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12 names of Hanuman with meaning
The Hanuman Dvadasha Nama Stotram gives 12 names of Hanuman, each an epithet that recalls a quality, a deed or a form. Every name below comes with its transliteration and a short meaning written for this site.
All 12 names of Hanuman with meaning
Numbered in the order they are recited. The first column gives the name and the line it is offered with; the second, its transliteration.
| # | Name (Sanskrit) | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | हनुमान् ॐ हनुमते नमः | Hanuman Om Hanumate Namah | Hanuman, he of the mighty jaw |
| 2 | अञ्जनीसूनुः ॐ अञ्जनीसूनवे नमः | Anjanisunuh Om Anjanisunave Namah | Son of Anjani |
| 3 | वायुपुत्रः ॐ वायुपुत्राय नमः | Vayuputrah Om Vayuputraya Namah | Son of Vayu, the Wind god |
| 4 | महाबलः ॐ महाबलाय नमः | Mahabalah Om Mahabalaya Namah | Of immense strength |
| 5 | रामेष्टः ॐ रामेष्टाय नमः | Rameshtah Om Rameshtaya Namah | Dear to Rama |
| 6 | फाल्गुनसखः ॐ फाल्गुनसखाय नमः | Phalgunasakhah Om Phalgunasakhaya Namah | Friend of Arjuna (Phalguna) |
| 7 | पिङ्गाक्षः ॐ पिङ्गाक्षाय नमः | Pingakshah Om Pingakshaya Namah | With tawny, reddish-brown eyes |
| 8 | अमितविक्रमः ॐ अमितविक्रमाय नमः | Amitavikramah Om Amitavikramaya Namah | Of boundless valour |
| 9 | उदधिक्रमणः ॐ उदधिक्रमणाय नमः | Udadhikramanah Om Udadhikramanaya Namah | Who strode across the ocean |
| 10 | सीताशोकविनाशनः ॐ सीताशोकविनाशनाय नमः | Sitashokavinashanah Om Sitashokavinashanaya Namah | Who ended Sita's sorrow |
| 11 | लक्ष्मणप्राणदाता ॐ लक्ष्मणप्राणदात्रे नमः | Lakshmanapranadata Om Lakshmanapranadatre Namah | Who restored Lakshmana's life |
| 12 | दशग्रीवस्य दर्पहा ॐ दशग्रीवस्य दर्पघ्ने नमः | Dashagrivasya Darpaha Om Dashagrivasya Darpaghne Namah | Destroyer of ten-headed Ravana's pride |
Hanuman Dvadasha Nama Stotram: the verses
The names come from these verses, which are recited whole. The closing lines record what tradition says of reciting them; they are part of the text, not a promise from this site.
हनुमानञ्जनीसूनुर्वायुपुत्रो महाबलः ।
रामेष्टः फाल्गुनसखः पिङ्गाक्षोऽमितविक्रमः ॥
उदधिक्रमणश्चैव सीताशोकविनाशनः ।
लक्ष्मणप्राणदाता च दशग्रीवस्य दर्पहा ॥
एवं द्वादश नामानि कपीन्द्रस्य महात्मनः ।
स्वापकाले प्रबोधे च यात्राकाले च यः पठेत् ॥
तस्य सर्वभयं नास्ति रणे च विजयी भवेत् ।
राजद्वारे गह्वरे च भयं नास्ति कदाचन ॥
Hanumananjanisunurvayuputro Mahabalah
Rameshtah Phalgunasakhah Pingakshomitavikramah
Udadhikramanashchaiva Sitashokavinashanah
Lakshmanapranadata Cha Dashagrivasya Darpaha
Evam Dvadasha Namani Kapindrasya Mahatmanah
Svapakale Prabodhe Cha Yatrakale Cha Yah Pathet
Tasya Sarvabhayam Nasti Rane Cha Vijayi Bhavet
Rajadvare Gahvare Cha Bhayam Nasti Kadachana
How the 12 names of Hanuman are recited
- Sit before an image of Hanuman, or simply face east, after a bath if you can.
- Say each line in turn — Om, the name, namah — and if you are doing an archana, offer a flower, a leaf or a few grains of rice with each name.
- Keep an even pace. A name said with attention is the point of the practice; speed is not.
- Close with a moment of silence, and with aarti if it is part of your worship.
Source of this list of Hanuman's 12 names
हनुमद्द्वादशनामस्तोत्रम् — sanskritdocuments.org cites these four verses as from the Ananda Ramayana (Manohara Kanda, sarga 13, verses 8–11); printed editions of that text on archive.org carry them there, just before the Hanumat Kavacha.
The Sanskrit is traditional and in the public domain. We compared two independently published editions name by name and settled every difference against a third; the editions are listed below. The meanings are written for this site.
- sanskritdocuments.org — श्रीहनूमत्स्तुती (encoder's note: Ananda Ramayana, Manohara Kanda 13.8-11)
- bhaktibharat.com — हनुमान द्वादश नाम स्तोत्रम
Where editions differ, this page follows the reading most sources give; the other reading is noted:
- 2. अञ्जनीसूनुः — also read as अञ्जनासूनुः
- 6. फाल्गुनसखः — also read as फल्गुनसखः, फल्गुणसखः
- 10. सीताशोकविनाशनः — also read as सीताशोकविनाशकः
A short meaning cannot hold everything an epithet carries; where a name has several senses, the commonest is given.
12 names of Hanuman: common questions
What is the Hanuman Dvadasha Nama Stotram?
A traditional list of 12 names of Hanuman. In worship each is offered as 'Om … namah' — 'Om, salutation to …' — often with a flower or a few grains of rice for each name.
How often are the 12 names of Hanuman recited?
There is no fixed rule. Many recite them every morning in daily worship; others keep them for the deity's weekly day or festival.
What are the first and last of the 12 names of Hanuman?
The list opens with Hanuman and closes with Dashagrivasya Darpaha.