The Sankat Mochan Hanuman Ashtak is an 8-verse Awadhi-Hindi hymn to Hanuman, composed by Tulsidas in the late 16th century. The text is among Tulsidas’s shorter devotional works alongside the Hanuman Chalisa and the Bajrang Baan, and is the principal hymn invoking Hanuman specifically in his role as sankat mochan, “the remover of difficulties”. Each of the eight verses recalls a different episode from the Ramayana in which Hanuman extricated someone (Rama, Lakshmana, Sita, or others) from a critical situation, and ends with the refrain asking that Hanuman come to the devotee’s aid in the same way. Full recitation takes around 5 to 7 minutes. The hymn is widely recited on Tuesdays and Saturdays, particularly at the Sankat Mochan Hanuman temple in Varanasi.
The composition context
Tulsidas composed the Hanuman Ashtak during a period of personal difficulty, traditionally said to have been Mughal-era persecution in Varanasi. The narrative held by the tradition is that the hymn was composed after a vision of Hanuman and that, immediately upon completion, the difficulty was resolved. This origin story is part of the devotional frame for the hymn; it explains why the hymn is treated as specifically effective for emergencies and crises rather than as routine daily japa.
The Sankat Mochan Hanuman temple in Varanasi, founded by Tulsidas at the spot of the vision, sits on the southern edge of the city near the Banaras Hindu University campus. The temple is one of the most visited Hanuman pilgrimage sites in north India and is the primary center for Sankat Mochan Ashtak recitation. The temple holds continuous recitation programs on Tuesdays and major Hanuman festival days.
The structure of the eight verses
Each verse follows the same pattern: a narrative recall of an episode in which Hanuman acted as the problem-solver, followed by the refrain “Aaisi vipati mein sankat mochan, mochahu turat tu mam sankat aaj” (or a verse-specific variation), asking Hanuman to remove the devotee’s current difficulty in the same way he removed those past ones. The episodes:
- Verse 1: Hanuman’s leap to Lanka across the ocean, demonstrating that no obstacle is too large. (“Bal samudra-paar gayi jay bahar-vahi.”)
- Verse 2: finding Sita in the Ashoka grove, demonstrating the capacity to find what is lost or hidden. (“Sita jaake gat lankavihari.”)
- Verse 3: the burning of Lanka, demonstrating the capacity to dismantle hostile structures. (“Lanka so kot.”)
- Verse 4: the encounter with Surasa, the sea-demon, demonstrating the capacity to outwit larger forces by intelligence. (“Surasa jo dheen.”)
- Verse 5: the revival of Lakshmana through the Sanjivani herb, demonstrating the capacity to bring back life. (“Bharat bandhu Lakshman.”)
- Verse 6: the rescue of Rama and Lakshmana from Ahiravana’s underworld, demonstrating the capacity to reach where others cannot. (“Mahiravan ke.”)
- Verse 7: the encounter with Sahasramukha-Ravana, the thousand-faced demon, demonstrating sustained valor. (“Sahasramukh.”)
- Verse 8: the general blessing as bestower of sankat mochan, with the final petition for the devotee’s specific difficulty. (“Aur dukh ke.”)
The hymn closes with a final doha that summarizes the role: “Lal deh lali dhaje, dhaja birajai kaanan / hema sela ki ureha vasai, gandh-katarini kane.” The closing benediction asks for residence of Hanuman in the heart of the devotee.
What “sankat mochan” means
The compound sankat-mocana joins sankaṭa (difficulty, crisis, distress) with mocana (releasing, freeing, liberating). The combination is “the releaser from crisis” or “the remover of difficulty”. The term is one of Hanuman’s specific epithets, naming the devotional function that distinguishes him from other Vaishnava deities. Hanuman in Vaishnava theology is the supreme devotee of Rama; in the function of sankat mochan, he is the deity to whom one turns specifically when difficulty has arisen. The Hanuman Chalisa addresses Hanuman more broadly; the Sankat Mochan Ashtak addresses him specifically in this rescuer-from-crisis role.
Recitation traditions
- During crisis: recitation of 11 or 21 cycles in a single sitting, undertaken during illness, legal trouble, financial distress, or emotional crisis.
- Tuesdays and Saturdays: the conventional Hanuman vrata days. Many practitioners recite the Ashtak alongside the Chalisa on these days.
- Hanuman Jayanti: the birth anniversary of Hanuman, on the full moon of Chaitra (March-April). Continuous recitations are organized at Hanuman temples.
- Before major undertakings: the Ashtak is recited before journeys, examinations, court appearances, surgical procedures, and other contexts where the practitioner faces an outcome-uncertain situation.
- As part of the Sankat Mochan temple service: at the Varanasi temple, the Ashtak is part of the daily worship program, with sponsored 1,008 recitations available for devotees who want a dedicated reading.
For what it’s worth, the most defensible reading of the Sankat Mochan Ashtak in contemporary practice is that it is the household text for moments of acute difficulty. The Chalisa serves the daily devotional rhythm; the Ashtak serves the moment when the rhythm has been disrupted and an emergency has arisen. Practitioners report that the structured recitation of the eight episodes, each ending with the explicit request for help, has a settling effect on the mind in the middle of a crisis, independent of any specific theological claim.
The Sankat Mochan temple in Varanasi
The Sankat Mochan Hanuman temple is one of Varanasi’s principal Vaishnava sites. The temple is on the south side of the city, near the Asi Ghat area. The principal Hanuman image is south-facing, set in a small inner sanctum. The temple grounds include a large hall for recitation gatherings, a community kitchen, and traditional pilgrim accommodation. Tuesdays and Saturdays attract large crowds; Hanuman Jayanti and the night of Tuesday-into-Wednesday during Shravana are the principal festival nights. The Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh, a five-day classical music festival, is held at the temple annually in April; the festival is among the most prominent classical music events in Varanasi and is open to the public.
Common questions
Should the Ashtak be recited daily, or only during crises?
Both patterns are practiced. Some households maintain a daily recitation alongside the Hanuman Chalisa; others reserve the Ashtak specifically for periods of difficulty. The text itself does not prescribe; the devotional tradition allows both readings. Daily recitation grounds the practice; emergency recitation puts the practice to specific use.
How does it relate to the Bajrang Baan?
The Bajrang Baan is another Tulsidas-attributed Hanuman composition, more strongly Tantric in flavor, with specific protective invocations. The Sankat Mochan Ashtak is more devotional and narrative, drawing on Ramayana episodes. Practitioners typically choose one of the three (Chalisa, Sankat Mochan Ashtak, Bajrang Baan) for daily practice and reserve the others for specific occasions. The Bajrang Baan is more often invoked in lineages with a Tantric or protective orientation.
What is the standard count for the Ashtak?
A single recitation per day is the standard daily commitment. During a crisis, 11 or 21 recitations in a single sitting is the common emergency pattern. For a sustained vow, 108 recitations across an 11-day or 21-day anushthana is a deeper practice. Lineage traditions vary; the household practice is largely shaped by the specific context.
One thing this article does not claim
Specific outcomes promised for specific recitation counts are part of the popular devotional literature around the Ashtak, with claims attached to the recitation of 11 cycles for relief from various specific difficulties. These claims are part of the devotional tradition’s testimony; they are not falsifiable predictions. The article above presents the text and the practice frame; practitioners turning to the Ashtak during a real crisis should also pursue practical and medical avenues as appropriate.
For broader textual context, see the entries on Hanuman Chalisa at Wikipedia and on Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple.
