Hanuman Chalisa Chaupai - 13

                 Hanuman Chalisa   Chaupai  - 13


    Sahasa badana tumharo  jas  gavai ,

    Asa kahi  shripati  kantha  lagavai .


" Sheshanaga , the thousand headed serpent sings your glory ", saying thus , the Lord of  Lakshmi ( Vishnu , here Rama) embraced you .

Shripati means  husband of Lakshmi namely Vishnu . Here in this context it means Rama , who is an incarnation of Vishnu . Sahasabadana is interpreted as Sheshanaga with thousand faces. According to Indian mythology , he is the noblest serpent king who resides in nether regions ( Patala). He obtained from Brahma , the creator , a boon to be able to stand firmly on dharma , righteousness . He also supports the earth on his hoods at the behest of Brahma. It is said that at the bottom of  Patala there is a base form of Vishnu called Adishesha . The Siddhas call this Adishesha as Ananta who is worshipped by the deities and the sages . Ananta has thousand heads and the Swastika mark which is clearly visible is his ornament. The thousand gems in his head illuminate all regions ,and he renders the asuras ( demons ) powerless for the good of all the worlds . When he yawns , the earth and water shake and shiver . No can gauge his nature, shape ,prowess etc. That is why he is called Ananta ( endless ). He is said to have formed couch for Vishnu when he slept on the ocean. In the Ramayana, Lakshmana is said to be his incarnation. The sentence ' Sheshanaga sings Hanuman's glory can be symbolic.Thousands of living beings ( countless) chant hymns in Hanuman's praise or it could mean that even thousand mouths are not enough to sing his glories. Lakshmana is the incarnation of Sheshanaga and he himself was witness to the achievements of Hanuman. So he always sang his glories.

Embrace is also symbolic. It is an expression of Rama's love and gratitude towards Hanuman. It can imply that the Lord keeps himself in the heart of the devotee. He says ' I do not reside in Vaikuntha , nor in yogis but wherever my devotees sing , I reside there, I reside in my devotee's heart ". So the easiest way to attain god is to remain in the company of devotees because god resides in them.