Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas , which literally translates into “the splendid lake of Ram’s exploits”, is arguably the greatest ode to Lord Ram...
Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas, which literally translates into “the splendid lake of Ram’s exploits”, is arguably the greatest ode to Lord Ram. Based on the much earlier Sanskrit epic Ramayana (dated variously between the fifth century BCE to the first century BCE), written by Valmiki, the Manas is a shorter version of the same story, but with the inimitable stamp of Tulsi’s loftiness of mind and poetic genius. Although shorter, it is nevertheless an epic, consisting of 12,800 lines divided into 1,073 stanzas, and seven kands or sections.
Goswami Tulsidas’s work is a lyrical outpouring of the greatest devotion – bhakti – to Ram. The poet is well-versed in the philosophical intricacies of Hinduism, including the dichotomy between a nirguna (attributeless absolute) and a saguna (attribute-full) deity, but while displaying deep insight into these arguments, of which he gives great evidence, his personal preference is to overarch them, and posit the argument of unblemished and unalloyed devotion to the fount of grace and compassion – Lord Ram.
Mahatma Gandhi regarded the Ramcharitmanas “as the greatest book in all devotional literature”. In north India, in particular, the Manas is equivalent to the Bible for most Hindus. The book also ranks among the greatest works of literature in the world....
