Shri Hanuman Chalisa - an attempt to explanation - 6

Shri Hanuman Chalisa

By RahulKSaini - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=113402769

श्रीगुरु चरन सरोज रज निज मनु मुकुरु सुधारि

बरनऊं रघुबर बिमल जसु जो दायकु फल चारि

बुद्धिहीन तनु जानिके सुमिरौं पवन कुमार

बल बुद्धि बिद्या देहु मोहिं हरहु कलेस बिकार

जय हनुमान ज्ञान गुन सागर

जय कपीस तिहुं लोक उजागर

रामदूत अतुलित बल धामा

अंजनि पुत्र पवनसुत नामा

Please find the links to the previous posts here - 

1. Shri Hanuman Chalisa - an attempt to explanation - 1 - https://nitswe.blogspot.com/2024/12/shri-hanuman-chalisa-attempt-to.html
2. Shri Hanuman Chalisa - an attempt to explanation - 2 - https://nitswe.blogspot.com/2024/12/shri-hanuman-chalisa-attempt-to_21.html
3. Shri Hanuman Chalisa - an attempt to explanation - 3 -https://nitswe.blogspot.com/2024/12/shri-hanuman-chalisa-attempt-to_22.html
4. Shri Hanuman Chalisa - an attempt to explanation - 4 - https://nitswe.blogspot.com/2024/12/shri-hanuman-chalisa-attempt-to_24.html
5. Shri Hanuman Chalisa - an attempt to explanation - 5 -https://nitswe.blogspot.com/2025/01/shri-hanuman-chalisa-attempt-to.html

Today, let us look at the third couplet or Chaupai of Shri Hanuman Chalisa -  

महाबीर बिक्रम बजरंगी 

कुमति निवार सुमति के संगी 

Mahabir Bikram Bajrangi
Kumati nivar sumati Ke sangi

So far in the Hanuman Chalisa, the poet has been explaining the various qualities of Lord Hanuman. This is the first part of the overall chalisa. In our day-to-day life this is the portion where we acknowledge our god or the senior before we start asking for favors from them. This is the portion where you need to invoke their various qualities, praise them, flatter them so that they are receptive to your request. 

In the previous couplet, the poet referred to the physical strength of Lord Hanuman. In this current couplet, he proceeds to refer to the innate strength of Hanuman and why he should be referred to as "Mahaveer" - a noun / adjective bestowed upon people by Hinduism as well as Jainism. 

Just as in previous couplet, the poet proceeds to explain the various names which are used to invoke Lord Hanuman and expects us to understand the backstory for each one of them. 

Hanuman is referred to here as "Mahaveer" - Veer of the Veers - powerful amongst the powerfuls. This actually indicate one who has mastered their own thought - their own self. Similar to being referred in the opening stanzas, Hanuman is being revered as someone who has the capability of overcoming the ill or evil thoughts emanating from one's mind. Instead of fighting the evils outside, a Mahaveer is one who can defeat the demons within their own thought. Once you are at peace with your own thoughts, your own mind, you shall start witnessing peace with everything else in the world. If you are not at peace or are worried about something, you shall see see the same struggle in everything. Similar to the other doha "जाकी रही भावना जैसी, प्रभु मूरत देखि तिन तैसी " - You see the world and the god in the same way as you think in your mid. 

Lord Hanuman is seen as "Vikram" - again a metaphor to represent a victorious king who exemplifies physical strength and mental strength from knowledge and amazing judgement. You shall have heard the stories from "Vikram air Vetal" where the king is bound to make a judgement, and it is his knowledge that helps him. At the same time, his perseverance to catch the ghost is seen in this story. So is the perseverant qualities of Lord Hanuman. Nothing shall ever deter him in his devotion and service to Lord Ram and his family. 

When Hanuman was a kid, he yearned for a mango fruit. Thinking the golden hue from Sun as representing the mango, Hanuman jumped toward the Sun to eat it. As much as the Sun ran away from Hanuman, the latter followed in his ambition to eat the former. Finally Indra intervened, hitting Hanuman with his divine weapon - the "Vajra" or the lightning bolt. When the issue was sorted, Indra (under pressure) gave a boon to Hanuman that his body would be as strong as the lightning bolt itself. Thus Hanuman is known as "Bajrangi".

The Indian scriptures talk about "Lakshmi" and "Alakshmi" - the effect of the wealth goddess and her unwanted sister who always accompanies to cause the ill-omens. It is said wherever the Lakshmi goes, ALakshmi follows. While the Lakshmi brings the wealth, the Alakshmi brings all the ill-thoughts - jealousy, greed, infatuations, obsessions and many other feelings that cause grief. The only way to counter Alakshmi is the presence of Saraswati - The goddess of Knowledge. It is said, that if one has knowledge, they are less affected by the ill fate brought on them by the wealth. Lord Hanuman is said to be the harbinger of the good thoughts and eradicate the ill-omens from one's mind. This helps in the same way as in the opening stanzas to drive away the feelings that cause grief.