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His Life
Tulsidas was born during the reign of Akbar to Hulsi and Atmaram Dubey in Rajpur, in Uttar Pradesh in 1532 CE. When he was a child the first word he ever uttered was "Ram" and hence he was called RamBola (literally translated to "he said Ram") by all the villagers. He married a devout and pious woman called Ratnavali. Tulsidas was extremely attached to his wife. One day his wife went to her parents' home to a neighboring town across the river Yamuna. That night, Tulsidas felt very lonely. It was a stormy night and Tulsidas, experiencing an unexplainable longing for his wife, decided that he had to see her right away.It was a dark night and it was raining heavily. Unconcerned, he took a short cut through a Shamshan, crossed the Yamuna by holding on to the tail of a crocodile, climbed the first floor bedroom of his wife with the help of a python (which he took to be a rope) and astonished Ratnavali by his presence. She rebuked him thus: "O Tulsi, you have so much love and lust for my flesh and bones, which will decay as we grow older. If you had even half this love for Lord Ram, you probably would have seen him by now."
This statement stunned Tulsidas. He renounced his family ties, took Sannyasa (renunciation) and became a wandering ascetic. All his love was now directed towards the Lord Ram. He went on long pilgrimages across India longing for a sight of his beloved Ram. He lived for many years at Ayodhya (where Lord Ram had lived). He sung hymns to his Lord and constantly meditated on his feet longing to see him at least once in his life.
It is the servant who shows any visitor to the master. In trying to approach the magnificent Lord Ram Chandra himself, Tulsidas was assured success when he went through his sevak - Lord Hanuman. Tulsidas also composed the Hanuman Chalisa (40 couplets in praise of Lord Hanuman). Hanuman Chalisa is still widely sung in almost every household in India.
Tulsidas is believed to be an incarnation of Sage Valmiki, who wrote the Ramayana in Sanskrit. Tulsidas, however, wrote the Ramayana in the local vernacular of Hindi and Bhojpuri and it is known as Ramcharitamanas. The Ramcharitamanas was his biggest work as a poet. It is read and worshipped with great reverence in many Hindu homes in India. He emphasized the path to attain salvation by devoting oneself to God. He also composed many bhajans and songs in praise of Ram, and he spent many years living blissfully as a wandering saint, still immersed in thoughts of Lord Ram, till he died in 1623 at the age of 91. He spent the last years of his life in Benares.
Goswami Tulsidas's works were even admired by the Mughal ruler Akbar.
Last update : 01-11-2009 09:31
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