Chaupais 17–24 draw together some of the Ramayana's most memorable episodes: Hanuman's counsel to Vibhishana, the childhood story of swallowing the sun, the ocean-crossing with Rama's ring, and the general principle that all difficult tasks become manageable through Hanuman's grace. The section closes with three verses about Hanuman as guardian — of Rama's door, of those who take refuge in him, and against all fearful forces — and with the image of a power so vast that only Hanuman himself can contain it.
📖 Composed by Tulsidas (16th century)
Chaupai 17
तुम्हरो मंत्र बिभीषन माना ।
लंकेश्वर भए सब जग जाना ॥
Tumharo mantra Vibheeshan maanaa.
Lankeshwar bhae sab jag jaanaa.
तुम्हरो मंत्र
your counsel, your advice
बिभीषन
Vibhishana
माना
accepted, followed
लंकेश्वर भए
became the lord of Lanka
सब जग जाना
the whole world knows this
Vibhishana was Ravana's own younger brother. He tried to advise Ravana to return Sita, and when Ravana refused, it was Hanuman's counsel that helped Vibhishana find the courage to cross over to Rama's side. The whole world knows what followed: Vibhishana became king of Lanka after Ravana's defeat. This verse honours Hanuman not as a warrior but as the wise counsellor whose guidance changed the course of Lanka's history.
Chaupai 18
जुग सहस्र जोजन पर भानू ।
लील्यो ताहि मधुर फल जानू ॥
Jug sahasra jojan par bhaanoo.
Leelyo taahi madhur phal jaanoo.
जुग सहस्र जोजन
yugas × a thousand yojanas away (an immense distance)
भानू
the Sun
लील्यो
swallowed
ताहि
it
मधुर फल
a sweet, ripe fruit
जानू
thinking it to be, mistaking it for
As a child, infant Hanuman saw the rising sun and mistook it for a ripe red fruit. He leapt into the sky and swallowed it. The verse places the sun at an almost incomprehensible distance — yugas multiplied by thousands of yojanas — and says Hanuman crossed that distance in the leap of a baby reaching for something sweet. The story is both miraculous and endearing: a child's innocent appetite meeting the cosmic scale of what he truly is.
Chaupai 19
प्रभु मुद्रिका मेलि मुख माहीं ।
जलधि लाँघि गये अचरज नाहीं ॥
Prabhu mudrikaa meli mukh maahin.
Jaladhi laanghi gaye acharaj naahin.
प्रभु मुद्रिका
the Lord's (Rama's) ring
मेलि
having placed
मुख माहीं
in the mouth
जलधि
the ocean
लाँघि गये
leapt across
अचरज नाहीं
it is no wonder, no surprise
Before Hanuman leapt across the ocean to Lanka, Rama placed his ring in Hanuman's mouth — a token for Sita, so she would know the messenger was truly sent by her husband. Carrying the ring, Hanuman crossed the ocean. The verse says plainly: this is no wonder. For Hanuman, the ocean is just one more distance to be covered when the task belongs to Rama.
Chaupai 20
दुर्गम काज जगत के जेते ।
सुगम अनुग्रह तुम्हरे तेते ॥
Durgam kaaj jagat ke jete.
Sugam anugraha tumhare tete.
दुर्गम काज
difficult tasks, hard to accomplish
जगत के जेते
however many there are in the world
सुगम
become easy, become accessible
अनुग्रह
by grace
तुम्हरे तेते
by your grace, all of those
After the specific examples — Lanka, the ocean, the sun — this verse draws the general principle. Every difficult task in the world, however impossible it seems, becomes easy through Hanuman's grace. The movement from specific to universal is deliberate. Tulsidas has just shown us what Hanuman can do; now he says: and the same applies to whatever you carry.
Chaupai 21
राम दुआरे तुम रखवारे ।
होत न आज्ञा बिनु पैसारे ॥
Raam duaare tum rakhvaare.
Hot na aagya binu paisaare.
राम दुआरे
at the door of Shri Rama's abode
तुम रखवारे
you are the guardian
होत न
it does not happen, it is not possible
आज्ञा बिनु
without your leave, without your permission
पैसारे
entry, entering
Hanuman stands at the threshold of Rama's realm. No one enters without his leave. This is not a statement about exclusion — it is a statement about the nature of devotion as a gateway. The tradition reads this as: the path to Rama runs through Hanuman. Approach him with bhakti, and the door opens.
Chaupai 22
सब सुख लहै तुम्हारी सरना ।
तुम रक्षक काहू को डर ना ॥
Sab sukh lahai tumhaari sarnaa.
Tum rakshak kaahoo ko dar naa.
सब सुख
all forms of happiness, all comfort
लहै
are received, are found
तुम्हारी सरना
in your shelter, in your refuge
तुम रक्षक
when you are the protector
काहू को डर ना
there is no fear for anyone
The verse makes a straightforward declaration about what taking refuge in Hanuman means. All happiness is found there. And where Hanuman is the protector, fear has no place. The word sarna — shelter, refuge — carries the full weight of the relationship between a devotee and the deity. It is not a transaction but a complete surrender into protection.
Chaupai 23
आपन तेज सम्हारो आपै ।
तीनों लोक हाँक तें काँपै ॥
Aapan tej samhaaro aapai.
Teenon lok haank ten kaampai.
आपन तेज
your own brilliance, your own power
सम्हारो
only you can hold, only you can contain
आपै
you alone
तीनों लोक
all three worlds
हाँक तें
at your roar, at your battle cry
काँपै
tremble
Hanuman's power is so immense that only he himself can contain it. No one else has the capacity to hold it. When he roars, all three worlds tremble. This is the same Hanuman who made himself tiny in the Ashoka Vatika garden. The vastness is always present; it is simply held in check by his own discipline and love for Rama.
Chaupai 24
भूत पिसाच निकट नहिं आवै ।
महाबीर जब नाम सुनावै ॥
Bhoot pisaach nikat nahin aavai.
Mahaabeer jab naam sunaavai.
भूत पिसाच
malevolent spirits, ghosts
निकट नहिं आवै
do not come near
महाबीर
Mahabir — the great hero, Hanuman
जब नाम सुनावै
when the name is heard, when it is uttered
The name Mahabir — great hero — is itself a shield. When it is heard, no malevolent force can approach. The Chalisa is chanted in homes, temples, and by travellers precisely for this protective quality. The verse is not making a theological argument; it is describing a long-standing tradition of invoking Hanuman's name as protective presence.
References
Hanuman Chalisa · 3 / 5