Buddhiheen Tanu Janike: Hanuman Chalisa Doha 2 Meaning
Opening DohasVerse 2 of 43
बुद्धिहीन तनु जानिके,सुमिरौं पवन-कुमार।बल बुधि बिद्या देहु मोहिं,हरहु कलेस बिकार॥
Other editions read बुद्धि for बुधि (popular printings).
buddhihīna tanu jānike,sumiraũ pavana-kumāra |bala budhi bidyā dehu mohĩ,harahu kalesa bikāra ||
Buddhiheen Tanu Janike,Sumirau Pavan Kumar.Bal Budhi Vidya Dehu Mohi,Harahu Kalesh Vikar.
Knowing myself to be lacking in understanding, I call to mind Hanuman, the son of the Wind. Grant me strength, intellect and learning, and take away my bodily ailments and the troubles of my mind.
Explanation
This is the second of the two opening dohas of the Hanuman Chalisa. In the first, Tulsidas cleans the mirror of his mind with the dust of his guru's feet before singing the glory of Rama. Here he turns to Hanuman. He calls himself lacking in understanding and asks Hanuman for three gifts: strength, intellect and learning. He also asks Hanuman to remove two kinds of trouble, the ailments of the body and the disorders of the mind.
Tulsidas calls Hanuman Pavana-kumara, son of the Wind. In the Ramayana, Hanuman is born to Anjani and Kesari through the blessing of Vayu, the Wind god, and he is often named as Vayu's son. He is honoured both for his great strength and for his wisdom. When Hanuman first meets Rama in the Kishkindha Kanda of the Valmiki Ramayana, Rama is struck by how well and wisely he speaks. So Hanuman is the natural one to ask for strength, intellect and learning together.
The humble opening, in which Tulsidas speaks of himself as lacking, belongs to the devotional tradition: the devotee comes before the Lord's servant with nothing of his own and asks for help. The forty verses of praise that follow begin right after this prayer, with the cry of victory to Hanuman, the ocean of wisdom and virtue.
Devotional Significance
Devotees recite this doha as the threshold prayer before the forty chaupais, setting aside pride and asking Hanuman for help. Students often say it before study or examinations, seeking intellect and learning, and many recite it believing that Hanuman's grace eases troubles of body and mind. Its humble tone shapes the spirit in which the whole hymn is sung.
The Ramayana Episode
- Episode
- Hanuman's birth to Anjani and Kesari through the blessing of Vayu, the Wind god, which makes him Pavana-kumara, son of the Wind
- Valmiki Ramayana
- Kishkindha Kanda
The epithet Pavana-kumara recalls Hanuman's descent from Vayu, told in the Valmiki Ramayana. His union of strength and wisdom is shown when Rama, meeting him in the Kishkindha Kanda, is struck by how well he speaks.
FAQs
This is the humility of the devotional tradition. The devotee comes before the Lord's servant claiming nothing of his own and asks for help. By admitting his lack, Tulsidas opens himself to receive what Hanuman can give.
He asks for three gifts: bala (strength), budhi (intellect or good sense) and bidyā (learning). He also asks Hanuman to take away kalesa, the ailments of the body, and bikāra, the disorders and faults of the mind.
In the Ramayana tradition Hanuman is born to Anjani and Kesari through the blessing of Vayu, the Wind god, so he is often named as Vayu's son. Honoured for both great strength and wisdom, he is the fitting one to ask for strength, intellect and learning together.
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