Sandhya Raghavan
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This year, Hanuman Jayanti is on March 31.
As a child, there was nothing scarier than stepping out of the bed in the dead of the night and walking to the kitchen for a glass of water. Who knew what ghouls and goblins lurked underneath the beds and in the dark corners of the house. If you had a very fertile imagination as a child, you'd know how your mind can play tricks on you. To counter the fear, you were told to recite the Hanuman Chalisa, Tulsidas' 40-versed stotra or hymn centred on the monkey god Hanuman's valour and loyalty.
In India, the Chalisa serves a purpose beyond just spirituality. Recommended by grandmothers all over the country, the Hanuman Chalisa is India's time-tested antidote for fear. Reciting the stotra is believed to dispel fear and instill courage in the minds.
I rediscovered the stotra in my adulthood as someone who experienced anxiety quite frequently. If there was an interview or a presentation coming up, I'd turn into a heaving, gasping pile of mess. As I grappled with insomnia and anxiety, I turned to the Chalisa again with the hopes that it would allay my fears just like it did when I was a child. And I wasn't disappointed. I did find peace when I recited the Chalisa. This makes one wonder whether the stotra had hidden powers that gave the recitor the same power over his fears that Hanuman had over his enemies. Dr Era Dutta Consultant Neuropsychiatrist and Therapist Mind Wellness & Fortis Healthcare explains that far from being just a mumbo jumbo, Hanuman Chalisa does help in mitigating anxiety and fear. Here are some health benefits of spirituality.
"Anything spiritual, like chanting Om or reciting the Hanuman Chalisa has immense capacity to calm the mind. The idea of God brings peace to people," says Dr Dutta. Studies have proven that spirituality and faith has a big impact on our mental health. Adrenaline, that goes out of whack when you are anxious, reduces greatly when you chant or recite something spiritual.
"If not Hanuman Chalisa, chanting Om along with deep breathing can help calm your frayed nerves and give you a sense of peace when you are anxious," adds Dr Dutta. "In Indian families, stotras like the Hanuman Chalisa are taught by a trusted family member like a mother or a grandmother. In times distress, them brings peace because the person associates it with someone they trust and love. The brain starts feeling safe," she concludes.
Hanuman Chalisa is said to dispel evil spirts, ghosts and goblins. But it turns out that the stotra can also exorcise one's mental demons.
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