Publisher’s Note

Śrī Rāmacaritamānasa of Gosvāmī Tulasīdāsa enjoys a unique place among the classics of the world’s literature. It is a specimen of most exquisite poetry and can compare favourably with the best poems of the world. It was considered to be the best work on Devotion by Mahātmā Gāndhi, the greatest man of the modern world and styled as ‘the perfect example of the perfect book’ by foreign scholars. It is universally accepted by all classes of people from Bihar to the Punjab and from the Himālayas to the Narmadā. According to an old Christian missionary, who is no more in this world, no one could hope to understand the people of Upper India till he had mastered every line that Tulasīdāsa had written.

This universal appeal of the immortal poem encouraged us to publish a faithful and accurate English translation of the book with the original text critically edited with the utmost care on the basis of most authentic sources available and was published in Kalyana-Kalpataru in three instalments as the special number of the magazine.

For the first time in 1968 it was published in a consolidated form - the original text in Nāgarī with english translation. It was given a hearty welcome by the readers and since then ten more impressions were brought out.

For sometimes in the past we were pressurised to bring about an edition with Romanized transliteration also of the original text. It was a big job and required herculean labour on the part of the press and with the result the book is in the hands of the readers.

Gita Press did it with the sole purpose that those also who cannot read Nāgarī script particularly those who have migrated from India and settled abroad may get themselves benefited and enjoy the greatest epic of the world.

It is expected to supply a long-felt desideratum and we shall deem our labours amply repaid if the volume finds acceptance with the English-reading public. The book will be found illustrated with some of the best pictures available in our stock on the life of Śrī Rāma and relevant to the theme of Śrī Rāmacaritamānasa. With these few words of introduction we take leave of our kind readers and leave it to them to judge how far we have succeeded in preserving intact the beauties of the original in our translation.

• The Publisher