.)

5              Prāpti: obtaining anything that is desired, or the ability to go anywhere in the three worlds

(Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ goes to the nether-world to rescue Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ and Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ)

6              Prākāmya: realizing whatever one desires by a mere wish. If we take this as ‘Prakasyam’, it would mean to have a self-illuminating, shining body. In the invocatory śloka of the Sundara- kāṇḍa, Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ’s body is described as ‘shining as a mountain of gold’.

7              Īṣṭva: possessing absolute lordship, the power to rule over all the worlds. (Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ rules over everybody’s hearts by his good deeds and character, and not by his mighty power.)

8              Vastava: the power to subjugate all, the power to control everybody (Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ’s magnetic personality makes everyone love him and obey him.) 

The nine nidhi-s / treasures belong to Kubera, the god of wealth.  But the greatest wealth that Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ gives us is love for Lord Rāma (rāma-rasa). Once we have that, there is no need of any other wealth. It is therefore that some say that the nine nidhi-s are the nine forms of devotion mentioned by Lord to Mother Śabarῑ. They are: keeping holy company; listening to stories /glories of the Lord; serving the Guru selflessly and with humility; earnestly singing praises of the Lord’s virtues with a pure heart; doing japam with faith; practising self-control and living a dharmic life; perceiving the world as God Himself. After this comes perfect peace and contentment, whatever the circumstances; and finally, having full faith in the Lord.

32           rāma rasāyana tumhare pāsā|sādara ho raghupati ke dāsā||

You have the sweet joy of devotion in the form of Lord Rāma’s bhakti. You are respectfully [present] in the service of Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ.

Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ is ever immersed in the blissful thought of Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ. Not only is he himself full of this joy but he can transmit it to others. Bharata-jῑ and Śatrughna-jῑ would take Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ to a grove and ask him to narrate the stories of the Lord. Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ would first dive deep into his heart and then recount the glories of the Lord to them. The two brothers derived so much joy from it that they would request Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ to repeat them again and again. 

33           tumhare bhajana rāma ko pāvai|janama janama ke dukha bisarāvai||

Through your worship and devotion, one comes to Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ, and forgets the sufferings of several births.

To attain bhakti, there is need of knowledge (jñāna) and detachment (vairāgya). Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is the embodiment of both these. In the invocatory śloka of the Sundara-kāṇḍa, Goswāmῑ Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ says of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ: jñānināmagraganyam (RCM 5) – ‘he who is considered foremost among the knowledgeable’.

34           anta kāla raghubara pura jāῑ|jahāñ janma hari bhakta kahāῑ||

After death, he enters the eternal abode of Śrῑ Rāma and remains his devotee. Wherever he takes birth, he is known as a devotee of the Lord.

It is said that at the time of death of a devotee, the Guru appears before him and points out his Iṣṭa. The Guru merges into the Iṣṭa who leads him to his own loka. Those who worship Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ (and Śrῑ Rāma-jῑ, of course) will go to Sāketa Loka. There they remain till the exhaustion of their good karma, and they then return to the earth plane. They will be born into a noble family or into a family of devotees where it is conducive for spiritual practice. They will continue to worship the Lord, hence they will be known as devotees of the Lord.  

35           aura devatā citta na dharaῑ| hanumata sei sarva sukha karaῑ||

One who does not remember any other deity but serves Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ (alone) obtains all pleasures and happiness.

We human beings have endless desires and aspirations, and so struggle very hard to fulfil them. But we soon realise that we do not have the requisite strength or resources. And so we turn to those whom we think are more powerful than us for their expertise and resources, only to discover that they too have their limitations. Then we finally turn to the gods. There are different deities who, when propitiated, will fulfil the different  desires of the devotees. Thus, we turn to Kubera when in need for wealth, to Mother Sarasvatῑ for knowledge and wisdom or proficiency in the arts and sciences, to the Aśvini Kumāras when in poor health, and so on.

However, the one who does not worship the other deities but worships Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ alone, with fixed mind and firm faith, will have all his desires fulfilled, for in him reside all the powers that are variously distributed among the gods. In HB (12), it is said that ‘the deva-s and devῑ-s as well as the demons, with folded hands, show reverence to Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ. Then what to say of unfortunate kings who are afflicted?’

36           saṅkaṭa kaṭai miṭai saba pῑrā| jo sumirai hanumata balabῑrā||

When one remembers Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ of great strength and heroism, then all one’s difficulties come to an end, all one’s sufferings are erased.

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ , unlike many other deities, has no selfishness or jealousy or fear. Out of his infinite compassion, he impels us in our efforts and quickly grants us whatever we ask for, be they worldly joys or joys in the heavens, or final liberation.

The jῑva suffers because of inimical conditions and people ill-disposed to him, as well as the fruition of his bad karma-s from previous lives. Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ puts an end to both of these in the devoted jῑva, and so leads him to final emancipation.

37           jaya jaya jaya hanumāna gosāῑñ| kripā karahu guru-deva kῑ nāῑñ||

Victory to Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ, who has control over his senses. Show your grace and compassion to us, even as the guru.

The Śrῑ Hanumān Cālῑsā begins with jaya, and now concludes with the same word repeated thrice.

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ has full control over his body and mind, and so is never distracted from his purpose by his senses, or held back by the shortcomings of a poorly maintained body. Therefore, he can face any challenge and emerge victorious. In the same way, anyone who controls his senses and worships Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ with full devotion will emerge victorious. For such a one, no challenge is too great. 

Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ is like a guru, a compassionate teacher. He is an incarnation of Lord Śiva, who is himself worshipped as the universal teacher. The love of a guru for his disciple is far more than that of an earthly mother, for even in her there is some expectation and selfishness. The guru, on the other hand, loves unconditionally, without expectation, is indescribably kind-hearted and merciful – there is none as compassionate as he.

[The next two verses are the phala-śruti of the Śrῑ Hanumān Cālῑsā – it states the merits and benefits or fruit of chanting or reading it, and is therefore a motivation and an inspiration to chant.]

38           jo śata bāra pāṭha kara koῑ| chūṭahi bandi mahā sukha hoῑ||

Whoever recites this (Śrῑ Hanumān Cālῑsā) a hundred times will be freed from bondage and will enjoy (absolute) bliss.

The pronoun jo koῑ (anyone) clearly removes any restriction of gender, caste, sect, faith or any other consideration. 

Some interpret this verse as: Anyone who recites the Śrῑ Hanumān Cālῑsā  108 times every day for 108 days will be freed of all bondages, that is, s/he will enjoys absolute bliss.

The jῑva is bound and his goal is (should be) mokśa. He can come out of bondage by recital of Śrῑ Hanumān Cālῑsā and worship of Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ. In this world, there is little joy, and that, too, is mixed with sorrow. But mahā sukha is unending bliss, eternal joy.  It goes without saying that the recital must be done with faith and devotion.

39           jo yaha paḍhai hanumāna cālῑsā| hoya siddhi sākhῑ gaurῑsā||

Whoever reads the Śrῑ Hanumān Cālῑsā will accomplish his goals – to this Lord Śiva is witness.

One who reads / recites this Śrῑ Hanumān Cālῑsā will be released from all bondages and sorrows. Many people recite the Śrῑ Hanuman Cālῑsā eleven times on aTuesday or on a Saturday, days  considered auspicious for the worship of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ (and the Divine Mother, as well). Many recite the Cālῑsā eleven times daily for 40 days, and thereafter perform a homa.

This verse does not make an empty claim. Goswāmῑ Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ says that Lord Śiva himself is the witness. He guarantees that one will attain perfection. It is said that Lord Śiva directed Goswāmῑ Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ to compose the Śrῑ Hanumān Cālῑsā .

If we chant Śrῑ Hanumān Cālῑsā every day, it will create noble thoughts in us. It will help purify our mind, and we will ultimately attain liberation. So we have to make a beginning somewhere. With diligence and effort, we will succeed.

40           tulasῑdāsa sadā hari cerā|  kῑjai nātha hridaya mahã ḍerā||

Goswāmῑ Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ is ever the servant of Hari. O Lord, please dwell in my heart.

Goswāmῑ Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ prays to Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ that just as Lord showered his grace on him, so he (Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ) too, should let his grace flow upon him. And just as Lord together with Mother Sῑtā and Lakṣmaṇa-jῑ reside in his heart, so he should reside in the heart of Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ.

It was a common practice in Indian poetry for the poet to include his name at the end of the poem. Thus, in his song ‘śrῑ rāmacandra kṛpālu bhajamana’, Goswāmῑ Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ concludes with iti vadati tulasīdāsa, ‘Thus says Tulasῑdāsa’. In a similar way, many Mῑrā bhajans have the words ‘mῑrā ke prabhu giridhara nāgara’, and Kabir bhajans have ‘kahata kabῑra suno bhāῑ sadhu’.  

DOHĀ    pavana tanaya saṅkaṭa harana, maṅgala mūrati rūpa|                rāma lakhana sῑtā sahita, hṛdaya basahu sura bhūpa||

O Son of Pavana Deva (Wind-god), the destroyer of all difficulties and miseries, you are the one with an auspicious form. O Lord of the gods, may you reside in my heart along with Lord Rāma, Lakśmaṇa-jῑ and Mother Sῑtā.

Goswāmῑ Tulasῑdāsa-jῑ’s prayer is that Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ should come into our hearts, but with him should also come Lord Rāma, Lakśmaṇa-jῑ and Mother Sῑtā. We recall that Lord Rāma represents knowledge, Mother Sῑtā represents devotion, and Lakśmaṇa -jῑ represents dispassion. They all dwell in the heart of Śrῑ Hanuman-jῑ. Worship of Śrῑ Hanumān-jῑ will awaken these qualities in the devotees, too.

Om Tat Sat