Sankat Mochan Hanumanashtak

The Sankat Mochan Hanumanashtak is a compact, intensely focused stotra of eight chaupais. Each verse retells a single occasion on which Hanuman dissolved someone’s crisis — and each verse ends on the same refrain: “ko nahiṃ jānata hai jaga meṃ kapi, saṃkaṭamocana nāma tihāro” — “Who in the world does not know your name, O Sankat-mochan Kapi?” That refrain, returning eight times like a bell, is the soul of the hymn.

The eight episodes:

1. The infant Hanuman swallowing the sun. As a child, Hanuman mistook the sun for a ripe fruit and swallowed it. The three worlds went dark. Only after the gods came in supplication did he release Surya — the first cosmic sankat he undid.

2. The fear of Bali. Sugriva was hiding from his brother Bali on Mount Rishyamuka, where a sage’s curse barred Bali from entering. Hanuman, in the disguise of a brahmin, brought Rama and Lakshmana to meet Sugriva and made the alliance that would eventually slay Bali.

3. The search for Sita at the sea’s edge. The vanara search party, Angada included, stood defeated at the southern shore — they had promised not to return without news of Sita and now feared their own deaths. Hanuman alone leapt the ocean, found Sita, and brought back the sudhi (news) that saved every member of the party.

4. Sita in the Ashoka grove. Tormented by Ravana, Sita had prepared to immolate herself. Hanuman appeared at that moment, slew the demons besieging her, and handed her Rama’s ring as proof — turning her despair to hope.

5. Lakshmana mortally wounded. Struck by Meghnad’s arrow, Lakshmana lay near death. Hanuman flew through the night, lifted the physician Sushena’s house with the physician inside, and then carried the entire Dronachal mountain back with the Sanjivani herb growing on it — saving Lakshmana’s life.

6. The serpent-noose of Meghnad. Meghnad bound the entire army, Rama included, in a nagapasha — a snake-noose. Hanuman summoned Garuda, the eagle-king and natural enemy of serpents, who cut the bindings.

7. The descent to Patala. The demon Ahiravana abducted Rama and Lakshmana to the underworld, planning to sacrifice them to a goddess. Hanuman descended, disrupted the ritual, and destroyed Ahiravana’s entire army single-handed.

8. The closing prayer. “You have done such great deeds for the gods themselves — how can my small affliction be too much for you? Hanuman Mahaprabhu, quickly remove whatever grief is upon us.”

The stotra was composed by Goswami Tulsidas, the 16th-century saint-poet who also gave us the Ramcharitmanas and the Hanuman Chalisa. Internal evidence places it after the Ramcharitmanas, since several of its episodic references read like distillations of fuller passages from that epic.

Tradition associates the composition with Varanasi (Kashi), where Tulsidas spent much of his later life. The famous Sankat Mochan temple in the southern part of the city — one of the most heavily visited Hanuman temples in north India — takes its name from this stotra and from Tulsidas’s vision of Hanuman, which Tulsidas himself reports having received there. The temple, said to have been founded by Tulsidas, still holds the public chanting of this Ashtak on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

• Day — Tuesdays and Saturdays are traditional. Any day is acceptable.
• Time — Early morning after bathing, or evening before sundown.
• Method — Face east or north, light a lamp before an image of Hanuman, and chant with feeling — the refrain in particular is meant to be heard, internally if not aloud.
• Repetitions — A single recitation is sufficient daily. For specific intentions, devotees recite 11 or 21 times.
• In combination — Many households chant the Hanuman Chalisa first, then this Ashtak. The pairing is centuries old.

Who composed the Sankat Mochan Hanumanashtak?

It was composed by Goswami Tulsidas, the 16th-century Awadhi saint-poet best known for the Ramcharitmanas and the Hanuman Chalisa. The Ashtak appears in the collected minor works of Tulsidas under the heading Vinaya Patrika and related compilations.

How many verses does it contain?

Eight chaupais — hence the name ashtak (“set of eight”). Each chaupai recalls one episode from Hanuman’s life and ends on the identical refrain.

How is it different from the Hanuman Chalisa?

The Hanuman Chalisa is a forty-verse description of Hanuman’s full character, qualities, and grace. The Sankat Mochan Ashtak is shorter and narrower — eight verses focused exclusively on Hanuman’s role as remover of crisis. Each verse names a specific sankat (affliction) and how Hanuman undid it.

When is this stotra particularly recommended?

Tradition associates it with situations where every visible path seems blocked — sudden calamity, a loved one in danger, a stuck legal or medical matter. The eight episodes themselves all dramatize “no human help was possible — Hanuman alone resolved it.”

Can women chant this stotra?

Yes. There is no scriptural restriction in the text. Most contemporary teachers affirm that stotra-recitation is open to all devotees regardless of gender, caste, or age.

How many times should it be chanted?

A single daily recitation is the standard practice. For specific intentions, 11 or 21 repetitions are common. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, many households recite it alongside the Hanuman Chalisa.

What is the connection to the Sankat Mochan temple in Varanasi?

The Sankat Mochan Hanuman Mandir at Varanasi, founded by Tulsidas himself (according to the traditional account), takes its name from this Ashtak. The temple remains a major centre of Hanuman bhakti and weekly public recitation of this stotra.