Tulsidas
(Goswami Tulsidas)
Tulsidas
Tulsidas (Hindi
pronunciation: [t̪ʊls̪iːd̪aːs̪]; 1532–1623), also known as Goswami Tulsidas, was
a Ramanandi Vaishnava saint and
poet, renowned for his devotion to the deity Rama. He wrote several popular works in Sanskrit and Awadhi,
but is best known as the author of the epic Ramcharitmanas, a retelling of the Sanskrit Ramayana based on Rama's
life in the vernacular Awadhi.
Tulsidas spent most of his life
in the city of Varanasi and Ayodhya. The Tulsi
Ghat on the Ganges River in Varanasi is
named after him. He founded the Sankatmochan Temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman in Varanasi, believed to stand at the place where
he had the sight of the deity. Tulsidas started the Ramlila plays, a folk-theatre adaption of the Ramayana.
He has been acclaimed as one of
the greatest poets in Hindi, Indian, and world literature. The
impact of Tulsidas and his works on the art, culture and society in India is
widespread and is seen to date in vernacular language, Ramlila plays, Hindustani
classical music, popular music, and television
series.
Quotation
I bow down to
the whole world by folding both hands, considering all of it to be a
manifestation of Sita and Rama. [Note - Siyaramamay means to be manifest
of Sita and Rama. It does not mean to be born
of Sita and Rama.]
Transliteration
and etymology
The Sanskrit name of Tulsidas
can be transliterated in two ways. Using the original Sanskrit, the name is
written as Tulasīdāsa. Using the Hunterian
transliteration system, it is written as Tulsidas or Tulsīdās reflecting
the vernacular pronunciation (since the written Indian languages maintain the
vestigial letters that are no longer pronounced). The lost vowels are an aspect
of the Schwa
deletion in Indo-Aryan languages and can vary between
regions. The name is a compound of two Sanskrit words: Tulasī, which is an Indian variety of
the basil plant
considered auspicious by Vaishnavas (devotees of god Vishnu and his avatars like
Rama), and Dāsa, which
means slave or servant and by
extension, devotee.
Sources
Tulsidas himself has given only
a few facts and hints about events of his life in various works. Till late
nineteenth century, the two widely known ancient sources on Tulsidas' life were
the Bhaktamal composed
by Nabhadas between 1583 and 1639, and a commentary on Bhaktamal titled Bhaktirasbodhini composed
by Priyadas in 1712. Nabhadas was a contemporary of Tulsidas and wrote a
six-line stanza on Tulsidas describing him as an incarnation of Valmiki.
Priyadas' work was composed around a hundred years after the death of Tulsidas
and had eleven additional stanzas, describing seven miracles or spiritual
experiences from the life of Tulsidas. During the 1920s, two more ancient biographies
of Tulsidas were published based on old manuscripts – the Mula Gosain
Charit composed by Veni Madhav Das in 1630 and the Gosain
Charit composed by Dasanidas (also known as Bhavanidas) around
1770. Veni Madhav Das was a disciple and contemporary of Tulsidas and his
work gave a new date for Tulsidas' birth. The work by Bhavanidas presented more
narratives in greater detail as compared to the work by Priyadas. In the 1950s
a fifth ancient account was published based on an old manuscript, the Gautam
Chandrika composed by Krishnadatta Misra of Varanasi in 1624. Krishnadatta
Misra's father was a close companion of Tulsidas. The accounts published later
are not considered authentic by some modern scholars, whereas some other
scholars have been unwilling to dismiss them. Together, these five works form a
set of traditional biographies on which modern biographies of Tulsidas are
based.
Incarnation of Valmiki
He is believed by many to be a rebirth of Valmiki. In the Hindu
scripture Bhavishyottar Purana,
the god Shiva tells his wife Parvati how Valmiki, who got a boon from Hanuman to sing
the glory of Rama in vernacular language, will incarnate in future in the Kali
Yuga (the present and last Yuga or epoch within a cycle of four Yugas).
|
Devanagari |
IAST |
|
वाल्मीकिस्तुलसीदासः कलौ देवि भविष्यति ।
|
vālmīkistulasīdāsaḥ kalau devi bhaviṣyati । |
|
रामचन्द्रकथामेतां भाषाबद्धां करिष्यति ॥
|
rāmacandrakathāmetāṃ bhāṣābaddhāṃ kariṣyati ॥ |
O
Goddess [Parvati]! Valmiki will become Tulsidas in the Kali age, and will
compose this narrative of Rama in the vernacular language. Bhavishyottar
Purana, Pratisarga Parva, 4.20.
Nabhadas writes in his Bhaktamal (literally, the
Garland of bhakt or devotee) that Tulsidas was the re-incarnation of
Valmiki in the Kali
Yuga. The Ramanandi sect believes that it was Valmiki himself who
incarnated as Tulsidas in the Kali Yuga.
According to a traditional
account, Hanuman went to Valmiki numerous times to hear him sing the Ramayana,
but Valmiki turned down the request saying that Hanuman being a monkey was
unworthy of hearing the epic. After the victory of Rama over Ravana, Hanuman went
to the Himalayas to continue his worship of Rama. There he scripted a play
version of the Ramayana called Mahanataka or Hanuman
Nataka engraved on the Himalayan rocks using his nails. When
Valmiki saw the play written by Hanuman, he anticipated that the beauty of the Mahanataka would
eclipse his own Ramayana. Hanuman was saddened at Valmiki's state of mind and,
being a true bhakta without any
desire for glory, Hanuman cast all the rocks into the ocean, some parts of
which are believed to be available today as Hanuman Nataka. After
this, Valmiki was instructed by Hanuman to take birth as Tulsidas and compose
the Ramayana in the vernacular.
Early life
Birth
Tulsidas was born on saptami, the
seventh day of shukla
paksha, the bright half of the lunar Hindu calendar month Shraavana (July–August). Although
as many as three places are mentioned as his birthplace, most scholars identify
the place with Sookar Kshetra Soron, District Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh, a
village on the banks of the river Ganga. In 2012 Sukarkhet Soron was
declared officially by the government of Uttar Pradesh as the birthplace of
Tulsi Das. His parents were Hulsi and Atmaram Dubey. Most sources identify
him as a Saryupareen
Brahmin of the Parashar Gotra (lineage),
although some sources claim he was a Kanyakubja or Sanadhya Brahmin.
There is difference of opinion
among biographers regarding the year of birth of Tulsidas. Many sources rely on
Veni Madhav Das' account in the Mula Gosain Charita, which gives
the year of Tulsidas' birth as Vikrami Samvat 1554
(1497 CE). These sources include Shivlal Pathak, popular editions of
Ramcharitmanas (Gita Press, Naval Kishore Press and Venkateshvar Press), Edwin
Greaves, Hanuman
Prasad Poddar, Ramanand Sarasvati, Ayodhyanath Sharma, Ramchandra Shukla,
Narayandas, and Rambhadracharya. A
second group of biographers led by Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras and Sir George Grierson give
the year as Vikram 1568 (1511 CE). These biographers include Ramkrishna
Gopal Bhandarkar, Ramghulam Dwivedi, James Lochtefeld, Swami Sivananda and
others. The year 1497 appears in many current-day biographies in India and
in popular culture. Biographers who disagree with this year argue that it makes
the life span of Tulsidas equal 126 years, which in their opinion is unlikely
if not impossible. In contrast, Ramchandra Shukla says that an age of 126
is not impossible for a Mahatma (great soul) like Tulsidas. The Government of India and
provincial governments celebrated the 500th birth anniversary of Tulsidas in
the year 1997 CE, according to the year of Tulsidas' birth in popular culture.
Childhood
Legend goes that Tulsidas was
born after staying in the womb for twelve months, he had all thirty two teeth
in his mouth at birth, his health and looks were like that of a five-year-old
boy, and he did not cry at the time of his birth but uttered Rama instead.
He was therefore named Rambola (literally, he who
uttered Rama), as Tulsidas himself states in Vinaya Patrika. As
per the Mula Gosain Charita, he was born under the Abhuktamūla constellation,
which according to Jyotisha (Hindu
astrology) causes immediate danger to the life of the father. Due to the
inauspicious events at the time of his birth, he was abandoned by his parents
on the fourth night, sent away with Chuniya (some sources call her Muniya), a female
servant of Hulsi. In his works Kavitavali and Vinayapatrika,
Tulsidas attests to his parents abandoning him after birth due to an
inauspicious astrological configuration.
Chuniya took the child to her
village of Haripur and looked after him for five and a half years after which
she died. Rambola was left to fend for himself as an impoverished orphan,
and wandered from door to door begging for alms. It is believed that the
goddess Parvati assumed the form of a Brahmin woman and fed Rambola every day.
Initiation from guru and learning
At the age of five years,
Rambola was adopted by Narharidas, a Vaishnava ascetic of Ramananda's
monastic order who is believed to be the fourth disciple of Ramananda, or
alternately, the disciple of Anantacharya. Rambola was given the Virakta
Diksha (Vairagi initiation) with the new name of
Tulsidas. Tulsidas narrates the dialogue that took place during the first
meeting with his guru in a passage in the Vinayapatrika. When
he was seven years old, his Upanayana ("sacred thread
ceremony") was performed by Narharidas on the fifth day of the bright half
of the month of Magha (January–February)
at Ayodhya, a
pilgrimage-site related to Rama. Tulsidas started his learning at Ayodhya.
After some time, Narharidas took him to a particular Varaha Kshetra Soron (a
holy place with temple dedicated to Varaha – the boar avatar of
Vishnu), where he first narrated the Ramayana to Tulsidas. Tulsidas
mentions this in the Ramcharitmanas.
|
Devanagari |
IAST |
|
मैं पुनि निज गुर सन सुनी कथा सो सूकरखेत। |
maı̐
puni nija gura sana sunī kathā so sūkarakheta। |
|
समुझी नहिं तस बालपन तब अति रहेउँ अचेत॥ |
samujhī
nahi̐ tasa bālapana taba ati raheu̐ aceta॥ |
And
then, I heard the same narrative from my Guru in a Sukarkhet (Varaha
Kshetra) Soron. I did not understand it then, since I was totally
without cognition in childhood. Ramcharitmanas 1.30 (ka).
Most authors identify the
Varaha Kshetra referred to by Tulsidas with the Sookarkshetra is the Soron Varaha Kshetra in modern-day Kasganj, Tulsidas further mentions in the Ramcharitmanas
that his guru repeatedly narrated the Ramayana to him, which led him to
understand it somewhat.
Tulsidas later came to the
sacred city of Varanasi and studied Sanskrit grammar,
four Vedas, six Vedangas, Jyotisha and the six schools of Hindu
philosophy over a period of 15–16 years from
guru Shesha Sanatana who was based at the Pancaganga Ghat in
Varanasi. Shesha Sanatana was a friend of Narharidas and a renowned
scholar on literature and philosophy.
Marriage and renunciation
There are two contrasting views
regarding the marital status of Tulsidas. According to the Mula Gosain
Charita and some other works, Tulsidas was married to Ratnavali on the
thirteenth day of the bright half of the Jyeshta month (May–June)
in Vikram 1583 (1526 CE). Ratnavali was the daughter of Dinbandhu Pathak,
a Brahmin of the Bharadwaja Gotra,
who belonged to Mahewa village of Kaushambi district. They
had a son named Tarak who died as a toddler. Once when
Tulsidas had gone to a Hanuman temple, Ratnavali went to her father's home with
her brother. When Tulsidas came to know this, he swam across the Yamuna river
in the night to meet his wife. Ratnavali chided Tulsidas for this, and
remarked that if Tulsidas was even half as devoted to God as he was to her body
of flesh and blood, he would have been redeemed. Tulsidas left her instantly
and left for the holy city of Prayag. Here, he renounced the Grihastha (householder's
life) stage and became a Sadhu (Hindu ascetic).
Some authors consider the
marriage episode of Tulsidas to be a later interpolation and maintain that he
was a bachelor. They
include Rambhadracharya, who cite two verses in the Vinayapatrika and Hanuman
Bahuka to mean that Tulsidas never married and was a Sadhu from
childhood.
Later life
Travels
After renunciation, Tulsidas
spent most of his time at Varanasi, Prayag, Ayodhya, and Chitrakuta but visited
many other nearby and far-off places. He travelled across India to many places,
studying different people, meeting saints and Sadhus and
meditating. The Mula Gosain Charita gives an account of
his travels to the four
pilgrimages of Hindus (Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameshwaram) and
the Himalayas. He
visited the Manasarovar
lake in current-day Tibet, where tradition holds he
had Darshan (sight)
of Kakabhushundi, the
crow who is one of the four narrators in the Ramcharitmanas.
Darshan of Hanuman
Tulsidas hints at several
places in his works, that he had met face to face with Hanuman and
Rama. The detailed account of his meetings with Hanuman and Rama are given
in the Bhaktirasbodhini of Priyadas. According to
Priyadas' account, Tulsidas used to visit the woods outside Varanasi for his
morning ablutions with a water pot. On his return to the city, he used to offer
the remaining water to a certain tree. This quenched the thirst of a Preta (a
type of ghost believed to be ever thirsty for water), who appeared to Tulsidas
and offered him a boon. Tulsidas said he wished to see Rama with his eyes,
to which the Preta responded that it was beyond him. However, the Preta said
that he could guide Tulsidas to Hanuman, who could grant the boon Tulsidas
asked for. The Preta told Tulsidas that Hanuman comes everyday disguised in the
mean attire of a leper to listen to his Katha, he is the first to arrive and
last to leave.
That evening Tulsidas noted
that the first listener to arrive at his discourse was an old leper, who sat at
the end of the gathering. After the Katha was over, Tulsidas quietly followed
the leper to the woods. In the woods, at the spot where the Sankat Mochan Temple stands
today, Tulsidas firmly fell at the leper's feet, shouting "I know who
you are" and "You cannot escape me". At first the leper
feigned ignorance but Tulsidas did not relent. Then the leper revealed his
original form of Hanuman and blessed Tulsidas. When granted a boon, Tulsidas
told Hanuman he wanted to see Rama face to face. Hanuman told him to go to
Chitrakuta where he would see Rama with his own eyes.
At the beginning of the
Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas bows down to a particular Preta and asks for his grace
(Ramcharitmanas, Doha 1.7). According to Rambhadracharya, this is the same
Preta which led Tulsidas to Hanuman.
Darshan of Rama
As per Priyadas' account,
Tulsidas followed the instruction of Hanumana and started living in an Ashram
at Ramghat in
Chitrakuta. One day Tulsidas went to perform the Parikrama (circumambulation)
of the Kamadgiri mountain.
He saw two princes, one dark and the other fair, dressed in green robes pass by
mounted on horsebacks. Tulsidas was enraptured at the sight, however he could
not recognise them and took his eyes off them. Later Hanuman asked Tulsidas if
he saw Rama and his brother Lakshmana on horses.
Tulsidas was disappointed and repentful. Hanuman assured Tulsidas that he would
have the sight of Rama once again the next morning. Tulsidas recalls this
incident in a song of the Gitavali and laments how "his
eyes turned his own enemies" by staying fixed to the ground and how
everything happened in a trice. On the next morning, Wednesday, the
new-moon day of Magha, Vikram 1607 (1551 CE) or 1621 (1565 CE) as per some
sources, Rama again appeared to Tulsidas, this time as a child. Tulsidas was
making sandalwood paste when a child came and asked for a sandalwood Tilaka (a
religious mark on the forehead). This time Hanuman gave a hint to Tulsidas and
he had a full view of Rama. Tulsidas was so charmed that he forgot about the
sandalwood. Rama took the sandalwood paste and put a Tilaka himself on his
forehead and Tulsidas' forehead before disappearing. This famous incidence is
described in the verse चित्रकूट के घाट पर हुई संतन की भीर तुलसीदास चन्दन घिसे तिलक देते रघुबीर.
In a verse in the Vinayapatrika,
Tulsidas alludes to a certain "miracle at Chitrakuta", and thanks
Rama for what he did for him at Chitrakuta. Some biographers conclude that
the deed of Rama at Chitrakuta referred to by Tulsidas is the Darshan of Rama.
Darshan of Yajnavalkya and Bharadvaja
In Vikram 1628 (1572 CE),
Tulsidas left Chitrakuta for Prayag where he stayed during the Magha
Mela (the annual fair in January). Six days after the Mela ended, he
had the Darshan of the sages Yajnavalkya and Bharadvaja under
a banyan tree. In one of the four dialogues in the Ramcharitmanas,
Yajnavalkya is the speaker and Bharadvaja the listener. Tulsidas describes the
meeting between Yajnavalkya and Bharadvaja after a Magha Mela festival in the
Ramcharitmanas, it is this meeting where Yajnavalkya narrates the
Ramcharitmanas to Bharadvaja.
Attributed miracles
Most stories about Tulsidas
tend to be apocryphal, and have been carried forward by word of mouth. None of
them were related by Tulsi himself, thus making it difficult to separate fact
from lore and fiction. In Priyadas' biography, Tulsidas is attributed with the
power of working miracles. In one such miracle, he is believed to have
brought back a dead Brahmin to life. While the Brahmin was being taken for
cremation, his widow bowed down to Tulsidas on the way who addressed her
as Saubhagyavati (a woman whose husband is alive). The
widow told Tulsidas her husband had just died, so his words could not be
true. Tulsidas said that the word has passed his lips and so he would
restore the dead man to life. He asked everybody present to close their eyes
and uttered the name of lord Rama, on doing which the dead Brahmin
was raised back to life.
Tulsidas was acclaimed in his
lifetime to be a reincarnation of Valmiki, the
composer of the original Ramayana in Sanskrit. He is also considered to be
the composer of the Hanuman Chalisa, a
popular devotional hymn dedicated to Hanuman,the monkey god and divine devotee of lord Rama.
In another miracle described by
Priyadas, the Mughal Emperor Akbar summoned
Tulsidas on hearing of his bringing back a dead man to life. Tulsidas
declined to go as he was too engrossed in creating his verses but he was later
forcibly brought before the Akbar and was asked to perform a miracle, which
Tulsidas declined by saying "It's a lie, all I know is Rama." The
emperor imprisoned Tulsidas at Fatehpur Sikri, "We will see this Rama." Tulsidas
refused to bow to Akbar and created a verse in praise of Hanuman and chanted it (Hanuman Chalisa) for forty days and suddenly an army of monkeys
descended upon the town and wreaked havoc in all corners of Fatehpur
Sikri, entering each home and the emperor's harem, scratching people and
throwing bricks from ramparts An old Hafiz told the emperor that this was the miracle of
the imprisoned Fakir. The
emperor fell at Tulsidas' feet, released him and apologised. Tulsidas
stopped the menace of monkeys and asked the emperor to abandon the place. The
emperor agreed and moved back to Delhi. Ever since Akbar became a close
friend of Tulsidas and he also ordered a firman that followers of lord Rama, lord Hanuman &
other Hindus, should not be harassed in his kingdom.
Priyadas narrates a miracle of
Tulsidas at Vrindavan, when he visited a temple of Krishna. When he began bowing down to the idol of Krishna,
the Mahant of the temple named
Parshuram decided to test Tulsidas. He told Tulsidas that he who bows down to
any deity except their Ishta Devata (cherished
form of divinity) is a fool, as Tulsidas' Ishta Devata was Rama. In
response, Tulsidas recited the following extemporaneously composed couplet
|
Devanagari |
IAST |
|
काह कहौं छबि आजुकि भले बने हो नाथ। |
kāha
kahau̐ chabi ājuki bhale bane ho nātha। |
|
तुलसी मस्तक तब नवै धरो धनुष शर हाथ॥ |
tulasī
mastaka taba navai dharo dhanuṣa śara hātha॥ |
When Tulsidas recited this
couplet, the idol of Krishna holding the flute and stick in hands changed to
the idol of Rama holding the bow and arrow in hands. Some authors have
expressed doubts on the couplet being composed by Tulsidas.
Literary life
Tulsidas started composing
poetry in Sanskrit in Varanasi on the Prahlada Ghat. Tradition holds that all
the verses that he composed during the day, would get lost in the night. This
happened daily for eight days. On the eighth night, Shiva – whose famous Kashi Vishwanath
Temple is located in Varanasi – is believed to
have ordered Tulsidas in a dream to compose poetry in the vernacular instead of
Sanskrit. Tulsidas woke up and saw both Shiva and Parvati who blessed him.
Shiva ordered Tulsidas to go to Ayodhya and compose poetry in Awadhi. Shiva
also predicted that Tulsidas' poetry would fructify like the Sama
Veda. In the Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas hints at
having the Darshan of Shiva and Parvati in both dream and awakened state.
Tulsidas is also credited with
having composed a number of wise sayings and dohas containing
lessons for life. A popular one among them is:
आवत ही हरसय नहीं, नैनन नहीं सनोह । तुलसी वहाँ न जाइये, चाहे कञ्चन बरसे मेर ॥ (Aawat
hi harshe nahin, nainan nahin saneh. Tulsi tahan na jaiye, chahe kanchan barse
megh. Lit. A place where people are not happy or welcoming when you come, where
their eyes have no affection for you, Don't go there, even if a mountain of
gold is showered.)
Composition of Ramcharitmanas
In the year Vikram 1631 (1575
CE), Tulsidas started composing the Ramcharitmanas in Ayodhya on Sunday, Ramnavami day (ninth day of the bright half of the Chaitra month, which is the birthday of Rama). Tulsidas
himself attests this date in the Ramcharitmanas. He composed the epic over
two years, seven months and twenty-six days, and completed the work in Vikram
1633 (1577 CE) on the Vivaha Panchami day
(fifth day of the bright half of the Margashirsha month, which commenrates the wedding of Rama and
his wife Sita).
Tulsidas came to Varanasi and
recited the Ramcharitmanas to Shiva (Vishwanath) and Parvati (Annapurna) at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. A popular legend goes
that the Brahmins of Varanasi, who were critical of Tulsidas for having
rendered the Sanskrit Ramayana in the Awadhi, decided to test the worth of the
work. A manuscript of the Ramcharitmanas was kept at the bottom of pile of
Sanskrit scriptures in the sanctum sanctorum of the Vishvanath temple in the
night, and the doors of the sanctum sanctorum were locked. In the morning when
the doors were opened, the Ramcharitmanas was found at the top of the pile. The
words Satyam Shivam Sundaram (Sanskrit: सत्यं शिवं सुन्दरम्,
literally "truth, auspiciousness, beauty") were inscribed on the
manuscript with the signature of Shiva. The words were also heard by the people
present.
Per traditional accounts, some
Brahmins of Varanasi were still not satisfied, and sent two thieves to steal
the manuscript. The thieves tried to break into the Ashram of Tulsidas,
but were confronted by two guards with bows and arrows, of dark and fair
complexion. The thieves had a change of heart and came to Tulsidas in the
morning to ask who the two guards were. Believing that the two guards
could be none other than Rama and Lakshmana, Tulsidas was aggrieved to know
that they were guarding his home at night. He sent the manuscript of
Ramcharitmanas to his friend Todar Mal, the finance
minister of Akbar, and donated all his
money. The thieves were reformed and became devotees of Rama.
Last compositions
Around Vikram 1664 (1607 CE),
Tulsidas was afflicted by acute pain all over his body, especially in his arms.
He then composed the Hanuman Bahuk, where he describes his bodily
pain and suffering in several stanzas. He was relieved of his pain after
this composition. Later he was also afflicted by Bartod boils
(Hindi: बरतोड़, furuncles caused by pulling out of the hair), which may have
been the cause of his death.
The Vinaypatrika is considered as the last compositions of Tulsidas,
believed to be written when Kali Yuga started troubling him. In this work
of 279 stanzas, he beseeches Rama to give him Bhakti ("devotion"),
and to accept his petition. Tulsidas attests in the last stanza of Vinaypatrika that
Rama himself signed the manuscript of the work. The 45th stanza of the
Vinaypatrika is sung as the evening Aarti by
many Hindus.
Death
Tulsidas died at the age of 126
on 31 July 1623 (Shravan month of the year Vikram 1680) in Assi Ghat on the bank of the river Ganga. Like the year of his birth, traditional accounts and
biographers do not agree on the exact date of his death.
Works
Twelve works are widely
considered by biographers to be written by Tulsidas, six major works and six
minor works. Based on the language of the works, they have been classified
into two groups as follows–
1.
Awadhi works –
Ramcharitmanas, Ramlala Nahachhu, Barvai Ramayan, Parvati Mangal, Janaki Mangal
and Ramagya Prashna.
2.
Braja works –
Krishna Gitavali, Gitavali, Sahitya Ratna, Dohavali, Vairagya Sandipani and
Vinaya Patrika.
Besides these twelve works,
four more works are popularly believed to be composed by Tulsidas which include
Hanuman Chalisa, Hanuman Ashtak, Hanuman Bahuk and Tulsi Satsai.
Ramcharitmanas
Ramacharitamanas (रामचरितमानस,
1574–1576), "The Mānasa lake brimming
over with the exploits of Lord Rāma" is an Awadhi rendering of the
Ramayana narrative. It is the longest and earliest work of Tulsidas, and draws
from various sources including the Ramayana of Valmiki, the Adhyatma
Ramayana, the Prasannaraghava and
Hanuman Nataka. The work consists of around 12,800 lines divided into 1073
stanzas, which are groups of Chaupais separated
by Dohas or Sorthas. It is
divided into seven books (Kands) like the Ramayana of Valmiki, and is around
one-third of the size of Valmiki's Ramayana. The work is composed in 18
metres which include ten Sanskrit metres (Anushtup, Shardulvikridit, Vasantatilaka, Vamshashta, Upajati, Pramanika, Malini, Sragdhara, Rathoddhata and Bhujangaprayata)
and eight Prakrit metres (Soratha, Doha, Chaupai, Harigitika, Tribhangi, Chaupaiya, Trotaka and Tomara). It
is popularly referred to as Tulsikrit Ramayana, literally The
Ramayana composed by Tulsidas. The work has been acclaimed as
"the living sum of Indian culture", "the tallest tree in the
magic garden of medieval Indian poesy", "the greatest book of all
devotional literature", "the Bible of Northern India", and
"the best and most trustworthy guide to the popular living faith of its
people."But, as he has said "हरि अनंत हरि कथा अनंता।( The
story of the lord is endless as are his glories)
Several manuscripts of the
Ramcharitmanas are claimed to have been written down by Tulsidas himself.
Grierson wrote in the late nineteenth century, two copies of the epic were said
to have existed in the poet's own handwriting. One manuscript was kept at Rajapur, of which only the Ayodhyakand is left
now, which bears marks of water. A legend goes that the manuscript was stolen
and thrown into Yamuna river when the thief was being pursued, and only the
second book of the epic could be rescued. Grierson wrote that the other
copy was at Malihabad in Lucknow district,
of which only one leaf was missing. Another manuscript of the Ayodhyakanda claimed
to be in the poet's own hand exists at Soron in Etah district, one of the
places claimed to be Tulsidas' birthplace. One manuscript of Balakanda,
dated Samvat 1661, nineteen years before the poet's death, claimed to be corrected
by Tulsidas, is at Ayodhya. Some other ancient manuscripts are found in
Varanasi, including one in possession of the Maharaja of Benares that was
written in Vikram 1704 (1647), twenty-four years after the death of Tulsidas.
Other major works
The five major works of
Tulsidas apart from Ramcharitmanas include:
1.
Dohavali (दोहावली,
1581), literally Collection of Dohas, is a work consisting of 573
miscellaneous Doha and Sortha verses mainly in Braja with some verses in
Awadhi. The verses are aphorisms on topics related to tact, political wisdom,
righteousness and the purpose of life. 85 Dohas from this work are also found
in the Ramcharitmanas, 35 in Ramagya Prashna, two in Vairagya Sandipani and
some in Rama Satsai, another work of 700 Dohas attributed to
Tulsidas.
2.
sahitya ratna or ratna
Ramayan (1608–1614), literally Collection of Kavittas, is
a Braja rendering of the Ramayana, composed entirely in metres of the Kavitta family
– Kavitta, Savaiya, Ghanakshari and Chhappaya. It consists of 325 verses including
183 verses in the Uttarkand. Like the Ramcharitmanas, it is divided into seven
Kands or books and many episodes in this work are different from the
Ramcharitmanas.
3.
Gitavali (गीतावली),
literally Collection of Songs, is a Braja rendering of the Ramayana
in songs. All the verses are set to Ragas of
Hindustani classical music and are suitable for singing. It consists of 328
songs divided into seven Kands or books. Many episodes of the Ramayana are
elaborated while many others are abridged.
4.
Krishna Gitavali or Krishnavali (कृष्णगीतावली,
1607), literally Collection of Songs to Krishna, is a collection of
61 songs in honour of Krishna in Braja. There
are 32 songs devoted to the childhood sports (Balalila) and Rasa
Lila of Krishna, 27 songs form the dialogue between
Krishna and Uddhava, and two songs
describe the episode of disrobing of Draupadi.
5.
Vinaya Patrika (विनयपत्रिका),
literally Petition of Humility, is a Braja work consisting of 279
stanzas or hymns. The stanzas form a petition in the court of Rama asking
for Bhakti. It is considered to be the second best work of Tulsidas
after the Ramcharitmanas, and is regarded as important from the viewpoints of
philosophy, erudition, and eulogistic and poetic style of Tulsidas. The first
43 hymns are addressed to various deities and Rama's courtiers and attendants,
and remaining are addressed to Rama.
Minor works
Minor works of Tulsidas
include:
1.
Barvai Ramayana (बरवै रामायण,
1612), literally The Ramayana in Barvai metre, is an abridged
rendering of the Ramayana in Awadhi. The works consists of 69 verses composed
in the Barvai metre, and is divided into seven Kands or
books. The work is based on a psychological framework.
2.
Parvati Mangal (पार्वती मंगल),
literally The marriage of Parvati, is an Awadhi work of 164 verses
describing the penance of Parvati and the marriage of Parvati and Shiva. It
consists of 148 verses in the Sohar metre and 16 verses in
the Harigitika metre.
3.
Janaki Mangal (जानकी मंगल),
literally The marriage of Sita, is an Awadhi work of 216 verses
describing the episode of marriage of Sita and Rama from the Ramayana. The work
includes 192 verses in the Hamsagati metre and 24 verses in
the Harigitika metres. The narrative differs from the
Ramcharitmanas at several places.
4.
Ramalala Nahachhu (रामलला नहछू),
literally The Nahachhu ceremony of the child Rama, is an Awadhi
work of 20 verses composed in the Sohar metre. The Nahachhu
ceremony involves cutting the nails of the feet before the Hindu Samskaras (rituals) of Chudakarana, Upanayana, Vedarambha, Samavartana or Vivaha. In the work, events take place in the city of Ayodhya,
so it is considered to describe the Nahachhu before Upanayana, Vedarambha and
Samavartana.
5.
Ramajna Prashna (रामाज्ञा प्रश्न),
literally Querying the Will of Rama, is an Awadhi work related to
both Ramayana and Jyotisha (astrology). It consists of seven Kands
or books, each of which is divided into seven Saptakas or Septets
of seven Dohas each. Thus it contains 343 Dohas in all. The work narrates the
Ramayana non-sequentially, and gives a method to look up the Shakuna (omen or portent) for astrological predictions.
6.
Vairagya Sandipini (वैराग्य संदीपनी,
1612), literally Kindling of Detachment, is a philosophical work of
60 verses in Braja which describe the state of Jnana (realisation) and Vairagya (dispassion), the nature and greatness of saints,
and moral conduct. It consists of 46 Dohas, 2 Sorathas and 12 Chaupai metres.
Popularly attributed works
The
following four works are popularly attributed to Tulsidas–
1.
Hanuman Chalisa (हनुमान चालीसा),
literally, Forty Verses to Hanuman, is an
Awadhi work of 40 Chaupais and two Dohas in obeisance to Hanuman. Popular
belief holds the work to be authored by Tulsidas, and it contains his
signature, though some authors do not think the work was written by
him. It is one of the most read short religious texts in northern India,
and is recited by millions of Hindus on Tuesdays and Saturdays. It is
believed to have been uttered by Tulsidas in a state of Samadhi at the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar.
2.
Sankatmochan Hanumanashtak (संकटमोचन हनुमानाष्टक),
literally Eight verses for Hanuman, the Remover of Afflictions, is
an Awadhi work of eight verses in the Mattagajendra metre,
devoted to Hanuman. It is believed to have been composed by Tulsidas on the
occasion of the founding of the Sankatmochan Temple in Varanasi. The work is
usually published along with Hanuman Chalisa.
3.
Hanuman Bahuka (हनुमान बाहुक),
literally The Arm of Hanuman, is a Braja work of 44 verses believed
to have been composed by Tulsidas when he suffered acute pain in his arms at an
advanced age. Tulsidas describes the pain in his arms and also prays to Hanuman
for freedom from the suffering. The work has two, one, five and 36 verses
respectively in the Chhappaya, Jhulna, Savaiya and Ghanakshari metre.
4.
Tulsi Satsai (तुलसी सतसई),
literally Seven Hundred Verses by Tulsidas, is a work in both
Awadhi and Braja and contains 747 Dohas divided in seven Sargas or
cantos. The verses are same as those in Dohavali and Ramagya
Prashna but the order is different.
Doctrine
The philosophy and principles
of Tulsidas are found across his works, and are especially outlined in the
dialogue between Kakbhushundi and Garuda in
the Uttar Kand of the Ramcharitmanas. Tulsidas' doctrine has been
described as an assimilation and reconciliation of the diverse tenets and
cultures of Hinduism. At the beginning of the Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas
says that his work is in accordance with various scriptures – the Puranas, Vedas, Upavedas, Tantra and Smriti. Ram Chandra Shukla in his critical work Hindi
Sahitya Ka Itihaas elaborates on Tulsidas' Lokmangal as
the doctrine for social upliftment which made this great poet immortal and
comparable to any other world littérateur.
Nirguna and Saguna Brahman
As per Tulsidas, the Nirguna Brahman (quality-less impersonal absolute) and Saguna
Brahman (personal God with qualities) are one
and the same. Both, Saguna (qualified Brahman) and Aguna (or Nirguna -
unqualified Brahman) are Akath (unspeakable), Agaadh (unfathomable), Anaadi
(without beginning, in existence since eternity) and Anupa (without parallel) (अगुन सगुन दुइ ब्रह्म सरूपा। अकथ अगाध अनादि अनूपा॥). It
is the devotion (Bhakti) of the devotee that forces the Nirguna Brahman which
is quality-less, formless, invisible and unborn, to become Saguna Brahman with
qualities. Tulsidas gives the example of water, snow and hail to explain this –
the substance is the same in all three, but the same formless water solidifies
to become hail or a mountain of snow – both of which have a form. Tulsidas
also gives the simile of a lake – the Nirguna Brahman is like the lake with
just water, while the Saguna Brahman is a lake resplendent with blooming
lotuses. In the Uttar Kand of Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas describes in detail
a debate between Kakbhushundi and Lomasa about whether God is Nirguna (as
argued by Lomasa adhering to monism) or Saguna (as argued by Kakbhushundi
adhering to dualism). Kakbhushundi repeatedly refutes all the arguments of
Lomasa, to the point when Lomasa becomes angry and curses Kakbhushundi to be a
crow. Lomasa repents later when Kakbhushundi happily accepts the curse but
refuses to give up the Bhakti of Rama, the Saguna Brahman. Though Tulsidas
holds both aspects of God to be equal, he favours the qualified Saguna aspect
and the devotees of the highest category in the Ramcharitmanas repeatedly ask
for the qualified Saguna aspect of Rama to dwell in their mind. Some
authors contend from a few couplets in Ramcharitmanas and Vinay Patrika that
Tulsidas has vigorously contradicted the denial of Avatar by Kabir. In several of his works, Kabir had said that the
actual Rama is not the son of Dasharatha. In the Balkand of Ramcharitmanas, Shiva tells Parvati –
those who say that the Rama whom the Vedas sing of and whom the sages
contemplate on is different from the Rama of Raghu's race are possessed by the
devil of delusion and do not know the difference between truth and
falsehood. However, such allusions are based on interpretations of the
text and do not hold much water when considered in the context of
Ramcharitmanas. Tulsidas, in none of his works, has ever mentioned Kabir.
The name of Rama
At the beginning of the
Ramcharitmanas, there is a section devoted to the veneration of the name of
Rama. As per Tulsidas, repeating the name of Rama is the only means to
attain God in the Kali age where the means suited for other ages like
meditation, Karma, and Puja are
ineffective. He says in Kavitavali that his own redemption is because of
the power, glory and majesty of the name of Rama. In a couplet in the
Gitavali, Tulsidas says that wishing for liberation without refuge in the name
of Rama is like wishing to climb to the sky by holding on to the falling
rain. In his view, the name of Rama is greater than both Nirguna and
Saguna aspects of God – it controls both of them and is illuminates both like a
bilingual interpreter. In a verse in the Dohavali, Tulsidas says that the
Nirguna Brahman resides in his heart, the Saguna Brahman resides in his eyes
and the name of Rama resides on his tongue, as if a radiant gemstone is kept
between the lower and upper halves of a golden casket. He holds that Rama is
superior to all other names of God, and argues that ra and ma being
are the only two consonants that are written above all other consonants in the
conjunct form in Sanskrit because they are the two sounds in the word Rama.
Rama as Brahman
At several places in Tulsidas'
works, Rama is seen to be the higher than Vishnu and not as an avatar of Vishnu, which is the general portrayal of Rama.
In the episode of the delusion
of Sati in Ramcharitmanas, Sati sees many a Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu serving
Rama and bowing at his feet. When Manu and Shatarupa perform penance, they crave to see that Supreme
Lord "from a part of whose being emanate a number of Shivas, Brahmas and
Vishnus." Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva come to them many times tempting
them with a boon, but Manu and Shatarupa do not stop their penance. They are
finally satisfied only by the appearance of Rama, on whose left side is Sita,
from a part of whom are born "countless Lakshmis, Umas (Parvatis) and
Brahmanis (Sarasvatis)."In the episode of marriage of Sita and Rama in
Balkand, the trio of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva is present – Brahma is astounded
as he finds nowhere anything that is his own handiwork, while Vishnu is
enchanted with Lakhmi on seeing Rama. In the Sundarkand, Hanuman tells Ravana that Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva can
create, preserve and destroy by the might of Rama. In the Lankakand,
Tulsidas presents the universe as the cosmic form of Rama, in which Shiva is
the consciousness, Brahma is the reason and Vishnu is his intelligence. As
per Tulsidas, Rama is not only an avatar, but also the source of avatars –
Krishna is also an Avatar of Rama. Thus, Tulsidas clearly considers Rama
as supreme brahman and not an avatar of Vishnu.
In the opinion of Urvashi
Soorati, the Rama of Tulsidas is an amalgamation of Vishnu who takes avatars, Vishnu in the abode of Ksheera Sagara, Brahman and the Para manifestation of the Pancharatra. Macfie concludes that Tulsidas makes a
"double claim", i.e. Rama is an incarnation of both Vishnu and
Brahman. In the words of Lutgendorf, Tulsidas' Rama is at once
"Valmiki's exemplary prince, the cosmic Vishnu of Puranas, and the
transcendent brahman of the Advaitins."
Vedanta, World and Maya
In the Sundarkand of
Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas says that Rama is knowable by Vedanta.
As per Tulsidas, Rama is the
efficient and material cause (Nimitta and Upadana) of
the world, which is real since Rama is real. In several verses of the Ramcharitmanas,
Tulsidas says that the animate and inanimate world is a manifestation of Rama,
and the universe is the cosmic form of Rama. Authors interpret these verses to
mean that the world is real according to Tulsidas, in keeping with the Vishishtadvaita philosophy of Ramanuja. However, at some places in the Ramcharitmanas and
Kavitavali, Tulsidas compares the world to a night or a dream and says it
is Mithya (false or unreal). Some commentators interpret these
verses to mean that in Tulsidas' opinion the world is unreal as per the Vivartavada doctrine
of Adi Shankara, while some others
interpret them to mean that the world is transient yet real as per the Satkhyativada doctrine
of Ramananda. Uday Bhanu Singh concludes that in Tulsidas' view, the world
is essentially the form of Rama and appears to be different from Rama due
to Maya. Its visible form is transient,
which is what Tulsidas means by Mithya.
In the Vinayapatrika, Tulsidas
says that the world in itself is neither true (Satya), nor false (Asatya),
nor both true and false together (Satyasatya) – one who casts aside all
these three illusions, knows oneself. This has been interpreted to mean that as
per Tulsidas, the entire world is a Lila of
Rama. At the beginning of the Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas performs Samasti
Vandana (obeisance to all beings) in which he bows down to the world
also, saying it is "pervaded by" or "born out of" Sita and
Rama. As per some verses in Ramcharitmanas and Vinaypatrika, when a Jiva (living being) knows the Self, Maya and
Rama, it sees the world as being pervaded by Rama.
In the Balkand episode of the
marriage of the princes of Ayodhya with the princesses of Mithila, Tulsidas
presents a metaphor in which the four brides are compared with the four states
of consciousness – the waking state (Jagrat), sleep with dreams (Swapna),
dreamless sleep (Sushupti) and the fourth self-conscious state (Turiya). The four grooms are compared with the presiding
divinity (Vibhu) of the four states
– Vishva, Taijasa, Prajna and Brahman.
Tulsidas says as the four states of consciousness with their presiding
divinities reside in the mind of a Jiva, so the four brides with their grooms
are resplendent in the same pavilion.
Tulsidas identifies Maya with
Sita, the inseparable energy of Rama which takes avatar along with
Rama. In his view, Maya is of two types – Vidya and Avidya. Vidya Maya is the cause of creation
and the liberation of Jiva. Avidya Maya is the cause of illusion and bondage of
the Jiva. The entire world is under the control of Maya. Maya is
essentially the same but the two divisions are made for cognitive purposes,
this view of Tulsidas is in accordance with Vaishnava teachers of Vedanta.
Views on other Hindu deities
As per Tulsidas, there is no
incompatibility between devotion to Rama and attachment to Shiva. Tulsidas
equates the Guru as an incarnation of Shiva, and a considerable part of
the Balkand of Ramcharitmanas is devoted to the narrative of Shiva including
the abandonment of Sati, the penance of Parvati, the burning of Kamadeva and
the marriage of Parvati and Shiva. In addition, Tulsidas venerates the
whole Hindu pantheon. The Ramcharitmanas begins with reverence of Ganesh,
Sarasvati, Parvati, Shiva, the Guru, Valmiki and Hanuman. At the beginning
of the Vinayapatrika, he bows to Ganesh, Surya, Shiva, Devi, Ganga, Yamuna,
Varanasi and Chitrakoot, asking them for devotion towards Rama.
Bhakti
The practical end of all his
writings is to inculcate bhakti addressed to Rama as the greatest means of
salvation and emancipation from the chain of births and deaths, a salvation
which is as free and open to men of the lowest caste as to Brahmins.
Critical
reception
From his time,
Tulsidas has been acclaimed by Indian and Western scholars alike for his poetry
and his impact on the Hindu society. Tulsidas mentions in his work Kavitavali
that he was considered a great sage in the world. Madhusūdana
Sarasvatī, one of the most acclaimed philosophers
of the Advaita Vedanta tradition
based in Varanasi and the composer of Advaitasiddhi, was a contemporary
of Tulsidas. On reading the Ramcharitmanas, he was astonished and composed the
following Sanskrit verse in praise of the epic and the composer.
|
Devanagari |
IAST |
|
आनन्दकानने कश्चिज्जङ्गमस्तुल्सीतरुः । |
ānandakānane kaścijjaṅgamastulsītaruḥ । |
|
कविता मञ्जरी यस्य रामभ्रमरभूषिता ॥ |
kavitā mañjarī yasya rāmabhramarabhūṣitā ॥ |
In this
place of Varanasi (Ānandakānana), there is a moving Tulsi plant (i.e., Tulsidas), whose branch of flowers in
the form of [this] poem (i.e., Ramcharitmanas) is ever adorned by the bumblebee
in the form of Rama.
Sur, a devotee
of Krishna and a contemporary of
Tulsidas, called Tulsidas as Sant Shiromani (the highest jewel
among holy men) in an eight-line verse extolling Ramcharitmanas and
Tulsidas. Abdur Rahim Khankhana, famous
Muslim poet who was one of the Navaratnas (nine-gems)
in the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar, was a personal friend of Tulsidas.
Rahim composed the following couplet describing the Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas
–
|
Devanagari |
IAST |
|
रामचरितमानस बिमल संतनजीवन प्रान । |
rāmacaritamānasa bimala santanajīvana prāna । |
|
हिन्दुवान को बेद सम जवनहिं प्रगट कुरान ॥ |
hinduvāna ko beda sama javanahi̐ pragaṭa kurāna ॥ |
The
immaculate Ramcharitmanas is the breath of the life of saints. It is similar to
the Vedas for the Hindus, and it is the Quran manifest for the Muslims.
The historian Vincent Smith, the author of a biography of Tulsidas' contemporary
Akbar, called Tulsidas the greatest man of his age in India and greater
than even Akbar himself. The Indologist and linguist Sir George
Grierson called Tulsidas "the greatest leader of the people after
the Buddha" and "the greatest
of Indian authors of modern times"; and the epic Ramcharitmanas
"worthy of the greatest poet of any age." The work
Ramcharitmanas has been called "the Bible of North India" by both
nineteenth century Indologists including Ralph Griffith, who translated the four Vedas and Valmiki's Ramayana
into English, and modern writers. Mahatma Gandhi held Tulsidas in high esteem and regarded the
Ramcharitmanas as the "greatest book in all devotional
literature". The Hindi poet Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' called Tulsidas "the most fragrant branch of
flowers in the garden of the world's poetry, blossoming in the creeper of
Hindi". Nirala considered Tulsidas to be a greater poet than Rabindranath
Tagore, and in the same league as Kalidasa, Vyasa,
Valmiki, Homer, Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe and William
Shakespeare. Hindi litterateur Hazari
Prasad Dwivedi wrote that Tulsidas established
a "sovereign rule on the kingdom of Dharma in northern India", which was comparable to
the impact of Buddha. Edmour J. Babineau, author of the book Love
and God and Social Duty in Ramacaritmanasa, says that if Tulsidas was born
in Europe or the Americas, he would be considered a greater personality than
William Shakespeare. In the words of the archaeologist F. R.
Allchin, who translated Vinaypatrika and Kavitavali
into English, "for people of a large part of North India Tulsidas
claims reverence comparable to that accorded to Luther as translator of the
Bible into the native German". Allchin also mentions that the work
Ramcharitmanas has been compared to not only the Ramayana of Valmiki, but the
Vedas themselves, the Bhagavad Gita,
the Kuran and the Bible. Ernest Wood in
his work An Englishman Defends Mother India considered the
Ramcharitmanas to be "superior to the best books of the Latin and Greek
languages." Tulsidas is also referred to as Bhaktaśiromaṇi,
meaning the highest jewel among devotees.
Specifically about his poetry,
Tulsidas has been called the "emperor of the metaphor" and one who
excels in similes by several critics. The Hindi poet Ayodhyasingh Upadhyay
'Hariaudh' said of Tulsidas –
|
Devanagari |
IAST |
|
कविता करके तुलसी न लसे |
kavitā karake tulasī na lase |
|
कविता लसी पा तुलसी की कला। |
kavitā lasī pā tulasī kī kalā। |
Tulsidas
did not shine by composing poetry, rather it was Poetry herself that shone by
getting the art of Tulsidas.
The Hindi poet Mahadevi Verma said commenting on Tulsidas that in the turbulent
Middle Ages, India got light from Tulsidas. She further went on to say that the
Indian society as it exists today is an edifice built by Tulsidas, and the Rama
as we know today is the Rama of Tulsidas.
Comments
Post a Comment