by Tulsidas
In the clear sky of your devotee’s heart.’
(42A)
Raghunath, ocean of compassion,
Said to the muni, ‘So be it.’
Then Narad, with great joy in his heart,
Bowed his head at the Lord’s feet.
(42B)
Seeing Raghunath so pleased,
Narad said again in sweet tones,
‘Ram, when you had sent forth your maya
And beguiled and bewildered me,
Then, Raghunath, I had wanted to marry.
Why, Lord, did you not let me?’
‘Listen, muni, I tell you most emphatically,
I always protect those
Who worship only me,
Like a mother protects her child.’
When a small child rushes to grab hold of the fire or a snake,
The mother protects it by pulling it away.
But when her son becomes an adult,
She loves him, but does not rush to protect him as before.
The wise are like my grown-up sons,
And humble, simple devotees my infant sons.
My devotees depend on my strength, the wise upon their own,
But lust and anger are the enemies of both.
Considering this, those endowed with understanding worship me,
And even upon acquiring wisdom, they do not abandon bhakti.
Lust, anger, greed, pride and other passions
Form delusion’s mighty army,
But among them all, the most pitiless, and giving greatest pain
Is Woman, that personification of maya.
(43)
Listen muni, the Puranas, Vedas and holy men declare—
Woman is like spring to the forest of delusion,
And, becoming scorching summer, she renders dry
The lakes and waterfalls of prayer, meditation and penance.
Like the season of rains, she is the one that brings delight
To the frogs of lust, anger, greed and pride,
And to the clusters of lilies that are evil desires,
She is autumn, ever agreeable to them and beneficent.
The multitude of lotuses are all the virtues
That vile Woman, becoming winter frost, blights,
And at other times, she is the cool season of dews that makes
The javas of attachment flourish and grow in profusion.
To the flocks of owls that are sins and evil deeds,
Woman is the benevolent night, deep and dark.
Intelligence, strength, goodness and truth are all fish,
And Woman the fishing-hook—so declare the wise.
The root of evil, a giver of pain,
And the receptacle of all sorrow is a young woman.
That is why, muni, knowing this is in my heart,
I stopped you from getting married.’
(44)
Upon hearing Raghupati’s pleasing words,
The muni’s body trembled with happiness and his eyes filled with tears.
‘Tell me, is there any other master who
Showers such concern and love upon a servant?
Those who do not worship such a Lord abandoning all delusion,
Are devoid of wisdom, dull-witted and unfortunate.’
Muni Narad then reverently said,
‘Listen, Ram, versed in knowledge,
My master, destroyer of the terror of rebirth, tell me—
What are the marks of holy men, Raghubir?’
‘Listen, muni, as I tell you the qualities of holy men,
Because of which I remain subject to them.
They have overcome the six passions,13 and are sinless, without desires,
Unwavering, without worldly possessions, pure in every way, abodes of bliss,
Of unbounded wisdom, disinterested, temperate in food,
Truthful, sagacious, learned, versed in meditation,
Circumspect, bestowing honour upon others, without pride or conceit,
Resolute, supremely wise in the ways of dharma.
They are abodes of virtue, free from the sorrows
Of this world, and devoid of doubt.
They love only my lotus feet,
Abandoning even their own bodies and their homes.
(45)
They are abashed to hear their own virtues related,
And rejoice to hear the virtues of others being sung.
They are even-tempered and calm, and never abandon what is right.
Straightforward by nature, they have affection towards all.
They remain absorbed in prayer, penance, religious observances, self-denial, self-restraint and pious vows
And are devoted to the feet of their guru, the Lord and Brahmans.
Full of faith, forbearance, goodwill, compassion,
And joy, they have guileless love for my feet.
Distinguished by dispassion, discernment, humility, knowledge,
And with true understanding of the Vedas and Puranas,
They never give in to ostentation, pride or arrogance,
And do not, even by mistake, set their foot upon an evil path.
They incessantly sing and listen to my holy acts,
And, without self-interest, are devoted to the good of others.
Listen, muni, the virtues of holy men are so many
That not even Sharada or the Vedas can tell them all,
No, not Sharada nor Shesh can relate them!’
As soon as he heard this, Narad clasped the Lord’s lotus feet.
Thus did the compassionate Lord, the friend of the lowly,
Relate with his own mouth the virtues of his devotees.
Bowing his head again and again at the Lord’s feet,
Narad returned to Brahma’s abode.
Blessed, say Tulsidas, are they who place their faith in no other,
But immersing themselves in Hari, become one with him.
Those who sing or hear
The pure fame of Ravan’s foe,xxxiii
Will receive steadfast faith in him
Without detachment, prayer, or meditation.
(46A)
A young woman’s body is like the flame of a lamp.
O heart, do not be the moth!
Worship Ram, giving up lust and pride,
And ever seek the company of the good.
(46B)
Thus ends the third descent into the Manas lake of Ram’s acts that destroys all the impurities of the age of Kali.
i The heir apparent
ii Brahma
iii The female kok bird
iv Sita
v The Jamuna
vi The River Mandakini
vii Caused by Ravan’s doings
viii Shringberpur
ix Shatrughna
x Vasishtha, who was leading the procession from Avadh
xi Ravan’s kingdom of Lanka
xii Shatrughna
xiii Vishnu’s fourth avatar
xiv Tamari, ‘the destroyer of darkness’, i.e., the sun
xv Indra
xvi Indra
xvii Shatrughna
xviii A village on the outskirts of Avadh
xix ‘The Destroyer’; here, Yama, the god of death
xx Shiv
xxi Vishnu – who is the consort of Indira (the goddess Lakshmi)
xxii Brahma
xxiii The four Kumars, Sanak, Sanandan, Sanatan and Sanatkumar
xxiv Garud
xxv Garud
xxvi Khar, Dushan and Trishira
xxvii Ravan
xxviii Ravan
xxix Ravan
xxx Ravan
xxxi ‘King of the birds’, i.e., Garud
xxxii Kok birds
xxxiii Ram
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 S
ita 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 II: AYODHYAKAND (AYODHYA)
1. Ram’s dismay at the king’s decision to choose him as heir-apparent silences the critics who may otherwise have said that he took advantage of Bharat’s absence from Avadh to grab this title, which should be Bharat’s as per an old promise made by Dasharath to Kaikeyi’s kin as the condition of he marrying her.
2. Kadru and Vinata were two of the thirteen wives of the sage Kashyap, who, say the Puranas, was the progenitor of all living creatures through his various wives. From Kadru were born the serpents, and from Vinata the birds. One day, an argument broke out between the two women about the colour of Uchchaihsravas, the white horse of Indra. Kadru insisted that it was black, while Vinata said that it was white. They agreed that whoever was wrong would serve the other as a servant all her life. When Kadru realized that the horse was indeed white, she fastened one of her black serpent sons on to the horse’s back, and Vinata, mistaking it to be the tail, conceded that the horse was black. Vinata then had to serve Kadru for many years, suffering great indignities and torment, till she was set free by her son, Garud.
3. Dasharath was once engaged in battle with the Daitya, Sambara, who had revolted against Indra, the king of the gods. Dasharath was severely wounded and fell unconscious, as did his charioteer. The king would have died had not Kaikeyi, who had accompanied him into battle, rescued him and driven his chariot to safety. When the king regained consciousness and realized how his queen had saved him, he granted her any two boons that she might desire. Another version of the story (in the Adhyatma Ramayan), says that once, when the king was engaged in battle with the demons, the axle of his chariot broke, and the king’s chariot would have been overturned and the king killed had not Kaikeyi, who was with him, noticed this and inserted her own arm in place of the axle and kept it there till the king had defeated his enemy. In gratitude, the king had promised to grant her any two requests she might make. Kaikeyi, however, had not asked for anything at the time, so that the two boons were still outstanding.
4. This was the kop-griha, a room a woman would retire into when feeling angry or offended or insulted.
5. King Shibi cut off his own flesh to equal the weight of a dove that had sought his protection against a hawk. No matter how much of his own flesh he cut off to give the hawk, the dove was always heavier. At last, he climbed on to the scales himself and would have cut off his own head—but the gods intervened, and acknowledged his generosity and made him whole again. The rishi Dadhichi gave up his life so that the gods could fashioned Indra’s thunderbolt and other weapons from his bones to slay the demon Vritra and his army. The Daitya king, Bali, had become so powerful through devotion and penance that he had defeated Indra, and extended his rule over the three worlds. Vishnu, taking on the form of a dwarf (his fifth avatar), asked the generous Bali for three steps of land. Vishnu then stepped over the earth with his first step, the heavens with his second, and when he asked where he should put his foot for the third step, Bali offered his own head. Out of respect for Bali’s goodness and generosity, Vishnu stopped short and gave him the infernal region of Patal to rule. (Also see Glossary.)
6. Keeping watch in a cremation ground refers to a tantric ritual to call up a spirit or ghost and bind it in one’s power.
7. The staunchly Buddhist kingdom of Magadh came to be regarded as impure by conservative Hindus, though it contained many Hindu pilgrimage sites like Gaya which they continued to visit.
8. A legendary king of Ayodhya, Harishchandra gave away his kingdom and all he possessed, selling even his wife and son, to fulfil a promise he had made to the sage Vishvamitra. (Also see Glossary.)
9. The foam (maja, or manja) that appears on the surface of ponds and rivers with the first showers of the rainy season is believed to cause madness in fish. An alternative interpretation offered is that the word maja here means ‘bait’—in which case the line could be translated as ‘Like a fish that flails and flounders upon swallowing the fisherman’s bait’.
10. It is believed that if a snake catches a muskrat instead of an ordinary rat, it can neither swallow it nor disgorge it. If it swallows the muskrat, it dies, and if it brings it up, the muskrat will blind the snake.
11. Galav, a pupil of Rishi Vishvamitra, insisted upon giving him guru dakshina, the fee due to a teacher, even though the rishi said he did not want it. Annoyed by his persistence, Vishvamitra asked for a thousand white horses with one black ear. This caused Galav a lifetime of hardship. Nahush, a wise and virtuous king, was asked to reign temporarily in Indra’s stead. Overcome by pride, he coveted Indra’s wife, Shachi, and in order to win her, insisted that he be taken to her in a palanquin carried by sages. Rishi Agastya, angered by his disrespect, cursed him to be born as a python upon earth. (Also see Glossary.)
12. By referring to Lakshman as his Lord, Tulsi reminds his audience of Lakshman’s divine status as partial avatar of Vishnu.
13. Ram’s departure for the forest leaves Avadh bereft of her king, but sets in motion the events that lead up to the abduction of Sita, the downfall and death of Ravan and the ultimate fulfilment of the purpose of the gods—hence the ill omens in Lanka, the grief in Avadh and the mixed sorrow and joy in heaven.
14. They cursed themselves and praised the fishes, for fish die as soon as they are deprived of water, whilst they were still alive though separated from Ram.
15. King Rantidev was a devotee of Vishnu and known for his generosity. Once the gods decided to test his faith and generosity and caused a great famine in his land. The king gave away all he possessed to his people. When even that did not help, he gave up all food and drink and devoted himself to Vishnu. After weeks of fasting, his ministers persuaded him to take some food, and brought him water and a dish made of rice boiled in milk. Just as he was about to eat the rice and milk, the gods appeared disguised as people of different castes begging for food. The king gave away all his food, including his last sip of water to an outcast. At this, the gods acknowledged his great faith and generosity and restored his
kingdom to prosperity. (Also see Glossary.)
16. This refers to the story of King Bali and Vishnu’s fifth avatar as the dwarf.
17. Ram’s acceptance of the boatman’s request to wash his feet before he climbed aboard his boat had confused and mystified Ganga, for how could Ram thus give in to a boatman’s rough and rude instruction? But upon seeing his toenails, her doubt and bewilderment vanished, for she recognized him as the true Lord, the source of her waters, for it is from his feet that the stream of the divine river springs (see Balkand, 211). She realized that the Lord’s acceptance of the boatman’s request was part of the Lord’s divine play, in accordance with his assumption of human form, and she rejoiced to think of the touch of his divine feet.
18. The following several lines about this mysterious young ascetic have no bearing on the main narrative. But they are found in many of the manuscripts, including the Gita Press version that I have used as the basis for my translation, and most commentators seem to agree that they have been written by Tulsidas. I have therefore retained these lines, mysterious though they are. The most puzzling and ambiguous phrase in the description of this ascetic is ‘kabi alakhita gati’—literally, ‘poet invisible state’. Some commentators interpret these lines to mean that the identity of the ascetic is unknown to the poet, and hence the ascetic is Hanuman or Agni, the fire-god, or another divinity in disguise; others take these lines to mean that the ascetic is an unknown poet, a reference by Tulsidas to himself, in his youth. I prefer the latter interpretation.
19. Lilies open in the moonlight, so the others of the solar clan respond in the same way to Ram. Hence Ram is the moon to the lilies (i.e., the other heroes) of the solar dynasty.
20. Rohini, the fourth lunar asterism, is the favourite wife of the moon god; the planet Mercury (Budh), is his son.
21. Sita walks timidly or fearfully along the path because she did not want to place her feet upon Ram’s footprints and thus erase them; Lakshman is careful not to tread on their footprints, and keeps them to his right in the tradition of honouring deities by keeping them to one’s right.