Hanuman Chalisa, Chaupai 13

Meaning of “sahas badan tumharo jas gāvaiṁ”

"sahas badan tumharo jas gāvaiṁ" is Chaupai 13 of the Hanuman Chalisa, which Tulsidas wrote in Awadhi. It means: "May the thousand-mouthed Shesha sing your glory," said Rama, lord of Shri, and he held you close. When Hanuman returns with news of Sita, Valmiki has Rama say that an embrace is all he can give him in return.

सहस बदन तुम्हरो जस गावैं ।अस कहि श्रीपति कंठ लगावैं ॥sahas badan tumharo jas gāvaiṁas kahi śrīpati kaṇṭh lagāvaiṁ

"May the thousand-mouthed Shesha sing your glory," said Rama, lord of Shri, and he held you close.

Tulsidas, Hanuman Chalisa, Chaupai 13, Gita Press reading

Word by word

सहसsahas
thousand
बदनbadan
mouths, here Shesha, the thousand-headed serpent
तुम्हरोtumharo
your
जसjas
glory
गावैंgāvaiṁ
sing
असas
so
कहिkahi
saying
श्रीपतिśrīpati
lord of Shri, Rama
कंठ लगावैंkaṇṭh lagāvaiṁ
embraces

Where this happens in the Ramayana

When Hanuman returns with news of Sita, Valmiki has Rama say that an embrace is all he can give him in return.

एष सर्वस्वभूतस्तु परिष्वङ्गो हनूमत । मया कालमिमं प्राप्य दत्तस्तस्य महात्मनः॥

Valmiki Ramayana, Yuddha Kanda 6.1.13

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Sources and method

Awadhi text: Goswami Tulsidas, Gita Press reading, checked against three Gita Press printings and Rambhadracharya's Mahaviri. English meaning and word glosses: Wisdom's own, following the traditional reading, edited by Ankur Shukla.