Hanuman Chalisa
The best known of all. Two dohas, forty chaupais, one closing doha, in Awadhi.
Read the full text →(1)
The core mantras
Beej mantra
ॐ हं हनुमते नमः
Om Ham Hanumate Namah
The seed mantra. Short enough for 108 repetitions on a tulsi or rudraksha mala; used for courage and clarity.
Namaskar mantra
ॐ श्री हनुमते नमः
Om Shri Hanumate Namah
The simplest daily salutation — traditionally the first mantra a child is taught.
Dhyana shloka
मनोजवं मारुततुल्यवेगं जितेन्द्रियं बुद्धिमतां वरिष्ठम्। वातात्मजं वानरयूथमुख्यं श्रीरामदूतं शरणं प्रपद्ये॥
Manojavam maruta-tulya-vegam jitendriyam buddhimatam varishtham. Vatatmajam vanara-yutha-mukhyam Shri Rama-dutam sharanam prapadye.
Swift as thought, fleet as the wind, master of the senses, foremost among the wise — I take refuge in the son of the wind, chief of the vanaras, messenger of Rama.
Rudravatar mantra
ॐ नमो हनुमते रुद्रावताराय सर्वशत्रुसंहारणाय सर्वरोगहराय सर्ववशीकरणाय रामदूताय स्वाहा॥
Om namo Hanumate Rudravataraya sarva-shatru-samharanaya sarva-roga-haraya sarva-vashikaranaya Rama-dutaya svaha.
A protective mantra addressed to Hanuman as a form of Shiva — destroyer of enmity and illness.
For study & memory
ॐ ऐं भ्रीं हनुमते श्री राम दूताय नमः
Om Aim Bhrim Hanumate Shri Rama Dutaya Namah
Chanted by students before examinations, invoking Hanuman the grammarian and scholar.
Panchmukhi
ॐ हनु हनु हनु हनुमते नमः
Om Hanu Hanu Hanu Hanumate Namah
Associated with the five-faced form — Hanuman, Narasimha, Garuda, Varaha and Hayagriva — for protection from all directions.
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The longer texts
Bajrang Baan
An urgent, almost pleading text — "arrow of the thunderbolt" — recited in acute trouble, illness or fear. Traditionally begun on a Tuesday and completed daily without break, and not left half-finished.
Sankatmochan Hanuman Ashtak
Also by Tulsidas. Eight verses, each recalling a moment when Hanuman lifted someone out of crisis, ending "कौन सो संकट मोर गरीब को" — what distress of mine can remain?
Hanuman Aarti
"आरती कीजै हनुमान लला की" — sung standing, with a lit lamp circled before the murti, at the close of worship.
Sundar Kand
The fifth book of Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas, and the only one where Hanuman is the hero throughout. A full recitation takes about three hours and is often done as a household paath.
Hanuman Ashtottara
The litany of one hundred and eight names, each offered with a flower or a grain of rice.
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Daily practice
When
Brahma muhurta before dawn, or at dusk after bathing. Tuesday and Saturday are his days; many keep a partial fast on Tuesday and eat once, after sunset.
How many
11 repetitions for a short sitting, 108 on a mala for a full japa. Keep the count on beads, not in the head — the counting itself is meant to fall away.
What to offer
Sindoor mixed with mustard or jasmine oil, red flowers, betel leaf, boondi laddoo or jaggery, and a single ghee lamp. Plain water and attention are enough when they are all you have.