Hanuman Chalisa, Chaupai 5

Meaning of “hāth bajra au dhvajā birājai”

"hāth bajra au dhvajā birājai" is Chaupai 5 of the Hanuman Chalisa, which Tulsidas wrote in Awadhi. It means: In your hands shine the thunderbolt and the flag. A sacred thread of munja grass sits on your shoulder. Read it slowly, one half at a time, and say the Awadhi aloud.

हाथ बज्र औ ध्वजा बिराजै ।काँधे मूँज जनेऊ साजै ॥hāth bajra au dhvajā birājaikāṁdhe mūṁj janeū sājai

In your hands shine the thunderbolt and the flag. A sacred thread of munja grass sits on your shoulder.

Tulsidas, Hanuman Chalisa, Chaupai 5, Gita Press reading

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Word by word

हाथhāth
hand
बज्रbajra
thunderbolt, often read as his mace
औau
and
ध्वजाdhvajā
flag
बिराजैbirājai
shines
काँधेkāṁdhe
on the shoulder
मूँजmūṁj
munja grass
जनेऊjaneū
sacred thread
साजैsājai
adorns

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 अरु for औ and छाजै for साजै. The sense does not change.

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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.