by Tulsidas
The Lord with his brother touched his feet in homage.
Their father then gave them his blessings.
‘Father, this is all the result of your virtuous deeds,
That I have conquered the invincible king of the demons.’
Upon hearing his son’s words, his love increased even more,
So that his body trembled and his eyes overflowed with tears.
Raghupati considered his father’s earlier love for him,
And merely by looking at him, gave to him unwavering knowledge of his own form.
Dasharath had set his heart on separation and devotion,13
That is why, Uma, he did not receive the gift of liberation.
Those who adore the incarnate form, do not accept salvation,
So to them Ram gives devotion to himself.
Bowing again and again to the Lord,
Dasharath returned, rejoicing, to his abode with the gods.
Beholding the beauty of Koshal’s noble king
Together with his brother and Janaki,
The king of the gods rejoiced in his heart,
And broke into a song of praise.
(112)
‘Glory to Ram, the abode of beauty,
The giver of rest to the obeisant,
Who holds a quiver, a great bow, and arrows,
And whose arms are mighty and powerful.
Glory to the slayer of Dushan and Khar,
The destroyer of the Rakshasa horde.
When you killed that rascal, master,
The gods found a protector again.
Glory to the reliever of earth’s burden,
Whose greatness is generous and unbounded.
Glory to Ravan’s compassionate foe,
Who reduced the demons to helplessness.
The king of Lanka was proud of his great strength,
He had brought the gods and Gandharvas under his sway.
Munis, Siddhas, men, birds and serpents—
He had relentlessly persecuted them all.
Bent on harming others, vicious and cruel,
He received his reward, that wicked sinner.
Listen now, O friend of the humble,
With the large lotus eyes—
My arrogance was excessive,
There was no one equal to me.
But now that I have seen your lotus feet, Lord,
That pride, which gave so much sorrow, has gone.
Some contemplate the unembodied brahm,
Whom the Vedas praise as imperceptible.
But I hold dear your embodied form
As Ram, the king of Koshal.
Abide in my heart
With Vaidehi and your brother,
And acknowledging me as your servant,
O Ramaa’s beloved, grant me devotion.
Grant me devotion, O Ramaa’s beloved,
Dispeller of fear, and bestower of bliss upon those who seek refuge in you.
I adore you, O Ram, abode of peace,
Prince of the Raghu line, with the beauty of countless Kamdevs.
Delight of the gods, dispeller of opposites,
Embodied as a man of unparalleled strength,
And worshipped by Brahma, Shankar and the other gods—
I salute you, Ram, the compassionate, the benign.
Now look graciously upon me, merciful Lord
And command me what to do.’
Upon hearing Indra’s loving request,
The cherisher of the lowly replied,
(113)
‘Listen, king of the gods, our monkeys and bears,
Those killed by the demons, lie on the ground.
They gave up their lives for my sake.
Bring them back to life, all-wise king of the gods!’
O king of the birds, this request of the Lord’s
Is so unfathomable that only the wisest munis can understand it.
The Lord can himself destroy and restore to life the three spheres,
Here he only wished to give Sakr importance.
Causing a shower of amrit, Indra restored to life the monkeys and bears,
Who rose up rejoicing and returned to the Lord.
The shower of nectar had fallen upon the dead of both armies,
But only the monkey and bears came back to life, not the demons.
The demons’ spirits, at the point of death, had taken on Ram’s form,14
And so they had been freed from the bonds of rebirth and attained salvation.
But the monkeys and bears were all partial incarnations of the gods,
And so they all came back to life by the will of Raghupati.
Who is as benevolent to the afflicted as Ram,
Who freed from rebirth the multitude of demons?
Even that abode of sin, that wicked Ravan, steeped in lust,
Attained to that state which the greatest of munis cannot reach.
Raining down flowers, all the gods departed,
Each in his own shining chariot.
Then, seeing it to be an opportune moment,
Wise Shambhu came to the Lord.
(114A)
With supreme love, he folded his two hands.
Then, his lotus eyes full of tears,
His body trembling and his voice choking with emotion,
Tripurari entreated him thus:
(114B)
‘Protect me, chief of the Raghu clan,
You who hold a noble bow and bright arrows in your hand.
You are the fierce wind that blows away the dense cloud canopy of delusion,
The fire that destroys the forest of doubt, and the bestower of joy upon the gods.
You are with attributes and without, you are beautiful, the abode of virtue,
And the bright and blazing sun that dispels the darkness of ignorance,
You are the lion that destroys the elephants of lust and anger and pride.
Abide for ever in the forest of this devotee’s heart.
You are the severe frost to blight the lotuses of worldly desire.
You are generous, transcend mind and intellect,
And are a Mount Mandar to churn the ocean of this existence.
Dispel my greatest fear and take me across this unnavigable ocean of rebirth.
O Ram, with the dark form and lotus eyes,
Friend of the needy, and dispeller of the sorrow of suppliants,
Dwell for ever in my heart, O king,
With your brother and Janaki.
You bestow joy upon the sages, you are the jewel adorning this earthly sphere,
The destroyer of every fear, and Tulsidas’s own Lord.
When your coronation, my master,
Takes place in Koshal’s city,
Then, O ocean of mercy,
I will come to witness your great act.’
(115)
When Shambhu had made his plea and departed,
Vibhishan approached the Lord.
Bowing his head at Ram’s feet, he spoke soft and humble words.
‘Hear my prayer, Lord, you who hold the great bow Sarang in your hand.
You have slain Ravan with his kin, his clan and his army,
And spread your unblemished glory in all the three spheres.
Upon me—lowly, impure, lacking both sense and noble lineage—
You have showered your grace in innumerable ways.
Now, Lord, make pure your devotee’s home,
Bathe there and recover from the fatigue of battle.
Inspect my treasury, my palace and my wealth,
And gladly give, gracious Lord, whatever you wish to the monkeys.
Master, acknowledge me as your own in every way,
And then, when you go to Avadh, take me with you.’
When the compassionate Lord heard these mild and gentle words,
His large eyes filled with tears.
‘Listen, brother, what you say is true—
Your treasury, your home and all you have ar
e as my own.
But when I think of Bharat’s condition,
A moment passes as slowly as an aeon for me.
(116A)
In ascetic garb, with emaciated body,
He unceasingly repeats my name.
Therefore, dear friend, make every effort
Such that I may see him soon.
(116B)
If I go at the end of my period of exile,
I may not find my brother still alive.’
Thinking of his brother’s love,
The Lord’s body trembled again and again.
(116C)
‘But may you rule for a full kalpa,
Remembering me always in your heart.
And then may you attain to my abode,
Where all good men go.’
(116D)
Upon hearing Ram’s words, Vibhishan
Joyfully embraced the feet of the abode of mercy.
The monkeys and bears all rejoiced,
And clasping the Lord’s feet, began to recount his immaculate perfections.
Then Vibhishan departed for his palace.
There, he loaded the Pushpak with jewels and fine raiment,
And then returned with the flying chariot and set it before the Lord.
The ocean of mercy laughed and said,
‘Dear friend, Vibhishan, climb into this flying chariot,
And ascending into the sky, throw down these clothes and jewels.’
Vibhishan flew up into the sky at once,
And rained down all the jewels and clothes.
The monkeys picked up whatever pleased their hearts,
Cramming the jewels into their mouths and spitting them out again.
Ram and Sita and Lakshman laughed at the sight,
For supremely playful is the abode of mercy.
He whom sages cannot attain even by contemplation,
And whom the Vedas describe as ‘Not this, not this!’
That same compassionate Lord
Is playing joyfully with the monkeys.
(117A)
Uma, ascetic practices and prayer, charity and diverse austerities,
The performance of fire sacrifices and the observance of fasts and vows
Do not evoke Ram’s compassion
As does complete and absolute love.
(117B)
The bears and monkeys found the clothes and jewels,
And dressing up in them, they came, each one, to Raghupati.
Seeing all the monkeys in assorted attire,
Koshal’s king laughed again and again.
Looking at them, Raghurai felt great affection
And speaking kind and gentle words, he said,
‘It is with your support that I killed Ravan
And then made Vibhishan king.
Now return to your own homes, each one.
Remember me and fear no one.’
Upon hearing his words, the monkeys were overwhelmed with love,
And folding their hands, all reverently replied,
‘Whatever you say, Lord, comes well from you,
But we are confused by your words.
Knowing us to be but lowly creatures
You gave us your protection.
You are the ruler of the three worlds, Raghunath,
And hearing your words, Lord, we die of shame—
Can mosquitos help the mighty king of the birds?’
Seeing Ram so gracious towards them, the monkeys and bears
Were lost in love. They had no desire to return home.
But, upon the Lord’s command, the monkeys and bears,
Holding his image in their hearts,
And with many prayers and entreaties,
Left for their homes with mingled joy and sorrow.
(118A)
Sugriv, Nil, Jamvant,
Angad, Nal, Hanuman,
Vibhishan and the other
Valiant monkey commanders,
(118B)
Were overcome with love and could not speak a word.
Their eyes full of tears,
They stood gazing at Ram,
Forgetting even to blink.
(118C)
Raghurai, seeing their extreme love,
Took them all up into the flying chariot.
Then, mentally bowing his head at the Brahmans’ feet,
He turned the chariot towards the north.
As the chariot took off, a great tumult arose,
With everyone shouting ‘Glory to Raghubir!’
Upon a high and lovely throne
Sat the Lord with Shri.
There, Ram and his beloved glittered,
Like dark cloud and lightning upon Mount Meru’s peak.
The shining chariot flew swiftly on—
The gods, rejoicing, rained flowers upon it.
Supremely pleasing, cool, soft and fragrant breezes blew,
And oceans, lakes and rivers shone clean and pure.
There were good omens all around,
All hearts were happy, and the whole sky clear and bright.
Said Raghubir, ‘Look, Sita, the field of battle.
Here Lakshman killed Indrajit,
And here, upon the battleground, lie
The huge demons slain by Hanuman and Angad.
And the two brothers, Kumbhakaran and Ravan,
Were killed here, those tormentors of gods and saints.
Here I had a bridge built,
And set up a shrine to Shiv.’
The all-merciful Ram and Sita,
Bowed in homage to Shambhu.
(119A)
All the places in the forest where
The compassionate Lord had stayed or rested,
He pointed out to Janaki,
And told her what they were called.
(119B)
Swiftly the chariot reached
The beautiful Dandak forest.
Ram visited the hermitages
Of Kumbhaj and of the other great munis who lived there.
After receiving the blessings of all the sages,
The Lord of the universe came to Chitrakut,
And filled with delight all the munis there.
The chariot flew swiftly on.
Ram then showed Janaki the lovely Jamuna,
That washes away the sins of this age of Kali.
Then, seeing the pure and sacred Ganga,
Ram said, ‘Do it homage, Sita.
Now see also Prayag, the chief of all holy places,
The mere sight of which drives away the sins of countless births.
See also the supremely sanctifying triveni,
The dispeller of sorrow, and ladder to Hari’s abode.
And now behold the most sacred city of Avadh,
That destroys the anguish of the triple fires and heals the disease of rebirth.’
The merciful Lord and Sita
Did homage to Avadh.
Ram’s eyes filled with tears, his body trembled,
And he was overwhelmed with happiness and joy.
(120A)
Then the Lord stopped at the triveni
And joyfully bathed in the confluence.
Together with the monkeys,
He gave the Brahmans many gifts.
(120B)
The Lord then instructed Hanuman,
‘Assume the form of a young Brahman and go to Avadh.
Tell Bharat that I am well,
And then return with news of him.’
The Wind’s son left at once.
Then the Lord went to Bharadvaj.
The muni paid homage to him in many ways,
And singing a hymn of praise, gave him his blessing.
The Lord in reverence touched the muni’s feet, and then, folding his hands,
Ascended his flying chariot and continued on his way.
The Nishad chief, Guha, heard of the Lord’s approach,
And crying, ‘A boat, bring a boat!’ called all his people to him.
Meanwhile, the flying chariot crossed the sacred Ganga,
And, at the Lord’s command, landed upon its bank.
Sita then paid homage to the divine river,
And threw herself at the river goddess’s feet.
Rejoicing, Ganga gave Sita her blessing,
‘May your state of wedded bliss never cease, beautiful princess.’
On hearing that the Lord had come, Guha rushed
To him, brimming with love and joy.
Seeing Vaidehi with the Lord,
He fell to the ground, overcome.
Raghurai, upon seeing his great devotion,
Raised him and clasped him joyfully to his heart.
Ramaa’s beloved, the abode of mercy and wisest of the wise,
Took and clasped him to his heart.
He seated him by his side, and asked of his well-being.
Guha humbly replied,
‘Now all is well, for I have seen your lotus feet
That Shankar and Viranchi adore.
O Ram, abode of bliss, you who are free from all desire,
I bow to you in homage!’
Hari embraced that base-born Nishad
As though he were Bharat himself.
Dull of mind, says Tulsidas, is he
Who, in folly’s grip, forgets such a Lord.
This story of Ravan’s enemy ever sanctifies.
It inspires perpetual love for Ram’s feet,
Destroys lust and other passions, engenders true wisdom,
And gods, Siddhas and sages sing it with delight.
To those wise men who listen to the story
Of Raghubir’s triumph in battle,
The divine Lord ever grants
Success, wisdom and wealth.
(121A)
This age of Kali is the dwelling place of sin—
Think on it and see for yourself, O mind.
Except for the name of Ram,
There is no other succour.
(121B)
Thus ends the sixth descent into the Manas lake of Ram’s acts, that destroy all the impurities of the Kali age.
Book VII
UTTARKAND
(EPILOGUE)
Mangalcharan
Dark-complexioned like the dark-blue lustre of a peacock’s neck,