How many times to recite the Hanuman Chalisa
The Hanuman Chalisa names one number itself: chaupai 38 says whoever recites it a hundred times is freed from bondage and finds great joy. Everything else is family custom: once a day, 7, 11 or 21 times on a Tuesday or Saturday, 108 times for one round of the mala, or once a day for 40 days.
What the text says about itself
The last three chaupais are Tulsidas speaking about the hymn. The first gives the number a hundred.
जो सत बार पाठ कर कोई ।छूटहि बंदि महा सुख होई ॥jo sat bār pāṭh kar koīchūṭahi bandi mahā sukh hoī
Whoever recites this a hundred times is freed from bondage and finds great joy. Chaupai 38, word by word
जो यह पढ़ै हनुमान चलीसा ।होय सिद्धि साखी गौरीसा ॥jo yah paṛhai hanumān calīsāhoy siddhi sākhī gaurīsā
Whoever reads this Hanuman Chalisa gains fulfilment. Shiva, lord of Gauri, is witness. Chaupai 39, word by word
तुलसीदास सदा हरि चेरा ।कीजै नाथ हृदय महँ डेरा ॥tulsīdās sadā hari cerākījai nāth hṛday mahaṁ ḍerā
Tulsidas is forever Hari's servant. Lord, make your home in my heart. Chaupai 40, word by word
Earlier lines promise help to anyone who keeps Hanuman in mind, with no count attached. Chaupai 26 is the plainest of them.
संकट तें हनुमान छुड़ावै ।मन क्रम बचन ध्यान जो लावै ॥saṅkaṭ teṁ hanumān chuṛāvaiman kram bacan dhyān jo lāvai
Hanuman frees from trouble whoever keeps him in mind, in thought, in deed and in word. Chaupai 26, word by word
Rambhadracharya, in his Mahaviri commentary, reads chaupai 38 as “jo śat bār”, the same hundred. Some popular printings start it “yah sat bār”. The number does not change.
What families keep
- Once a dayIn the morning after bathing, or at the evening lamp. Many families keep just this.
- 7, 11 or 21 timesA sitting on a Tuesday or Saturday, the days kept for Hanuman, at home or in a temple. Eleven is a common family number.
- 100 timesThe number in chaupai 38. Some keep it in one long day; others spread it over several.
- 108 timesOne round of a 108-bead mala, for Hanuman Jayanti or a vow, often shared among a family.
- 40 daysOnce a day for forty days in a row, for the forty chaupais.
Questions people ask
- Does the Hanuman Chalisa say how many times to recite it?
- Only once. Chaupai 38 says that whoever recites it a hundred times ("sat bār") is freed from bondage and finds great joy. Every other number people keep comes from custom.
- Why do people recite it 108 times?
- A japa mala has 108 beads, so 108 is one full round of the mala. It is kept for a special day or a vow, often split across a morning and an evening or shared by a family.
- Why 11 or 21 times?
- They are customary numbers for a sitting at home or in a temple, most often on a Tuesday or Saturday. The text does not name them.
- What is the 40-day practice?
- Chalisa means forty, and many people keep a vow of reciting it once a day for 40 days in a row. If a day is missed, many start the count again.
- How long does one recitation take?
- Most people take 6 to 10 minutes to recite it once at a steady pace, so 11 recitations take a little under two hours.
- Who can recite it?
- Anyone. Chaupai 39 begins "jo yah paṛhai", whoever reads this. The text sets no condition on who may read it or when.