The Ramcharitmanas 1

by Tulsidas

  That purpose has been fully accomplished.

  Take this offering and distribute it, O king,

  Dividing it into such portions as are appropriate.’

  Then Agni, the purifying one, disappeared,

  Having instructed the whole gathering.

  The king was overwhelmed with happiness,

  He could not contain his joy within his heart.

  (189)

  The king immediately summoned his beloved wives,

  And Kaushalya and the others went to him.

  A half portion he gave to Kaushalya,

  And divided the remaining portion into equal halves.

  One of these portions he gave to Kaikeyi,

  And what remained he again divided into two half portions;

  Placing these in the hands of Kaushalya and Kaikeyi and so obtaining their approval,

  He gave them to Sumitra and made her happy.

  In this manner the queens all conceived

  And their hearts were filled with great happiness.

  From the day Hari entered the womb,

  All the worlds were filled with bliss and prosperity.

  In the palace shone all the queens,

  Beautiful, virtuous and radiant with joy.

  Some time thus passed in happiness—

  Till the moment arrived for the Lord to become manifest.

  The conjunction of sun and moon, the zodiac sign, the planetary alignments, the day, the date—

  All became favourable,

  And all beings, animate and inanimate, were steeped in joy,

  For Ram’s birth is the source of all bliss.

  (190)

  It was the ninth day of the sweet and fresh spring month of Chait,

  In the bright lunar fortnight, under the asterism Abhijit, so beloved of Hari.

  It was the middle of the day, neither very cold nor very hot,

  The sacred time when the world rests.

  Cool, soft and fragrant breezes began to blow,

  The gods began to rejoice, and the saints were filled with eager longing.

  The forests were full of flowers, the mountains glittered with jewels,

  And all the streams and rivers flowed with nectar.

  When Viranchi realized that it was time,

  The gods all set out, having made ready their chariots.

  The clear sky became crowded with the company of gods,

  And Gandharva hosts sang in praise,

  Raining down flowers in beautiful handfuls.

  Drums beat and reverberated in the sky,

  Nagas, munis and gods sang songs of praise,

  And each, in diverse ways, offered their worship.

  The company of gods, having offered their praise,

  Returned to their respective abodes.

  And the Lord—in whom resides the Universe

  And in whom the whole world finds rest—became manifest.

  (191)

  He became manifest, the compassionate Lord,

  Merciful to the lowly and Kaushalya’s benefactor.

  His mother, looking upon his extraordinary beauty

  That could win even the hearts of munis, rejoiced.

  His eye-enchanting body was as dark as a cloud heavy with rain,

  And his own special weapons in his four arms he held.65

  Adorned with jewels, with his garland of wildflowers and great eyes,

  An ocean of beauty was Kharari.lxviii

  Folding her two hands, his mother said,

  ‘Infinite one, how should I praise you?

  Beyond maya, beyond attributes, transcending knowledge, and immeasurable,

  The Vedas and Puranas proclaim you.

  Ocean of mercy and bliss, abode of all virtue,

  Whom the saints and the scriptures praise—

  Shri’s beloved husband, who loves his devotees,

  Has, for my good, become manifest.

  A multitude of universes created by maya,

  Are contained in every tiny hair upon his body, say the Vedas.

  That this same Lord nurses at my breast,

  Hearing this jest, even the most steadfast minds lose their composure.’

  When this understanding dawned in his mother’s mind, the Lord smiled

  For he wished to perform many marvellous deeds—

  He reassured his mother by relating to her the charming story of her previous birth,

  So that in her there may arise towards him the love of a mother for a son.

  Her awareness wavering, his mother spoke again and said,

  ‘Abandon this form, my son,

  And engage in those childish deeds that are so loved by a mother—

  Such joy is unsurpassed.’

  Hearing her words, the all-wise one began to wail—

  The Lord of the gods became an infant!

  Those who sing of this deed find shelter at Hari’s feet

  And never fall into the deep well that is this existence.

  For the sake of Brahmans, cows, gods and saints,

  He descended to earth in the form of a man,

  In a body created by his own will,

  Transcending maya, its attributes, and the senses.

  (192)

  Hearing the infant’s cries, that beloved and most pleasing of sounds,

  The queens all came hurrying.

  Handmaidens and maidservants ran here and there in glad delight,

  And all the people of the city were overwhelmed with joy.

  Dasharath, hearing of his son’s birth,

  Was as if he had attained supreme bliss.

  His heart overflowing with great love, his body trembling with joy,

  He sought to rise, bidding his mind to be still.

  ‘Merely hearing whose name leads to happiness and good fortune—

  That same Lord has come into my home.’

  The king’s heart filled with supreme bliss—

  He sent for musicians and commanded them to play.

  He summoned his guru, Vasishtha,

  Who came accompanied by Brahmans to the king’s door.

  He went to see the incomparable child,

  The accumulation of beauty and virtue beyond description.

  The king then made ritual offerings to his ancestors and the household gods,

  Performed the auspicious rites and ceremonies of birth,

  And gave gifts of gold, cows, utensils and jewels

  To the Brahmans.

  (193)

  Flags and pennants flew all over the city, its doors and gateways were festooned with flowers—

  The joyous decorations were beyond description.

  Flowers rained down from the sky,

  And all the people were full of gladness.

  Crowds of women flocked together,

  Hurrying forth, just as they were, in ordinary clothes

  With golden pitchers and salvers piled with offerings of good omen.

  Singing, they entered the king’s doorway.

  They performed rituals for the baby’s protection,

  And again and again they prostrated themselves at the infant’s feet,

  As poets, bards, minstrels and singers

  Praised the pure virtues of Raghunayak.

  Great wealth was given as alms to everyone,

  And receivers did not keep these gifts but gave them away to others.

  Musk, sandal and saffron collected in muddy puddles

  In all the roads and lanes.

  Every home resounded with music and rejoicing,

  For the source of all beauty had been born,

  And joyful crowds of men and women

  Gathered everywhere.

  (194)

  When Kaikeyi and Sumitra

  Also gave birth to beautiful sons,

  The joy, the splendour and the lavishness of the celebration, and the rejoicing crowds that gathered

  Could not be described even by Sharada and the serpent-king, Sheshnag.

&
nbsp; The city of Avadh looked so splendid and beautiful

  It seemed as though Night herself had come to see the Lord,

  But upon seeing the sun still there, she had grown abashed,

  And decided to turn into twilight.

  The clouds of fragrant incense were like the darkness of dusk,

  The flying abir, the red rays of the setting sun;

  The many mansions that glittered like jewels were the stars,

  The dome of the king’s palace, the gentle and lustrous moon,

  And in the palace, the sweet sound of the Vedas being chanted

  Was like the continuous chirping of birds at dusk.

  Gazing upon this spectacle, the sun forgot himself,

  And a whole month passed without his knowing.

  The month became a mere day,

  But no one noticed this mystery.

  The sun stood still in his chariot,

  So how could it ever become night?

  (195)

  No one noticed this marvel,

  And at last the jewel of the day moved on, singing Ram’s praises as it set.

  The gods, munis and Nagas, who had watched this great celebration,

  Left for their homes, discussing their good fortune.

  And further, let me tell you of a deception of mine—

  Listen to it, Girija, for your mind is now firm and steadfast:

  Kak Bhushundi and I were there together—

  We were in human form, so no one recognized us.

  Filled with supreme joy and the bliss of love

  We roamed the streets, forgetting ourselves in our happiness.

  Only one who receives Ram’s grace

  Can know of this joyful exploit of ours.

  Upon this occasion, the king gave everyone who had come

  Whatever their hearts desired.

  Elephants, chariots, horses, gold, cows and diamonds

  The king gave away, and clothes and apparel of various kinds.

  The hearts of all were satisfied

  And blessings echoed all over the land:

  ‘May all the boys live long!’—

  Tulsidas’s beloved lords.

  (196)

  Several days passed by in this manner

  Though no one noted the passing of day or night,

  Till the king, realizing that it was time for the naming ceremony,

  Sent for the wise Muni Vasishtha.

  Greeting him with reverence, the king said,

  ‘Bestow upon them, muni, the names that you have chosen.’

  ‘Their names are many and matchless,

  But I will name them, king, according to my own understanding:

  He who is an ocean of bliss and happiness,

  A single drop of which fills the three worlds with joy,

  That abode of delight shall be named “Ram”,

  For he gives rest and repose to the whole universe.

  He who carries upon himself the whole world, and nourishes and nurtures it,

  His name shall be “Bharat”,

  And he, the very thought of whom destroys the enemy,

  His name shall be “Shatrughna”, renowned in the Vedas.’

  The abode of all noble qualities, beloved of Ram,

  And the mainstay of all the world—

  Upon him Guru Vasishtha bestowed

  The noble name of ‘Lakshman’.

  (197)

  The guru gave these names after considering them carefully in his heart.

  ‘The very essence of the Vedas, king, are your four sons—

  They are the muni’s treasures, the devotee’s whole world, and the very breath of Shiv himself,

  And still they take delight in the sweetness of their childish play.’

  Looking upon him from infancy as his master and benefactor,

  Lakshman devoted himself to the love of Ram’s feet,

  And between the two brothers, Bharat and Shatrughna,

  Was love as noble as that between lord and devoted servant.

  Gazing upon the two handsome pairs, dark and fair,

  Their mothers broke blades of grass to keep away the evil eye.

  Though all four were of pleasant disposition, abodes of beauty and virtue,

  The greatest ocean of joy was Ram.

  The kindness of his heart was as radiant as moonlight

  Revealed in the heart-enchanting moonbeams of his smile.

  Sometimes holding him on her lap, sometimes rocking him in a cradle,

  His mother showered him with love, calling him her beloved little son.

  The all-pervading Spirit of the Universe

  Who is beyond the illusions of maya, without flaw, without form, indifferent to pleasure—

  That very unborn and uncreated brahm, yielding to love and devotion,

  Lay in Kaushalya’s lap.

  (198)

  His dark form was as beautiful as innumerable Kamdevs

  And as radiant as a blue lotus, or dark clouds laden with rain,

  With pink lotus-feet and shining toenails,

  Like pearls upon lotus leaves.

  Upon his soles shone the auspicious marks of the thunderbolt, the flag and the goad,66

  While the tinkling of his anklets captivated even the hearts of sages.

  A girdle of tiny bells encircled his waist, his belly with the auspicious three folds

  And a navel so deep that only those who have seen it can know it.

  His long arms were adorned with innumerable ornaments,

  And upon his breast hung a magnificent tiger’s claw of exceeding beauty.

  The necklace of jewels and the mark of the Brahman’s foot67

  Upon his chest lured and captivated the heart.

  He had a conch-like neck and a charming chin,

  A face with the radiant beauty of numberless Madans,

  And two pairs of teeth and red lips.

  And his nose and the tilak upon his forehead—who can describe their beauty?

  His ears were beautiful, his cheeks were charming,

  And his sweet, lisping chatter so engaging to hear.

  His shining, curling hair, still untrimmed from birth,

  His mother combed and arranged in many ways.

  A yellow smock upon his body,

  He crawls upon hands and knees, which charms and delights me.

  His form neither the Vedas nor Shesh can describe:

  Only he may know it who sees it in a dream.

  He who is the accumulation of bliss, beyond delusion and attachment,

  Beyond knowledge and speech and the perception of the senses,

  Yielding to the supreme love of the royal couple,

  Engages in the pure and innocent deeds of a child.

  (199)

  In this way, Ram, father and mother of the universe,

  Gladdens and delights those who reside in this city of Ayodhya in Koshal.

  This clearly shows that those who love and adore the feet of Raghunath

  Attain to this state, Bhavani.

  But, even with immeasurable effort, how can those

  Who turn their faces away from Raghupati, escape the bonds of worldly existence?

  Though she keeps all creatures, animate and inanimate, under her control,

  Maya, too, is afraid of the Lord,

  The merest twitch of whose eyebrows makes her dance.

  Tell me, turning away from such a Lord, who will you adore?

  If worshipped without guile or deceit in thought, word and deed,

  Raghurai bestows his grace at once.

  In this way, the Lord played and frolicked as an infant,

  Delighting all the residents of the city.

  His mother would now pick him up and rock him in her lap

  And now lay him down and rock him in his cradle.

  Absorbed in her love, Kaushalya

  Did not notice the passing of the days and nights.

  The mother, overcome by love for her little son,<
br />
  Sang constantly of his infant deeds.

  (200)

  One day, his mother bathed him,

  And dressing him, laid him in his cradle.

  She then bathed in preparation

  To offer worship to her own family god.

  She performed the puja and made an offering of food to the deity,

  And then went to the kitchen where the food had been prepared;

  Returning to where she had performed the puja,

  She saw her son eating the offering.

  Greatly frightened, the mother hurried to where she had left her child,

  And saw that the little boy was still asleep in his cradle.

  Returning to the place of worship again, she still saw her son there as before—

  Her heart beat unsteadily and her mind would not be still.

  ‘I can see two babies, one here and one there—

  Is this the delusion of my mind or is there some other, extraordinary, reason?’

  Lord Ram, seeing his mother confused and bewildered,

  Laughed and sweetly smiled.

  He revealed to his mother

  His own marvellous form, indivisible, indestructible,

  In every tiny hair of which

  Are contained millions upon millions of universes.

  (201)

  Innumerable suns and moons, Shivs and four-faced Brahmas,

  Many mountains, rivers, oceans, fields and forests,

  Time, Fate, every virtue, knowledge, innate Nature,

  And even things that no one had ever heard of—she saw them all.

  She saw Maya, who is in every way opaque and impenetrable,

  Standing with folded hands, quite terrified.

  She saw the embodied soul whom Maya makes dance to her tune,

  And Bhakti who releases it.

  Her body trembling, she could find no words—

  Closing her eyes, she laid her head at his feet.

  Seeing his mother so filled with wonder,

  Kharari once again took on the form of a child.

  She could not even utter his praises, so overcome was she with terror.

  ‘The Lord of the universe I have known as my son!’

  Hari reassured his mother in many ways and said,

  ‘Listen, Mother, on no account speak of this.’

  Folding her hands, Kaushalya

  Again and again entreated him,