Neuroscience of Hanuman Chalisa and The Ray 114 Chakras for Healing

The Hanuman Chalisa is far more than a devotional hymn; it is a highly refined, time-tested healing protocol embedded within India’s spiritual heritage. Modern neuroscience is only now beginning to illuminate how and why its rhythmic, symbolic, and vibrational architecture influences trauma, memory, and nervous-system regulation.

This article integrates three converging domains: contemporary models of stress, strain, anxiety, trauma and autonomic dysregulation; the psychoacoustic and devotional potency of the Hanuman Chalisa; and Sri Amit Ray’s 114 Chakra framework, which conceptualizes human consciousness as a network of finely graded energy-transduction centers. Together, these streams form a unified map for transforming embodied contraction, emotional inertia, and fragmented inner states into ascending clarity, resilience, and coherence.

Key idea: the 114 chakras act as energy transducers — converting raw prāṇa into bodily vitality, emotional equilibrium and higher insight. When lower-graded centers are clogged with tamas (inertia) produced by fear, unresolved trauma, and egoic contractions, the whole conduit becomes inefficient. Purification is the cascade that clears lower obstructions so prāṇa can ascend to illumine the upper koshas and cosmic chakras.

Read more: Hanuman Chalisa Lyrics, Rama Raksha Stotram. 

Introduction

Trauma healing is no longer limited to psychological therapy alone. Across India and increasingly around the world, the Hanuman Chalisa is being recognized as one of the most profound vibrational healing tools for emotional resilience, protection, and deep nervous-system repair. Far from being just a devotional hymn, the Hanuman Chalisa operates as a time-tested spiritual healing protocol, calibrated over centuries to stabilize the human biofield, elevate pranic currents, and restore inner coherence.

Modern research in neuroscience, sound therapy, vagal-tone modulation, and trauma physiology is now beginning to illuminate what Indian yogic traditions have preserved for ages: rhythmic mantra recitation can deactivate stress circuits, repair emotional fragmentation, and rewire trauma-affected networks in the brain.

Within the Ray 114 Chakra system of Sri Amit Ray, the Hanuman Chalisa interacts with subtle high-frequency energy nodes—including the fear-dissolving Suraksha Chakras, the trauma-release Vayu Chakras, and the deep-limbic healing Rudra Chakras. When these chakras synchronize during chanting, the practitioner experiences a multi-layered healing effect involving breath, prana, attention, memory, and cellular vibration.

The Layered Symbolism of Hanuman Chalisa: Archetypes as Mirrors of the Soul

The Chalisa’s verses unfold Hanuman’s essence like petals of a lotus, each archetype a key to unlocking layered healing. Far from a linear narrative, it invites devotees to embody these facets simultaneously, reflecting trauma’s non-linear scars—flashes of vulnerability amid strength, surrender veiled in service.

The Child: Reclaiming Innocence in the Lower Chakras

Hanuman as the mischievous child who swallows the sun symbolizes untainted curiosity and boundless potential, evoking the lower chakras’ “softness”—Muladhara (root) for security and Svadhisthana (sacral) for creative flow. Trauma often severs this innocence, embedding fear in survival circuits. Chanting verses like “Yug Sahasra Yojan Par Bhaanu, Leelyo Taahi Madhur Phal Jaanu” (mistaking the sun for sweet fruit) reignites childlike wonder, softening rigid defenses.  Inner-child activation involves accessing and soothing the emotional imprints, which often manifest as irrational fears or emotional reactivity rooted in childhood wounds.

The Warrior: Protection in the Middle Chakras

As the thunderbolt-wielding Mahabir (“Mahaabeer Bikram Bajrangi“), Hanuman guards against inner demons, aligning with Manipura (solar plexus) for willpower and Anahata (heart) for compassionate boundaries. Trauma’s betrayal wounds thrive here; the Chalisa’s fiery imagery—like burning Lanka—empowers protective ferocity without aggression, fostering resilience.

The Servant: Humble Action and Devotion

Hanuman’s dasya bhakti—eternal service to Rama—embodies grounded devotion, bridging lower and middle chakras. Verses extolling his errands (“Raam Kaaj Karibe Ko Aatur”) teach trauma survivors to channel pain into purposeful action, healing isolation through relational trust.

The Yogi: Inner Discipline and Balance

The celibate ascetic with munja thread across his shoulder represents yogic mastery, harmonizing all chakras but centering Vishuddha (throat) for truthful expression. In trauma work, this archetype quiets the inner critic, promoting mindful presence.

The Cosmic Power: Surrender in the Upper Chakras

Hanuman’s Shiva-incarnate vastness (“Sankara Suvana”) invokes Ajna (third eye) and Sahasrara (crown) for transcendent unity. The Chalisa’s closing plea (“Hriday Mah Dhera“) invites cosmic surrender, dissolving ego’s grip on past hurts.

These archetypes interweave, as Ray teaches, forming a “psychic mandala” where lower softness grounds middle protection, culminating in upper release.

Hanuman Chalisa: Structure and Devotional Power

The Hanuman Chalisa, a 40-verse sacred hymn, is structurally rhythmic, activating the parasympathetic nervous system and promoting coherence between heart and breath. Neuroscientific studies show that recitation calms the amygdala, improves HRV, and triggers positive neuroplasticity—helping clear trauma residues in both mind and body. Continuous chanting of verses such as “Naasaye rog hare sab peera, Japat nirantar Hanumat beera” is shown to reduce perceived stress, increase emotional intelligence, and neuroplasticity in controlled experiments.

The Ray 114 Chakra System: A Trauma-Healing Blueprint

In Sri Amit Ray’s map, 114 chakras form a multidimensional network of:

  • emotion-processing nodes
  • vagal-limbic connectors
  • bioelectromagnetic regulators
  • subtle memory circuits

For trauma healing and Hanuman chalisa, several clusters are especially relevant:

1 Suraksha Chakras (Safety and Protection)

Located around the heart, navel, and perineum, they restore a sense of safety—critical for trauma recovery.

2 Vayu Chakras (Emotional Detox and Breath Regulation)

These chakras clear emotional stagnation stored in the pranic field.

3 Chitta-Shuddhi Chakras (Cognitive Healing)

These help reorganize traumatic memories and dissolve negative thought loops.

4 Rudra Chakras (Fear Dissolution and Courage)

Associated with inner strength, willpower, and the dissolution of fear-based identity patterns, these chakras resonate strongly with Hanuman energy.

Verse-by-Verse Healing Mechanisms of the Hanuman Chalisa

Each verse of the Chalisa corresponds to a specific cluster of chakras and emotional themes:

  • Opening verses – grounding, safety, invoking divine support (Suraksha chakras)
  • Middle verses – strength, memory repair, purity, breath regulation (Vayu + Rudra chakras)
  • Later verses – protection, emotional expansion, freedom, resilience (Hridaya + Chitta-shuddhi)
  • Closing verses – integration, peace, spiritual alignment (higher consciousness chakras)

This structured emotional journey is part of why the Chalisa heals trauma effectively: it rewrites the nervous system’s threat-response pattern at multiple levels.

How the Mantra Vibrations Interact with the 114 Chakras

The oscillatory structure of mantra recitation influences:

  • the resonance frequency of biofield layers
  • the pranic flow across micro-nadis
  • subcellular vibrational harmonics
  • mitochondrial voltage-gated oscillations
  • vagal afferent pathways

How Hanuman Chalisa Works: A Multi-Level Healing Model

The Chalisa operates simultaneously at five levels:

  1. Neuroacoustic Level – rhythmic chanting entrains the brain into alpha-theta states associated with calmness, safety, and emotional repair.
  2. Psycho-Emotional Level – the archetype of Hanuman awakens courage, safety, devotion, loyalty, perseverance, and inner strength.
  3. Bioenergetic Level – pranic turbulence created by trauma is smoothed out by mantra oscillations that clear stagnant energy.
  4. Symbolic-Cognitive Level – verses act as cognitive reframing techniques to transform fear, helplessness, and hopelessness.
  5. Ray 114 Chakra Level – specific chakras linked to emotional wounds and trauma memories are activated and purified.

This is why millions feel rapid relief from anxiety, fear, and stress during regular Hanuman Chalisa chanting.

5. Mapping the Hanuman Chalisa onto the Ray 114 Framework

Below is a concise mapping that links sections of the Chalisa to chakra clusters and healing operations.

5.1 Opening Invocations → Suraksha + Grounding Nodes

The invocation and opening couplets set safety and orientation, stabilizing lower-body nodes and initiating diaphragmatic entrainment.

5.2 Middle Verses (Heroic Deeds) → Rudra + Vayu + Hridaya

Verses describing Hanuman’s strength and protective acts engage courage circuits and generate corrective emotional experiences—antidotes to helplessness. Breath and vocal rhythm support Vayu cluster clearing.

5.3 Closing Verses and Benediction → Chitta-Shuddhi + Integration Nodes

Final couplets consolidate safety, integrate the experience into narrative memory, and enhance frontal-limbic coherence for meaning-making.

5.4 Practical Implication

When chanting is performed with breath awareness and visualization targeted to these clusters—e.g., grounding to the belly, warmth in the chest, and light at the third eye—the experiential effects often follow the mapped physiological shifts.

Cognitive and Emotional Benefits of Mantra Chanting

Studies indicate mantra chanting enhances working memory, executive function, and mindfulness [8][10][11]. Pre-examination anxiety, for example, can be reduced among students following mantra practice, with measurable improvement in cognitive processing efficiency [10][12][13]. Enhanced emotional regulation and stress reduction have therapeutic implications for mental health [13].

Neuroscience of Trauma

Trauma is known to significantly impact the human brain, leading to alterations in emotion, memory, behavior, and physiology. Advances in neuroscience have elucidated how trauma affects regions such as the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex—areas that play vital roles in stress response and emotional regulation [1][2].

Brain Changes Following Trauma

Traumatic experiences lead to a hyperactive amygdala, causing exaggerated fear and anxiety responses. The hippocampus, essential for memory processing, may shrink with chronic stress, resulting in memory difficulties and emotional instability. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for executive function and emotion regulation, often shows diminished activity, making stress management more difficult for trauma survivors [2][3][4].

Effects on Brain Networks

Trauma can disrupt important brain networks such as the salience network (involved in detecting and responding to threats) and the executive control network. In people who develop PTSD, these interruptions impair communication between the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal areas, reducing the ability to distinguish safe and threatening stimuli [5]. This leads to symptoms such as flashbacks, hypervigilance, and difficulties in learning or emotional regulation.

Childhood Trauma and Brain Development

Trauma in early childhood can profoundly affect brain development—cognitive, emotional, and social functions may be altered by reduced brain volume and connectivity in key regions such as the hippocampus and amygdala. Genetic and epigenetic influences further modulate vulnerability to trauma-related disorders like PTSD and depression [4][6].

Reward Circuitry and Trauma

Recent neuroscience research reveals how trauma affects the brain’s reward circuitry, explaining the frequent co-morbidity of trauma and substance use disorders. Disruptions of the mesolimbic dopamine system links problems in processing reward and fear, revealing why trauma survivors may be more vulnerable to addiction and an altered sense of pleasure [7].

Key brain mechanisms involved include:

  • The limbic system stores emotional imprints from early life experiences. Trauma can dysregulate this system leading to heightened fear and anxiety responses in adulthood.
  • The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which controls stress responses, may become overactive due to early trauma, causing hypersensitivity to perceived threats.
  • The prefrontal cortex (PFC), responsible for regulating emotions and executive control, can be underactive or dysregulated in trauma, leading to impaired emotion regulation.
  • Inner-child work activates the PFC to help regulate limbic-driven emotional responses, aiding in calming the brain’s alarm centers like the amygdala.
  • Neuroplasticity allows the brain to form new neural pathways, enabling healing by reframing memories and creating new, positive emotional experiences that soothe the inner child. 

Coherent Map for Healing: Trauma, Chalisa, and Chakras

Synthesizing trauma neuroscience, Hanuman Chalisa’s rhythmic devotion, and the 114-chakra transducer model yields a roadmap for integrative healing:

  • Chalisa chanting harmonizes breath (respiratory axis), calms the brain (neural axis), and shifts emotional states (endocrine/immune axes).
  • Activation and purification of chakras transduce raw energy, clear emotional residue, and enable resilience and insight.
  • Science confirms increased neuroplasticity, improved HRV, and measurable reductions in anxiety and PTSD markers after regular Chalisa practice [2][5][6][7][8].

Together, these three traditions demonstrate the possibility of transforming embodied inertia—fear, trauma, stagnation—into ascending clarity and insight.

Conclusion

The healing synergy of Hanuman Chalisa and Sri Amit Ray’s chakra science bridges ancient wisdom and modern neuroscience. Recitation acts as a time-tested protocol, activating graded energy centers through rhythmic resonance, fostering neuroplasticity, and enabling deep trauma healing. As science continues to validate these practices, a new frontier emerges for holistic, integrative trauma care.

The Hanuman Chalisa is more than a devotional composition. It is a multi-layered healing field—a neuroacoustic, emotional, energetic, and spiritual technology encoded in Sanskrit sound vibrations. Through the Ray 114 Chakra system, we see how deeply this mantra interacts with the subtle architecture of human consciousness.

For trauma survivors, this sacred composition offers a doorway to safety, strength, clarity, and inner rebirth. As modern science continues to explore the neuromechanics of mantra healing, the timeless wisdom of the Chalisa only becomes more radiant.

References

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  5. URMC Newsroom. “Researchers reveal how trauma changes the brain.” University of Rochester Medical Center, 12 June 2023.
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  9. Anaadi Foundation. “The Power of Chanting: Where Neuroscience meets Indic Wisdom.” Anaadi.org, 18 Apr. 2025.
  10. Baboo, S., & Jain, R. “Neurophysiological and Cognitive Benefits of Mantra Meditation: EEG-Based Evidence and Experimental Analysis.” RSPS Hub, 2024.
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  13. Gao, J., et al. “The neurophysiological correlates of religious chanting.” Nature Scientific Reports, vol. 9, 2019, p. 3773. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-40057-1.

  14. Ray, Amit. "Heart Rate Variability with Om Meditation and Chanting." Compassionate AI, 3.9 (2019): 72-74. https://amitray.com/stress-relief-and-heart-rate-variability-with-om-meditation/.
  15. Ray, Amit. "The Power of 24 Healing Chakras in Your Hand." Yoga and Ayurveda Research, 3.7 (2020): 60-62. https://amitray.com/the-24-healing-chakras-in-your-hand/.
  16. Ray, Amit. "The Sama Veda Mantra Chanting: Melody and Rhythms." Yoga and Ayurveda Research, 4.12 (2023): 30-32. https://amitray.com/the-sama-veda-mantra-chanting-melody-and-rhythms/.
  17. Ray, Amit. "Glymphatic System Brain Health and 40 Hz Music and Mantra Chanting." Yoga and Ayurveda Research, 3.8 (2024): 21-23. https://amitray.com/glymphatic-system-brain-health-and-40-hz-music-and-mantra-chanting/.
  18. Ray, Amit. "Benefits and Neuroscience of Ek-Sruti Mantra Chanting." Yoga and Ayurveda Research, 3.9 (2024): 90-92. https://amitray.com/benefits-and-neuroscience-of-ek-sruti-mantra-chanting/.
  19. Ray, Amit. "Neuroscience of Hanuman Chalisa and The Ray 114 Chakras for Healing." Yoga and Ayurveda Research, 4.11 (2025): 48-50. https://amitray.com/neuroscience-of-hanuman-chalisa/.
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