by Tulsidas
But without the worship of Hari, liberation cannot be attained—
This is beyond debate.
(122A)
The Lord can raise up a mosquito to be Viranchi,
Or bring Viranchi down lower than a mosquito.
Realizing this, and abandoning all doubt,
The wise worship Ram alone.
(122B)
I declare to you a definitive truth—
And my words are never untrue—
Only those who worship Hari
Can cross the ocean of existence.
(122C)
I have told you, my lord, of Hari’s incomparable doings,
In detail, and briefly, to the best of my understanding.
To worship Ram, forgetting all other duties, Garud,
This alone is the established truth of the Vedas.
Who else is worth serving, if not Raghupati,
Who has affection even for a fool such as me?
You are wisdom embodied, and beyond delusion,
Yet you have done me a great favour, my lord,
By asking me to tell you the sanctifying story of Ram,
The delight of Shambhu, Shuk, and Sanak and his brothers.
The company of the good is difficult to find in this world
Even once, whether for a second or an hour.
Reflect, Garud, and decide for yourself,
Whether I am fit to worship Raghubir.
Though I am the lowest of birds and impure in every way,
The Lord has made me known as one who purifies the world.
Though I be the lowest of the low,
Today I am exceedingly blessed,
For acknowledging me as his own servant,
Ram has bestowed on me the company of a saint.
(123A)
I have spoken, my lord, to the best of my ability,
And have concealed nothing from you.
But Raghunayak’s story is an unfathomable ocean—
Can anyone reach its bottom?”
(123B)
As he reflected upon Ram’s many qualities,
The wise Bhushundi rejoiced again and again.
“He whose glory the Vedas describe only as ‘Not this, not this’,
Whose might, majesty and greatness are unparalleled,
Whose feet Shiv and Brahma adore—that same Raghurai
Has, in his infinite gentleness, shown me his grace.
Nowhere have I heard of or seen such kindness—
So whom can I consider Raghupati’s equal, O Garud?
Sadhus, saints, ascetics and those freed from rebirth,
Poets, scholars, sages and those who have renounced the world,
Mystics, heroes, hermits and those endowed with wisdom,
The devout, the learned and those who know the nature of all things—
Not even they can attain salvation without worshipping my master,
Ram—I pay him homage and bow again and again before him.
I adore the indestructible Lord, by seeking refuge in whom
Even wicked souls like me become pure.
He whose name is the remedy for the disease that is this existence
And destroys the agony of the triple afflictions,
May that compassionate God ever remain
Gracious towards you and me.”
(124A)
Having heard Bhushundi’s holy discourse,
And seen his love for Ram’s feet,
Garud, now free of all doubt,
Spoke in loving tones.
(124B)
“I have accomplished my purpose, now that I have heard
Your discourse steeped in devotion to Raghubir.
My love for Ram’s feet has been renewed
And my distress born of maya has all gone.
You became my boat in the sea of delusion,
And have bestowed many blessings upon me, my lord.
I can never return this favour you have done me,
But again and again I prostrate myself at your feet.
A devotee of Ram, and with your every wish fulfilled,
You are so blessed, sire, there is none as fortunate as you.
Saints, trees, rivers, mountains and the earth—
Their business is only the good of others.
The heart of a saint is like fresh butter—
So the poets said, but did not say it right.
Butter melts only when it is itself heated,
But the most holy saints melt at the suffering of others.
My life and birth have been rewarded,
And by your grace, all my doubts have disappeared.
Know me ever to be your slave.”
Again and again, Uma, did the lord of the birds speak thus.
After lovingly bowing his head at Bhushundi’s feet,
And with Raghubir’s image in his heart,
The steadfast Garud
Returned to Vaikunth.
(125A)
Girija, there is no gain
Like the company of saints.
It cannot be attained without Hari’s grace—
So the Vedas and Puranas declare.
(125B)
I have now told you the most sanctifying story,
Upon the hearing of which the bonds of this existence fall away,
And there arises love for the lotus feet of Ram,
The sum of compassion and a wish-fulfilling tree to his suppliants.
Those who listen to this tale with full attention,
Are freed from all sins born of thought, word, or deed.
Pilgrimages and all the means of attaining salvation,
Meditation, detachment, the striving for spiritual knowledge,
The many pious practices, the sacred vows and the giving of alms,
Self-denial and restraint, prayer, penance and the performance of fire-sacrifices,
Compassion towards living beings, the service of Brahmans and one’s guru,
Learning, humility and discernment—
All the expedients that the Vedas have described,
All have the same objective, which is devotion to Hari, Bhavani.
This devotion to Raghupati that the Vedas praise
Has rarely been attained by any, and then only by Ram’s grace.
Though such devotion to Hari is difficult even for munis to realize,
It can be achieved without effort by those
Who continually listen to this story
With faith.
(126)
He is the man of perfect knowledge, endowed with wisdom and every virtue,
He is the ornament of the world, learned and beneficent,
He is the truly pious, the protector of his line,
Whose heart is utterly devoted to Ram’s feet.
He is well versed in morality, and supremely wise,
He understands fully the truth of the Vedas,
He is a poet, a scholar and steadfast in battle,
Who worships Raghubir with sincerity.
Blessed is the land where flows the celestial Ganga,
Blessed is the woman who is devoted to her husband,
Blessed is the king who reigns with righteousness,
Blessed is the Brahman who swerves not from his duty.
Blessed is the wealth given away in charity,
Blessed is the intellect devoted to good deeds,
Blessed is the hour that brings the company of saints,
Blessed is the life unceasingly devoted to the Brahmans.
Blessed is that family, O Uma,
And worthy of worship throughout the world and most pure,
In which is born
A humble worshipper of the divine Raghubir.
(127)
I have now told you this story to the best of my understanding.
Though at first I had kept it secret,
When I saw the great devotion in your heart,
I told you Raghupati’s story.
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This tale must not be told to the foolish or the stubborn,
Or to those who do not listen with attention to Hari’s playful deeds,
Nor to the greedy, the passionate, the lustful,
Who do not worship the master of creation, moving and unmoving.
This tale must never be repeated to one hostile to Brahmans,
Even if he be a king as mighty as the king of the gods.
Only those who hold dear the company of saints
Are worthy of hearing Ram’s story.
Those who adore their guru’s feet, and are devoted to righteousness
And the service of Brahmans are fit to hear this tale.
This tale will give especial delight
To one who loves Raghurai as his own life.
One who seeks devotion at Ram’s feet,
Or liberation from rebirth,
Should lovingly drink in this story
From the cups of his ears.
(128)
Girija, I have related to you the story of Ram
That destroys the impurities of the Kali age and removes the impurities of the mind.
Ram’s story is the life-giving herb that cures the disease that is rebirth—
As the Vedas and the learned declare.
It has seven beautiful parts,
Stairs leading to faith in Ram.
Only those who have Hari’s special favour,
Can set foot upon these steps.
One who recites this tale without deceit,
Accomplishes all his heart desires.
Those who repeat it or hear it with delight,
Cross the ocean of existence as they would a puddle.’
Girija was delighted to have heard the whole story
And joyously replied,
‘By my lord’s favour, my doubts have disappeared
And my love for Ram’s feet has sprung up anew.
Through your grace, O Lord of the universe,
I have now attained my desire—
I now have unshakeable devotion to Ram,
And all my sorrows have disappeared.’
(129)
This auspicious conversation between Shambhu and Uma
Results in happiness and destroys sorrow;
It puts an end to rebirth, removes doubt,
Gives joy to the faithful and is beloved of all good men.
To the worshippers of Ram in this world,
There is nothing more dear than the story of Ram.
By the grace of Raghupati, I have sung to the best of my ability
This beautiful and sanctifying tale.
In this age of Kali, there is no other means to salvation—
Not meditation, sacrifices, prayer, penance, fasting, nor ritual worship.
Remember only Ram, sing only of Ram,
And listen unceasingly to the recitation of Ram’s virtues.
O heart, abandoning all guile, worship him
Whose special attribute it is to sanctify the fallen,
As poets, saints, the Vedas and Puranas declare.
Is there anyone who has worshipped Ram and not attained salvation?
Listen, my stupid heart! Is there anyone who has worshipped Ram,
The sanctifier of the fallen, and not attained salvation?
The prostitute, Ajamil, the robber, the vulture,
The elephant, and many other vile wretches have been redeemed by him.11
Abhirs, Jamanas, Kirats, Khashas, Shvapachas,
And others who are vileness personified,
Are sanctified if they but repeat once
The name of Ram, whom I adore.
Those who recite or listen or chant alone
This story of Ram, the ornament of the Raghu clan,
Wash away the impurities of the age of Kali and the impurities of their minds,
And attain Ram’s abode without effort.
Anyone who sees the beauty of even five or six chaupais,
And holds them in his heart,
Is freed by Lord Raghubir from the distress
Born of the five forms of terrible ignorance.12
Ram alone is all-beautiful, all-wise,
Compassionate, and affectionate to the destitute—
Who else is as disinterested a benefactor
And bestower of salvation as he?
There is no other Lord like Ram,
By the slightest trace of whose favour
Even I, the dull-witted Tulsidas,
Have found supreme peace.
There is no one as lowly as I am
And no one as gracious to the lowly as you, Raghubir.
Knowing this, O jewel of the Raghu clan,
Take away my dreadful fear of rebirth.
(130A)
As a woman is loved by her lover,
And money by a miser, Raghunath—
In the same manner may you ever be
Dear to me, O Ram.
(130B)
Thus ends the seventh descent into the Manas lake of Ram’s acts, that destroys all the impurities of the age of Kali.
i The Hindu triad of Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiv the Destroyer
ii Ram, who is armed with a bow and arrows
iii kush grass
iv Koshal’s city, i.e., Avadh; and Ram, the king of Avadh.
v Mandodari, Ravan’s chief queen
vi The chief of Ravan’s spies
vii Kamdev
viii The Wind god
ix An elephant in rut, fearsome and out of control
x The sons of the nymph, Ashvini are the Ashvins, the physicians of the gods.
xi ‘Devourer of snakes’, i.e., Garud
xii The Daitya Hataklochan and his brother, Kanakakasipu
xiii ‘The infinite’, another name for Sheshnag
xiv Vishnu, in his Narsingh avatar of half-man, half-lion
xv Hanuman
xvi Sita
xvii These are truth, purity, compassion and charity
xviii The first of the four ages of the world
Notes
Introduction
1. Though even at the time that Valmiki composed his epic, two other, very different, tellings of the Ram story existed—one was the Buddhist Dasaratha Jataka, in which Ram and Sita are brother and sister and rule as consorts, and the other the Jain Paumchariya by Vimalasuri, who sets the story in the court of the historical king Srinika and depicts the Rakshasas not as demons, but as normal human beings.
2. This reference to Tulsi is found in the Bhaktamal, a collection of short biographies composed by Nabhadas, possibly around 1585.
3. For a detailed discussion on the spread and circulation of the Ramcharitmanas, see Philip Lutgendorf, ‘The Quest for the Legendary Tulsidas’, According to Tradition: Hagiographical Writing in India, edited by Winand M. Callewaert and Rupert Snell.
4. For a discussion on available biographies of Tulsidas, see Philip Lutgendorf, ‘The Quest for the Legendary Tulsidas’, According to Tradition: Hagiographical Writing in India, edited by Winand M. Callewaert and Rupert Snell.
5. Balkand, 34.
6. Balkand, 30A, 31.
7. Balkand, 14D.
8. Balkand, Mangalacharan 7.
9. The relevant passages are contained in Book 3, Aranyakand, 24, where Sita conceals herself in the fire and substitutes her shadow; and in Book 6, Lankakand, 108–09, where the shadow Sita is destroyed and the real Sita steps forth out of the fire.
10. Balkand, 16.
11. Balkand, 14.
12. Balkand, 227–36.
13. Philip Lutgendorf, The Life of a Text: Performing the Ramcaritmanas of Tulsidas, University of California Press, 1991, p. 7.
14. Aranyakand, 34–36.
15. Balkand, 30.
16. Balkand, 124A.
17. For a more detailed discussion on the title, see Philip Lutgendorf, The Life of a Text: Performing the Ramcaritmanas of Tulsidas, University of California Press, 1991, pp. 19–20.
18. Balkand, 35–36.
19. Balkand, 36–37.
20. As an example, see Uttarkand, 113.
21. Ayodhyakand, 0; this doha, numbered 0, is the first doha after the Sanskrit mangalacharan; from this the Avadhi text of the second book begins.
Book IV: KISHKINDHAKAND (KISHKINDHA)
1. The Daitya, Mayavi, had a younger brother called Dundhubi, who had earlier taken on the form of a buffalo and attacked Baali. Baali had killed him and hurled his gigantic corpse far away from his capital city. A few drops of blood had fallen upon the hermitage of Rishi Matanga on the Rishyamuk mountain. This had enraged the rishi, who had then declared that he who had desecrated his hermitage by spilling blood there would have his head shattered to pieces if he came near his hermitage. So, Baali could not step upon the Rishyamuk mountain.
2. The full incident is related in Valmiki’s Ramayana: Sugriv showed Ram Dundhubi’s massive skeleton, and Ram sent it flying hundreds of miles through the air. But Sugriv was still not convinced of his strength, for Baali had thrown it the same distance when it was still covered in flesh and therefore heavier. So, Ram, to convince him, took an arrow from his quiver and shot it so that it passed through seven palm trees which stood in a row one behind the other, pierced the hill behind them, continued downwards towards the lowest hell and returned to Ram’s quiver.
3. The babul is the gum-acacia, a small tree with sharp spines. ‘To plant a babul tree’ is to do something conducive to harm or to a bad end.
4. Kash is a species of grass native to the Indian subcontinent. It grows to about 3 m high and bears long feathery white flowers in the autumn. So, in Tulsi’s metaphor, these white flowers are like the white hairs of the rainy season, which is now old and spent.
5. The star Agastya (or Canopus), which drinks up the water after the rainy season, in the same way that Rishi Agastya drank up the ocean.
6. In Valmiki’s Ramayana, she is called Swayamprabha —‘self-luminous’. An ascetic, and unmarried, she and Ravan’s sister, Surpanakha (as Supnakha is called in Sanskrit) are the only two unmarried women in the Ramayana. While Surpanakha flaunts her sexuality without apology, Swayamprabha is an ascetic, deriving power from her asceticism. The cavern, she explains, has been built by the Danav Mai, the architect of the Asurs, and no one who enters it may leave it alive. But she knows the purpose of the monkeys’ mission, and agrees to help them escape.