Sri Hanuman Chalisa in English

श्री हनुमान चालीसा

Composed by Goswami Tulsidas Deity: Hanuman Metre: Chaupai/Doha 44 verses

About this transliteration

This English rendering of the Hanuman Chalisa uses IAST diacritics to preserve the original Awadhi sounds as closely as Roman script allows. The long ā in 'Hanumāna' is held twice as long as a short a, the ṣ in 'Tulsīdās' has a slight retroflex hiss, and the ḥ at the end of phrases marks an aspirated release that vanishes in casual transliteration. If you have studied Sanskrit or worked through formal pronunciation guides for any Indian classical tradition, these markings will look familiar. The result is a chant that reads like the original would sound to a Hindi or Awadhi speaker, not like an Anglicised approximation. For first-time readers who find the diacritics daunting, the english-simple version drops them and uses plain Roman letters instead.

About the Chalisa

If there's one prayer that cuts across every region, language, and tradition in India, it's this one. Tulsidas wrote these forty verses in Awadhi, not Sanskrit, not for scholars, but for everyone. They tell the story of Hanuman: the one who leapt across the ocean, carried a mountain, and never once asked for anything in return. People chant the Chalisa when they're afraid, when they need courage, when nothing else works. Millions do it daily, especially on Tuesdays and Saturdays. There's a reason it's survived five centuries. These verses just work.

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The opening verses are below.

Dōhā

1

śrī guru caraṇa saroja raja nijamana mukura sudhāri varaṇau raghuvara vimala yaśa jo dāyaka phalacāri

2

buddhihīna tanu jānike sumirau pavanakumāra bala buddhi vidyā dehu mohi harahu kaleśa vikāra

Caupāī

3

jaya hanumāna jñānaguṇasāgara

jaya kapīśa tihu loka ujāgara

4

rāmadūta atulita baladhāmā

aṁjaniputra pavanasuta nāmā

5

mahāvīra vikrama bajaraṁgī

kumati nivāra sumati ke saṁgī

Dōhā

44

buddhihīna tanu jānike sumirau pavanakumāra bala buddhi vidyā dehu mohi harahu kaleśa vikāra

That's the opening and the closing. The full Sri Hanuman Chalisa continues for 38 more verses in between.

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Frequently asked about Sri Hanuman Chalisa

Who composed Sri Hanuman Chalisa?
Sri Hanuman Chalisa is traditionally attributed to Tulsidas (Composed by Goswami Tulsidas).
How many verses are in Sri Hanuman Chalisa?
Sri Hanuman Chalisa has 44 verses, set in the Chaupai/Doha metre.
Which deity is Sri Hanuman Chalisa addressed to?
Sri Hanuman Chalisa is a prayer to Hanuman.
In which languages can I read Sri Hanuman Chalisa?
ChantWise offers Sri Hanuman Chalisa in English, Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati — including English (IAST script) on this page.

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