The Ramcharitmanas 1

by Tulsidas

  Beholding the ocean of splendour that is Hari’s beauty,

  They remained staring wide-eyed, unblinking.

  Reverently they gazed upon his incomparable form,

  But no matter how long they gazed, Manu and Satarupa were not satisfied.

  In the grip of intense delight, they forgot their own bodies,

  Falling prostrate upon the ground, they clasped his feet in their hands.

  The compassionate Lord, touching their heads with his own lotus hands,

  Immediately raised them up.

  Then he, the abode of mercy, spoke—

  ‘Know that I am exceedingly pleased,

  And considering me to be the most bountiful,

  Ask of me any boon that you desire.’

  (148)

  Upon hearing the Lord’s words, Manu folded his hands

  And taking courage, spoke in gentle tones,

  ‘Lord, having seen your lotus feet,

  All our desires are now fulfilled.

  Yet, one longing remains in our heart—

  I know not how to describe it, for it is both easy to accomplish and difficult to attain.

  It is very easy for you to give it, Lord,

  But to me, because of my need, it seems unattainable.

  Just as a poor man, finding the divine wish-granting Kalpataru,

  Shrinks from asking for great wealth

  Because he does not know its power—

  In the same way, my heart hesitates.

  But you pervade all hearts and already know my desire—

  Fulfil our wish, Lord.’

  ‘Abandon hesitation, king, and ask of me—

  There is nothing that I would not give you.’

  ‘O most bountiful and merciful Lord,

  I speak my heart’s true desire—

  I want a son like you—

  How can one conceal anything from the Lord?’

  (149)

  Seeing his love and hearing his words beyond compare,

  ‘So shall it be,’ the compassionate Lord declared.

  ‘But where will I search for another like myself?

  King, I myself will come and be your son.’

  Seeing Satarupa with folded hands, the Lord said,

  ‘Devi, ask whatever boon you desire.’

  ‘Lord, the boon that the wise and sagacious king has asked,

  I, too, desire the very same one, merciful Lord.

  But, Lord, it is exceedingly presumptuous of us—

  Though you are pleased by it, for the sake of your devotees.

  You are the progenitor of Brahma and the other gods, and the master of the universe,

  You are brahm, Supreme Spirit, knowing all hearts.

  And so, my heart is apprehensive and full of doubt,

  Yet whatever the Lord has said must be fulfilled.

  Lord, those who are your own devotees—

  The bliss they find, and the final state of salvation that they attain—

  That same bliss, that state,

  That same devotion, that same love for your feet,

  That same discernment, that same way of living—

  Lord, by your grace, give to us.’

  (150)

  Hearing her sweet and gentle speech, most pleasing and profound,

  The ocean of compassion gently replied,

  ‘All the desires of your heart—

  I grant them all, have no doubt.

  By my grace, Mother, you will never lose

  Your extraordinary wisdom and discernment.’

  Then Manu, paying homage to his feet, spoke again and said,

  ‘Lord, I have one more plea—

  Let me have the same love for your feet as I would for a son,

  No matter how big a fool anyone calls me,

  Just as a cobra cannot live without the jewel in its hood, or a fish without water,

  So let my life be dependent upon you.’

  Having sought this boon, he remained clasping the Lord’s feet.

  ‘So shall it be,’ said the compassionate Lord.

  ‘Now obey my command—

  Go and make your home in Indra’s city.

  There, enjoy all its great delights, Father,

  And after some ages have passed,

  You will be born as the king of Avadh—

  Then I will become your son.

  (151)

  Assuming the form of a man according to my wish,

  I will manifest myself in your home.

  I will take on a body and become incarnate with all my parts, Father,

  And will perform deeds that will bring bliss and joy to my devotees.

  Fortunate men, hearing about my exploits with reverence,

  Will cross the ocean of existence, abandoning attachment, self and pride.

  The primal energy, of whom the world has been born,

  This maya of mine—she too will descend upon earth.

  I will fulfil your desire,

  True is my promise, true, true.’

  Repeating this again and again, the compassionate Lord,

  Supreme God, disappeared from sight.

  The royal couple, holding the merciful one in their hearts,

  Stayed on for a while in that hermitage.

  When it was time, they gave up their bodies without pain or effort

  And went and made their home in Amaravati.

  This sacred history

  Brishketu related to Uma.

  Bharadvaj, now listen to another

  Reason for Ram’s birth.

  (152)

  Listen, muni, to this old and sacred story

  Which Shambhu related to Girija—

  There was a country called Kaikeya, renowned in all the world,

  And Satyaketu was its king.

  A staunch upholder of dharma and knowledgeable in good government,

  Great in glory and majesty, virtuous and strong,

  To him were born two valiant sons,

  Who were steadfast in battle and endowed with every virtue.

  The older son, the heir to the throne,

  Was called Pratapbhanu, sun of glory.

  The other son was named Arimardan, destroyer of foes,

  Of unparalleled strength and in battle as immovable as a mountain.

  The two brothers were the best of friends,

  And their love for each other was free of all deceit or guile.

  The king bequeathed his kingdom to the older son,

  And retired to the forest, devoting himself to Hari.

  When Pratapbhanu became king,

  It was proclaimed in all the land.

  He ruled his subjects in accordance with the ways set down in the Vedas

  So that nowhere was there even the slightest trace of sin.

  (153)

  The prime minister, shrewd and wise, was devoted to the king;

  A veritable Shukra,lxi his name was Dharmaruchi.lxii

  Thus Pratapbhanu had a wise minister and a strong and valiant brother,

  And was himself a mighty warrior, glorious and steadfast in battle.

  He also had an unrivalled army complete with elephants, chariots, cavalry and infantry,

  Its countless soldiers all fearless in war—

  Looking upon his army, the king rejoiced,

  As drums beat and thundered.

  Preparing his army for conquest,

  And choosing an auspicious day, the king marched forth to the beat of drums.

  Fighting countless battles in every direction,

  He conquered and humbled all the other kings of the earth.

  With the strength of his arm, he brought all the seven continents under his sway.

  Exacting tribute from the kings, he let them go—

  And so, at that time, the whole world

  Had one undisputed king: Pratapbhanu.

  Having brought the whole world under his sway by the might of his arm,

  He re-entered his own city.

>   Here, in accordance with what was appropriate at a particular time,

  The king of men devoted himself to business, duty, the pleasures of love and so on.

  (154)

  The beautiful earth, infused with King Pratapbhanu’s strength,

  Became a veritable Kamdhenu.

  His subjects, blissful and freed of all sorrow,

  Were handsome and virtuous men and women.

  The minister, Dharmaruchi, was devoted to Hari’s feet—

  With the good of the king always in mind, he instructed him daily in policy and statesmanship.

  To his guru, gods, saints, forefathers and Brahmans,

  The king rendered constant service.

  The duties of a ruler as laid down in the Vedas,

  The king gladly and with reverence fulfilled them all.

  Every day he gave away alms and gifts of various kinds,

  And listened to the sacred Shastras, the Vedas and the Puranas.

  With countless baths, wells and ponds,

  Flower gardens and pleasing orchards,

  And beautiful residences for Brahmans and temples for the gods,

  He adorned and made extraordinarily beautiful, all the places of pilgrimage.

  Each and every sacrifice that the Puranas and the Vedas enjoined—

  The king performed them all,

  Not once, but a thousand, thousand times,

  With love and deep devotion.

  (155)

  The king had no desire in his heart for reward,

  For he was discerning and most wise.

  Whatever duties he performed, whether in deed, thought and word,

  The wise king offered to Lord Vaasudev.

  One day, the king mounted one of his excellent horses,

  And making all the necessary preparations, set off to hunt.

  He went into the dense jungles of Vindhyachal,

  Where he killed many pure and beautiful deer.

  Wandering through the forest, the king saw a boar.

  It was as though Rahu, having swallowed the moon, was hiding in the forest—

  The moon was too big and didn’t fit into his mouth,

  But in his rage, he would not spit it out.

  Such, as I have described it, was the splendour of the boar’s formidable tusks.

  His body, too, was huge and very heavy.

  Hearing the tread of the horse’s hooves, he grunted and snorted,

  And stared in alarm, his ears pricked.

  Catching sight of that enormous boar,

  Like the summit of a dark mountain,

  The king whipped his horse into a gallop

  And shouted loudly, ‘You cannot escape!’

  (156)

  Seeing the horse thundering towards him,

  The boar took fright and fled as fast the wind.

  At once the king fitted an arrow to his bow—

  The boar, seeing the arrow, merged with the ground.

  The king, taking swift aim, shot arrow after arrow,

  But the boar craftily eluded them, and saving himself,

  Ran away, sometimes coming into view, sometimes disappearing from sight—

  The king, gripped by the passion of the hunt, followed in pursuit.

  After some distance, the boar entered a dense thicket,

  Where elephants and horses could not penetrate;

  Even though he was completely alone in the great forest and the way was difficult,

  The king did not give up his pursuit of the animal.

  The boar, seeing the king so determined,

  Ran into a deep mountain cave.

  Seeing that the cave was inaccessible, the king was greatly disappointed;

  But roaming in that great forest, he had lost his way.

  Weary, disheartened, hungry and thirsty,

  The king with his horse

  Searched desperately for a stream or pond—

  He was close to fainting for want of water.

  (157)

  Wandering through the forest, he saw a hermitage

  Where, in secret and disguised as a muni, lived a king

  Whose kingdom Pratapbhanu had wrested,

  And who, abandoning his army, had fled the battle

  Knowing that the times were favourable to Pratapbhanu

  And considering them to be extremely unlucky for himself.

  Greatly disheartened, he had not returned home,

  But, being too proud, nor had he reconciled with the king.

  Suppressing the anger in his heart, that king

  Lived in the forest like a pauper, wearing the guise of an ascetic.

  It was him the king approached—

  He immediately recognized him as Pratapbhanu.

  The king was tired and thirsty and did not recognize him,

  And seeing his holy garb, took him to be a great sage.

  Dismounting from his horse, the king saluted him respectfully,

  But shrewdly did not disclose his own name.

  Perceiving that the king was thirsty,

  The ascetic led him to a large pond.

  The king, together with his horse,

  Gladly bathed in it and drank its water.

  (158)

  All his tiredness left him, and the king was happy again.

  Knowing that the sun was about to set,

  The ascetic took him back to his own hermitage and offered him a seat.

  Then said the ascetic in gentle tones,

  ‘Who are you, and why do you wander in this forest alone?

  You are young and handsome, why do you play with your life?

  You bear all the marks of an emperor,

  And looking upon you, I feel great compassion.’

  ‘There is a king by the name of Pratapbhanu—

  Listen, great muni, I am his minister.

  I lost my way while hunting,

  And it is by great good fortune that I have been led here to your feet.

  It was not easy to come by your presence—

  I believe this is a sign that something good will happen.’

  Said the muni, ‘Son, it is growing dark,

  And your city is seventy yojans away.

  Listen, wise one, the night is very dark,

  The forest deep and there is no path through it.

  So, stay here tonight,

  And leave as soon as it is daybreak.’

  (159A)

  What has to happen will happen—

  Circumstances will arise to make it so, says Tulsi.

  Either they will bring the inevitable to you,

  Or they will help to take you there.

  (159B)

  The king humbly accepted the hermit’s suggestion. ‘As you say, lord,’ he said,

  And tying his horse to a tree, sat down.

  The king praised the ascetic in many ways,

  And paying him homage, praised his own good fortune.

  Then he said to him in soft and reverend tones,

  ‘Regarding you as my father, lord, I will be bold and ask you—

  Look upon me, great sage, as your son and servant,

  And tell me, master, your name and about yourself in detail.’

  The king had not recognized him, but he had recognized the king,

  The king had a heart that was clean and pure, but he was deceitful and sly.

  He was, first, the king’s enemy, and then also a Kshatriya and of royal birth—

  So he sought to achieve his purpose through deceit and the strength of his cunning.

  Recalling the royal luxuries he too had once enjoyed, the king’s enemy was deeply unhappy

  And his heart burnt within him like flames in a furnace.

  Hearing the king’s ingenuous and sincere words,

  He recalled the grudge he bore him, and rejoiced in his heart.

  He replied with sweet but deceitful words

  Steeped in cunning and guile,

  ‘My name is now simply “pauper”


  For now I am without money or home.’

  (160)

  Said the king, ‘Those who are wise and discerning

  Like you, and who have overcome all pride and self-conceit—

  They forever keep their true selves concealed.

  They are in all manner blessed, and rejoice in their wretched disguise.

  It is because of this that sages and the Vedas proclaim

  That it is the most destitute that Hari holds most dear.

  Moneyless and homeless mendicants such as you,

  Make even Viranchi and Shiv uncertain.

  Whoever you are, I pay homage at your feet—

  Now grant me your grace, lord.’

  Seeing the king’s simple and sincere affection,

  The hermit grew more confident.

  In every way he charmed the king and won him over,

  And with a show of great affection, he said,

  ‘Listen, great king, I tell you the truth—

  I have dwelt here for many years.

  Till now, no one has come to meet me,

  Nor have I revealed myself to anyone,

  For fame and worldly honour are like a fire

  That consumes the forest of austerity and penance.’

  (161A)

  Seeing a pleasing outward appearance, says Tulsi,

  Not just fools, but also shrewd and clever men are deceived.

  Behold the beautiful peacock—

  Its call is like nectar, but its diet is serpents.

  (161B)

  ‘That is why,’ the ascetic continued, ‘I stay hidden from the world—

  Except for Hari, I have no need or dealings of any kind with anyone.

  The Lord knows all without being told,

  So tell me then, what is to be gained by pleasing the world?

  You are pure and upright, intelligent and of sound sense, and so are greatly beloved of me.

  You, too, have affection and faith in me.

  So now, my son, if I should hide anything from you,

  It would be a grievous fault on my part.’

  The more the ascetic spoke of his detachment from the world,

  The more the king’s faith in him grew.

  When he saw that the king was completely under his influence in thought, word and deed,

  The ascetic, who was as deceitful as the stork that pretends to meditate while lying in wait for unwary fish, said,

  ‘My name, friend, is Ektanu, or “one who has but one body”.’lxiii