The excellences of Śrī Rāma and the greatness of His story
Dohas
saṭha sēvaka kī prīti ruci rakhihahiṃ rāma kṛpālu.
upala kiē jalajāna jēhiṃ saciva sumati kapi bhālu..28ka.. [1-28(A)]
hauhu kahāvata sabu kahata rāma sahata upahāsa.
sāhiba sītānātha sō sēvaka tulasīdāsa..28kha.. [1-28(B)]
The benevolent Rāma will nonetheless respect the devotion and pleasure of this wicked servant-Śrī Rāma, who made barks out of rocks and wise counsellors out of monkeys and bears. Everybody calls me a servant of the Lord and I myself claim to be one; and Śrī Rāma puts up with the scoffing remark that a master like Sītā’s Lord has a servant like Tulasīdāsa.(28 A-B)
Chaupais
ati baḍai mōri ḍhiṭhāī khōrī. suni agha narakahu nāka sakōrī..
samujhi sahama mōhi apaḍara apanēṃ. sō sudhi rāma kīnhi nahiṃ sapanēṃ.. [1-28(B)-1]
suni avalōki sucita cakha cāhī. bhagati mōri mati svāmi sarāhī..
kahata nasāi hōi hiyaom nīkī. rījhata rāma jāni jana jī kī.. [1-28(B)-2]
rahati na prabhu cita cūka kiē kī. karata surati saya bāra hiē kī..
jēhiṃ agha badhēu byādha jimi bālī. phiri sukaṃṭha sōi kīnha kucālī.. [1-28(B)-3]
sōi karatūti bibhīṣana kērī. sapanēhu sō na rāma hiyaom hērī..
tē bharatahi bhēṃṭata sanamānē. rājasabhāom raghubīra bakhānē.. [1-28(B)-4]
My presumption and error are indeed very great and, hearing the tale of my sins, even hell has turned up its nose at them. I shudder to think of it due to my assumed fears; while Śrī Rāma took no notice of them even in a dream. The Lord, on the other hand, applauded my devotion and spirit on hearing of, perceiving and scanning them with the mind’s eye. If there is anything good in one’s heart, it is marred by the telling; for Śrī Rāma is pleased to note what is there in the devotee’s mind. The Lord never cherishes in His mind the lapse, if any, on part of a devotee; while He remembers the latter’s spirit a hundred times. For instance, the very crime of which He had killed Vāli (the monkey- king of Kiṣkindhā) even as a huntsman was repeated in the misdemeanour perpetrated by Sugrīva* Vibhīṣaṇa too was guilty of the same offence; but Śrī Rāma took no cognizance of it even in a dream. The Hero of Raghu’s clan, on the other hand, honoured them both at His meeting with Bharata (on His return from Laṅkā) and commended them in open court.(1-4)
- * Vālī was killed by Śrī Rāma on the plea that the former had usurped his younger brother’s wife. Sugrīva and Vibhīṣaṇa too are stated to have taken Tārā (Vālī’s wife) and Mandodarī (Rāvaṇa’s wife) respectively as their consort after the death of their husbands . In this way even though Sugrīva and Vibhīṣaṇa too were practically guilty of the same offence which brought the Lord’s wrath on Vālī, their guilt was extenuated by the fact that they took those ladies as wife after their brother’s death and with the consent of the other party, and by the further fact that their conduct was in keeping with the practice in vogue among the monkey and demon chiefs.That is why, while the poet characterizes Vālī’s conduct as a crime (Agha), he dismisses Sugrīva’s act as a mere misdemeanour (कुचालि).
Dohas
prabhu taru tara kapi ḍāra para tē kiē āpu samāna..
tulasī kahūom na rāma sē sāhiba sīlanidhāna..29ka.. [1-29(A)]
rāma nikāīṃ rāvarī hai sabahī kō nīka.
jōṃ yaha sāomcī hai sadā tau nīkō tulasīka..29kha.. [1-29(B)]
ēhi bidhi nija guna dōṣa kahi sabahi bahuri siru nāi.
baranau raghubara bisada jasu suni kali kaluṣa nasāi..29ga.. [1-29(C)]
While the Lord sat at the foot of trees, the monkeys perched themselves high on the boughs; such insolent creatures He exalted to His own position! There is no lord so generous as Śrī Rāma, O Tulasīdāsa! Your goodness, O Rāma, is beneficent to all; if this is a fact, Tulasīdāsa too will be blessed by the same. Thus revealing my merits and demerits and bowing my head once more to all, I proceed to sing the immaculate glory of the Chief of Raghus, by hearing which the impurities of the Kali age are wiped away.(29 A-C)
Chaupais
jāgabalika jō kathā suhāī. bharadvāja munibarahi sunāī..
kahihau sōi saṃbāda bakhānī. sunahu sakala sajjana sukhu mānī.. [1-29(C)-1]
saṃbhu kīnha yaha carita suhāvā. bahuri kṛpā kari umahi sunāvā..
sōi siva kāgabhusuṃḍihi dīnhā. rāma bhagata adhikārī cīnhā.. [1-29(C)-2]
tēhi sana jāgabalika puni pāvā. tinha puni bharadvāja prati gāvā..
tē śrōtā bakatā samasīlā. savaomdarasī jānahiṃ harilīlā.. [1-29(C)-3]
jānahiṃ tīni kāla nija gyānā. karatala gata āmalaka samānā..
aurau jē haribhagata sujānā. kahahiṃ sunahiṃ samujhahiṃ bidhi nānā.. [1-29(C)-4]
The charming story which Yājñāvalkya related to the good sage Bharadvāja, I shall repeat the same dialogue at length; let all good souls hear it with a feeling of delight. This ravishing tale was conceived by Śambhu (Lord Śiva), who graciously communicated it to His Consort Umā (Pārvatī). Śiva imparted it once more to Kākabhuśuṇḍi (a sage in the form of crow), knowing him to be a devotee of Śrī Rāma and one qualified to hear it. And it was Yājñāvalkya who received it from the latter (Kākabhuśuṇḍi) and narrated it to Bharadvāja. Both these, the listener (Bharadvāja) and the reciter (Yājñāvalkya), are equally virtuous; they view all alike and are acquainted with the pastimes of Śrī Hari. Like a emblic myrobalan fruit placed on one’s palm, they hold the past, present and future within their knowledge. Besides these, other enlightened devotees of Śrī Hari too recite, hear and understand this story in diverse ways.(1-4)
Dohas
mai puni nija gura sana sunī kathā sō sūkarakhēta.
samujhī nahi tasi bālapana taba ati rahēu acēta..30ka.. [1-30(A)]
śrōtā bakatā gyānanidhi kathā rāma kai gūḍha.
kimi samujhauṃ mai jīva jaḍa kali mala grasita bimūḍha..30kha.. [1-30(B)]
Then I heard the same story in the holy Śukarakṣetra* (the modern Soron in the western United Provinces) from my preceptor; but as I had no sense in those days of my childhood, I could not follow it full well. Both the listener and the reciter of the mysterious story of Śrī Rāma must be repositories of wisdom. How, then could I, a dull and stupid creature steeped in the impurities of the Kali age, expect to follow it ?(30 A-B)
- * The name is associated with the descent of Śrī Harī as a Boar (Śūkara) who killed Hiraṇyākśa, the elder brother of Hiraṇyakaśipu, and lifted up the earth from the depths of the ocean, to which it had been consigned by the said demon.
Chaupais
tadapi kahī gura bārahiṃ bārā. samujhi parī kachu mati anusārā..
bhāṣābaddha karabi maiṃ sōī. mōrēṃ mana prabōdha jēhiṃ hōī.. [1-30(B)-1]
jasa kachu budhi bibēka bala mērēṃ. tasa kahihau hiyaom hari kē prērēṃ..
nija saṃdēha mōha bhrama haranī. karau kathā bhava saritā taranī.. [1-30(B)-2]
budha biśrāma sakala jana raṃjani. rāmakathā kali kaluṣa bibhaṃjani..
rāmakathā kali paṃnaga bharanī. puni bibēka pāvaka kahu aranī.. [1-30(B)-3]
rāmakathā kali kāmada gāī. sujana sajīvani mūri suhāī..
sōi basudhātala sudhā taraṃgini. bhaya bhaṃjani bhrama bhēka bhuaṃgini.. [1-30(B)-4]
asura sēna sama naraka nikaṃdini. sādhu bibudha kula hita girinaṃdini..
saṃta samāja payōdhi ramā sī. bisva bhāra bhara acala chamā sī.. [1-30(B)-5]
jama gana muhaom masi jaga jamunā sī. jīvana mukuti hētu janu kāsī..
rāmahi priya pāvani tulasī sī. tulasidāsa hita hiyaom hulasī sī.. [1-30(B)-6]
sivapraya mēkala saila sutā sī. sakala siddhi sukha saṃpati rāsī..
sadaguna suragana aṃba aditi sī. raghubara bhagati prēma paramiti sī.. [1-30(B)-7]
Nevertheless, when the preceptor repeated the story time after time, I followed it to a certain extent according to my poor lights. I shall versify the same in the popular tongue, so that my mind may derive satisfaction from it. Equipped with what little intellectual and critical power I possess I shall write with a heart inspired by Śrī Hari. The story I am going to tell is such as will dispel my own doubts, errors and delusion and will serve as a boat for crossing the stream of mundane existence. The story of Rāma is a solace to the learned and a source of delight to all men and wipes out the impurities of the Kali age. Śrī Rāma’s story is a pea-hen for the serpent in the form of the Kali age; again, it is a wooden stick* for kindling the sacred fire of wisdom. The tale of Rāma is the cow of plenty in this age of Kali; it is a beautiful life-giving herb for the virtuous. It is a veritable river of nectar on the surface of this globe; it shatters the fear of birth and death and is a virtual snake for the frog of delusion. It is beneficent to pious souls-even as Goddess Pārvatī (the daughter of Himavān) is friendly to gods; again, it puts an end to hell even as Pārvatī exterminated the army of demons. It flows from the assemblage of saints, even as Lakṣmī (the goddess of wealth) sprang from the ocean; and like the immovable earth it bears the burden of the entire creation. Like the sacred river Yamunā in this world it scares away the messengers of Yama (the god of death). It is holy Kāśī as it were for the liberation of souls. It is dear to Rāma as the sacred basil plant and is truly beneficent to Tulasīdāsa as his own mother, Hulasi. It is beloved of Lord Śiva as the river Narmadā (which has its source in Mount Mekala, a peak of the Amarakantaka hills); it is a mine of all attainments as well as of happiness and prosperity. It is to noble qualities what mother Aditi is to gods; it is the culmination as it were of devotion to and love for Śrī Rāma. (1-7)
- * The fire used in sacrifices in India is produced by revolving a wooden stick against a wooden block.
Dohas
rāma kathā maṃdākinī citrakūṭa cita cāru.
tulasī subhaga sanēha bana siya raghubīra bihāru..31.. [1-31]
The story of Śrī Rāma is the river Mandākinī (which washes the foot of Citrakūṭa); a guileless heart is Mount Citrakūṭa (one of the happy resorts of Śrī Rāma during his wanderings in the forest); while pure love, says Tulasīdāsa, is the woodland in which Sītā and Rāma carry on Their divine pastimes. (31)
Chaupais
rāma carita ciṃtāmani cārū. saṃta sumati tiya subhaga siṃgārū..
jaga maṃgala guna grāma rāma kē. dāni mukuti dhana dharama dhāma kē.. [1-31-1]
sadagura gyāna birāga jōga kē. bibudha baida bhava bhīma rōga kē..
janani janaka siya rāma prēma kē. bīja sakala brata dharama nēma kē.. [1-31-2]
samana pāpa saṃtāpa sōka kē. priya pālaka paralōka lōka kē..
saciva subhaṭa bhūpati bicāra kē. kuṃbhaja lōbha udadhi apāra kē.. [1-31-3]
kāma kōha kalimala karigana kē. kēhari sāvaka jana mana bana kē..
atithi pūjya priyatama purāri kē. kāmada ghana dārida davāri kē.. [1-31-4]
maṃtra mahāmani biṣaya byāla kē. mēṭata kaṭhina kuaṃka bhāla kē..
harana mōha tama dinakara kara sē. sēvaka sāli pāla jaladhara sē.. [1-31-5]
abhimata dāni dēvataru bara sē. sēvata sulabha sukhada hari hara sē..
sukabi sarada nabha mana uḍagana sē. rāmabhagata jana jīvana dhana sē.. [1-31-6]
sakala sukṛta phala bhūri bhōga sē. jaga hita nirupadhi sādhu lōga sē..
sēvaka mana mānasa marāla sē. pāvaka gaṃga taṃraga māla sē.. [1-31-7]
The narrative of Rāma is a lovely wish-yielding gem, and a graceful adornment for saintly wisdom. The hosts of virtues possessed by Śrī Rāma are a blessing to the world and the bestowers of liberation, riches, religious merit and the divine abode. They are true teachers of wisdom, dispassion and Yoga (contemplative union with (God) and celestial physicians (Aśvinīkumāras) for the fell disease of metempsychosis; parents of devotion to Sītā and Rāma and the seed of all holy vows, practices and observances; antidotes for sins, agonies and griefs and beloved guardians in this as well as in the next world; valiant ministers to King Reason,and a veritable Agastya* drinking up the illimitable ocean of greed; young lions residing in the forest of the devotee’s mind to kill the herd of elephants in the shape of lust, anger and impurities of the Kali age; dear to Lord Śiva (the Slayer of the demon Tripura) as a highly respectable and most beloved guest, and wish-yielding clouds quenching the wild fire of indigence.They are spells and valuable gems as it were for counteracting the venom of serpents in the form of sensuous enjoyments, and efface the deep marks of evil destiny contained on the forehead. They are sunbeams, as it were, dispelling the darkness of ignorance, and clouds nourishing the paddy crop in the form of devotees; trees of paradise, as it were, yielding the object of one’s desire; easily available for service and gratifying like Viṣṇu and Śiva; stars as it were adorning the autumnal sky in the shape of the poet’s mind, and the very life’s treasure for the devotees of Śrī Rāma; a rich harvest of enjoyments as it; were yielded by the totality of one’s meritorious deeds and sincerely devoted to the good of the world like holy men; sporting in the mind of the devotees as swans in the Mānasarovara lake and purifying as the waves of the holy Gaṅgā. (1-7)
- * Sage Agastya is said to have drunk up the ocean in three draughts. He was born of a jar; this earn him the tittle of ‘Kumbhaja’.
Dohas
kupatha kutaraka kucāli kali kapaṭa daṃbha pāṣaṃḍa.
dahana rāma guna grāma jimi iṃdhana anala pracaṃḍa..32ka.. [1-32(A)]
rāmacarita rākēsa kara sarisa sukhada saba kāhu.
sajjana kumuda cakōra cita hita bisēṣi baḍa lāhu..32kha.. [1-32(B)]
The hosts of virtues possessed by Śrī Rāma are like a blazing fire to consume the dry wood of evil ways, fallacious reasoning, mischievous practices, deceit, hypocrisy and heresy prevailing in Kali. The exploits of Śrī Rāma are delightful to one and all even as the rays of the full moon; they are particularly agreeable and highly beneficial to the mind of the virtuous, who can be compared to the white water-lily and the Cakora* bird. (32 A-B)
- * The white water-lily is proverbially noted for its attachment to the moon and is supposed to open its petals in moonlight alone. Similarly the Cakora is said to feed on moonbeams and supposed to be particularly enamoured of the moon.
Chaupais
kīnhi prasna jēhi bhāomti bhavānī. jēhi bidhi saṃkara kahā bakhānī..
sō saba hētu kahaba maiṃ gāī. kathāprabaṃdha bicitra banāī.. [1-32(B)-1]
jēhi yaha kathā sunī nahiṃ hōī. jani ācaraju karaiṃ suni sōī..
kathā alaukika sunahiṃ jē gyānī. nahiṃ ācaraju karahiṃ asa jānī.. [1-32(B)-2]
rāmakathā kai miti jaga nāhīṃ. asi pratīti tinha kē mana māhīṃ..
nānā bhāomti rāma avatārā. rāmāyana sata kōṭi apārā.. [1-32(B)-3]
kalapabhēda haricarita suhāē. bhāomti anēka munīsanha gāē..
karia na saṃsaya asa ura ānī. sunia kathā sārada rati mānī.. [1-32(B)-4]
I shall now relate at some length the seed of the story-viz., how Goddess Bhavānī (Pārvatī) questioned Lord Śaṅkara and how the latter answered Her questions- weaving a strange narrative round this episode. Let no one who should happen not to have heard this anecdote before be surprised to hear it. Wise men who hear this uncommon, legend marvel not; for they know there is no limit to the stories of Śrī Rāma in this world. They are convinced in their heart that Śrī Rāma has bodied Himself forth in diverse ways and that the Rāmāyaṇa, though consisting of a thousand million verses, is yet infinite. Great sages have diversely sung the charming stories of Śrī Hari, relating as they do to different Kalpas or cycles. Bearing this in mind the reader should not entertain any doubt and should hear this narrative reverently and with devotion. (1-4)
Dohas
rāma anaṃta anaṃta guna amita kathā bistāra.
suni ācaraju na mānihahiṃ jinha kēṃ bimala bicāra..33.. [1-33]
Rāma is infinite, infinite are His virtues and the dimensions of His story are also immeasurable. Those whose thoughts are pure will, therefore, feel no surprise when they hear it. (33)
Chaupais
ēhi bidhi saba saṃsaya kari dūrī. sira dhari gura pada paṃkaja dhūrī..
puni sabahī binavau kara jōrī. karata kathā jēhiṃ lāga na khōrī.. [1-33-1]
sādara sivahi nāi aba māthā. baranau bisada rāma guna gāthā..
saṃbata sōraha sai ēkatīsā. karau kathā hari pada dhari sīsā.. [1-33-2]
naumī bhauma bāra madhu māsā. avadhapurīṃ yaha carita prakāsā..
jēhi dina rāma janama śruti gāvahiṃ. tīratha sakala tahāom cali āvahiṃ.. [1-33-3]
asura nāga khaga nara muni dēvā. āi karahiṃ raghunāyaka sēvā..
janma mahōtsava racahiṃ sujānā. karahiṃ rāma kala kīrati gānā.. [1-33-4]
Putting away all doubts in this way and placing on my head the dust from the lotus feet of my preceptor, I supplicate all with joined palms once more, so that no blame may attach to the telling of the story. Reverently bowing my head to Lord Śiva, I now proceed to recount the fair virtues of Śrī Rāma. placing my head on the feet of Śrī Hari I commence this story in the Samvat year 1631 (1574 A. D.). On Tuesday, the ninth of the lunar month of Caitra, this story shed its lustre at Ayodhyā. On this day of Śrī Rāma’s birth the presiding spirits of all holy places flock there-so declare the Vedas-and demons, Nāgas, birds, human beings, sages and gods come and pay their homage to the Lord of Raghus. Wise men celebrate the great birthday festival and sing the sweet glory of Śrī Rāma. (1-4)