Hanumaan Chalisha

Lord Hanuman is called as the “Chiranjeevi” (the Immortal). Lord Hanuman is revered by one and all.One can see huge crowds thronging the Hanuman temples across the country on Saturdays.This is to appease Hanumanji and propitiate the Sani Bhagwan, who as per legend, runs scared of Hanumanji.

It is said that whenever you recite the hymn – Sriram jayaram jaya jaya ram, Lord Hanuman will be quick to come to the aid of the person chanting it.The devotion of Lord Hanuman to Lord Ram and Seeta Maiyya is of course legendary.Children dote on the intrepid Hanuman who attempted to swallow the Sun thinking it was a fruit.Many people wear Hanuman taweez (a kind of metal object) to ward off evil.Why do we pray to Hanumanji ? We pray to him for giving us physical and mental strength,to ward off the negative/evil influences from our lives,to obliterate our timidity/cowardice and to sharpen our intellect.When we pray to Lord Hanuman with a pure heart and an unshakeable faith, he is sure to come to our rescue.Hanumanji is known to have stormed the Ashok van in Lanka (where Seeta Maiyya was held captive by Ravan).The Ashok van was a place with such a high security that even air could not enter.That is why – we say that Hanumanji is the one who can make the “asathya” (impossible) into “sathya” (that which is possible).

The devotion of Lord Hanuman to Sri ram is unparalleled .After Lord Ram succeeded in the battle against Ravan, on return to Ayodhya, the Lord bestowed gifts to everyone to celebrate the victory.However, he offered himself as a gift to Hanumanji. Lord Rama told Hanuman, "Whatever you have done for me is simply immeasurable. I will be forever indebted to you. I bless that you gain immortality and be a "chiranjeev". People who bow before me will also have to bow before you, Hanuman.Wherever the glory of Rama is being spoken about, in all those places, the glory of Hanuman will also be spoken about.

It is often believed that Lord Hanuman can convert the “asathya” (impossible) to “sathya”(possible).That is very aptly conveyed in the following shloka :

Sarva kalyana thadharam Sarvabath Ganamarudham
Abhara karunamurthim Anjaneyam namayaham
Asathya sadagam swamin Asathyam dava kimvada
Ramadhoota krupasindho Mathkaryam sadaya prabho.

Hanuman chalisa is best recited in the mornings and evenings.While reciting the same, it is better to maintain personal hygiene.In the mornings, the hymn can be recited just after taking a bath. In the evenings, one can wash the hands and legs and face and then sit down for reciting the chalisa. It just takes less than 10 minutes to recite this hymn. Many children and adults can recite the Hanuman Chalisa by heart.Isn’t that great?

According to Wikipedia, Tulsi Das went to meet the then Emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi after having had a  vision of God Sri Rama in Gokula, the birth place of God Sri Krishna. The Emperor challenged Tulsi Das to show Sri Rama to him. When Tulsi Das replied that it is not possible without true devotion to Rama, he was imprisoned by Aurangzeb. In the prison, Tulsi Das is supposed to have written the beautiful verses of the Hanuman Chalisa.

When he completed the Hanuman Chalisa in prison, it is said that an army of monkeys menaced the city of Delhi. The king unsuccessfully tried to control the monkeys with his forces. Finally, the Emperor is supposed to have realized that the monkey menace was a manifestation of the wrath of Hanuman, the Monkey God. He released Tulsi Das and urged him to intervene in this grave matter and it is said that the monkeys stopped their mischiefs immediately after Tulsi's release.

Tulsi Das says in the Chalisa that whoever chants it full devotion to Hanuman, will have Hanuman's grace. Amongst the Hindus of Northern India, it is a very popular belief that chanting the Hanuman Chalisa invokes Hanuman's divine intervention in grave problems, including those concerning evil spirits and this belief is based on the claim made in the Chalisa itself.