Sri Hanuman was the living embodiment of the power of Ram-Nam. He was an ideal selfless worker, a true Karma Yogi who worked desirelessly. He was a great devotee and an exceptional Brahmachari or celibate. He served Sri Rama with pure love and devotion, without expecting any fruit in return. He was humble, brave and wise. He said to Ravana, "I am a humble messenger of Sri Rama. I have come here to serve Sri Rama, to do His work. By the command of Sri Rama, I have come here. I am fearless by the Grace of Sri Rama. I am not afraid of death. I welcome it if it comes while serving Sri Rama."

Our Divine Master, Sri Swami Sivananda wrote, "See how humble Hanuman was! How deep was his devotion to Sri Rama! He never said, 'I am the brave Hanuman. I can do anything and everything.'

"When Sri Rama ascended to his supreme abode, Sri Hanuman also wished to follow him. But the Lord asked him to remain in this world as his representative and attend all the assemblies of men where discourses on his deeds were held and heard, and help his devotees in cultivating devotion.

"He is a Chiranjeevi. He is everywhere. He who has eyes and devotion beholds him and receives his blessing". Lord Rama gave Sri Hanuman the boon of ever-lasting life.

Herewith some guidelines from Pujya Swami Sahajananda: "Those who wish to recite the 41-Day Sri Hanuman Chalisa for the purposes stated above, must follow these instructions for the performance:

The Sri Hanuman Chalisa should be repeated regularly for 41 days, either in the morning or in the evening.

1. Have a bath and wear clean clothes.
2. Sit in any comfortable posture in front of the picture of Sri Hanuman.
3. Keep some fruit as Prasad in a little tray.
4. Keep 11 flowers in another small tray.
5. First commence repeating some Guru Mantras.
6. After the repetition of the Guru Mantras, commence the Sri Hanuman Chalisa from Sri Guru Charana Sarojaraja ...
7. Complete the repetition till the end, until Hridaya Basahu Sura Bhoop Sita Ram.
8. On completion of the repetition once, offer one flower to Sri Hanuman.
9. Do the repetition 11 times at one sitting. Each time a repetition is completed, offer one flower. In this way offer all 11 flowers.
10. After the completion 11 times at one sitting, repeat some Shanti Mantras, prostrate and get up.
11. The fruit can be distributed to all as Prasad.
12. While sitting in the posture, do not change it or look around. Keep the eyes closed and concentrate on Sri Hanuman, or concentrate on his picture with eyes open.
13. On completion of the Mantra 11 times for 41 days, perform Havan with the help of a qualified Pundit, and do some Puja in a Hanuman Temple with the guidance of a priest.
14. You can also do poor feeding or some charity on completion of the Yajna.

The recital of our 41-day Sri Hanuman Chalisa will conclude on Wednesday 8 September 2021, coinciding with the 134th Birth Anniversary celebrations of our Divine Master, Sri Swami Sivananda. We offer this recital as our gratitude to Sri Gurudev for his continued guidance and boundless compassion and mercy upon us. As the world faces the scourge of the Coronavirus pandemic and many other challenges, we pray for peace, courage and lasting solutions for all of these. We are most grateful to all who have pledged to undertake this 41-day recital. May the blessings of Sri Rama, Sri Hanuman, and our Divine Master, Sri Swami Sivananda be upon you and your family always!