Mahaviri: Hanuman Chalisa Demystified

by Nityananda Misra

The Hanuman Chalisa authored by Goswami Tulsidas is one of the most popular Hindu devotional hymns. The 'Mahaviri' Hindi commentary (1984) by Swami Rambhadracharya has been acclaimed as the best treatise on the Hanuman Chalisa. This book presents an annotated and expanded English translation of the 'Mahaviri' commentary by Nityanand Misra.
Each of the 43 verses of the 'Hanuman Chalisa' is explained in three stages. The first phase being a word-for-word translation to help the reader understand the literal meaning of each word in a verse. The second is a simple English translation of each verse. This third and final phase is an informed commentary on the true meaning of the verse, explaining the deep essence of the text with citations from authoritative Hindu scriptures (the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Gita, etc.) and other works of Goswami Tulsidas. All such citations are also translated into English.
Following the commentary, Misra also provides five useful appendices for advanced readers. These include more than 120 endnotes (annotations), a detailed note on the prosody and rhythm of all the verses for chanters, the musical notation of the traditional melody of the Hanuman Chalisa for devotional singers and instrumentalists, and two alphabetical indexes for all words and verses used in the hymn.
The book is a must-have for reciters and singers of the Hanuman Chalisa who want to understand the deep essence of Tulsidas's timeless hymn to Hanuman. It targets laypersons as well as scholarly readers. The design of the book, including font sizes and line spacing, is suitable for the elderly as well. The book has reached thousands of readers across the globe and has been praised as "the most comprehensive guide to the Hanuman Chalisa available in English†?. It has been loved by readers for not only its scholarship and research, but also for its beautiful production, aesthetic typeface, attractive layout, and excellent footnotes and appendices.

268 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 8, 2018

About the author

Nityananda Misra is an IIM Bangalore graduate who works as a quantitative analyst in the investment banking industry. He is passionate about Indian culture, especially classical and medieval Indian literature, classical and folk Indian music, and traditional fine arts and performing arts of India. He is an amateur researcher, editor, and author in the field of Hinduism and Indology. He has edited, translated, or authored seven books so far in Sanskrit, Hindi, and English on Hindu religion, philosophy, and spirituality. He designs and typesets his books himself.

Reviews

[Hemant · Rating 4 out of 5]

हनुमान-चालीसा की शब्दार्थ एवं व्याख्या सरल भाषा में स्वामी रामभद्राचार्यजी ने की है. व्याख्या में गोस्वामी तुलसीदासजीकृत ग्रंथो एवं अन्य ग्रंथों का उपयोग किया गया है. लोक प्रचलित कुछ भ्रांतियों एवं त्रुटियों का भी निवारण किया है. इस सरल व्याख्या को पढ़ने के उपरान्त हनुमान-चालीसा का पाठ करते हुए अधिक संतोष मिलेगा, ऐसा मेरा अनुभव है. इस महावीरी व्याख्या का एक विस्तृत अंग्रेजी संस्करण भी प्रकाशकों द्वारा प्रकाशित हुआ है. (A more detailed English translation of this Mahaviri-Vyakhya on Hanuman-Chalisa has also been published by the same publishers.)

[Anant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful translation of the original (rare and out of stock) Mahaviri Vyakran by Swami Rambhadracharya. Nityanand Misra retains the essense very well while only adding to the text (the footnotes are a brilliant addition and very well researched/referenced). The grammar rules at the end would be something I would often revisit.
Enjoyed this little book. Recommended for anyone who has ever recited the Hanuman Chalisa and wondered about the meaning/context.

[avahardyam · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful commentary of the chalisa. And धन्यवाद नित्यानन्द जी for your valuable footnotes, I have learned much from this book.
जय पवनपुत्र, जय श्रीराम!

[Jeevan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good source for word-by-word commentary on the Hanuman Chalisa, with ample references to other works of Tulsidas, Valmiki Ramayana, Bhagavat Purana, Mahabharata, etc. The first part of the book is very detailed and gets lighter towards the end. But the footnotes makeup for the terseness of the latter sections. Admire the author's effort in translating the commentary to English.

[Bob Woodley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hanuman Chalisa was written in the 16th century in Awadhi, a sub-dialect of Hindi spoken by a only a few million people in Uttar Pradesh. Translations to English are loose so it is hard to understand what each Awadhi word might mean.

This book has a word-for-word translation from Awadhi to English, so that is reason alone to buy the book (assuming you're interested in this kind of stuff).

But additionally, there are several pages of commentary on each of the 40 verses in the Chalisa. (Chalisa means forty). The commentary refers to supporting verses in the Ramcharitmanas by the same author and has philosophical as well as linguistic analyses.

I ordered this from a vendor in India and it was quite cheaply made, with the pages falling out, etc. Still, a great resource.

[P M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much emphasis on grammar tones down the spiritual vigour of the one of the most beautiful creations of Bhakti tradition.

[MBS Deswal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some unknown facts have been disclosed is this pious Granth. Please read it and bless yourself.