Biography: Goswami Tulsidas A Great Saint

An Introduction To Goswami Tulsidas

Goswami Tulsidas तुलसीदास  (1511 – 1623) was a great saint poet of Hindi literature. Ramcharitmanas is his pride book. He is also considered to be the incarnation of Maharishi Valmiki, the author of Adi Kavya Ramayana.

The plot of Shriramcharitmanas is taken from Ramayana. Ramcharitmanas is a folk text and it is read with great devotion in North India. After this Vinay Patrika is another important poem of his. The epic Shri Ramcharitmanas was ranked 46th among the 100 best popular poems in the world.

Goswami Tulsidas Ji Birth

Tulsidas date of birth The birthplace of Goswami Tulsidas is disputed. According to most of the scholars and official evidence, he was born in Soron Shukarkshetra, presently Kasganj (Etah) Uttar Pradesh. Some people believe that he was born in the Rajapur district of Chitrakoot. Soron is a religious holy town located in the Kasganj district of the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is a famous pilgrimage centre situated near the river Ganges. There lived a respected Brahmin named Atmaram Dubey, his wife’s name was Hulsi. Tulsidas was born to this couple in Abhukta Mool Nakshatra on the seventh day of Shukla Paksha of Shravan month in Samvat 1511. It is said that the baby was extremely robust and had teeth visible in its mouth due to being in the mother’s womb for twelve months. As soon as he was born, he uttered the name Ram, due to which his name became Rambola. The mother died on the very second day of his birth. To avoid any further evil, the father handed over the child to a maidservant named Chuniya and himself became disinterested. When Rambola was five and a half years old, there were no more elections. He wandered from street to street and was forced to live like an orphan.

Goswami Tulsidas Ji Childhood

With the inspiration of Lord Shankarji, Shrinarharyanandji (Narhari Baba), the beloved disciple of Shri Anantanandji, who was living on Ramshail, found this child who became famous by the name of Rambola and duly named him Tulsiram. After that, they took him to Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) and performed his sacrificial ceremony there on Magh Shukla Panchami (Friday) in Samvat 1561. Even at the time of Sanskar, without being taught, the child Rambola pronounced Gayatri-Mantra clearly, seeing which everyone was amazed. After this, Narhari Baba initiated the child into Ram-mantra by performing five rites of Vaishnavs and made him study while staying in Ayodhya. Child Rambola’s intelligence was very sharp. Whatever he hears from the Guru’s mouth in one go, he gets it by heart.

Goswami Tulsidas Ji’s Marriage

On Jyeshtha Shukla Trayodashi, Thursday, Samvat 1583, at the age of 29, he was married to Ratnavali, a very beautiful girl of Bhardwaj gotra of a village situated on the other side of Yamuna, a little far from Rajapur. Since Gauna was not born, he went to Kashi for some time and stayed there with Sheshasanatan ji and got engaged in the study of Vedas and Vedangas. While living there suddenly one day he remembered his wife and started getting worried. When he could no longer, he returned to his birthplace Rajapur after obtaining permission from Guruji. Since his wife Ratnavali was still at her maternal house because till then she had not died, Tulsiram swam across the raging Yamuna river in the night and went straight to his wife’s bedroom. Ratnavali was surprised to see her husband coming alone after going so late in the night. Fearing public shame, when he asked them to go back quietly, they started urging him to go home at the same time. Annoyed by his unexpected stubbornness, Ratnavali gave him the education through a self-composed couplet that made Tulsiram Tulsidas. The couplet that Ratnavali had said is as follows:

अस्थि चर्म मय देह यह, ता सों ऐसी प्रीति !नेकु जो होती राम से, तो काहे भव-भीत ?

On hearing this couplet, he left his wife at her father’s house at the same time and returned to his village Rajapur. When he went to his house in Rajapur, he came to know that in his absence even his father was no more and the whole house had been destroyed, and he was even more distressed. He performed Shradh of his father according to law stayed in the village and started telling the story of Lord Ram to the people.

Meeting with Lord Shri Ram

It is said that Tulsi das ji got the darshan of Shri Ram by Hanuman ji’s Blasing, Hanuman ji said- “You will see Raghunath ji in Chitrakoot.” On this Tulsidas ji started towards Chitrakoot.

After reaching Chitrakoot, he established his seat at Ramghat. One day he went for circumambulation when suddenly on his way he saw Shri Ram. He saw that two very handsome princes were carrying bows and arrows on horses. Tulsidas was attracted to see him, but could not recognize him. That’s why when Hanuman ji came from behind and told him that he was Shri Ram and Lachhman, Tulsidas ji was saddened that he could not recognize Shri Ram. On this Hanuman ji told him not to worry, he will see again in the morning.

On the Mauni Amavasya of Samvat 1607, on Wednesday, Lord Shri Ram appeared in front of him again. He came in the form of a child and said to Tulsidas – “Baba! We need sandalwood, can you give us sandalwood?” This time Tulsidas ji recognized Shri Ram Ji

चित्रकूट के घाट पर, भइ सन्तन की भीर।तुलसिदास चन्दन घिसें, तिलक देत रघुबीर॥

Tulsidas forgot his senses after seeing that wonderful image of Lord Shri Ram. Therefore, God put sandalwood on Tulsidas Ji’s head with his hand and became introspective.

Tulsidas Ji’s Poetry

In Samvat 1628, he resided in a Brahmin’s house at Prahlad Ghat in Kashi. While living there, the power of poetry blossomed in him and he started composing poetry in Sanskrit. By the grace of God, he composed many compositions in Sanskrit as well as in Braj Bhasha and Awadhi Bhasha.

Composition of Ramcharitmanas

Samvat 1631 started. By chance, on the day of Ramnavami that year, the same yoga came as it was on the day of Ram’s birth in Tretayuga. Tulsidas ji started the composition of Shri Ramcharitmanas in the morning that day. This wonderful book was completed in two years, seven months and twenty-six days. In the Marshish Shukla Paksha of Samvat 1633, all seven scandals were completed on the day of Ram’s marriage.

Tulsidas Ji’s Death

When Tulsidas ji started living at Asighat, the famous Ghat of Kashi, he experienced pain there. Tulsidas ji meditated on Hanuman ji at the same time. After composing Hanuman Bahuk, he wrote his last work Vinay-Patrika and dedicated it to the feet of God. In Samvat 1680, on Shravan Krishna Tritiya Saturday, Tulsidas ji abandoned his body saying “Ram-Ram”.

Tulsidas ji’s-Handwriting

Goswami Tulsidas Ji’s handwriting was very beautiful, it seems as if he knew the art of calligraphy in that era. A copy of the Ayodhya Kand of Shri Ramcharitmanas is preserved in a temple in Rajapur, his birthplace.

Tulsidas Ji’s Creations

In his long life span of 126 years, Tulsidas composed the following classics in chronological order –

Gitavali (1571), Krishna-Gitavali (1571), Ramcharitmanas (1574), Parvati-Mangal (1582), Vinaya-Patrika (1582), Janaki-Mangal (1582), Ramlalanhachhu (1582), Dohavali (1583), Vairagyasandipani ( 1612), Ramagyaprasna (1612), Satsai, Barvai Ramayana (1612), Kavitavali (1612), Hanuman Bahuk