Hanuman Jayanti remedies: what to do, what to avoid, and which planet each remedy strengthens

Every Hanuman Jayanti, the same lists go around on WhatsApp — ten things to do, ten things to avoid, forwarded by an aunt who received it from another aunt. Most of those lists are not wrong. They are just incomplete, because they never tell you the one thing an astrologer actually looks at: which planet each remedy is speaking to.

Hanuman Jayanti is the birth anniversary of Lord Hanuman — celebrated by devotees across the world as the single most protective day in the Vedic calendar. And in jyotish, Hanuman holds a position no other deity holds: he is the one both Mangal (Mars) and Shani (Saturn) answer to. Mars, because Hanuman carries its courage and strength in their purest form. Saturn, because of the old vachan — the promise that those who serve Hanuman with devotion are not troubled by Shani's harshness.

Hanuman is the one deity both Mangal and Shani answer to — which is why his remedies keep appearing in charts troubled by the two hardest planets.

Why astrologers keep sending people to Hanuman

When a client comes to me with sudden conflict at work, court or property disputes, accidents, or anger that keeps costing them relationships — I look at Mars. When they describe delay, exhaustion, a career that will not move, or the long grind of sadhe sati — I look at Saturn. These two planets sit behind more of the problems NRIs bring me than all the others combined, and Hanuman upasana is the classical remedy line for both.

That is why the remedies below are worth doing properly on Hanuman Jayanti — and worth continuing on any Tuesday or Saturday, the two days of the week that belong to Mangal and Shani.

Five remedies worth doing — and what each one strengthens

• Chant the Hanuman Chalisa — 11 or 21 times. The Chalisa is both a prayer and a protection. Chanted with a calm mind, it steadies courage and willpower — the qualities of a well-placed Mars. If 11 recitations feel out of reach, one recitation done with full attention is worth more than eleven done while checking your phone.
• Light a diya of pure desi ghee. Place it before an image of Hanuman ji and sit with it for a few minutes. In the tradition, the flame clears tamas — heaviness, fear, negativity. It is the simplest remedy on this list and the one I most often see skipped.
• Donate red items to someone who needs them. Jaggery (gud), red cloth, masoor dal — red is the colour of Mars, and daan is how a difficult planet is softened in the classical texts. Give it into hands that need it, not into a collection box you never see.
• Recite the Hanuman Kavach. Kavach means armour. This path is traditionally read for protection — from fear, from ill intent, from the anxiety that has no clear source. For anyone moving through sadhe sati, this is the remedy I would place first.
• Read or listen to the Sundara Kanda. The chapter of the Ramayana that belongs entirely to Hanuman — his leap to Lanka, the search, the impossible task completed. It is read when work feels stuck and confidence is low, and it is the remedy of choice when effort is present but results are not.

What to avoid on Hanuman Jayanti

• Do not worship a broken or damaged idol — if the Hanuman murti in your home is chipped or cracked, respectfully replace it before the day.
• Avoid wearing black. Red and saffron are the colours of the day.
• Keep the day sattvic — vegetarian food, and a fast if your health comfortably allows one. A fast is an offering, never a punishment, and it is not required of anyone for whom it is a strain.
• Guard your thoughts as carefully as your rituals. A remedy performed while replaying an argument in your head is a remedy half done.

A note for those of us far from home

Most of my clients live in apartments in New Jersey, Toronto, London, Dubai. You do not need a mandir room for any of this. A clean corner, a stable surface for the diya away from anything that can catch, and ten quiet minutes are enough — Hanuman ji has never once checked the square footage. If an open flame is not possible where you live, an electric diya carries the intention; the tradition is clear that bhava, the feeling, is what is being offered.

And if you are wondering whether a pooja performed in India in your name counts when you cannot be there — it does. That is precisely how the tradition has always worked for travellers, and it is how I arrange poojas for clients: performed by trusted priests in India, in your name and gotra, with photo and video proof so you see exactly what was done.

One honest caution, because you will see the opposite claimed everywhere in festival week: no remedy guarantees an outcome. What a well-chosen remedy does is align your effort with the planet that has been resisting it. Which remedy is yours depends on your chart — a person with a strong Mars and an afflicted Saturn needs a different emphasis than the reverse. This is why I never hand out nine remedies; I prescribe one.

Frequently asked questions

Can I do these remedies only on Hanuman Jayanti?
No — Hanuman Jayanti is the strongest day for them, but every Tuesday (Mangal's day) and Saturday (Shani's day) carries the same doors. If you missed the Jayanti, begin on the next Tuesday.

Do I need to know my birth chart before doing any of this?
Not for the general remedies above — they are safe and open to everyone. The chart matters when you want to know which one deserves your consistency, or whether your difficulty is even a Mars or Saturn matter at all. That is chart-specific work, and it is what a Life Blocks Energy Scan ($49) is for.

Is 11, 21 or 108 Chalisa recitations better?
The counts are traditional, not transactional. Choose the number you can complete with full attention. A sankalpa (a stated commitment — say, 11 recitations every Tuesday for 11 weeks) is worth more than a single heroic day.

I live outside India — does a pooja performed in India in my name really count?
Yes. The pooja is performed with your name and birth details in the sankalpa, which is what directs it. This is the traditional arrangement for anyone away from home, and it is why I insist on photo and video proof for every pooja I arrange — you should never have to take a ritual on faith alone.