The Hanuman Chalisa has three dohas, two that open the hymn and one that closes it. Here they are in Devanagari, transliteration and English meaning.
A doha is a two-line verse form in Awadhi and Braj. The first doha prays for a pure mind to praise Ram, the second prays for strength and wisdom from Hanuman, and the closing doha calls upon Hanuman to dwell in the heart with Ram, Lakshman and Sita.
श्रीगुरु चरन सरोज रज, निज मनु मुकुरु सुधारि।
बरनउँ रघुबर बिमल जसु, जो दायकु फल चारि॥
Shri Guru charan saroj raj, nij manu mukuru sudhari. Baranau Raghuvar bimal jasu, jo dayaku phal chari.
Meaning: Having cleansed the mirror of my mind with the dust of my Guru's lotus feet, I sing the unstained glory of Lord Ram, giver of the four fruits of life.
बुद्धिहीन तनु जानिके, सुमिरौं पवन-कुमार।
बल बुद्धि विद्या देहु मोहिं, हरहु कलेश विकार॥
Buddhiheen tanu jaanike, sumirau Pavan-kumar. Bal buddhi vidya dehu mohi, harahu kalesh vikaar.
Meaning: Knowing my body to be devoid of intellect, I call on Hanuman, son of the wind, grant me strength, wisdom and learning, and remove my sorrow and affliction.
पवन तनय संकट हरन, मंगल मूरति रूप।
राम लखन सीता सहित, हृदय बसहु सुर भूप॥
Pavan tanay sankat haran, mangal murti roop. Ram Lakhan Sita sahit, hriday basahu sur bhoop.
Meaning: O Hanuman, son of the wind, remover of crises, embodiment of all auspiciousness, dwell in my heart with Ram, Lakshman and Sita, O king of gods.
The structure is deliberate. Doha 1 clears the ground: the poet asks for a clean mind before praising anyone. Doha 2 states the need directly: knowing his own limitations, he asks Hanuman for strength, wisdom and learning. The forty chaupais then carry the body of the hymn, and the closing doha returns to intimacy, asking Hanuman to dwell in the heart with Ram, Lakshman and Sita. Reciting only the dohas is a common short practice when time is short, but the full path includes all three in their proper places.
In practice, many people memorise the closing doha first, because it is short and frequently repeated at temples. There is no rule against this; the how-to-read guide treats the full sequence as the standard, and short practices as legitimate alternatives.
No. The dohas stand apart: the opening doha remembers the guru, the second precedes the chaupais, and the closing doha ends the hymn. Together with the 40 chaupais they make the full 43 verses.
They are recited as part of the full path, at the beginning and at the end. On their own, the closing doha is the verse many devotees repeat when they want a single line of the Chalisa.
Yes. All 43 verses of the Hanuman Chalisa are in Awadhi, the language Tulsidas used throughout the Ramcharitmanas.
