Hanuman Ashtak Benefits & How to Read It

Why devotees read the Hanuman Ashtak

The name says it. Hanuman ji here is Sankat Mochan, the one who removes sankat, and every verse of the Ashtak is a memory of him doing exactly that. So the first reason is faith, when some trouble is sitting on the chest, this paath gives courage and the feeling that help is near. The second reason is quieter. Reading eight verses slowly, with the breath settling, brings a calm that stays for a while after. Both are real, and both come together.

When to read it

Any day is fine, this is important to say. But if you want the auspicious times, Tuesday and Saturday are Hanuman ji's days, and Hanuman Jayanti is the biggest. Morning, after a bath, is the usual time. And in most homes and mandirs the Ashtak is read right after the Hanuman Chalisa, so the two go together.

A simple paath vidhi

Nothing complicated is needed. Sit facing a picture or murti of Hanuman ji if you have one, light a diya or an agarbatti if you like, and take a moment to settle. Then read the eight verses of the Hanuman Ashtak without hurry, and finish with the doha. If you do not know the meaning yet, read the arth once, after that the words carry much more. End with a small pranam. That is the whole vidhi.

How many times, and mala

Once a day, read with dhyan, is plenty for most of us. Some people do it three or eleven times on Tuesday, some keep a rudraksha or tulsi mala and read a round. There is no hard rule. What matters more than the count is that the mind is present, not somewhere else. Better one paath done with feeling than eleven done in a hurry.

Reading it in a real sankat

The old belief is simple. When some real trouble comes, a court matter, a health worry, an exam, a decision that will not settle, people turn to this Ashtak because Hanuman ji is the one who takes sankat away. I will be honest with you, the paath is not a shortcut that removes the effort you still have to make. What it gives is steadiness, so you can do that effort with a calmer heart and less fear. In my own life that steadiness has been worth a great deal.

The Ashtak and the Chalisa together

In most homes the Hanuman Ashtak is not read alone. The usual order is the Hanuman Chalisa first, then this Ashtak after it, and often the Bajrang Baan too on Tuesdays. If you already do the Chalisa daily, adding these eight verses takes only two more minutes and completes the paath nicely.

A few things to keep in mind

Cleanliness of body and place is good, but do not let it become a burden, Hanuman ji looks at the bhaav, the feeling, not at perfection. If you miss a day, there is no punishment, just begin again. And you do not have to be from any particular background to read it. Shraddha is the only real requirement.