by Tulsidas
All are dear to me, for they have all sprung from me,
But man delights me the most.
And of men, Brahmans; of Brahmans, those who know the Vedas;
Of these, those who live according to the teachings of the sacred texts;
Amongst these, those free from worldly attachment are dear to me, and of these the wise;
And of the wise, I love most the spiritually wise,
And of them, the dearest to me are my own servants,
Who come to me and take shelter with no other.
Again and again I tell you this truth,
That there are none so dear to me as my own servants.
If Viranchi himself felt no devotion towards me,
He would be no dearer to me than any other creature;
And if the lowest, most insignificant creature had devotion towards me,
He would be as dear to me as life—this do I declare.
Tell me, who would not like
A true, kind and intelligent servant?
The Vedas and Puranas, too, say this—
So listen attentively, O crow.
(86)
A father has many sons,
Each with his individual qualities, temperament and behaviour.
One is learned, another an ascetic, another spiritually enlightened,
Another wealthy, or brave, or charitable,
One is all-knowing and wise, another intent on piety.
But the father loves them all equally.
Another is completely devoted to his father, in thought, word and deed,
And even in dream, knows no other duty.
This is the son the father loves as his own life,
Though he be utterly ignorant in every respect.
In the same way, all beings, moving or unmoving,
Including birds and beasts, gods, men and Asurs,
Indeed, the entire universe that I have fashioned—
I look upon it all with equal affection.
But amongst them all, if there be one who, abandoning pride and delusion,
Worships only me in thought, word and deed,
Whether he be man or woman or of neither sex,
Or any creature, moving or unmoving—
If he, with all his being, sincerely worships me,
He is my most beloved.
(87A)
I tell you the truth, bird,
A true servant is as dear to me as life.
Understand this and worship only me,
Relinquishing all other hope or assurance.
(87B)
Time will never affect you,
Remember and worship me without ceasing.’
I would never have tired of hearing the Lord’s sweet words—
My body trembled and my heart filled with happiness.
My heart and my ears shared my joy,
But my tongue did not have the ability to relate it.
My eyes knew the joy of beholding the Lord’s beauty,
But how can they describe it? They have no voice.
After delighting me with discourse,
He again began to play like a child.
With his eyes full of tears and his face downcast,
He looked at his mother as if he were hungry.
Seeing this, his mother rose and rushed to him,
And speaking soft words, clasped him to her bosom.
Then, holding him in her lap, she began to nurse him,
Singing all the while of Raghupati’s charming deeds.
That bliss, to attain which Purari, the giver of bliss to all,
Assumed his unpleasing attire—
In that joy do the men and women of Avadh
Remain eternally immersed.
(88A)
Those wise and virtuous ones, O Garud,
Who have experienced, even in dream,
The smallest particle of that joy, hold of no account
Even the bliss of becoming one with the Absolute.
(88B)
I stayed in Avadh for some more time after this,
Observing his charming boyish play.
Then, having received the boon of faith by Ram’s grace,
I bowed at the Lord’s feet and came back to my own hermitage.
From the moment Raghunayak accepted me as his own,
Delusion has had no power over me.
I have now related to you my own personal story
Of how I was troubled and beguiled by Hari’s delusive power.
From my own experience now I say to you, Garud,
That without the worship of Hari, suffering cannot be relieved.
Listen, O king of the birds, without Ram’s grace,
Ram’s power cannot be understood;
Without understanding, there is no confidence;
Without confidence, there is no love;
And without love, faith cannot be steady and unchanging,
But trickles away like water.
Can there be knowledge without a guru,
Or wisdom without dispassion?
As the Vedas and the Puranas sing,
Can happiness be attained without the worship of Hari?
(89A)
Can anyone find peace, sire,
Without intrinsic contentment?
Can a boat move without water,
Though you strive and sweat till you die?
(89B)
Without contentment, desire cannot be destroyed,
And as long as there is desire, peace cannot be attained even in dream.
Can desire disappear without the worship of Ram?
Can a tree ever take root without soil?
Without wisdom, can equanimity be attained?
Can there be emptiness without sky?
Without faith there is no piety,
As there can be no smell without earth.
Can glory spread without penance,
Or there be any flavours in the world without water?
Can goodness be acquired without waiting upon the wise,
Or colours exist without light, sire?
Can the mind be still without internal happiness,
Or touch exist without air?
Without faith, success cannot be achieved,
Without prayer to Hari, the fear of rebirth cannot be destroyed.
Without faith, there can be no devotion;
Without devotion, Ram is not moved;
Without Ram’s grace, no creature
Can attain peace even in dream.
(90A)
Thus reflecting, O steadfast one,
Abandon all doubt and false doctrine,
And worship the Raghu hero—
Ram, the compassionate, the beautiful, the beneficent.
(90B)
Thus, king of the birds, I have now declared to you,
The greatness of the Lord’s power.
I have not been clever or inventive in my tale,
But have seen all that I have related with my own eyes.
Ram’s greatness, his name, beauty and virtues
Are all boundless, and infinite himself is Raghunath.
The munis sing of Hari’s perfections, each according to his understanding,
But not the Vedas, nor Sheshnag or Shiv, can completely comprehend them.
From you down to the mosquito, sire, all winged creatures
Fly across the sky but never find its end.
In the same way, Raghupati’s greatness is unfathomable,
And none can reach its bottom.
Ram is as beautiful of form as countless Kamdevs,
And relentless as countless Durgas in the destruction of his foes.
His pomp and grandeur equal that of countless Indras,
And his vastness is as immeasurable as that of countless skies.
He has the strength of a myriad winds,
And the brilliance of a myriad suns.
He is as gentle as a myriad moons,
And soot
hes all the terrors of this existence.
(91A)
As insuperable, inaccessible and incomprehensible
As infinite deaths,
Is our divine Lord,
And as unassailable as infinite comets.
(91B)
The Lord is as unfathomable as innumerable underworlds
And as terrible as innumerable gods of death.
He is as sanctifying as countless millions of holy sites,
And his name destroys all the multitudes of sins.
Raghubir is as immoveable as ten million snowy peaks,
And as profound as ten million oceans,
The granter of every desire, the Lord
Is as munificent as ten million Kamdhenus.
He is as immeasurably intelligent as countless Sharadas,
As skilful in creation as countless Vidhis,
As nurturing a preserver as countless Vishnus,
And as powerful a destroyer as countless Rudras.
He is as wealthy as a billion gods of wealth,
Holds within himself as many universes as a billion Mayas,
And can bear as many worlds as a billion Sheshnags.
The lord of the universe, he is illimitable and beyond compare.
He is beyond compare and has no peer,
Ram alone is like Ram, the Vedas say.
If the sun be compared to fireflies, even a hundred million of them,
It would be diminished.
In the same way great munis have attempted to describe Hari
According to their own wit and understanding,
And the Lord lovingly listens to their descriptions and is pleased,
For he is kind and appreciates the sentiment of his devotees.
Ram is an unfathomable ocean of virtue,
Can anyone measure his depth?
I have told you whatever little
I heard from the saints.
(92A)
Abandon selfishness, vanity and pride
And ever worship Sita’s beloved,
The great God who is moved by love,
The abode of bliss and compassion.”
(92B)
The lord of the birds was delighted to hear
Bhushundi’s pleasing words, and puffed up his feathers in joy.
With his eyes full of tears and his heart full of happiness,
He meditated upon the might of divine Raghupati.
He was filled with remorse upon remembering his former delusion,
When he had taken the eternal Supreme Spirit of the universe to be a mortal man.
Again and again he bowed his head at the crow’s feet,
And regarding him the same as Ram, loved him even more.
No one can cross the ocean of existence without a guru,
Though he be equal to Viranchi or Shankar.
“The serpent of doubt had bitten me, dear Father,
And as a result of its venom, I was overcome by fits of delusion.
But Raghunayak, who bestows joy upon his devotees,
Appeared in your form as the antidote, and restored me to life.
By your favour, my delusion has been destroyed,
And I have learnt the incomparable mystery of Ram.”
After praising him in every way,
And bowing his head before him with folded hands,
Garud addressed him in gentle,
Courteous and loving words.
(93A)
“My lord, in my ignorance,
I ask you a question.
Instruct me, compassionate master,
Knowing me to be your own servant.
(93B)
You are omniscient, and know the true nature of everything,
You are beyond the darkness of delusion, intelligent, good-natured, straightforward,
The abode of knowledge, wisdom and dispassion,
And Raghunayak’s beloved servant.
What is the reason, then, for your having received such a form?
Explain this to me, sire.
Tell me also, O revered bird,
Where did you learn this beautiful story of Ram’s exploits?
And master, I have heard from Shiv,
That you do not perish even at the destruction of all things.
The great god never utters an idle word,
And so there is a question in my mind.
The whole world, master, with all its creatures, moving and unmoving,
Serpents, men and gods, is Time’s victim.
Time has destroyed countless universes,
And is ever implacable and strong.
How is it that you alone are not affected
By terrifying and formidable Time?
Tell me, merciful one, is this the result
Of spiritual wisdom or yogic power?
(94A)
My lord, as soon as I came to your ashram,
My confusion and delusion fled.
What is the reason for that?
In your kindness, master, explain it all to me.”
(94B)
The crow, Uma, was delighted to hear Garud’s words,
And replied with great affection,
“Blessed indeed is your mind, Uragari,
And your questions are very pleasing to me.
Listening to your agreeable and affectionate questions,
The memories of many previous births have come back to me.
I will now tell you my full story.
Listen to it, sire, with reverence and attention.
Prayer, penance, performing fire-sacrifices, self-restraint, undertaking sacred vows, acts of charity,
Dispassion, discernment, meditation and spiritual wisdom—
The goal of all these is love for Raghupati’s feet,
Without which no one can attain well-being.
In was in this body that I found devotion to Ram,
That is why it is very dear to me.
Everyone has a special affection for that
Through which he has attained his purpose.
O enemy of serpents, this is a maxim
Accepted by the Vedas and endorsed by the saints—
Show affection to the lowest creature
If you know it to be your friend.
(95A)
Silk is produced by worms,
And from it is made lovely silken raiment.
That is why all look after the worm,
Supremely impure though it is, like they would their own lives.
(95B)
The greatest advantage to any living creature
Is devotion to Ram in thought, word and deed.
That body alone is pure, and that alone is beautiful
In which one is able to worship Raghubir.
The learned and the wise never praise one who is against Ram,
Even if he acquires a body like Brahma’s.
It was in my current body that devotion to Ram took root in my heart,
And that is why, sire, it is most dear to me.
Though I can choose when I die, I do not give up this body,
For without a body, as the Vedas declare, I cannot worship.
At first, delusion gave me great trouble,
And as long as I remained indifferent to Ram, I could not find peaceful repose.
Through different births I practised diverse actions—
Meditation, prayer, penance, sacrifice and almsgiving.
There is no womb in which I have not at some time taken birth
During my wanderings through the universe, O king of the birds!
I have done and experienced all kinds of deeds, master,
But I have never been as happy as I am now.
I remember many past births, my lord,
In which, by Shiv’s grace, my mind has been free from delusion.
Listen, O king of the birds, for I will now relate
The story of my first birth.
Hearing it will engender love for the Lord�
��s feet,
Through which all distress is dispelled.
(96A)
In a former cycle of creation, my lord,
The world was passing through an age of sin.
In this Kaliyug, men and women, steeped in evil,
Had all turned against the Vedas.
(96B)
In that Kaliyug, I was born in Koshal’s city,
And in that birth, was given the body of a Shudra.
I was a devotee of Shiv in thought, word and deed,
But I was conceited and scoffed at all the other gods.
Intoxicated with the pride of wealth, I was a loudmouth,
Excessively aggressive, and with a heart full of deceit.
Though I lived in Raghupati’s capital city,
I did not then understand its glory.
Now I have come to know Avadh’s greatness.
The Vedas, Puranas and all the scriptures say
That anyone who has in any birth lived in Ayodhya,
Will eventually become a devotee of Ram.
A man comes to know the power of Ayodhya
When Ram, bow in hand, enters his heart.
That age of Kali was terrible, Uragari—
Every man and woman was immersed in sin.
All virtue had been smothered by the sins of the age,
And all the sacred books had been lost.
Impostors proclaimed all kinds of creeds,
Which they themselves had made up.
(97A)
People were overcome by delusion,
And all good deeds were stifled by greed.
Now listen, O all-wise steed of Hari,
As I tell you some of the practices of the age of Kali.
(97B)
The rules of caste were not followed, nor were the four stages of life observed,
And all men and women were intent on rebelling against the Vedas.
Brahmans sold the Vedas, kings consumed their own subjects,
And no one obeyed the injunctions of the scriptures.
The right path was the one that seemed the most appealing,
Those who bragged and boasted were considered learned,
And those who were pretentious or arrogant
Were acclaimed as saints by everyone.
He alone was considered clever who stole another’s wealth,
Frauds and hypocrites were regarded as the most pious,