Chaupai 38 of the Hanuman Chalisa says that whoever reads it a hundred times is freed from bondage and finds great happiness. Saints take bondage to mean the bonds of this world.
A hundred readings take about 13 to 17 hours, so most devotees spread them over several days and keep count on a mala or a sheet. 108 and the smaller counts (7, 11, 21) are customs; the text names only a hundred.
What Chaupai 38 Says
जो सत बार पाठ कर कोई।
छूटहि बंदि महा सुख होई॥
Jo Sat Bar Path Kar Koi ।
Chhootahi Bandi Maha Sukh Hoi ॥
Meaning: Whoever reads this a hundred times (sat bar) is freed from bondage and finds great happiness.
अर्थ: जो कोई इसका सौ (सत) बार पाठ करता है, वह बंधन से छूट जाता है और उसे महान सुख मिलता है।
Sat means a hundred and bandi means bondage. Saints take it as being freed from the bonds of this world. In his commentary Mahaviri Vyakhya, Swami Rambhadracharya explains it as freedom from worldly and otherworldly bonds, and says that koi (anyone) means just that: any person may read it, women and people of other faiths included. The full explanation is on our meaning page.
This is one of the closing lines in which the Hanuman Chalisa says what reading it brings; the next one, chaupai 39, says that whoever reads it gains siddhi, with Lord Shiva as witness.
The line above is the Gita Press text, which prints सत. Swami Rambhadracharya’s edition prints शत; both mean a hundred.
You may read that Tulsidas wrote this line in prison. That story is told often, but there is no proof of it; see the history of the Hanuman Chalisa.
100 Times or 108?
The Chalisa says a hundred. Many devotees read it 108 times instead, because they count on a mala, whose 108 beads are counted (the extra guru bead is not), and 108 is a sacred number in Hindu tradition.
Swami Rambhadracharya reads the word as 108, and bar as both the count and the days: 108 readings a day for 108 days. That is his reading, for those who can keep it. Most devotees count a hundred or 108 readings in all.
Either is fine. Choose one before you begin and keep to it.
How Long It Takes
Read aloud at an easy pace, the Chalisa takes about 8 to 10 minutes (our audio page has recordings to read along with). Once you know it by heart, it goes faster.
| 1 time | 8 to 10 minutes |
| 7 times | About 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes |
| 11 times | About 1½ to 2 hours |
| 21 times | About 3 to 3½ hours |
| 100 times | About 13 to 17 hours |
| 108 times | About 14½ to 18 hours |
Three Ways to Complete a Hundred
Over several days. The way most devotees choose: 10 readings a day for 10 days, 11 a day for about 9 days, or 21 a day for 5 days.
In one day. Start early and take breaks between readings. Families sometimes read together, each person keeping their own count.
108 a day for 108 days. Swami Rambhadracharya’s reading of the line, for those who can give it that time.
Breaks are fine between readings. Read each one through, from the opening dohas to the closing doha.
Keeping Count
Count a reading when you have read it through. Three easy ways: move one bead of a mala for each reading; fill a circle on a sheet; or use a counter on your phone.
Our count sheet has chaupai 38 at the top, lines for your sankalp and dates, and 108 numbered circles with the hundredth marked. One A4 page, in Hindi and English.
7, 11 and 21 Times, and 40 Days
Reading the Chalisa 7, 11 or 21 times, often on a Tuesday or Saturday, is a custom. The Chalisa names no separate fruit for these counts; every reading done with faith is complete in itself.
Some devotees take a sankalp: a promise, said in their own words before Hanuman ji, to read a set number of times for 11, 21 or 40 days. This too is a custom. Keep it as well as you can, without fear if a day is missed.
Times of day and how often to read are on our best time page, and what reading it brings on our benefits page.
हनुमान चालीसा 100 बार कैसे पढ़ें
चौपाई ३८ कहती है: “जो सत बार पाठ कर कोई। छूटहि बंदि महा सुख होई॥” अर्थ: जो कोई इसका सौ बार पाठ करता है, वह बंधन से छूट जाता है और उसे महान सुख मिलता है। पूरा अर्थ अर्थ वाले पेज पर है।
चालीसा सौ बार कहती है। कई भक्त 108 बार पढ़ते हैं, क्योंकि माला में 108 मनके होते हैं। स्वामी रामभद्राचार्य “शत” को 108 मानते हैं: रोज़ 108 पाठ, 108 दिन तक। आप जो भी चुनें, उसे निभाएँ।
एक पाठ में 8 से 10 मिनट लगते हैं, तो 100 पाठ में 13 से 17 घंटे। ज़्यादातर भक्त इन्हें कई दिनों में बाँटते हैं, जैसे रोज़ 10 पाठ, 10 दिन तक। एक दिन में करें तो बीच में आराम कर सकते हैं; हर पाठ पूरा पढ़ें।
गिनती माला से, गिनती वाली शीट से या फ़ोन के काउंटर से रखें। पूरा पाठ हमारे हिंदी पेज पर है।
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions people often ask about reading the Hanuman Chalisa 100 or 108 times, in English and in Hindi.
Read the whole Chalisa in English letters or in Hindi, listen on our audio page, or read about its benefits.