The text
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- The 45 chaupais
- Chaupai 1
श्री रघुवीर भक्त हितकारी।सुन लीजै प्रभु अरज हमारी॥
śrī raghuvīra bhakta hitakārī।suna lījai prabhu araja hamārī॥
O Shri Raghuvir, benefactor of your devotees — hear, O Lord, our humble petition.
- Chaupai 2
निशिदिन ध्यान धरै जो कोई।ता सम भक्त और नहिं होई॥
niśidina dhyāna dharai jo koī।tā sama bhakta aura nahiṃ hoī॥
Whoever holds you in meditation day and night — there is no devotee equal to that one.
- Chaupai 3
ध्यान धरे शिवजी मन माहीं।ब्रह्म इन्द्र पार नहिं पाहीं॥
dhyāna dhare śivajī mana māhīṃ।brahma indra pāra nahiṃ pāhīṃ॥
Shiva himself holds you in meditation within his mind; even Brahma and Indra cannot find your limit.
- Chaupai 4
दूत तुम्हार वीर हनुमाना।जासु प्रभाव तिहूं पुर जाना॥
dūta tumhāra vīra hanumānā।jāsu prabhāva tihūṃ pura jānā॥
Your messenger is the brave Hanuman, whose power is known throughout the three worlds.
- Chaupai 5
तब भुज दण्ड प्रचण्ड कृपाला।रावण मारि सुरन प्रतिपाला॥
taba bhuja daṇḍa pracaṇḍa kṛpālā।rāvaṇa māri surana pratipālā॥
Then, O gracious one, with your mighty arm you slew Ravana and protected the gods.
- Chaupai 6
तुम अनाथ के नाथ गुंसाई।दीनन के हो सदा सहाई॥
tuma anātha ke nātha gũsāī।dīnana ke ho sadā sahāī॥
You are the lord of the orphaned, O master — you are ever the helper of the humble.
- Chaupai 7
ब्रह्मादिक तव पारन पावैं।सदा ईश तुम्हरो यश गावैं॥
brahmādika tava pārana pāvaiṃ।sadā īśa tumharo yaśa gāvaiṃ॥
Not even Brahma and the other gods can find your limit; Shiva forever sings your glory.
- Chaupai 8
चारिउ वेद भरत हैं साखी।तुम भक्तन की लज्जा राखीं॥
cāriu veda bharata haiṃ sākhī।tuma bhaktana kī lajjā rākhīṃ॥
All four Vedas bear witness that you preserve the honor of your devotees.
- Chaupai 9
गुण गावत शारद मन माहीं।सुरपति ताको पार न पाहीं॥
guṇa gāvata śārada mana māhīṃ।surapati tāko pāra na pāhīṃ॥
Sharada (Saraswati) sings your virtues within her mind, yet even Indra, lord of the gods, cannot find their limit.
- Chaupai 10
नाम तुम्हार लेत जो कोई।ता सम धन्य और नहिं होई॥
nāma tumhāra leta jo koī।tā sama dhanya aura nahiṃ hoī॥
Whoever takes your name — there is none so blessed as that one.
- Chaupai 11
राम नाम है अपरम्पारा।चारिहु वेदन जाहि पुकारा॥
rāma nāma hai aparamparā।cārihu vedana jāhi pukārā॥
The name Rama is without limit — all four Vedas proclaim it.
- Chaupai 12
गणपति नाम तुम्हारो लीन्हो।तिनको प्रथम पूज्य तुम कीन्हो॥
gaṇapati nāma tumhāro līnho।tinako prathama pūjya tuma kīnho॥
Ganapati took your name, and you made him the one worshipped first.
- Chaupai 13
शेष रटत नित नाम तुम्हारा।महि को भार शीश पर धारा॥
śeṣa raṭata nita nāma tumhārā।mahi ko bhāra śīśa para dhārā॥
Shesha constantly repeats your name, and bears the weight of the earth upon his head.
- Chaupai 14
फूल समान रहत सो भारा।पाव न कोऊ तुम्हरो पारा॥
phūla samāna rahata so bhārā।pāva na koū tumharo pārā॥
That burden remains as light as a flower to him — yet no one can find your own limit.
- Chaupai 15
भरत नाम तुम्हरो उर धारो।तासों कबहुं न रण में हारो॥
bharata nāma tumharo ura dhāro।tāsoṃ kabahuṃ na raṇa meṃ hāro॥
Bharat holds your name in his heart, and because of it he never loses in battle.
- Chaupai 16
नाम शक्षुहन हृदय प्रकाशा।सुमिरत होत शत्रु कर नाशा॥
nāma śakṣuhana hṛdaya prakāśā।sumirata hota śatru kara nāśā॥
Your name shines within Shatrughna's heart; remembering it, he brings destruction upon the enemy.
- Chaupai 17
लखन तुम्हारे आज्ञाकारी।सदा करत सन्तन रखवारी॥
lakhana tumhāre ājñākārī।sadā karata santana rakhavārī॥
Lakshman is obedient to your command, and ever keeps watch over the saints.
- Chaupai 18
ताते रण जीते नहिं कोई।युद्घ जुरे यमहूं किन होई॥
tāte raṇa jīte nahiṃ koī।yuddha jure yamahūṃ kina hoī॥
Because of this, no one can defeat him in battle — even if it were Yama himself who joined the fight.
- Chaupai 19
महालक्ष्मी धर अवतारा।सब विधि करत पाप को छारा॥
mahālakṣmī dhara avatārā।saba vidhi karata pāpa ko chārā॥
Mahalakshmi took incarnation as Sita, and in every way turns sin to ash.
- Chaupai 20
सीता राम पुनीता गायो।भुवनेश्वरी प्रभाव दिखायो॥
sītā rāma punītā gāyo।bhuvaneśvarī prabhāva dikhāyo॥
Sita is sung as Rama's pure consort; as Bhuvaneshvari, she has shown her power to the world.
- Chaupai 21
घट सों प्रकट भई सो आई।जाको देखत चन्द्र लजाई॥
ghaṭa soṃ prakaṭa bhaī so āī।jāko dekhata candra lajāī॥
She appeared, manifest from a sacrificial vessel — seeing her, even the moon feels shy.
- Chaupai 22
सो तुमरे नित पांव पलोटत।नवो निद्घि चरणन में लोटत॥
so tumare nita pāṃva palotata।navo nidhi caraṇana meṃ loṭata॥
She ever attends to your feet; the nine treasures roll at your feet as well.
- Chaupai 23
सिद्घि अठारह मंगलकारी।सो तुम पर जावै बलिहारी॥
siddhi aṭhāraha maṅgalakārī।so tuma para jāvai balihārī॥
The eighteen auspicious siddhis offer themselves in sacrifice to you.
- Chaupai 24
औरहु जो अनेक प्रभुताई।सो सीतापति तुमहिं बनाई॥
aurahu jo aneka prabhutāī।so sītāpati tumahiṃ banāī॥
And whatever other powers and glories exist, O husband of Sita, you alone have made them so.
- Chaupai 25
इच्छा ते कोटिन संसारा।रचत न लागत पल की बारा॥
icchā te koṭina saṃsārā।racata na lāgata pala kī bārā॥
By your will alone, millions of worlds are created — it does not take even the space of a moment.
- Chaupai 26
जो तुम्हे चरणन चित लावै।ताकी मुक्ति अवसि हो जावै॥
jo tumhe caraṇana cita lāvai।tākī mukti avasi ho jāvai॥
Whoever fixes their heart upon your feet certainly attains liberation.
- Chaupai 27
जय जय जय प्रभु ज्योति स्वरूपा।नर्गुण ब्रह्म अखण्ड अनूपा॥
jaya jaya jaya prabhu jyoti svarūpā।narguṇa brahma akhaṇḍa anūpā॥
Victory, victory, victory to the Lord, embodiment of light — formless (nirguna) Brahman, unbroken and without compare.
- Chaupai 28
सत्य सत्य जय सत्यव्रत स्वामी।सत्य सनातन अन्तर्यामी॥
satya satya jaya satyavrata svāmī।satya sanātana antaryāmī॥
Truly, truly, victory to the Lord whose vow is truth — the eternal, true indweller of all hearts.
- Chaupai 29
सत्य भजन तुम्हरो जो गावै।सो निश्चय चारों फल पावै॥
satya bhajana tumharo jo gāvai।so niścaya cārõ phala pāvai॥
Whoever truly sings devotion to you certainly obtains all four fruits of life.
- Chaupai 30
सत्य शपथ गौरीपति कीन्हीं।तुमने भक्तहिं सब विधि दीन्हीं॥
satya śapatha gaurīpati kīnhīṃ।tumane bhaktahiṃ saba vidhi dīnhīṃ॥
Truly, the husband of Gauri has sworn this oath: that you grant devotion in every way to your devotees.
- Chaupai 31
सुनहु राम तुम तात हमारे।तुमहिं भरत कुल पूज्य प्रचारे॥
sunahu rāma tuma tāta hamāre।tumahiṃ bharata kula pūjya pracāre॥
Hear, O Rama — you are our father; you are proclaimed as worthy of worship by the line of Bharat.
- Chaupai 32
तुमहिं देव कुल देव हमारे।तुम गुरु देव प्राण के प्यारे॥
tumahiṃ deva kula deva hamāre।tuma guru deva prāṇa ke pyāre॥
You are our god and the deity of our lineage; you are our guru, beloved as our very life-breath.
- Chaupai 33
जो कुछ हो सो तुम ही राजा।जय जय जय प्रभु राखो लाजा॥
jo kucha ho so tuma hī rājā।jaya jaya jaya prabhu rākho lājā॥
Whatever exists, you alone are its king — victory, victory, victory to the Lord; preserve our honor.
- Chaupai 34
राम आत्मा पोषण हारे।जय जय दशरथ राज दुलारे॥
rāma ātmā poṣaṇa hāre।jaya jaya daśaratha rāja dulāre॥
O Rama, nourisher of the soul — victory, victory to the beloved prince of King Dasharatha.
- Chaupai 35
ज्ञान हृदय दो ज्ञान स्वरूपा।नमो नमो जय जगपति भूपा॥
jñāna hṛdaya do jñāna svarūpā।namo namo jaya jagapati bhūpā॥
Grant wisdom within our hearts, O embodiment of wisdom — salutations, salutations, victory to you, sovereign lord of the world.
- Chaupai 36
धन्य धन्य तुम धन्य प्रतापा।नाम तुम्हार हरत संतापा॥
dhanya dhanya tuma dhanya pratāpā।nāma tumhāra harata santāpā॥
Blessed, blessed are you, blessed is your glory — your name removes all suffering.
- Chaupai 37
सत्य शुद्घ देवन मुख गाया।बजी दुन्दुभी शंख बजाया॥
satya śuddha devana mukha gāyā।bajī dundubhī śaṅkha bajāyā॥
The gods have truly and purely sung this with their own mouths; the kettle-drum resounded and the conch was blown.
- Chaupai 38
सत्य सत्य तुम सत्य सनातन।तुम ही हो हमरे तन मन धन॥
satya satya tuma satya sanātana।tuma hī ho hamare tana mana dhana॥
Truly, truly, you are the eternal truth — you alone are our body, mind, and wealth.
- Chaupai 39
याको पाठ करे जो कोई।ज्ञान प्रकट ताके उर होई॥
yāko pāṭha kare jo koī।jñāna prakaṭa tāke ura hoī॥
Whoever recites this — wisdom shall arise within their heart.
- Chaupai 40
आवागमन मिटै तिहि केरा।सत्य वचन माने शिर मेरा॥
āvāgamana miṭai tihi kerā।satya vacana māne śira merā॥
Their cycle of birth and death comes to an end — take my word to be true.
- Chaupai 41
और आस मन में जो होई।मनवांछित फल पावे सोई॥
aura āsa mana meṃ jo hoī।manavāñchita phala pāvai soī॥
And whatever other wish arises in the mind, that person obtains the fruit their heart desires.
- Chaupai 42
तीनहुं काल ध्यान जो ल्यावै।तुलसी दल अरु फूल चढ़ावै॥
tīnahuṃ kāla dhyāna jo lyāvai।tulasī dala aru phūla caḍhāvai॥
Whoever meditates upon you at all three times of day, and offers tulsi leaves and flowers —
- Chaupai 43
साग पत्र सो भोग लगावै।सो नर सकल सिद्घता पावै॥
sāga patra so bhoga lagāvai।so nara sakala siddhatā pāvai॥
and offers a meal of greens and leaves — that person attains complete accomplishment.
- Chaupai 44
अन्त समय रघुबरपुर जाई।जहां जन्म हरि भक्त कहाई॥
anta samaya raghubarapura jāī।jahāṃ janma hari bhakta kahāī॥
At the time of death, they go to Raghubar's own city, where they are ever after called a devotee of Hari.
- Chaupai 45
श्री हरिदास कहै अरु गावै।सो बैकुण्ठ धाम को पावै॥
śrī haridāsa kahai aru gāvai।so baikuṇṭha dhāma ko pāvai॥
Shri Haridas declares and sings: that person attains the abode of Vaikuntha.
- Closing doha
- Doha (closing)
सात दिवस जो नेम कर, पाठ करे चित लाय।हरिदास हरि कृपा से, अवसि भक्ति को पाय॥राम चालीसा जो पढ़े, राम चरण चित लाय।जो इच्छा मन में करै, सकल सिद्घ हो जाय॥
sāta divasa jo nema kara, pāṭha kare cita lāya।haridāsa hari kṛpā se, avasi bhakti ko pāya॥rāma cālīsā jo paḍhe, rāma caraṇa cita lāya।jo icchā mana meṃ karai, sakala siddha ho jāya॥
Whoever keeps this discipline for seven days and recites it with an attentive mind — by Hari's grace, says Haridas, that person surely attains devotion. Whoever reads this Ram Chalisa with their heart fixed on Rama's feet — whatever wish they hold in their mind is entirely fulfilled.
Overview
The Ram Chalisa is a Hindi devotional composition in praise of Rama, opening with the line “Shri Raghuvir bhakt hitkari” (“O Shri Raghuvir, benefactor of your devotees”). Unlike the Ganesh Chalisa and Hanuman Chalisa, it does not open with its own doha — the verses begin directly with the chaupai body — and it closes with a two-couplet doha describing the benefit of reciting it. It is recited by Rama’s devotees across North India, often alongside the Ramcharitmanas or other Rama-focused texts.
Origin and source
The Ram Chalisa’s authorship is not documented with the same confidence as the Hanuman Chalisa’s attribution to Tulsidas. The text itself carries an internal signature — “Shri Haridas declares and sings” (chaupai 45), echoed again in the closing doha (“Haridas, by Hari’s grace”) — and on that basis, several devotional collections attribute the composition to a poet or devotee named Haridas. As with a number of chalisas whose authorship rests only on an internal signature rather than external documentation, this page treats that attribution as traditional rather than settled.
Despite its name, the version of the text verified for this page — cross-checked across several independently maintained devotional-text sources — runs to forty-five couplets before the closing doha, not forty. This is not unusual: “chalisa” (from chalis, “forty”) functions as a genre label for this kind of composition more than a strict verse count, and printed editions of several Ram Chalisas vary in length. Some sources additionally prefix the text with a well-known Sanskrit verse summarizing the entire Ramayana in a single shloka (“Adau Ram tapovanadi gamanam…”), but that verse is an independent composition used as a general invocation before various Rama-related recitations, not part of the Ram Chalisa itself, so it is left out here.
How it is recited
The Ram Chalisa is recited daily by many Rama devotees, and it holds particular significance on Ram Navami, the festival marking Rama’s birth. The closing doha itself describes a seven-day recitation discipline (“whoever keeps this practice for seven days, reciting it with an attentive mind”), reflecting a devotional custom of reciting the text over a fixed number of days with focused intention, though a single daily recitation is the more common practice.
Frequently asked questions
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Sourcing
Checked against independent sources before publishing — see our sourcing and editorial policy. Spotted an error? Report an issue .
