Hanuman is the monkey hero of the Ramayana — son of the wind god, able to leap the ocean in a single bound, strong enough to carry a mountain. But the tradition does not love Hanuman for his power. It loves him because every ounce of that power is given away in service. When Rama's wife Sita is lost, it is Hanuman who finds her; when Lakshmana lies dying, it is Hanuman who flies to the Himalayas and, unable to identify the healing herb, brings the whole mountain.
Hanuman is Bhakti's great picture of seva — selfless service. Asked who he was, he answered: "When I forget who I am, I am your servant; when I remember, I am a part of you; and when I know myself truly, you and I are one." Tulsidas's forty-verse hymn to him, the Hanuman Chalisa, may be the most recited devotional poem on earth.
Western Kirtan has a uniquely intimate bond with Hanuman: Neem Karoli Baba — the guru of Ram Dass, Krishna Das, and Jai Uttal — was regarded by his devotees as an embodiment of Hanuman, and his temples enshrine Hanuman's image. Krishna Das closes almost every concert with the Chalisa, and thousands of Western practitioners have learned all forty verses by heart.
In Traditional Art
Hanuman is depicted as a powerful monkey-faced figure, often reddish or orange, carrying a golden mace (gada) and sometimes a mountain in his palm. The most tender image shows him kneeling before Rama and Sita with his hands folded — or tearing open his own chest to reveal Rama and Sita enthroned in his heart.
In Kirtan
Chanting to Hanuman is understood as the fastest way to kindle devotion, because Hanuman is devotion. The Hanuman Chalisa is Western Kirtan's great communal epic — sung call-and-response at festivals, often with the whole room singing every verse. Chants like "Baba Hanuman" honor him and Neem Karoli Baba in the same breath.
Mantras Sung to Hanuman
Hanuman Chalisa
"A 40-verse hymn of praise to Hanuman, lord of devotion and strength"
Om Hum Hanumate Namaha
"The seed-syllable mantra of Hanuman: a salutation invoking courage, strength, and devoted service"
Om Namo Bhagavate Anjaneyaya
"A salutation to Hanuman as Anjaneya, son of Anjana — "salutations to the blessed one of great strength""
Baba Hanuman
"A joyful invocation of Hanuman — "I bow again and again to Anjani's son""
Hanuman Puja (Manojavam)
"Traditional Sanskrit verses of praise to Hanuman, recited as an opening invocation"
