Many people keep a copy of the Hanuman Chalisa under their pillow not because they are following a formal rule of scripture, but because they are trying to sleep with less fear. The practice seems to come from lived faith more than ritual law: Hanuman is widely revered as a figure of courage, protection, steadiness, and devotion in the Ramayana, and the Hanuman Chalisa, traditionally attributed to Tulsidas in Awadhi, has long been recited as a prayer for strength in troubled moments. The custom, then, is not really about paper under a pillow. It is about what a restless mind reaches for when the room is dark and thoughts grow loud.
