Hanuman Chalisa, Chaupai 22

Meaning of “sab sukh lahai tumhārī sarnā”

"sab sukh lahai tumhārī sarnā" is Chaupai 22 of the Hanuman Chalisa, which Tulsidas wrote in Awadhi. It means: Whoever takes refuge in you finds every happiness. With you as protector, there is nothing to fear. Read it slowly, one half at a time, and say the Awadhi aloud.

सब सुख लहै तुम्हारी सरना ।तुम रच्छक काहू को डर ना ॥sab sukh lahai tumhārī sarnātum racchak kāhū ko ḍar nā

Whoever takes refuge in you finds every happiness. With you as protector, there is nothing to fear.

Tulsidas, Hanuman Chalisa, Chaupai 22, Gita Press reading

Word by word

सबsab
every
सुखsukh
happiness
लहैlahai
finds
तुम्हारीtumhārī
your
सरनाsarnā
refuge
तुमtum
you
रच्छकracchak
protector
काहू कोkāhū ko
of anyone
डरḍar
fear
नाnā
no

Where this happens in the Ramayana

This line praises Hanuman or speaks to the reader. It does not retell one episode, so there is no single place in the Ramayana to point to.

Other readings

  • Rambhadracharya's Mahaviri reads लहहिं. Some printings run डर ना together as डरना; read it as two words, "no fear".

The same thought in the Gita

Krishna's last word on refuge: give up every other support, take refuge in me alone, and do not grieve. Read Bhagavad Gita 18.66

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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.