Shri Guru charan saroj raj, nij manu mukuru sudhari…
Tulsidas prepares his mind, then turns to the wind-child and the Raghu family.
Names of Hanuman in the Chalisa
One hymn, many titles. Each name in the Chalisa points to a deed, a parentage, or a promise. Learn what they mean and where they sit in the forty verses.
Epithet by epithet
With verse numbers
Quick answer
The Chalisa opens by stacking epithets: Hanuman as ocean of wisdom, son of Anjana, son of the wind, strong of limb, and remover of distress. Later verses call him messenger of Ram, healer, and Sankat Mochan. The names are not decoration; each one summarises a story devotees already know.
Main names and what they mean
Here are the titles that recur, with the sense each carries. Verse numbers follow the 40-chaupai numbering used across this site (the two opening dohas sit before chaupai 1).
| Name / epithet | Sense | Where it shows up |
|---|---|---|
| Hanuman | The standard name; tradition ties it to his marked jaw as a child | Title and throughout |
| Anjani-putra / Anjaneya | Son of Anjana (Anjani) | Opening doha and early praise |
| Pavanputra | Son of the wind god (Vayu) | Birth lineage in the hymn and stories |
| Maruti | Son of Marut (the wind hosts); another wind-lineage title | Traditional name used in the birth story |
| Gyan gun sagar | Ocean of wisdom and virtue | Chaupai 1 (opening praise) |
| Vidyavan guni ati chatur | Learned, virtuous, extremely wise | Chaupai 8 |
| Sankat kate | Distress is cut away | Chaupai 12 and related praise |
| Sankat Mochan | Remover of calamity | Closing doha tradition and temple titles |
| Daasharathi's messenger | Servant and envoy of Ram (son of Dasharath) | Lanka mission verses |
| Mahavir | Great hero | Praise and aarti tradition |
The opening doha: parentage first
The hymn does not begin with a list of miracles. It begins with lineage. Anjani-putra and Pavanputra establish who he is before anyone asks what he can do. In the birth story, Anjana's penance and Vayu's agency explain both his strength and his humility: he is powerful and, from birth, pledged to service.
Jai Hanuman gyan gun sagar
“Hail Hanuman, ocean of wisdom and virtue.”
Vidyavan guni ati chatur
“Learned, virtuous and extremely wise.”
Notice the order of qualities. Gyan (wisdom) and gun (virtue) come before physical feats. The Chalisa wants you to meet a teacher-like figure first and a strongman second.
Why so many names in forty verses?
Indic praise poetry works by accretion. One adjective would flatten the portrait. A chain lets each name do a small job:
- Anjani-putra recalls the birth story and maternal devotion.
- Pavanputra / Maruti explains speed, the leap to Lanka, and the ability to change size.
- Gyan gun sagar frames him as knowledge, not only muscle.
- Sankat Mochan is the functional title: what petitioners actually ask for.
- Ram-doot (messenger of Ram) locks his identity to service. He is never praised for ruling; he is praised for serving.
If you recite slowly, the names form a second outline of the hymn: birth, wisdom, strength, mission, healing, final petition.
Names that are close cousins (not all in the Chalisa)
Devotion multiplies titles. Some famous ones belong to bhajans, aartis, and temple speech rather than to the Chalisa text itself. Keeping that line clear helps you when you are asked "where is that line in the Chalisa?":
- Bajrangbali: common in aartis and the Bajrang Baan tradition; the Chalisa's own imagery of the diamond-hard body is related but the compound title is not the hymn's main name for him.
- Pawan-sut, Kesari-nandan: frequent in songs; appear in the broader praise vocabulary around Hanuman.
- Ram-doot / messenger language: central to the Chalisa's middle section.
For the exact wording of every verse, use our line-by-line meaning pages rather than memory alone.
Names and stories: the birth names are explained in full in Hanuman's Birth Story. The distress-removing title gets its own treatment in Why Hanuman is Called Sankat Mochan.
Translation note: romanisations vary (Anjaneya / Anjaneya, Pawanputra / Pavanputra, Maruti / Marut). Families inherit different spellings. None of these variants are "wrong" in speech; for study, pick one system and stay with it.
Try this while reciting: pause mentally on each new name for one breath. You will finish the same number of verses, but the middle section stops sounding like a list and starts reading like a biography.
Frequently Asked Questions
What names of Hanuman appear in the Hanuman Chalisa?
The hymn calls him Hanuman, Sankat Mochan, Anjaneya (through Anjani-putra), Pavanputra, Maruti, Mahavir, Bajrangbali-style imagery of the diamond body, and several descriptive titles such as ocean of wisdom and messenger of Ram.
What does Anjaneya mean?
Son of Anjana (Anjani). The Chalisa uses Anjani-putra in its opening, which is the same naming logic as Anjaneya and Anjanadri.
Why does one hymn use so many names?
Each epithet recalls a different deed or quality: birth, wind lineage, strength, healing, service to Ram, and relief from distress. The chain of names is the praise itself.