22nd August, 2015 is the JAYANTI of GOSWAMI TULSIDAS

22^nd August, 2015 is the JAYANTI of GOSWAMI TULSIDAS, one of the Greatest Hindu Saint-Poet in Hindi-in India and World Literature. A composer of several popular works, he is best known as the author of The Greatest Epic ShriRamcharitmanas, a retelling of the Maharshi Valmiki’s Sanskrit Ramayan based on Bhagwan Shri Ram's life in the vernacular Awadhi. Tulsidas spent most of his life in the city of VARANASI. The TULSI GHAT on the Ganges River in Varanasi is named after him. He founded the SANKATMOCHAN Temple dedicated to GOD HANUMAN in Varanasi, believed to stand at the place where he had the sight of Lord Hanuman. The impact of Tulsidas and his works on the art, culture and society in India is widespread and is seen to date in vernacular language, RAMLILA Plays, Hindustani Classical Music, Popular Music, Movies and Television Series.

Tulsidas was born in 1532 in RAJAPUR (Present day CHITRAKOOT, Uttar Pradesh), a village on the banks of river YAMUNA, on the border between two states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradseh. His parents were Hulsi and Atmaram Dubey. Tulsidas was born after staying in the womb for twelve months. He had all thirty two teeth in his mouth at birth. His health and looks like that of a five-year-old boy and he did not cry at the time of his birth but uttered Ram instead. He was therefore named Ram-bola. He was born under the Abhuktamula constellation, which according to hindu jyotish astrology, causes immediate danger to the life of father. Due to the inauspicious (astrological configuration) events at the time of his birth, he was abandoned by his parents on the fourth night and sent away with Chuniya/Muniya, a female servant of Hulsi. Chuniya took the child to her village Haripur and looked after him for five and a half years after which she died. Rambola was left to fend for himself as an impoverished orphan and wandered from door to door begging for alms.

Rambola was adopted by NARHARIDAS. He was given the virakta diksha (Vairagi initiation) with the new name of TULSIDAS. When he was seven years old, his Upanayan Sankar (sacred thread ceremony) was performed by Narharidas at Ayodhya (a pilgrimage-site related to Lord Ram). Tulsidas started his learning at Ayodhya. After some time, he came to the sacred city of VARANASI and studied Sankrit grammer, four Vedas, six Vedangas, Jyotisha and the six schools of hindu philosophy over a period of 15-16 years from Guru SHESHA SANATANA. Shesha Sanatana, who was based at the Panchaganga Ghat in Varasani, was a friend of Narharidas and a renowned scholar on literature and philosophy. After completing his studies, Tulsidas came back to his birthplace Rajapur with the permission of Shesha Sanatana. Here he found that his family was no more, with his parents dead. Tulsidas performed the Shraddha ceremony of his parents. He started living in his ancestral home and narrating the Katha of Ramayan in Chitrakoot. Tulsidas started the RAMLILA plays, a folk-theatre adaption of Ramayan.

Tulsidas was married to RATNAVALI, a daughter of Dinbandhu Pathak, belonged to Mahewa village of Kaushambi district. Once when Tulsidas had gone to a Lord Hanuman temple, Ratnavali went to her father’s home with her brother. When Tulsidas came to know this, he swam across the YAMUNA River in the night to meet his wife. Rantavali chided Tulsidas for this, and remarked that if Tulsidas was even half as devoted to God as he was to her body of flesh and blood, he would have been redeemed. Tulsidas left her instantly and left for the holy city PRAYAG. Here, he renounced the Grihastha (householder’s life) stage and became a SADHU (Hindu ascetic).

Tulsidas used to visit the woods outside Varanasi for his morning ablutions with the water of pot. On his return to the city, he used to offer the remaining water to a certain tree. This quenched the thirst of a PRETA (a type of ghost believed to be ever thirsty for water), who appeared to Tulsidas and offer him a boon. Tulsidas said wished to see Bhagwan Ram with his eyes, to which the Preta responded that it was beyond him. However, the Preta said that he could guide Tulsidas to HANUMAN, who could grant the boon Tulsidas asked for. The Preta told Tulsidas that Hanuman comes everyday disguised in the mean attire of a leper to listen to his Ram-Katha, he is the first to arrive and last to leave. That evening Tulsidas noted that the first listener to arrive at his discourse was an old leper, who sat at the end of the gathering. After the Ram-Katha was over, Tulsidas quietly followed the leper to the woods. In the woods, at the spot where the Sankat Mochan Temple stands today, Tulsidas firmly fell at the leper's feet, shouting "I know who you are" and "You cannot escape me". At first the leper feigned ignorance but Tulsidas did not relent. Then the leper revealed his original form of LORD HANUMAN and blessed Tulsidas. When granted a boon, Tulsidas told Hanuman he wanted to see Bhagwan Shri Ram face to face. Hanuman told him to go to Chitrakoot where he would see God Ram with his own eyes.

Tulsidas followed the instruction of Hanumanji and started living in an Ashram at RAMGHAT in CHITRAKOOT. One day Tulsidas went to perform the Parikrama (circumambulation) of the KAMADGIRI Mountain. He saw two Princes, one dark and the other fair, dressed in green robes pass by mounted on horsebacks. Tulsidas was enraptured at the sight; however he could not recognize them and took his eyes off them. Later Hanumanji asked Tulsidas if he saw Ram and his brother Lakshman on horses. Tulsidas was disappointed and repentful. Hanumanji assured Tulsidas that he would have the sight of Ram once again in the next morning. On the next morning, Wednesday, Shri Ram again appeared to Tulsidas, this time as a Child. Tulsidas was making sandalwood paste when a child came and asked for sandalwood Tilak (a religious mark on the forehead). This time Hanumanji gave a hint to Tulsidas and he had a full view of Bhagwan Shri Ram. Tulsidas was so charmed that he forgot about the sandalwood. Child Ram took the sandalwood paste and put a Tilak himself on his forehead and Tulsidas' forehead before disappearing.

Tulsidas, in the year 1575, started composing the ShriRamcharitmanas in Ayodhya on Tuesday, Ramnavami day (birthday of Bhagwan Shri Ram). He composed the Epic over two years, seven months and twenty-six days, and completed the work in 1577 on the Vivaha Panchami day (wedding day of Shri Ram and his wife Sita Devi).

Tulsidas came to Varanasi and recited the Ramcharitmanas to Lord Shiva (Vishwanath) and Goddess Parvati (Annapurna) at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. A popular legend goes that the Brahmins of Varanasi, who were critical of Tulsidas for having rendered the Sanskrit Ramayan in the vernacular awadhi, decided to test the worth of the work. A manuscript of the Ramcharitmanas was kept at the bottom of pile of Sanskrit scriptures in the sanctum sanctorum of the Vishvanath temple in the night and the doors of the sanctum sanctorum were locked. In the morning when the doors were opened, the Ramcharitmanas was found at the top of the pile. The words Satyam Shivam Sundaram (Sanskrit: सत्यं शिवं सुन्दरम्, literally "truth, auspiciousness, beauty") were inscribed on the manuscript with the Signature of Lord Shiva. The words were also heard by the people present.

Tulsidas’s composed & written literatures :-

(1) ShriRamcharitmanas (2) Kavitawali (3) Geetawali (4) Dohawali (5) Vinayawali (6) Krishna Geetawali (Krishnawali) (7) Vinay Patrika (8) Vairagya Sandipani (9) Barvai Ramayan (10) Parvati Mangal (11) Janaki Mangal (12) Ramlala Nahachhu (13) Ramagya Prashna (14) Tulsi Satsai (15) Sahitya Ratna (Ratna Ramayan) (16) Shri Ram Stuti/Vandana/Ramavatar (17) Hanuman Chalisa (18) Hanuman Ashtak (Sankatmochan Hanumanashtak) (19) Bajrang Baan (20) Hanumanji Ki Aarti (21) Hanuman Bahuk (22) Hanumat Stavan (23) Hanuman Kavach.

Tulsidas died at the Assi Ghat on the bank of River Ganga, Varanasi in 1623.