by Tulsidas
In addition, the Hanuman Chalisa, a short devotional poem of forty verses in praise of Hanuman, is popularly ascribed to Tulsidas. Though the poem begins with a doha from the second book of the Ramcharitmanas21 and contains several lines that seem to have been taken from the epic, it remains doubtful that it was composed by Tulsidas. However, it is considered by many to be his most important work after the Manas. It is recited daily by millions of Hindus and is one of the most popular devotional poems of all time.
Tulsidas was a man of deep spiritual insight and a poet of extraordinary talent. His bhakti is joyous and intense, and very soon, his audience too is drawn into exuberant devotion to the ‘feet of Ram’. He charms and moves his audience with his delicate descriptions and enthrals them with the intellectual force and clarity of his discourses on points of doctrine. His achievements are significant: not only did he successfully recast the ancient story of Ram in the mould of bhakti, but by composing it in the vernacular he took away forever the need for its interpretation by the Brahminical elite. His synthesis of contrasting ideologies and points of view in the Manas made it acceptable to a wider audience and led to greater integration within the Hindu community. Nothing that can be said about the beauty of his great poem or the significance of its contribution to the religious and social landscape of northern India is enough. Thus, it is perhaps best that we now ‘listen’ to this great story in the manner that Tulsi asks—with our full attention. I hope, despite its many shortcomings, my translation will give my readers an appreciation of this great work.
Book II
AYODHYAKAND
(AYODHYA)
Mangalacharan
He in whose lap shines the mountain’s daughter, Parvati,
Upon whose head is held the gods’ river, Ganga,
Upon whose brow is the new moon, in whose throat is held poison,
Upon whose breast is resplendent the serpent king, Sheshnag,
He whose ornaments are ashes,
The greatest of all gods, the eternal Lord of all,
The complete, the all-pervading Shiv, of auspicious form,
As fair and radiant as the moon, the Lord Shankar—
May he protect me always.
(1)
The beauty of the lotus face of Raghunandan—
Which neither brightened with the joy of being anointed heir
Nor dimmed with the sorrow of exile in the forest—
May it ever bring me sweet prosperity and well-being.
(2)
He whose limbs are as dark and as soft as the blue lotus,
Who has Sita resplendent to his left,
And holds in his hands a mighty arrow and a beautiful bow—
I salute him, Ram, lord of the Raghu dynasty.
(3)
Cleansing the mirror of my heart
With the dust of my revered guru’s lotus feet,
I sing of Raghubar’s unblemished fame
Which gives the four fruits of this existence.
(0)
From the moment that Ram returned home wedded,
There were daily new festivities, and constant rejoicing and celebrations.
Upon the mighty mountains that were the fourteen spheres,
Clouds of virtue rained down showers of bliss.
The sparkling rivers of prosperity and spiritual accomplishment
Swelled and grew, and flowed into the ocean that was Avadh.
The well-born men and women of the city were like fine jewels,
Flawless, priceless and beautiful in every way.
The splendour and magnificence of the city is beyond telling—
It seemed as though Viranchi’s art had reached its pinnacle here.
Gazing upon the moon of Ramchandra’s countenance,
All the people of the city were, in every way, content and happy.
The royal mothers and all their friends and companions were delighted
To see the vine of their hearts’ desire bearing fruit.
The king was overwhelmed with joy to see and hear about
Ram’s beauty, virtue and gracious good nature.
In everyone’s heart was this longing
Which they uttered in their prayers to Mahesh—
‘May the king himself in his lifetime give Ram
The title of Jubaraji, and make him heir-apparent.’
(1)
Once, the king of the Raghus, with all his courtiers
Sat resplendent in the royal court.
Himself the embodiment of every virtue, the lord of men
Rejoiced exceedingly to hear of Ram’s glorious fame.
All the kings longed for his favour,
Even the divine guardians of the three worlds loved him, keeping in mind his wishes.
In all the three worlds, in all the three times, past, present and future,
No one was as fortunate as Dasharath,
Whose son was Ram, the source of all blessing.
Whatever one might say about him is not enough!
The king chanced to pick up a mirror in his hand,
And, while straightening his crown, glanced at his face.
Near his ears his hair had grown white
As though old age was giving him this counsel:
‘King, why not declare Ram the Jubaraj,
And take the reward of your birth and your life?’
With this thought in his heart,
The king found an auspicious day and opportune time.
Then, overcome with love and with a rejoicing heart,
He went to his guru, Vasishtha, and declared his intention to him.
(2)
The king said, ‘Hear me, king of the munis,
Ram is now accomplished and able in every way.
Attendants, ministers, the residents of the city,
Our enemies, our friends, and those indifferent to us—
Ram is as dear to them all as he is to me.
It is as though your blessing, lord, is embodied in his glorious form.
The Brahmans with their families, sire,
All love him as much as you do, lord.
Those who bear the dust of their guru’s feet upon their heads
Acquire dominion over all glory—
No one knows this as well as I do,
For I have attained all by worshipping the dust of your feet.
Now only one desire remains in my heart,
And that too, lord, by your grace will be attained.’
The muni was pleased to see the king’s sincere love
And said, ‘Tell me what you wish, lord of men. Give me your royal command.
King, your name and glory,
Themselves give all that is desired,
And fulfilment, jewel amongst kings, follows
Every longing of your heart.’
(3)
Seeing the guru so pleased in every way,
The king, smiling, spoke in gentle tones,
‘Lord, make Ram the Jubaraj,
Utter the words by your grace, so that the necessary preparations may be made.
Let this joyous event take place in my lifetime
So that all my people may derive the full profit of their eyes.
By your grace, lord, Shiv has fulfilled all my wishes,
So that only this one longing remains in my heart.
After it is fulfilled, I will have no concern if my body thrives or fades,
And no regrets later.’
The muni was pleased to hear Dasharath’s noble words,
The root of all well-being and joy.
‘Hear me, king—that same Lord, turning away from whom causes regret,
And without whose worship the burning distress of the heart is not soothed,
Has taken birth as your son,
For Ram follows where there is pure and sincere love.
Now, king, do not delay,
But quickly make all preparations.
The day and hour are auspicious<
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Whenever Ram is proclaimed Jubaraj.
(4)
Delighted, the king returned to his palace
And summoned his attendants and the minister Sumantra.
Crying ‘Victory and long life!’ they bowed their heads,
And the king gave them the glad news.
‘Today, to my great delight, my guru said to me,
“King, make Ram the Jubaraj.”
If the council likes this proposal,
Rejoice in your hearts and place upon his forehead the tilak of investiture.’
The minister was overjoyed to hear these pleasing words
Which fell like rain upon the tender shoot of his own heart’s desire.
With folded hands, he prayed,
‘May you live ten million years, lord of the world!
You have thought of an act that will benefit the world,
So make haste, lord, do not delay.’
The king was pleased to hear his minister’s encouraging words,
Like a growing vine that finds a sturdy branch.
The protector of the earth said,
‘Carry out with all speed
Whatever orders the king of sages gives
For Ram’s royal investiture.’
(5)
The great muni, rejoicing, said in sweet tones,
‘Bring water from all the holy places of pilgrimage.’
He enumerated by name
Everything appropriate for a king’s coronation—
Medicinal herbs, roots, flowers, fruits and leaves
Of many auspicious kinds,
And fly whisks, deerskins, raiment of many kinds,
Innumerable kinds of woollen and silken cloths,
Precious stones, and many other auspicious objects.
He explained all the rites and ceremonies as laid down in the Vedas
And said, ‘Put up canopies and pavilions of all kinds in the city,
And plant in every direction in the lanes and street of the town
Mango, areca and banana trees bearing fruit.
Make auspicious patterns of sacred squares with precious jewels,
And quickly decorate all the marketplaces.
Worship Ganpati, your guru, and your family deity,
And in every way serve the Brahmans, gods on earth.
Flags, pennants, strings of flowers to festoon doors and gateways, and sacred pitchers
Make ready, and horses, chariots and elephants too.’
Reverently obedient to the great muni’s words,
All became busy with their respective tasks.
(6)
Whatever order the great muni gave,
Was fulfilled with such speed it seemed it had been accomplished before the command.
The king offered worship to the Brahmans, the sages and the gods,
And performed all the auspicious rites for Ram’s well-being.
Hearing the glad news of Ram’s investiture,
All Avadh resounded with the sound of celebration.
Good omens declared themselves in Ram and Sita’s bodies
As their auspicious sides began to twitch.
Delighted, they said lovingly to each other,
‘This presages Bharat’s return!
Many days have passed, and we are so very anxious to see him again.
These good omens assure us of a meeting with someone beloved—
And who in the world is as dear to us as Bharat?
These good omens can have no other meaning!’
Ram worried about his brother day and night
As constantly as a turtle whose heart is fixed upon her eggs far away.
At the same time, hearing these most auspicious tidings of Ram’s investiture,
The women of the royal household were overwhelmed with joy
As the waves of the ocean swell with delight
Upon beholding the waxing moon.
(7)
Those who went first with the news to the queens’ apartments,
Received rich gifts of jewels and raiment.
Their bodies trembling with joy, their hearts filled with love,
The queens began to make ready the sacred pitchers for the celebrations.
Sumitra drew beautiful sacred squares,
And filled them with lovely jewels of various kinds.
Ram’s mother, Kaushalya, steeped in joy,
Summoned Brahmans and gave them many gifts.
Worshipping the presiding goddess of the town, the gods and the serpents,
She pledged them future offerings,
‘In whatever lies Ram’s well-being,
By your mercy, grant me as a boon.’
Doe-eyed women, with faces radiant as the moon
And voices sweet as the kokil’s, began singing songs of blessing and celebration.
Hearing of Ram’s proposed royal investiture,
Men and women rejoiced in their hearts,
And all began to prepare for the celebration,
Believing providence to be in their favour.
(8)
Then the lord of men summoned Vasishtha,
And sent him to Ram’s palace to instruct and advise him.
Raghunath, hearing the approach of the guru,
Went to the door, and bowed his head at his feet.
Reverently welcoming him with sacred libations, he led him into the palace
And paid him respectful homage in all the sixteen ways.
With Sita, Ram touched his feet again,
And folding his lotus hands, spoke.
‘A master coming to his servant’s home
Is a source of blessing and destroys all evil.
It would have been more fitting to lovingly summon your servant
For your purpose, lord—such is the prescribed way.
Instead, setting aside your prerogative, master, you show me love,
And today this house is sanctified.
Whatever be your command, sire, I will carry out,
For a servant’s gain lies in serving his lord.’
Hearing these words steeped in love,
The muni praised Raghubar, and said,
‘Ram, you could not but have spoken thus,
For you are the jewel of the solar line!’
(9)
Praising Ram’s virtues and his courteous disposition,
The chief of munis said, overcome with love,
‘The protector of the earth has made preparations for your investiture,
For he wishes to give you the title of Jubaraj.
So today, Ram, practise all restraint,
That Vidhi may ensure the fulfilment of this ceremony in the proper way.’
The guru, having instructed Ram, returned to the king,
But Ram’s heart was filled with dismay.
‘All of us brothers were born together,
We ate, slept and played together in our boyhood.
The piercing of our ears, our investiture with the sacred thread, marriage—
All the ceremonies and celebrations, we went through together.
In this unblemished dynasty, there is this one unbecoming practice—
That the eldest alone is crowned, without his younger brothers.’
May the Lord’s gracious regret, so full of love,
Remove doubt and suspicion from the hearts of his devotees.1
At that very moment came Lakshman,
Full of love and joy.
Ram, moon to the water-lilies of the line of Raghu,
Welcomed him with loving words.
(10)
Many kinds of musical instruments played—
The city’s joy was beyond description.
All prayed for Bharat’s return, saying,
‘May he come quickly and receive his eyes’ reward.’
In marketplaces, streets, homes, alleyways and every place where people gathered,
Men and women asked each other,
‘At what time tomorrow will that auspicious hour begin
When Vidhi shall fulfil our longing,
When upon a golden throne, with Sita,
Ram shall sit, satisfying the yearnings of our hearts?’
All asked, ‘When will tomorrow come?’
But the scheming gods regarded this as an obstacle.
Avadh’s festive celebrations did not please them,
As a moonlit night does not please a thief.
The gods invoked Sharada and pleaded with her
Falling again and again at her feet.
‘Behold our great difficulty, Mother,
And contrive it so today
That Ram gives up the kingdom and leaves for the forest,
So that the purpose of the gods may be fulfilled.’
(11)
Hearing the plea of the gods, she stood, sadly reflecting,
‘I will be the winter’s night that blights the lotus clusters!’
Seeing her thus, the gods again pleaded with her,
‘Mother, no blame will be yours at all.
The lord of the Raghus is beyond sorrow and joy—
But you know well his might and glory.
As for the others, souls in karma’s grip partake of happiness and grief.