Anjaneya Ashtakam (Hanuman Stotram)
आञ्जनेय अष्टकम्
What is the Anjaneya Ashtakam?
Anjaneya Ashtakam (Hanuman Stotram) The Anjaneya Ashtakam is an eight-verse Sanskrit hymn to Hanuman, each verse ending in the same blessing, mangalam, and closing with a phalashruti that promises success in every undertaking to those who recite it regularly.
Eight verses, one refrain, and a question almost every devotee eventually asks: why does reciting the Anjaneya Ashtakam feel different from other Hanuman prayers? Maybe it’s the shape of it. Each verse builds a fresh picture of Hanuman, advisor, warrior, ascetic, son of the wind, before landing on the same closing word, mangalam, blessing. This short Sanskrit Hanuman Stotram is what people turn to before an exam, a hearing, a hard decision, or just a difficult week, when they want their courage restated in words older than the worry itself.
Anjaneya Ashtakam Lyrics (Sanskrit & English)
These eight verses (plus the closing phalashruti) are traced to the Parashara Samhita's Hanumat Charitam and match closely across independent manuscript sources, uneven line count in verse seven and all. That agreement across unrelated copies is usually a sign a text has been carried carefully rather than rewritten along the way.
kapishreshthaaya shooraaya sugreevapriyamantrine
jaanakeeshokanaashaaya aanjaneyaaya mangalam
कपिश्रेष्ठाय शूराय सुग्रीवप्रियमन्त्रिणे
जानकीशोकनाशाय आञ्जनेयाय मङ्गलम्
Meaning
Salutations to the foremost of the vanaras, the valiant one, trusted counsellor to Sugriva, who ended Sita's grief in the ashoka grove. Blessings upon Anjaneya.
manovegaaya ugraaya kaalanemividaarine
lakshmanapraanadaatre cha aanjaneyaaya mangalam
मनोवेगाय उग्राय कालनेमिविदारिणे
लक्ष्मणप्राणदात्रे च आञ्जनेयाय मङ्गलम्
Meaning
To the one as swift as a thought, fierce enough to tear through the deceiver Kalanemi, and the one who brought Lakshmana back from the edge of death. Blessings upon Anjaneya.
mahaabalaaya shaantaaya durdandeebandhamochana
mairaavanavinaashaaya aanjaneyaaya mangalam
महाबलाय शान्ताय दुर्दण्डीबन्धमोचन
मैरावणविनाशाय आञ्जनेयाय मङ्गलम्
Meaning
To the immensely strong yet composed one, who freed those held in cruel bondage and put an end to the sorcerer-king Mairavana. Blessings upon Anjaneya.
parvataayudhahastaaya raakshahkulavinaashine
shreeraamapaadabhaktaaya aanjaneyaaya mangalam
पर्वतायुधहस्ताय राक्षःकुलविनाशिने
श्रीरामपादभक्ताय आञ्जनेयाय मङ्गलम्
Meaning
To the one who lifts a mountain as his weapon, who broke apart the lineage of raakshasas, and who stays devoted at Sri Rama's feet. Blessings upon Anjaneya.
viraktaaya susheelaaya rudramoortisvaroopine
rishibhissevitaayaastu aanjaneyaaya mangalam
विरक्ताय सुशीलाय रुद्रमूर्तिस्वरूपिणे
ऋषिभिस्सेवितायास्तु आञ्जनेयाय मङ्गलम्
Meaning
To the detached and virtuous one, carrying within him the very form of Rudra, honoured and served by sages. Blessings upon Anjaneya.
deerghabaalaaya kaalaaya lankaapuravidaarine
lankeeneedarpanaashaaya aanjaneyaaya mangalam
दीर्घबालाय कालाय लङ्कापुरविदारिणे
लङ्कीणीदर्पनाशाय आञ्जनेयाय मङ्गलम्
Meaning
To the one with the long tail, dark and formidable, who broke through the city of Lanka and crushed the pride of its guardian spirit, Lankini. Blessings upon Anjaneya.
namaste’stu brahmachaarin namaste vaayunandana
namaste brahmacharyaaya namaste gaanalolaaya aanjaneyaaya mangalam
नमस्तेऽस्तु ब्रह्मचारिन् नमस्ते वायुनन्दन
नमस्ते ब्रह्मचर्याय नमस्ते गानलोलाय आञ्जनेयाय मङ्गलम्
Meaning
Salutations to you, lifelong celibate; salutations to you, son of the wind. Salutations to your vow of restraint, and salutations to you who delights in song. Blessings upon Anjaneya.
prabhavaaya sureshaaya shubhadaaya shubhaatmane
vaayuputraaya dheeraaya aanjaneyaaya mangalam
प्रभवाय सुरेशाय शुभदाय शुभात्मने
वायुपुत्राय धीराय आञ्जनेयाय मङ्गलम्
Meaning
To the source and origin of good things, lord among the shining ones, giver of auspiciousness, pure in spirit, son of Vayu, forever unshaken. Blessings upon Anjaneya.
Phalashruti
aanjaneyaashtakamidam yah pathetsatatam narah
siddhyanti sarvakaaryaani sarvashatruvinaashanam
आञ्जनेयाष्टकमिदं यः पठेत्सततं नरः
सिद्ध्यन्ति सर्वकार्याणि सर्वशत्रुविनाशनम्
Meaning
Whoever recites this Anjaneya Ashtakam without fail finds every undertaking coming to fruition, and every rival or obstacle worn away.
Meaning & Significance
Read straight through, the eight verses trace Hanuman’s whole story in miniature. He starts out as Sugriva’s trusted advisor and the one who lifted Sita out of despair (verse 1), moves through two of his fiercer exploits, tearing apart the deceiver Kalanemi to save Lakshmana’s life (verse 2), and later ending the sorcerer-king Mairavana’s threat to Rama and Lakshmana (verse 3), then turns to his devotion at Rama’s feet and the calm restraint underneath all that strength (verses 4 and 5).
Verses six and seven pull the focus back to Lanka itself: the night he grew to enormous size, broke through the guardian spirit Lankini’s arrogance, and entered the city (verse 6), followed by a direct, almost personal salutation to his lifelong celibacy and his love of sacred song (verse 7, the one verse here that runs a line longer than the rest, a genuine quirk of the transmitted text rather than an error we’ve tidied away). The final verse steps back further still, naming him son of Vayu, giver of good fortune, unmoved and unshaken (verse 8). Then comes the phalashruti, the closing promise found in almost every Sanskrit stotra: recite this with any regularity, and your undertakings find their footing while your obstacles thin out.
How to Chant the Anjaneya Ashtakam
- Face east or the Hanuman murti – Sit facing east, or directly facing an image or idol of Hanuman if you keep one at home.
- Open with a short invocation – A single Om, or a brief Rama-Hanuman salutation, settles the mind before the verses begin.
- Recite verses one through eight without rushing verse seven – Verse seven runs a line longer than the rest; let it take its natural length instead of compressing it to match the others.
- Close with the phalashruti – The ninth verse, the fruit-of-recitation verse, is what completes the prayer. Don't skip it even on a rushed morning.
- Repeat in odd numbers if you wish – Some reciters chant the full ashtakam three or eleven times on Tuesdays. One round said with attention does more than eleven said on autopilot.
What Are the Benefits of Chanting?
Devotees turn to this ashtakam less for a single wish and more for steadiness. Here is what regular reciters describe.
- Clears blocked efforts: When a plan keeps stalling for no clear reason, the phalashruti's own promise, siddhyanti sarvakaryani (all undertakings find success), is exactly what people are reciting for.
- Steadies fear before a hard moment: The verses recalling Hanuman tearing through Kalanemi and ending Mairavana's threat are recited before exams, surgeries, and court dates precisely because they describe someone who did not flinch.
- A short prayer for a full picture of Hanuman: In about two minutes you cover his roles as advisor, warrior, ascetic, and devotee, which is more ground than most single-purpose prayers cover.
- Fits naturally into a Tuesday or Saturday routine: It's short enough to memorise within a few weeks, so it settles into a weekly Hanuman puja without needing a book in hand for long.
- Reinforces discipline, not only protection: Verse seven's focus on brahmacharya, or self-restraint, means this hymn is also chosen by people building personal discipline, not only those asking for protection.
- Pairs well with longer Hanuman prayers: Many reciters add it alongside the Hanuman Chalisa or Sundara Kanda rather than replacing either; it's brief enough to fit in, not swap out.
Who Composed This Stotram?
This ashtakam is traditionally traced to the Parashara Samhita’s Hanumat Charitam, and it circulates today under two overlapping names, Anjaneya Ashtakam and Anjaneya Mangala Ashtakam, the second simply naming the closing word, mangalam, repeated after every stanza. You may also come across a completely different composition, opening ‘vaishakhe maasi krishnayam,’ printed under a similar title on some sites; that hymn concerns Hanuman’s birth date and is not the text reproduced on this page.
Carried mainly through oral recitation in temples and homes, the wording has stayed remarkably stable. Independent manuscript sources agree almost word for word, including the uneven line length in verse seven, and that kind of agreement across unrelated copies is usually a good sign a text has been preserved with care rather than reworked over the years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Anjaneya Ashtakam the same as the Hanuman Chalisa?
No. The Chalisa is a 40-verse Awadhi hymn composed by Tulsidas, while the Anjaneya Ashtakam is an older, shorter Sanskrit hymn of eight verses plus a closing phalashruti. Many devotees recite both, but they are two separate compositions, not two versions of the same one.
Why is verse seven longer than the other verses?
It genuinely is, in every source we checked. Verse seven carries four lines where the rest of the ashtakam has two. Since independent manuscripts agree on this, we've kept it exactly as it appears rather than trimming it to fit the pattern.
Should I chant it in Sanskrit or is English fine?
The Sanskrit carries the sound and rhythm the hymn was composed in, so most traditions recommend chanting it that way even if you keep the English meaning close by for reference. Reading the roman transliteration aloud slowly is a good starting point if the Devanagari feels unfamiliar.
What exactly is a phalashruti?
It's the closing verse of a stotra that states what regular recitation is believed to bring. Here it promises that reciting the Anjaneya Ashtakam helps every undertaking succeed and clears away opposition; think of it less as a guarantee and more as a statement of intent behind the practice.
Is there a difference between 'Anjaneya Ashtakam' and 'Anjaneya Mangala Ashtakam'?
Not for the text on this page; both names point to the same eight verses, with 'mangala' simply flagging the recurring word mangalam at the end of each one. A separate, unrelated hymn beginning 'vaishakhe maasi' is sometimes given a similar title elsewhere online, so if you're comparing sources, match the opening line rather than the title alone.
When is the best time to recite this ashtakam?
Tuesday and Saturday mornings are the traditional days for Hanuman worship, and Hanuman Jayanti is considered especially favourable, but there's no rule against reciting it on any day you need the reminder.
॥ जय श्री राम ॥