SRI TULSIDASJI...
Birth
Sri Tulsidas is believed have born in 1532. He was born to a Brahmin Sri
Athmaram in the Rajapur town. His father Sri Atmaram was a learned person, a
great devotee of Lord Rama and was an official in the ministry of Akbar, the
then mughal ruler. His father was preoccupied with the administration of
State and had to travel a lot to Delhi and other places. Therefore he had
left Sri Tusidas under the care of his relatives at Rajapur under the hope he
will be brought up as a scholarly person. Sri Tulsidas missed the parental
care and love, and his relatives had not taken care of Sri Tulsidas. With the
feeling of a castaway Sri Tulsidas was doing things which he thought as
right. On seeing this Sri Atmaram got his son married to a pious lady Mamtha
Devi (there is another name as Ratnavali also) in order to see that the Sri
Tulsidas changes for good in the life.
Wife becomes the Guru
He was leading a good comfortable life with Mamtha Devi. Once his wife went
to stay with her parents for a while. Sri Tulsidasji, was unable to bear the
separation. He proceeded to his wife's place while it was heavily raining. He
crossed the river that was flooded to reach his wife's place. Mamtha Devi was
wonder struck to see him like this, and admonished him that he should have
loved the God with the same fervour instead of being lured by flesh. Sri
Tulsidasji was stunned at the remarks of his wife, on contemplation the truth
in the words of Mamtha Devi. On realisation he left all connections with the
family life, and proceeded to Varanasi the Kasipuri.
On hearing the news Sri Atmaram was happy that his son had changed for good.
He and his wife went to Varanasi to see Sri Tulsidasji and requested him to
return with them. But Sri Tulsidasji had refused and stayed back in Varanasi
and studied vedantha under the learned scholars. The son of the devotee of
Lord Rama, Sri Tulsidasji was a devotee of Lord Hanuman.
Wonder work of Sri Ramachritamanas
It is said that Sri Tulsidasji started writing the Ramayana in Sanskrit
language during his stay at Varanasi. But to his astonishment each day's work
will vanish after his return from the bath in Ganga. He prayed to Lord
Viswanath, the lord of Kasipuri who is chanting the Ramanama all the time.
Lord Viswanath had directed him to write the epic Ramayan in the language
that could be understood by all, so that the Ramanama mahima is spread to
nook and corner of the land. Accordingly he wrote the epic Ramayana in
Avanthi language, which is now popularly known as "SRI RAMACHRITAMANAS".
There was lot of opposition from the scholars of Kasipuri for this version of
Ramayan. It is said that the pundits of Kasi threw the script into Ganga. But
to their astonishment the script was found intact in the Lord Viswanath's
temple. Then it was realised that the "Sri Ramachritamanas", the Tulsi
Ramayan has the stamp of approval by the Lord Himself.
Devotee of Lord Hanuman and unifier of Vaishnavat and Saivat
Sri Tulsidasji the devotee of Lord Hanuman had dharshan of his Lord. He also
had dharshan of Sri Rama, Sita, with his blessing and help of Lord Hanuman.
Once Sri Rama and Lakshmana had come to the rescue of Sri Tulsidasji when the
robbers entered his ashram.
**
Nabhaji, the author of Bhaktamala, is of the opinion that Sri Tulsidasji was
an incarnation of Sage Valmiki born again to spread the Ramanama and
RamaMahima by reciting Ramayana in the vernacular language. He had identified
himself with Lord Hanuman in spreading the glory of Sri Rama. He had spread
the glory of Lord Hanuman as "Sankara sumana, Bhavani nanthana" i.e., son of
Sankara and Bhavani. He had brought in a unification of Vaishnava and Saiva
through Glory of Lord Hanuman. He had brought the knowledge and understanding
of Ramayana to every common man and reestablished the glory of Sri Rama
before he left this world at the age of ninety years.
Siddha granthas by Sri Tulsidas
There will be hardly any devotee of Lord Anjaneya who is unaware about the
forty slokas composed by Sri Tulsidasji entitled "Hanuman Chalisa". This is
the most powerful and popular composition sung by the devotees of Lord
Anjaneya in the world over. Devotion that this hymn develops towards Lord is
enormous and had to be experienced and enjoyed. If millions could experience
the devotion, the power with which the hymn had been sung could be well
estimated. The devotion with which the hymn must have sprung from Sri
Tulsidasji and his devotion towards Lord Anjaneya are well beyond one's
thinking. This is a siddha grantha and Sri Tulsidasji a siddha purusha.
|| pavana thanaya sankata haran, mangala murathi rupa ||
|| ramalakaana sita sahita hrithya pasahu surabhup ||
**pse see the Sankata Mochan Hanuman Mandir Varanasi for more details