The Hanuman Chalisa, translated into English, with Hindi and Roman text for those who can’t read Hindi, but want to chant this great Hindu Prayer from India and understand its significance.

The Hanuman Chalisa is a revered prayer to the great Lord Hanumanji, Supreme devotee of Lord Shri Ram, and is from that glorious epic, The Holy Ramayan by Goswami Tulsidas.

For everyone — and particularly for those who cannot read Hindi — I have transcribed the Hindi sounds in Roman English, along with a translation into English, so that not only can they read this great prayer but also understand its meaning.

The Hanuman Chalisa itself says that the easiest way for attaining a peaceful state of mind is to devoutly read it, i.e., the Hanuman Chalisa, one hundred times in succession. But that’s a very difficult and daunting task, especially because of the immense demands it places on your concentration and time. May the great Lord Hanuman give you the will and wisdom to do so at the earliest. But I believe that if you cannot accomplish that, just reading the Hanuman Chalisa regularly, once a day, will be of immense help.

So,  from my wife Anju and me, this is a humble attempt to spread the Word of Hanuman lalaa,  the noble, benevolent God who is fiercely protective of those who love Him.

The presentation: The original text in Devnagri script, with the English pronunciation guide, with each syll-able broken by a hyphen, alongside, followed by the English translation of below each verse.

Here is the Hanuman Chalisa.

Read, understand, revel!

At the Lotus feet of my Guru, I first cleanse the mirror of my heart and consciousness, and then proceed to profess the holy, purest glory of the Great Lord Shri Ram Chandra, the Supreme amongst the Raghu dynasty, He who bestows on us the four-fold attainments of Life: the four things or experiences which are imparted to a disciple by his spiritual master which are helpful on the way of salvation

(Note: Normally, the four-fold attainments referred to in our scriptures are Kama (pleasure), Artha (wealth), Dharma (religious merit) and Mokhsa (salvation). But I completely agree with what a reader of this translation, Mz Reena Verma, shared with me through a public comment in my earlier guest book: “(about) the meaning of the very first Doha … Here Char phal do not refer to arth, dharm, kaam and moksha. Why would Hanumanji, who was a brahmchaari, ask for kaam?  Here, chaar phal refer to the four things or experiences which are imparted to a disciple by his spiritual master which are helpful on the way of salvation.” Thank you Reena.)

You know that I am ignorant, and I beseech you (Lord Hanuman), O son of the God of Wind Pavan! Please bless me with Strength, Wisdom and Knowledge, and take away all my blemishes and imperfections which cause me much pain.

I sing Thy praise, and Victory to Thee, O Lord Hanuman, ocean of knowledge and sublime qualities! Praise and Victory to you, O Great God and Lord of the Monkeys, Who is so well known and venerated in all three worlds!

Hail, great messenger of Lord Ramchandra, repository of immeasurable power, strength and valour, Hail to you, O son of Anjani, also known as Pavan-sut (Son of the Wind God Pavan)!

O bravest of the brave, O powerful Lord! In  You rest good sense and wisdom. You are the true dispeller of the darkness of evil thoughts!

Your clothes are golden-hued, and your physique is powerful and strong! Your ear studs and Your curly hair are ever so pleasing to behold!

In Your hands You hold the Vajra, the powerful mace of the God Indra and also a flag of victory! Around Your shoulders, draped beautifully, is the sacred thread of Hinduism, the jan-ay-oo.

You, the reincarnation of Lord Shankar (the 12th reincarnation) and Son of the great Shri Kesari, have a lusture and glory that are propitiated by the whole universe!

You are supremely learned, talented and clever, O Lord Hanuman, and are ever ready to devoutly do Lord Shree Ramchandra ji’s bidding!

You are always keen and eager, with supreme devotion,  to listen to the engrossing and inspiring stories of the Life of Shree Ram, and this is why in your heart dwell Shree Ram, Mother Sita and Lakshmanji! (and you dwell in their hearts)

When You revealed Your presence to the distraught Mother Sita (who had been kidnapped by Ravan), you presented your meekest avatar (of a devoted humble servant), but when you accosted the enemy, you assumed gigantic, destructive proportions and burnt down all of Ravan’s Lanka!

With overwhelming and all-crushing might you destroyed every demon (asura), thus accomplishing your Lord Shree Ramchandra ji’s mission.

When Lakshman lay dying, you brought the life-saving herb Sanjivni (a nectarine herb said to revive the dead) and revived him! Overcome with happiness, Shree Ram clasped you in an embrace of supreme joy…!

… and He (Lord Shree Ramchandra ji) showered fulsome praise on you, saying, “You are very dear to Me; a brother, just like My younger brother Bharat is!”

“Thousands of grateful people / living creatures are singing your fulsome praise!” and so saying, the Lord of Lakshmi Shri Ram embraced Lord Hanuman.

(Another interpretation of these two lines: “Even the thousand-hooded divine serpent, the mighty Sheshnaag, who carries the weight of the Earth on His numerous hoods, is singing praise of you, O Hanuman!” said Lord Ram, the Lord of Lakshmi, and so saying, He embraced Hanumanji.)

And apart from Sheshaag, the great saint Saanak, and Gods like the Lord of Creation Brahma, the great sage Narad and the Goddess of knowledge, Sarasawati (Sarada) and He of immense dimensions, Ahisha, and several other sages perpetually sing your praise!

 When the Lord of Death, Yama, the Lord of Wealth, Kuber, and the Digpals, i.e. the deputies guarding the four corners of the Universe, are vying with one another to outdo one another in singing your praise, how can a humble poet like me (Tulsidas) do justice to singing about Your greatness?

 To Sugriv, the brother of Bali, You rendered a great service by bringing him into Shree Ram’s fold. Thanks to Shree Ram’s blessings and help, Sugriv managed to regain his throne and the glory that came with it.

And as a result of paying heed to Your advice, Vibhishan, the brother of Ravan, became the King of Lanka (after Ravan’s death at the hands of Shree Ram) , as is known throughout the world.

When You were a child (O Lord Hanuman) You had thought that the mighty Sun, burning fiercely millions of miles away, was a little fruit, and You had reached out, plucked it from the Heavens and put it in your mouth swallowed it!

Keeping Lord Ram’s ring in Your mouth, You conquered the mighty Ocean (separating India and Lanka) with ultimate ease when You went in search of Mother Sita.

Every difficult and seemingly insurmountable obstacle and impediment in life can be easily overcome with Your grace and benevolence.

You are the sentinel of Lord Ram, and no one can ever dare enter Lord Ram’s abode without Your permission.

When one is under your graceful benevolence, one attains every comfort and happiness! With You as my protector, O Lord Hanuman, what have I to fear? Nothing!

Only You can control Your own might O Lord Hanuman! When you emit a roar, all three worlds tremble (at its reverberance and due to their own fear).

No evil spirits can ever trouble your devotees who chant your name, O Mahabir (bravest of the brave)! All the ghosts and evil spirits shy away in terror at the sheer mention of your name, O Mahavir!

All disease and misery vanish from his life who constantly chants your holy Name, O Lord Hanuman!

 Lord Hanuman rescues from all trouble and danger, those who sincerely, devoutly and with faith,  remember you in thought/faith (mann), action (kram) and  spoken word (ba-chan)

You make easy each and every difficult task of all those who worship and hail Lord Ram as the Supreme God (who underwent the most rigorous penance). You remove all obstacles from the lives of the devoted worshippers of Lord Ram.

Whoever comes to You for fruition of any desires, will secure the imperishable fruit of human life.

O Lord Hanuman, Your glory is spread across all four Yugas, and your radiance is acclaimed and praised across the entire cosmos! (The four yugas are: Sat Yug, Dwapar Yug, Treta Yug and Kal Yug, in that order.)

O Lord Hanuman, You are the protector of all holy people and saints. You are the fierce destroyer and slayer of all demons. You are the darling of Shree Ram, who loves you with utmost indulgence, with all His heart!

Mother Janki has blessed you with the power to bestow on your devotees eight Siddhis (power to become light and heavy at will) and Nine Nidhis (comfort, wealth, prestige, power, happy relationships, fame, etc.)

The worship of Lord Ram is a divine ambrosia that You have, and for ever and ever will You remain the humble and devoted servant of Raghupati, (another name for Lord Ram).

By chanting Your name, one can reach Lord Ram and forget about the pain of having to take several rebirths.

Ultimately, such a devotee reaches the abode of Lord Ram Himself, where he remains a devout worshipper of Lord Ram, and thereafter, in every birth, he is reborn as a true devotee of Lord Ram.

There is no need to remember any other deity for propitiation, as the name of Lord Hanuman alone can give all happiness.

(Another meaning: The other deities may not really care about their devotees, but the name of Lord Hanuman gives all happiness)

Every danger is overcome, every pain is alleviated and removed for him who worships Lord Hanuman devoutly.

Hail, Lord Hanuman, may Your victory over evil be total and final. I beg you to be compassionate and indulgent towards me in the form of my Supreme Teacher and Guide.

He who devoutly reads this prayer a hundred times will find freedom from the bondage of Life and Death, and will ultimately enjoy the highest form of bliss!

He who recites the Hanuman Chalisa (all Forty Chaupais) is certain to overcome all troubles and attain happiness. This is witnessed by as great a God as Lord Shankar Himself.

Tulsidas (the writer of these verses) is an eternal devotee of Lord Hari, and prays to Lord Hanuman to kindly live in his heart for ever and ever.

O embodiment of the Wind God Pavan, O great deliverer and saviour, you are the embodiment of blessings and plenty! I beg you, O Lord Hanuman, to reside for ever and ever in my heart along with Lord Ram, Lakshman and Seeta!

. . . . . . . . .

Note: If you need a PDF of this file to download, print and keep with you  or share with your loved ones, enter a comment with the request, and I will be happy to mail you a copy, especially formatted in a way that you could print it on an A-4 paper, and spirally bind, as you very own copy of this great Indian prayer of the Hanuman Chalisa. What you could do in return for us is, remember us in your prayers, and definitely share your views and experiences with us.

May Hanuman ji bless you always! – Pavan R Chawla