The Ramcharitmanas 1

by Tulsidas

  And relate the story of his pure virtues.

  The most agreeable and best of all mountains is Kailash

  Where forever dwell Shiv and Uma.

  Siddhas, ascetics and yogis

  Gods, Kinnaras, numerous munis—

  All fortunate souls—live there,

  Serving Shiv, the root of all joy.

  (105)

  Those who avert their faces from Hari and Har, and have no love for dharma,

  Cannot go there even in their dreams.

  On that mountain top grows a vast and spreading banyan tree,

  Which is always young and fresh, and beautiful in all seasons.

  Its shade is cool and refreshing, and there, cool, soft and fragrant breezes blow.

  That is the tree under which Shiv rests, and which has been sung of in the Vedas.

  Once, the Lord went to the tree,

  And looking upon it, his heart filled with great joy.

  Spreading a lion-skin with his own hands,

  Shambhu, the compassionate one, sat there at his ease.

  His body fair of hue, like the jasmine, the moon and the conch-shell,

  His arms long, an ascetic’s garment made of bark around his loins,

  His feet like freshly blooming red lotus flowers,

  The brilliance of his toenails dispelling the darkness from the hearts of the devoted—

  Serpents and ashes were Tripurari’s ornaments,

  While the radiance of his face stole even the brilliance of the full moon in autumn.

  His matted locks his crown, upon his head the divine Ganga,

  His eyes like great lotuses,

  His throat blue with poison, the crescent moon upon his brow—

  He was a treasure house of beauty.

  (106)

  As he sat there, the annihilator of Kamdev looked so serene,

  That it seemed that tranquillity itself had taken bodily form.

  Parvati, mother of the world, recognizing it as a good opportunity,

  Went up to Shambhu.

  Seeing his beloved, Har welcomed her with great courtesy,

  And gave her the left half of his seat.

  She sat down happily near Shiv,

  And into her mind came the events of her earlier birth.

  Knowing that in her husband’s heart there was greater love for her now,

  Uma, smiling, spoke in loving tones.

  (The daughter of the mountain wanted him to tell her

  The story that is the benefactor of all the worlds.)

  ‘Vishvanath, lord of the world, and my lord Purari,

  Your majesty is renowned through the three worlds;

  All creatures, moving and unmoving, Nagas, men and gods—

  All worship your lotus feet.

  My lord, you are all-powerful, all-knowing and bliss itself,

  You are the repository of all arts and all virtue,

  A treasure house of meditation, wisdom and detachment,

  And your name is the wish-granting Kalpataru for humble devotees.

  (107)

  If you are pleased with me, you who are the sum of all bliss,

  And know me in truth to be your devoted slave,

  Then, my lord, dispel my ignorance

  By relating to me the many stories of Raghunath.

  One whose house is beneath the divine Kalpataru,

  Should such a one suffer the sorrow born of poverty?

  Lord, you who wear the moon as an ornament upon your brow, reflect on this

  And dispel the grave doubt in my mind.

  Lord, munis who discourse on the Supreme Truth

  Say that Ram is the uncreated brahm with no beginning,

  And Shesh, Sharada, the Vedas and the Puranas,

  All sing the glory of Raghupati.

  You, too, all day and all night, chant “Ram, Ram”

  With reverence, you who reduced the god of love to ashes.

  Is this Ram the same as the son of the king of Avadh,

  Or is he some other unborn, attributeless, invisible one?

  If he is only a king’s son, who lost his mind upon separation from a woman,

  How can he be brahm, the all-pervading Spirit of the Universe?

  Looking at his actions and then hearing of his majesty,

  My mind is utterly confused and bewildered.

  (108)

  If there be another who is passionless, all-pervading and all-powerful,

  Lord, explain it to me.

  Knowing me to be ignorant, do not be angry with me,

  But do what you can to remove my delusion.

  I saw Ram’s divine greatness in the forest—

  Distracted with fear, I did not tell you—

  Even so, my mind was so dull and obscured, that I did not understand,

  And the fruit of that I received in full measure.

  Even today, there is some confusion in my mind,

  And with folded hands I beseech you, show me your compassion.

  Lord, you had explained it to me then in many ways, but I had not understood—

  Thinking on that, my husband, do not be angry with me.

  My confusion now is no longer as it was then

  And there is now an intense desire in my heart to listen to the story of Ram.

  Please tell me the pure and lustrous story of Ram’s virtues,

  O lord of all the gods, you who wear the serpent king as your ornament!

  I do humble obeisance at your feet, my head upon the ground,

  And beseech you with folded hands—

  Relate the story of Raghubar’s pure glory,

  Extracting from it the essence and truth of the Vedas.

  (109)

  Though as a woman, I am not entitled to hear it,

  I am your slave in thought, deed and word.

  What’s more, the sages do not hide even the deepest secret

  When they find someone privileged by distress to receive it.

  And it is in great distress that I ask you, O lord of all the gods,

  Show me your favour and tell me the story of Raghupati.

  First explain to me, after reflecting upon it, the reason why

  The formless, unqualified nirgun brahm assumes a sagun body.

  Then, my lord, tell me about Ram’s descent upon earth,

  And after that, about his gentle and delightful deeds as a child.

  Tell me, too, how he wed Janaki,

  For what fault he left his father’s kingdom,

  And of his innumerable noble deeds whilst he lived in the forest.

  Tell me, my husband, how he slew Ravan,

  And how he disported himself once he assumed the throne.

  Tell me everything, Shankar, you who are of such an amiable and pleasant disposition.

  Next tell me, my gentle lord,

  Of the miraculous and marvellous acts Ram performed,

  And how, with all his people, the jewel of the line of Raghu

  Went to his final abode.

  (110)

  Then, my lord, explain that essence

  In the understanding of which learned sages remain absorbed.

  Bhakti, gyan, vigyan, vairagya—53

  Explain to me all these ideas with all their parts and interpretations.

  The many other mysteries of Ram—

  Tell me about those, too, my husband, you who have such clear discernment.

  And, my lord, whatever I may have forgotten to ask,

  Those matters, too, in your mercy, do not keep hidden.

  The Vedas declare you the guru of the three worlds.

  Other, foolish beings—what do they know?’

  Hearing Uma’s simple, gentle questions,

  Devoid of guile or deceit, pleased Shiv greatly.

  Into Har’s heart came all of Ram’s deeds,

  And he trembled with joy and his eyes filled with tears.

  Lord Raghunath’s image entered his heart,

  And he, who is himsel
f Supreme Bliss, found immeasurable joy.

  For two measures of time, Mahesh remained immersed in contemplation of this pleasure—

  He then pulled his mind outwards

  And joyfully began

  To relate the deeds of Raghupati.

  (111)

  ‘Without knowledge of whom falsehood becomes truth

  In the way that without recognition a rope becomes a serpent,

  And by knowing whom the illusion that is this world disappears

  In the way that upon waking the delusion that is a dream disappears—

  I do obeisance to the child-form of that Ram,

  The abode of bliss and the destroyer of misfortune,

  Chanting whose name makes accessible all accomplishment—

  May he who plays in Dasharath’s courtyard be merciful.’

  Thus Tripurari paid homage to Ram,

  And filled with joy, he spoke in a voice like nectar,

  ‘Blessings, blessings on you, daughter of the mountain king,

  There is no such benefactor as you!

  You have asked me to tell you Raghupati’s story,

  The Ganga that purifies all the worlds.

  You are full of love for Ram’s feet,

  And it is for the good of this world that you have asked these questions.

  With Ram’s mercy upon you, Parvati,

  In your heart

  There can be no grief, delusion, apprehension or doubt even in dream—

  That is what I believe.

  (112)

  Despite that, you have expressed the same old doubts

  So that the story may be told once more and benefit all those who relate or hear it.

  Those who have not listened to Hari’s story with their ears—

  Their earholes are like the holes in which snakes and serpents dwell.

  Those who have not gazed upon the saints with their eyes—

  Their eyes are like the false eyes upon a peacock’s feathers.

  Those heads that do not bow at Hari’s feet

  Or at the feet of their guru are like bitter pumpkins.

  And those beings in whose hearts devotion to Hari has not entered

  Live like corpses though alive.

  The tongue that does not sing the virtues of Ram,

  Is like the tongue of a frog,

  And as cruel and pitiless as the thunderbolt is the heart

  That is not gladdened upon hearing the deeds of Hari.

  Listen then, Girija, to the wondrous and playful exploits of Ram,

  Which delight the gods and confound the demons.

  Ram’s story is like the divine cow of the gods

  That confers every blessing upon those who serve it,

  And the company of the good is like the abode of all the gods.

  Who, knowing this, will not listen to it?

  (113)

  Ram’s story is like the pleasant clapping of hands

  That causes the birds of doubt to fly away.

  It is the axe that cuts down the spreading tree of the age of Kali,

  So listen with reverence, daughter of the mountain king.

  Ram’s names, his noble qualities, charming stories,

  His births, and his deeds are innumerable—as the Vedas declare.

  Just as Ram, the Supreme God, is infinite,

  So also are his story, his renown and his virtues without end.

  Even so, as I have heard it, and according to my ability,

  I will relate it, seeing your deep love.

  Uma, your questions are artless and charming,

  Approved of by the saints, and pleasing to me.

  But there was one thing that I did not like,

  Even though you said it swayed by delusion, Bhavani—

  That there may be another Ram

  Whose praise the Vedas sing and upon whom the munis meditate.

  Only those seized by the demon of delusion

  Utter and hear such impiety.

  Hypocrites who have turned away from Hari’s feet,

  And do not know truth from falsehood.

  (114)

  Ignorant, foolish and blind unfortunates,

  The mirrors of their minds coated with the scum of lust,

  Dissolute, deceitful and utterly depraved,

  Who have not experienced the company of good men even in their dreams—

  Only they utter words that contradict the Vedas,

  Who have no understanding of good or bad, gain or loss.

  With the mirrors of their minds so clouded, and lacking eyes,

  How can such poor wretches see Ram’s beauty?

  Those who have no discernment of the divine, whether as nirgun or sagun, Immaterial Absolute or Incarnate god,

  Who babble false and fabricated nonsense of all kinds,

  And who wander the world in the grip of Hari’s maya—

  For them, no utterance is impossible.

  The mad, those possessed by malignant spirits, and the intoxicated—

  They speak without thought or reflection.

  Those who have drunk the liquor of extreme delusion—

  One should never lend an ear to what they say.

  Reflecting upon this in your heart,

  Abandon doubt and worship Ram’s feet.

  Listen well, daughter of the mountain king—my words

  Are the sunbeams that destroy the darkness of doubt.

  (115)

  There is no difference between sagun and nirgun,

  Say the munis, the Puranas, the Vedas and the learned.

  That One without attributes, without form, invisible and uncreated,

  Acquires attributes by the power of a devotee’s love.

  How can one who has no qualities also be one with qualities?

  In the same way that rain and icy hail are not substantially different from each other.

  The one whose name is the sun that destroys the darkness of delusion,

  How can he be spoken of in connection with attachment and desire?

  Ram is the sun, the aggregation of truth, consciousness, and bliss—

  In him there is not the smallest trace of the night of delusion.

  He is light itself, Supreme Lord,

  In whom neither knowledge nor wisdom need dawn.lvi

  Joy and sorrow, wisdom and ignorance,

  Arrogance and pride—these are customary for finite beings.

  But Ram is the absolute, all-pervading Spirit of the Universe,

  He is Bliss Supreme, God transcendental and primeval being—all the world knows this.

  He who is celebrated as the primordial being, the source of all light,

  The manifest Supreme God, master and protector of all—

  That jewel of the dynasty of Raghu is my Lord.’

  So saying Shiv bowed his head.

  (116)

  ‘The ignorant do not perceive their own confusions,

  Instead, these foolish people blame the Lord for the darkness of their minds,

  Just as, when seeing a canopy of dark clouds in the sky,

  Those without discernment say that the sun is hiding itself,

  Or one who looks at the moon with a finger in his eye

  And believes that two moons have appeared.

  Uma, attributing such darkness and delusion to Ram

  Is the same as attributing darkness, smoke and dust to the sky.

  The objects of sense, the senses, the gods of the senses and the soul together

  All derive consciousness successively, one from the other,

  But the Supreme Illuminator who reveals them all,

  Is the eternal Ram, that same king of Avadh.

  The Illuminator who lights this world, Ram

  Is the lord of delusion and the abode of wisdom and virtue,

  Through whose reality inert, inanimate maya,

  Helped by ignorance, appears to be real.

  Though the apparent gleam of silver in a shell or the shine of wat
er

  In a mirage created by the rays of the sun

  Be false in all time, past, present and future,

  No one can dispel such illusions.

  (117)

  In this manner the world remains subject to Hari.

  Though it is an illusion, it still causes pain

  As when, if someone is beheaded in a dream,

  Without waking, his pain does not disappear.

  He by whose grace such perplexity is removed,

  Girija, is none other than the merciful Raghurai.

  No one has ever discovered his beginning or his end;

  Based on inference and speculation, the Vedas have sung of him thus:

  “Without feet he walks, and hears without ears,

  Without hands he performs many kinds of deeds,

  Without mouth or tongue, he enjoys all flavours,

  Without speech or voice, he is the most eloquent speaker,

  Without body, he touches, without eyes he sees,

  And without a nose, he smells every scent.”

  In all these ways his deeds are miraculous—

  He, whose majesty cannot be described.

  He of whom the Vedas and the wise thus sing

  And upon whom the munis meditate—

  He is the very one, Dasharath’s son, benevolent to the faithful,

  King of Koshal, and Lord Supreme.

  (118)

  Gazing upon those who die in Kashi,

  It is by the power of his name I free them from sorrow.

  He is my Lord, master of all creation, moving or unmoving,

  Raghubar, the one who pervades all hearts.

  His name, when taken by men in despair,

  Burns away the sins of many previous births;

  If men remember him with reverence,

  They cross the ocean of this existence as easily as if it were a puddle made by the hoofprint of a cow.

  Ram is that Supreme Spirit, Bhavani,

  And your words, that in him appears delusion, were inappropriate.

  The instant such doubt enters the heart,

  Wisdom, detachment and all virtues disappear.’

  Listening to Shiv’s delusion-destroying words,

  The whole fallacious argument she had built up broke down.

  Love and belief for Raghupati’s feet grew strong

  And her agonizing uncertainty vanished.