The Ramayana, written in Sanskrit by Valmiki is considered to be the adikavya, the first poem ever written. Tulsidas rendered it in Hindi in the 16th century, although his version, called Ramcharitmanas, differed from the original in many ways. It was written at a time when a vast area of India was under Mughal rule. Amongst the Hindu, there were frequent debates between the worshippers of Shiva, Vishnu and dthe Mother Goddess, and again between the worshippes of Rama and Krishna. There were also other cults, which were isolated from mainstream India life. In such an atmosphere, Tulsidas attempted to weave all the cults into an integrated whole.
The Rama of his story did not tolerate anyone who showed disrespect to Shiva. Tulsidas worshipped not only at temples dedicated to Rama but also at Krishna temples. His works and teachings stressed the importance of the life of a householder and weaned people away from tantric cults.
Tusidas hailed from a poor family of Rajapur in Uttar Pradesh. He was orphaned soon after his birth and even his foster-mother died when he was barely seven years old. When he was married, he became deeply attached to he wife, Ratna. She was the only person he could call his own. One day, not finding her at home on his return, he became extremely restless and rushed to his father-in-law’s house in the dead of the night, braving heavy rains and storm. But Ratna rebuded him and said, “Had you loved Rama as intensely as you do this bundle of flesh and bones, you would have overcome all mortal fears.” This was the turning point in his life.
The story narrated in this book is mostly based on legends of Tulsidas. |
