Commentary / explanation of Hanuman Chalisa verses 33 & 34

Ashtha sidhi nau nidhi ke data

Asa bar din Janaki Mata

You are the dispenser of the eight supernatural powers and the nine treasures of Kubera. Mother Janaki has bestowed this graceful blessing upon you.

Ram rasayan tumhare pasa

Sadaa raho raghupati ke dasa

You have the ambrosia of Sri Rama with you and you are always in the service of the Lord Raghupati.

Hanuman chalisa, verses 33 & 34

“You are the dispenser of the eight supernatural powers (siddhis) and the nine treasures (niddhis) of Kubera. Mother Janaki (Sita) has bestowed this graceful blessing upon you.”

Here it says that Hanuman was granted the divine gifts of the eight Siddhis and and nine Niddhis by Sita, who here is referred to as Janaki (which literally means daughter of King Janaka, who was Sita’s father). Sita is an embodiment of Shakti, the Divine feminine, who can grant all the gifts and blessings, material and spiritual.

Anybody who is familiar with Yogic thought will have heard of Siddhis, which are one of the most mysterious concepts in Hindu / yogic spirituality. They are powers which may arise in advanced stages of spiritual development, or may arise by divine grace to help someone fulfill an important but difficult task, or occasionally some of them even arise spontaneously as a result of being spiritually advanced in previous lives. These powers include psychic abilities and control over the forces of nature.

The Niddhis are celestial treasures of the universe – forces of plentitude, which in some respect resemble the siddhis in being the principle of richness within the universe that can be called upon to serve the one who has the blessing or power. 

According to most of Hindu thought, the Siddhis and Niddhis are conceived of as being gifts bestowed by Shakti (the Divine feminine power), which is the executive power behind nature whose governs the power of all potentials of becoming. 

These powers were granted to Hanuman by Sita. It should be noted that these powers, should they arise in an individual, are often a danger and an impediment to the highest good, because they heighten the sense of ego and have obvious potential for misuse. Ravana himself, the great tyrant of the Ramayana, was the example of a spiritually evolved being, who had amassed powers and merit, and then misused them,

Yet Hanuman, when he was granted the Siddhis and Niddhis is said to have been uninterested in them, except in as much as it would help him serve Rama – as his focus was only on serving the Divine. Keeping this attitude, one will never get mislead or stray  from their chosen path, It  is often the case when we gain success and blessings in life, we begin to think of ourselves as special – because it inflates our egos in an unhealthy way. We then start acting and behaving differently – and this sets us up for a fall sooner or later. Hanuman shows us never to deviate from our  original pursuit and ideals – and in this way any power and blessings we receive will be used for the right reasons. 

It is even narrated that Hanuman when he was given these blessings by Sita, in his heart Hanuman was partly disappointed, as there is a higher blessing which he truly wanted. Sita sensed this, and therefore in the next verses she gives Hanuman the blessings which his heart truly desired:

You will always have the essence (rasayana) of Sri Rama with you and you will always be in the service of the Lord Raghupati (Rama). (verse 34)

By repetition of your name one can reach Sri Rama and get freed from the sorrows of many lives. (verse 35)

When Sita said these words, Hanuman’s smile beamed from inside and out. This is because he didn’t really wish for great powers and wealth – he just wanted to remain in the service of Lord Rama! The one who does not crave for power and wealth is the one who will never misuse it. The greatest blessing for Hanuman was that he would never deviate from his devotion, and that through him others could also approach the Divine and be relieved of the sufferings of life lived in the lower states of consciousness.

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