Jai Hanuman Gyan Gun … Was Not the First Verse

Hello friends! Welcome back once again. Do you know which was the first verse written by Goswami Tulsidas in the Hanuman Chalisa? You might ask, what kind of question is this? Everyone knows it was “Jai Hanuman gyan gun sagar, jai kapeesh tihu lok ujagar.” But that’s incorrect. Yes, you heard it right. The first verse Tulsidas ji wrote was not “Jai Hanuman gyan gun sagar.” So, which one was it?

To know this, let’s delve into a story. This story will reveal which was the first verse written by Goswami Tulsidas in the Hanuman Chalisa. It was a time when Tulsidas ji was 14-15 years old and resided in Chitrakoot. In that village, atop a hill, there was a fort-like structure. People said that ghosts and spirits dwelled there. People visited during the day, but nobody dared to go there at night. Among Tulsidas ji and his companions, there was a certain fear that ghosts, spirits, or demons resided there, and no one could go there.

One day, a friend inspired Tulsidas ji. The friend said, “Tulsidas, can you go up there? At night?” Tulsidas ji, with great reluctance, said, “Yes, I can go alone.” All friends waited. Could Tulsidas really go?

At ten o’clock, eleven o’clock, after midnight, Tulsidas ji said, “Yes, I’ll go.” Tulsidas ji was filled with fear. “How will I go up?” But then he reached.

Friends set a condition. After going up, he had to light a lamp there. The lamp had to be lit. Only then would they believe that he had gone. Otherwise, he hid. Tulsidas ji said, “It’s a very difficult test, but yes.” And then what happened?

Tulsidas ji, with great trepidation, slowly uttered “Ram Ram Ram” while taking steps. They began to move slowly. When they reached halfway, they started feeling scared. Seeing leaves falling from trees, they felt as if a ghost had come, or the wind was blowing.

Tulsidas ji got scared, but he was a devotee of God. A verse emerged from his mouth, saying, “Ghosts and demons do not come near. Mahavir, when the name is chanted.”

He felt that this poem had turned out very well. Speaking thus, he continued forward. And with great speed, he climbed up and lit a lamp there. This event wasn’t a big one, but this poem proved to be a great blessing for all our human lives.

When Tulsidas ji composed the Hanuman Chalisa, he wrote it in jail. Akbar had imprisoned him in Chitrakoot. He wrote the first verse of the Hanuman Chalisa in jail. Therefore, this verse is considered important. Tulsidas ji was not only a master of Hindi but also a proficient scholar of Sanskrit.

This can also be seen in the Sundar Kand, where in the opening verses, it says, “Shantam, shashwatam, pramne, manglam, nirvanam, shantim pradam.”

Along with the Hanuman Chalisa, he used both couplets and verses very effectively. First, look, he used a couplet that said, “Shri Guru charan saroj raj, nij man mukur sudhari.” “Baran Raghuvar Vimal jasu, jo dayaku phal cha.” What does it mean? As seen, it has a very simple meaning. But they have taken a profound meaning. I will conclude here by saying that in the first couplet, he wrote, “Shri Guru Charan Saroj Raj, Nij Man Mukur Sudhari.” First, he greeted the Guru. By greeting the Guru, he asked for the dust of the Guru’s feet. You may ask, why ask for the dust of the feet? It means to clean the dust from the mirror of the mind. Not that the thorn only cuts the thorn. In the same way, to clear the dust on the mirror-like mind, only the dust of the Guru’s feet can clean it.

So, in this way, Tulsidas ji indicated in the first two verses that “Shri Guru Charan Saroj Raj” means the lotus feet of the Guru, the dust of which is asked for. And, “Nij Man Mukur Sudhari” means to clean the mirror of my mind from that dust. And by the grace of the Guru, by the grace of Lord Rama, Tulsidas ji wrote the Hanuman Chalisa, which is so profound, so powerful, that once recited with true devotion from the heart, it frees one from all bondage. People say that it should be recited a hundred times, no, that’s not the case. Whoever recites it with truthfulness from the heart even once, attains great fulfillment, and all kinds of accomplishments are achieved.

So, friends, my only intention today was to say that the first verse of the Hanuman Chalisa written by Tulsidas ji was, “Ghosts and demons do not come near. Mahavir, when the name is chanted.”

Some people have misconceptions, wrong understandings, that it started with “Jai Hanuman gyan gun sagar.” I have also explained the meaning of this couplet, “Shri Guru Charan Saroj,” what does it mean? In the future, we will also interpret the different verses and couplets written by Tulsidas ji in the Hanuman Chalisa in a similar way.

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