PREFACE
Hanuman is revered across India under various names and forms and is perhaps the deity in whom people place the greatest faith, honouring him as Sankatmochan-the one who liberates from all kinds of hardships and suffering. The recitation of the Sundarkanda or Hanuman Chalisa by people from all walks of life, often accompanied by their families, is carried out with such profound faith and devotion that no other text in the world compares to it. In the Shri Hanuman Stotra, the name 'Pratigram Sthita' symbolises Hanuman's universal presence across the country. The devotion towards Hanuman that we have witnessed among the fourth and fifth generation of people of Indian descent settled in countries like Fiji, Mauritius, Suriname, Trinidad, Guyana, and South Africa is unparalleled. In times of crisis, it is not Lord Rama, Lord Shiva or Lord Krishna whom a Hindu recall, but Lord Hanuman, the divine rescuer.
We felt the need for a book that contained all the significant sacred texts related to Hanuman, but were unable to find one. While the Hanuman Chalisa and the Sundarkanda, the fifth canto of the Ramcharitmanasa, are the most widely recited, few are familiar with other Hindi texts such as Shri Hanuman Bahuk, Shri Hanuman Ashtak and Shri Bajrang Baan and Sanskrit texts such as Shri Hanumat Sahasranama Stotram, Shri Hanumad Vadwanal Stotram, Shri Langulopnishad, Shri Hanumat Pancharatnam, Shri Panchamukhi Hanuman Kavacham, Shri Aanjaneya Gayatri and Shri Aanjaneya Trikala Vandanam. This book seeks to bring together all these sacred texts related to Hanuman, offering both their Hindi and English translations. Additionally, for those unable to read Devanagari, phonetic transliterations of the original texts are included, ensuring that all devotees, regardless of their script familiarity, can access and benefit from these revered scriptures in their purest form.
Sundarkanda, the fifth canto of Goswami Tulasidas's Shri Ramcharitmanasa, is a deeply revered text of the Hindu religion. It is believed that reciting Sundarkanda can liberate individuals from physical, divine and material suffering. Every morning, devout Hindus can be seen reciting it aloud. Interestingly, even those who claim to be atheists often turn to Sundarkanda in times of trouble. The faith in Sundarkanda as a source of solace and remedy transcends barriers, evident among the educated and uneducated, rich and poor, rural and urban, men and women, children and the elderly. While Sundarkanda holds immense religious significance, it is also recognized as an outstanding literary work. Hanuman is the hero of Sundarkandaa noitati
During research on Indian diaspora literature, we travelled to Fiji, Mauritius, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and South Africa, also known as Girmitiya countries. The term 'Girmitiya' refers to the indentured labourers who were taken from India between 1834 and 1917 to work in British and Dutch colonies such as Fiji, Mauritius, Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname and South Africa. Those who arrived in these countries under contracts of indenture and their descendants came to be known as Girmitiyas. The word 'Girmit' is a colloquial corruption of the English word 'agreement', shaped by the labourers' unfamiliarity with English. In all these Girmit countries, we observed that hundreds of Ramayana mandalis sing the verses of Shri Ramcharitmanasa every Saturday and Sunday. Innumerable people recite the Sundarkanda and Hanuman Chalisa daily, believing that these recitations will alleviate their sorrows. It seemed to us that among Hindus, there are more devotees of Hanuman than of Rama.
INTRODUCTION
On the very first day of class, the teacher asked the students, 'Can anyone tell me the name of a great poet or literary figure?' It was a class of foreign students. Students from different countries were in India on scholarships to learn Hindi. Some from the United States of America, some from Italy. There were also students from Britain, Russia, Germany and Bulgaria. These students had studied Hindi for a year, successfully passed their examinations and had entered their second year of studying the language. The subject at hand was 'Literary Appreciation'. The objective was to familiarize students with representative poets and authors of Hindi literature. Ludmila from Russia was the first to raise her hand. 'Pushkin,' she said. The student from Britain said Shakespeare. The German student took the name of Goethe. 'Walt Whitman,' said the student from the United States of America. 'Khristo Botev,' said the student from Bulgaria. They were all great litterateurs of their respective countries.
The teacher immediately asked the next question, 'Why do people consider Pushkin, Shakespeare, Khristo Botev great poets? Why are they considered big names?' The class was silent for about two minutes. They were not able to answer immediately. Then Victoria, who had come from England to learn Hindi, said that Shakespeare is great because everyone knows his name. People read Shakespeare's works in all countries. All students agreed. Victoria said that it has been many years since Shakespeare died, but even after so many years people know and read him. This was also true for Pushkin, Whitman, Goethe and Botev. The teacher said, 'Yes, it is true that a great poet or a writer is one who people remember, read and talk about even after their death. One who is known not just in their country but is known, read and discussed in other countries is a great poet or writer.'
The students then began talking about who was a similarly renowned person in Indian literature whose name and works were widely recognized. Someone took the name of Valmiki and another mentioned Maharishi Ved Vyas, the author of Mahabharata. One took the name of Kalidas, and the other the name of Premchand. All these names were familiar to students of all countries, but apart from the name, they did not know much. No one remembered even a single line of any of these writers' works. When I asked if they had heard the name of Tulasidas, in unison they said, 'Yes!' Everyone had heard the name of Tulasidas. On asking the name of any work of Tulasidas, everyone said together, 'Ramayana.' I said it is true that many refer to Tulasi's work Ramcharitmanasa as Ramayana because that too is the story of Rama, but the text Ramayana was written by Valmiki in Sanskrit. Tulasidas's composition is Shri Ramcharitmanasa and is written in Hindi. Students agreed and nodded in agreement. They had all heard of Tulasidas in their home countries.
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