Tulsidas (also
Tulasidas,
Gosvāmī Tulsīdās,
Tulasī Dāsa)
(1532-1623)
Devanāgarī:
तुलसीदास) was a great
Awadhi bhakta (devotee), philosopher,
composer, and the author of
Ramacharitamanasa, an epic poem and
scripture devoted to the
Hindu god
Rama.
Birth
Tulsidas
was born on the Shraavan Shukla Saptami, Vikrami Samvat 1554 (1532
A.D.) in Sukarkhet Rajapur
Uttar
Pradesh
, India
in the
present day Gonda, , during the reign of
Akbar to Hulsi and Atmaram Dubey. The
popular verse in this regard is. Tulsidas was a
saryupareen Brahmin of
Parashara gotra
"पन्द्रह सौ चौवन बिसै कालिन्दी के तीर |
श्रावण शुक्ला सप्तमी तुलसी धरे शरीर ||"
"Tulsi got parasar dube patiaunja"
Incarnation of Valmiki
Tulsidas is regarded as an incarnation of the great sage
Valmiki. In Bhavishyottar Purana, Lord
Shiva tells
Parvati how Valmiki
got a boon from
Hanuman to sing the glories
of Lord Rama in vernacular language in the
Kali Yuga. This prophecy of Lord Shiva
materialised on the Shraavan Shukla Saptami, Vikrami Samvat 1554
when Valmiki reincarnated as Tulsidas.
"वाल्मीकिस्तुलसीदासः कलौ देवि भविष्यति |
रामचन्द्रकथामेतां भाषाबद्धां करिष्यति ||"
-Bhavishyottar Purana, Pratisarga Parva, 4.20
Nabhadas, a contemporary of Tulsidas and a great devotee, also
describes Tulsidas as incarnation of Valmiki in his work
Bhaktmaal.Even the Ramanandi sect (Tulsidas belonged to this sect)
firmly believes that it was Valmiki himself who incarnated as
Tulsidas in the Kali Yuga.
Etymology
The name may be written in various ways. It is written as
Tulasī Dāsa when the name is a transliteration of
the Devanagari letters (as is the practice with most library
catalogue systems) to indicate
Sanskrit
pronunciation of the letters or as
Tulsidas when
it is a
transcription of
the pronunciation in
Hindi). Regardless of the
way it is written, the name comes from two words:
Tulasī, which is an Indian variety of the
basil plant, and
Dāsa,
which means "servant" or, by extension, "devotee".
Literary career
Rāmacharitamānasa
Ramacharitamanasa, an
epic devoted to
Rama, was the
Awadhi version of
Ramayana of
Valmiki.It is not exactly the "Awadhi
version", but the original one of its kind. Apart from "Awadhi"-
three other languages are also seen in the epic
Ramacharitamanasa- they are "Bhojpuri", "
Brijbhasa" and "the local language of people of Chitrakut".Like
many translations of the original Sanskrit Ramayana, it is read and
worshipped with great reverence in many Hindu homes in India. It is
an inspiring book that contains couplets in verse form called
chaupai.
It is also
called Tulsi-krita Ramayana and is as well known among
Hindi-speaking Hindus in
India. Many of its verses are popular proverbs in
that region. Tulsidas' phrases have passed into common speech, and
are used by millions of Hindi speakers (and even speakers of
Urdu) without the speakers being conscious of
their origin. Not only are his sayings proverbial: his doctrine
actually forms the most powerful religious influence in present-day
Hinduism; and, though he founded no school
and was never known as a guru or master, he is everywhere accepted
as both poet and saint, an inspired and authoritative guide in
religion and the conduct of life.
Tulsidas professed himself the humble follower of his teacher,
Narhari Das, from whom as a boy in Sukar-khet he first heard the
tale of Rama's exploits that would form the subject of the
Rāmacaritamānasa. Narhari Das was the sixth in spiritual
descent from
Ramananda, a founder of
popular Vaishnavism in northern India, who was also known for his
famous poems.
There are numerous differences between Tulsi Rāmacaritamānasa and
Valmiki Ramayana. One example is the scene in which Kaikayi forces
her husband to exile Rama. In Tulsi Das it becomes considerably
longer and more psychological, with intense characterisation and
brilliant similes.
Other works
Besides the
Rāmacaritamānasa, Tulsidas the author of five
longer and six shorter works, most of them dealing with the theme
of Rama, his doings, and devotion to him. The former are
- the Doha, consisting of,
573 miscellaneous doha and sortha verses; of this there is a
duplicate in the Ram-satsai, an arrangement of seven centuries of
verses, the great majority of which occur also in the Dohavali and
in other works of Tulsi,
- the Kabitta Ramayan or Kavitavali, which is a
history of Rama in the kavitta, ghanakshari, chaupaï and savaiya
metres; like the Rāmacaritamānasa, it is divided into
seven kandas or cantos, and is devoted to setting forth the
majestic side of Rama's character,
- the Gitavali, also in seven kandas, aiming at the
illustration of the tender aspect of the Lord's life; the metres
are adapted for singing
- the Krishnavali or Krishna gitavali, a
collection of 61 songs in honor of Krishna,
in the Kanauji dialect of Hindi: the
authenticity of this is doubtful,
- the Vinaya Patrika, or
Book of petitions, a series of hymns and prayers of which
the first 43 are addressed to the lower gods, forming Rama's court
and attendants, and the remainder, Nos. 44 to 279, to Rama
himself.
His minor works include Baravai Ramayana, Janaki Mangal, Ramalala
Nahachhu, Ramajna Prashna, Parvati Mangal, Krishna Gitavali,
Hanuman Bahuka, Sankata Mochana and Vairagya Sandipini . Of the
smaller compositions the most interesting is the
Vairagya
Sandipani, or
Kindling of continence, a poem
describing the nature and greatness of a holy man, and the true
peace to which he attains.
Tulsidas's most famous and read piece of literature apart from the
Ramayana is the "
Hanuman Chalisa", a
poem praising
Hanuman. Many Hindus recite it
daily as a prayer.
The entire collection of compositions by Tulsi Das, consisting of
13 books, has been translated into English (as poems) by
Binda Prasad Khattri (1898-1985). The
work is however, yet unpublished.
Doctrine
Tulsi's doctrine encompasses and includes almost all major streams
of thought of the
Sanatana Dharma as
an amalgamation. According to Tulsi, there is no difference in
Saguna and
Nirguna,
Bhakti and
Jnana,
Vishnu and
Siva,
Rama and
Krishna. His
verses on
Maya concur with the
concept in
Sankaracharya's monism,
while his recommendation of surrender to the lord (Sharanagati) can
be compared to the concept of Prapatti in
Ramanuja's qualified monism. In the
Rama
Gita of Ramcharitmanas, the difference between
Jiva and
Brahman is also
explained. In his works like Ramcharitmanas and Vinaypatrika, he
refers to the elements (tattvas) of
Sankhya
philosophy, and also to
Yama and
Niyama as defined by
Patanjali's system of
Yoga. At
the beginning of the Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas himself attests that
his work is in accordance with numerous
Puranas,
Vedas and (Tantric)
Agamas -
नानापुराणनिगमागमसम्मतं यद् (RCM Balkand seventh verse)
Like
Ramanuja, Tulsi believes in a supreme
personal
God, possessing all gracious qualities
(sadguna), as well as in the quality-less (nirguna) neuter
impersonal
Brahman of
Sankaracharya; this Lord Himself once took the
human form, and became incarnate, for the blessing of mankind, as
Rama. The body is therefore to be honored, not despised. The Lord
is to be approached by faith (
bhakti)
disinterested devotion and surrender of self in perfect love, and
all actions are to be purified of self-interest in contemplation of
Him. Show love to all creatures, and thou wilt be happy; for when
thou lovest all things, thou lovest the Lord, for He is all in all.
The soul is from the Lord, and is submitted in this life to the
bondage of works (
karma); Mankind, in their
obstinacy, keep binding themselves in the net of actions, and
though they know and hear of the bliss of those who have faith in
the Lord, they don't attempt the only means of release. The bliss
to which the soul attains, by the extinction of desire, in the
supreme home, is not absorption in the Lord, but union with Him in
abiding individuality. This is emancipation (
mukti) from the burden of birth and rebirth, and the
highest happiness. Tulsi, as a
Saryupareen Brahmin, venerates the whole
Hindu pantheon, and is especially careful to give
Shiva or
Mahadeva, the special
deity of the Brahmins, his due, and to point out that there is no
inconsistency between devotion to Rama and attachment to Shiva
(Ramayana, Lankakanda, Doha 3). But the practical end of all his
writings is to inculcate bhakti addressed to Rama as the great
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.
However it is important to understand that for Tulsidas "doctrine"
is not so important. Far more relevant is practise, the practise of
repeating Rama-Nama, the name of the Rama. In fact, Tulsidas goes
as far as to say that the name of Rama is bigger than Rama Himself
(कहउँ नामु बड़ राम तें निज बिचार अनुसार, ). Why is the name of Rama
bigger than Rama? Because "Rama" is a
mantra,
a sound, the repetition of which can lead one to higher states of
consciousness. Thus it is not Rama that "saves", but the name of
Rama.
The literary worth of Tulsidas has been highlighted by
Acharya Ram Chandra Shukla in his
critical work Hindi Sahitya Ka Itihaas.Acharya Shukla has
elaborated Tulsi's Lokmangal as the doctrine for social upliftment
which made this great poet immortal and comparable to any other
world littérateur.
Sources and manuscripts
In Growse's translation of the
Rāmacaritamānasa, will be
found the text and translation of the passages in the
Bhagatmala of Nabhaji and its commentary, which are the
main original authority for the traditions relating to the poet.
Nabhaji had himself met Tulsidas; but the stanza in praise of the
poet gives no facts relating to his life – these are stated in the
tika or gloss of Priya Das, who wrote in A.D. 1712, and much of the
material is legendary and untrustworthy. Unfortunately, the
biography of the poet, called
Gosai-charitra, by
Benimadhab Das, who was a personal follower and constant companion
of the Master, and died in 1642, has disappeared, and no copy of it
is known to exist.
In the introduction to the edition of the
Ramayana by the
Nagri Pracharni Sabha all the known facts of Tulsi's life are
brought together and critically discussed. For an exposition of his
religious position and his place in the popular religion of
northern India, see Dr. Grierson's paper in the Journal of the
Royal Asiatic Society, July 1903, pp. 447-466. (C. J. L.)
A manuscript of the
Ayodhya-kanda, said to be in the poets
own hand, exists at Rajapur in Banda, his reputed birthplace. One
of the
Bala-kanda, dated Samvat 1661, nineteen years
before the poet's death, and carefully corrected, it is alleged by
Tulsidas himself, is at Ayodhya.
Another autograph is reported to be
preserved at Maliabad in the Lucknow
district,
but has not, so far as known, been verified. Other ancient
manuscripts are to be found at Benares
. An
excellent translation of the whole into English was made by F. S.
Growse, of
the Indian Civil Service (5th edition, Cawnpore, Kanpur
,
1891).
A person from non-Hindi background may find Sri Ramcharitmanas bit
difficult to understand. This mainly arise from the colloquialisms,
and the idiomatic and elliptical structure of the sentences. These
very difficulties constitute its peculiar value to the student who
wishes to learn the Sri Ramcharitmanas. It disciplines the mind
into recognizing words which have been distorted and twisted, and
teaches one that a sentence can be turned upside down and inside
out and yet remain intelligible. A nice introduction to the grammar
of the Sri Ramcharitmanas was written by Edwin Greaves titled
"Notes on the grammar of the Ramayan of Tulsi Das" (1895).
A bhajan of Tulsidas
- O mind! Worship the compassionate Shree Ramachandra
- Who destroys fear of the phenomenal world
- His eyes are like fresh lotuses. He is lotus faced.
- His hands are like lotuses, his feet are like lotuses.
- His beauty excels that of myriad Cupids,
- He is handsomely blue-hued like a cloud.
- I bow before the one who wed the daughter of Janaka,
- Who wears the yellow garment, the pure one who destroys
arrogance.
- Worship the friend of the poor,
- The Sun who destroys the families of demons.
- The progeny of Raghu, the son of Dasharatha,
- The reservoir of bliss, the moon to Kosala.
- Worship the one who wears the crown on his head,
- Ear ornaments and crimson mark on the forehead
- Whose every limb is decorated beautifully and generously,
- Who is tall of stature, well built with strong arms,
- Carrying bow and the arrows and victorious over evil demons in
battle.
- Thus says Tulsidas, worship Him who pleases Shankara and all
the sages,
- Reside in the lotus of my heart, destroying evil feelings like
lust.
shrI rAmacandra = Oh SrI rAmAkrpAlu = the ever compassionate
onebhajumana = Let my mind pray to (him)haraNa = one who destroys
or chases awaybhavabhaya = the fear of this world (bhavsAgar) - of
the cycle of birth and rebirthdAruNam = the harsh (world)
Tulsidas urges his mind to meditate on SrI rAmA, the ever
compassionate one who will destroy all the fears that we have
during this harsh life of ours.
nava kanjalOcana = [He has] eyes (lOcana) like a newly
formed/tender (nava) lotus (kanj)kunjamukha = and a lovely face
(mukha) like a lotus(kanj)karakanja = with soft hands like the
lotus (kanj)pada kanjAruNam = and his feet (pada) are like the red
(aruAa) lotus (kanj)
My Lord has large, lovely eyes like a tender/newly formed lotus,
his arms and feet are like lotuses and his face is like the
fully-blossomed lotus.
kandarpa = manmathaagaNita = countlessamita = unmeasurablechavi =
face/countenancenavanIla = newly formed (nava) blue = (nIl)nIraja =
lotus (blue lotus - nIlOtpalam) likesundaram = handsomepaTa pIta =
wearing pItAmbarmAnO taDita = my mind (not sure what taDita
means)ruci Sucinaumi = I bow (naumi) to the pure one (Suci)
whojanaka sutA varam = is the husband (var) of the daughter (sutA)
of janakA (sItA)
With a face like the nIlOtpalam, my lord's beauty exceeds that of
countless manmathAs. I mentally bow down to him, who wears golden
hued garments (pItAmbar), is pristine in his purity, and is the
chosen lord of SrI sItA.
bhaju = pray todInabandhu = friend (bandhu) of the
downtrodden/poor/powerless (dIna)dinEsha = a scion of the sUrya
vamSadAnava daitya vamsha nikakandanam = (He) destroyed
(nikandanam) the lineage (vamSa) of the demons (dAnav and
daityas)
Pray to the Lord who is the friend and protector of the weak, the
scion of the dynasty of the Sun is the destroyer of demons.
raghunanda = son of the raghUs (kula)Anandakanda = an ocean (kanda)
of happiness (Ananda)kOshlacanda = darling (canda) of the kOsala
dynastydasharatha nandanam = son (nandanam) of King daSrath
This son of King daSrath, of raghuvamSa, is the darling of the
kOsalas (the family/dynasty of his mother - kausalyA), and a never
ending ocean of unending bliss.
shira mukuTa = with a crown (mukuTa) on his head (sir)kuNDala =
dangling ear-ringstilaka = and a lovely tilaka on his foreheadcAru
= (looks) lovelyudAra anga = his mighty (udAr) limbs
(anga)vibhUSaNam = (are) decorated with ornaments
He wears a crown on his head, dangling ear-rings, and a lovely
tilak on his forehead. His mighty arms are decorated with bracelets
and armulets.
AjAnubhuja = his arms (bhuja) are long (AjAnu) - literally means
when the hands reach the persons kneessharacApa dhara = wielding
(dhara) a bow (cApa) and arrows (Sara)sangrAma jita khara duSaNam =
who defeated (jita) khara and dUSaNa in a battle (sangrAm)
With long arms wielding a bow and arrows, he defeated khara dUSaNa
(SUrpanakhAs brothers) in a battle.
iti vadati = thus (iti) says (vadati)tulasIdAs = the poet
tulsIdAsshankara = Lord SivashESa muni = (and) other (shESa)
munismana ranjanam = pleaser (ranjana) of their mindsmama hrdaya
kanja = in the lotus (kanj) of my (mama) heart (hriday)nivAsakuru =
please reside (nivAs kuru)kAmAdi khaladala ganjanam = Oh Destroyer
(ganjanam) of lust (kAma) and other vile deeds (khaladala)
See also
References
- Goswami Tulsidas Biography By Swami Sivananda at
Divine Life Society.
- Manas published from Shri Tulsi Peeth, Chitrakoot
- Tulsidas www.ramcharitmanas.iitk.ac.in.
- Ramacharitamanas, Bal Kand, Doha 23
- The Rámáyana of Tulsi Dás
- Notes on the grammar Ramayana of Tulsi Das
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