Tulsidasji believes that he has given divine darshan to Shri Rama and has received the blessings of Hanumanji. It is with the blessings of Hanumanji that he has composed Ramcharitmanas and Hanumanji told about Lord Rama.
Biography of Tulsidas
Name: Goswami Tulsi Das
Surname: Rambola
Born: 1511 AD (Samvat 1589), Rajapur, Chitrakoot District
Died: 1623 AD (Samvat 1680), in year 112, Assi Ghat
Education: Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads
Mother: Mother-Hulsi
Father : Atma Ram Dubey
Wife : Ratnavali
Son : Not Known
Religion : Hindu
Guru : Male Haridas
Occupation : Saint and Poet
Famous Works : Ramcharitmanas, Hanuman Chalisa, Hanuman Ashtaka etc.
Introduction to Tulsidas
Childhood and parents
There is still disagreement about the birth of Goswami Tulsidas Ji. But many scholars believe that Tulsidas was born in 1511 AD (Samvat 1589) at Rajapur in Chitrakoot district of Uttar Pradesh.
His father’s name was Atmaram Dubey and mother’s name was Hulsi. Tulsidasji’s childhood name was Rambola.
When Tulsidas was born, instead of crying, the first thing that came out of his mouth was the name of Rama. That is why he was named Rambola from his childhood.
He was born with 32 teeth. Every newborn baby stays in its womb for 9 months but Tulsidas Ji stays in his mother’s womb for 12 months.
There is a famous couplet about the life of Tulsi Das Ji, which is given here:
Fifteen hundred and fifty four vices of Kalindi’s arrows.
Shravan Shukla Saptami, Tulsi Dharyo Deh.
Many scholars claim that he was a special Brahmin of the Parasara gotra and some believe that he was a Kanyakubja or Sandhyaya Brahmin.
Birth of Tulsidasji Astrologers said that his time of birth is inauspicious. On the second day of his birth, his mother left this world and his father took asceticism.
But before his father took his retirement, he handed over Tulsi Das Ji to Chuniya Dasi. After growing up for 5 years, Dasi Chuniya also passed away from this world. Tulsidas became an orphan after Chunia’s death.
Guru of Tulsidas
On the second day of his birth, Tulsidasji left his mother, left alone due to his father’s retirement and after 5 years his maid Chuniya also left.
Then Nara Haridas, who did so at the behest of Ramananda’s monastery, adopted him and allowed Rambola to live in his Ayodhya ashram.
Tulsidasji recited the Gayatri Mantra clearly during the rite without memorizing it. All the people there were surprised to see this. Tulsidas ji had a sharp intellect from childhood, who would remember what he read once.
Knowledge of Vedas and literature
Tulsidas ji was very intelligent and shrewd from birth. Everything he read he remembered perfectly. In Varanasi, Saint Tulsidasji acquired knowledge of 4 Vedas including Sanskrit grammar and also studied 6 Vedangas.
He studied Hindi literature and philosophy from the renowned Guru Shesh Sanatan, a scholar of literature and scriptures. After continuing his studies for 16 to 17 years, he returned to Rajapur.
Marriage of Tulsidas
Whatever knowledge Tulsidasji possessed, he always conveyed it through his sayings and stories and inspired people to worship. Once upon a time, Tulsidasji was telling people his stories and couplets as usual.
Pandit Deen Bandhu Pathak who was present there was so impressed by her that he married his daughter Ratnavali to Tulsidasji.
He was married at the age of 29 to Ratnavali on the banks of the Yamuna river near Rajapur. They were married but not married (Gauna is a post-marriage ceremony in which the groom goes to his father-in-law and brings his bride after performing some rituals).
Not having a cowherd, Tulsidasji went to Kashi and engaged in the study of Veda Vedanga. While studying Veda Vedang one day he suddenly remembered his daughter Ratnavali. Then he came to Rajapur with the permission of his Guru.
Ratnavali was in her mother’s house because she could not sing. Tulsidas ji left to meet Ratnavali in the pitch black night and it was raining heavily.
Due to heavy rains, the Yamuna river was in full swing, in which Tulsi Dasji saw a log of a girl. With its help he crossed the mighty river and reached Ratnavali’s house.
There was a rope hanging from a big tree near Ratnavali’s house, with the help of which he reached Ratnavali’s room. Tulsidas Ji was so eager to meet Ratnavali that he saw a corpse in the form of a log of a girl in the river Yamuna and a snake hanging from a tree in the form of a rope.
When Ratnavali saw them, she panicked and asked them to go back. Since she is undetectable because she is not a cowherd, this will call into question her public shame.
Ratnavali taught Tulsidas through a couplet, the couplet is as follows:
This is the flesh with the skin of the bones, hence the love.
If Ramthi was Neku, then why Bhava-Bhit.
Through this sutra Ratnavali explained to Tulsidasji that as much as you love blood flesh and body, if you give half of it to God, it will cross the ocean of the universe.
This song affected Tulsidasji so much that he left his family and came to the village. There, becoming a monk, he started telling the story of Shriram to the people and got immersed in the devotion of Shriram.
Pilgrimage of Tulsidas Ji
Tulsidasji made pilgrimages all over India. Tulsidasji used to go among the people in Dwarka, Puri, Badrinath, Himalayas and Rameshwar and glorify Shri Ram among the people there.
He spent most of his time in Kashi, Ayodhya and Chitrakoot. But in his last days he came to Kashi.
Blessings of Hanumanji
He was now engrossed in the devotion of Sri Rama. Every time he would get up and chant the name of Shri Ram. At Assi Ghat in Chitrakoot, he built it in 1580 AD.
He started writing Ramacharitmanas epic in his own way. Tulsidasji completed this book in 2 years 7 months and 26 days. It is said that he got the guidance of Hanumanji in writing Ramcharitmanas.
Tulsidasji has mentioned in many of his works that he has met Hanumanji several times. Tulsidasji also established the Sankatmochan Temple for Hanumanji in Varanasi.
According to Tulsidas ji, Hanuman ji blessed him, due to which the darshan of Shri Ram occurred. Apart from the darshan of Hanumanji, Tulsidasji has mentioned the darshan of Parvati and Shiva in his compositions.
Darshan of Sri Rama
With the strong and unwavering devotion of Sri Rama towards Tulsidas and the blessings of Hanumanji, Sri Rama visited the Assi Ghat of Chitrakoot.
Once Tulsidasji went to circumambulate the Kadamgiri mountain, he saw two princes sitting on the back of a horse. But he did not recognize her at that time.
But after some time, he came to know that it was Rama-Lakshmana, the back of Hanumanji and he became sad. He has mentioned all these events in his composition Gitavali.
Then the next morning when Tulsi Dasji was grinding sandalwood, Sri Rama and Lakshmana again appeared to him and asked him to perform Tilak.
But Tulsidasji was overwhelmed by his divine vision, due to which he forgot to do tilak. Then Lord Ram applied Tilak on Tulsidas’s forehead with His own hand.
This was the happiest moment in Tulsidas Ji’s life, the couple is very famous for this incident:
Ghat Pai of Chitrakoot, Bhir of Bhai Sant.
Tulsidas rubbed sandalwood, Raghubir than Tilak.
Death of Tulsidas
It is said that Tulsidas died of some disease and spent the last moments of his life at Assi Ghat.
It is also said that he wrote his Vinaya Patrika in his last days and this composition was signed by Lord Sri Rama.
After writing the Vinaya Patrika in its entirety, in 1623 AD (Samvat 1680), Tulsidasji went to Devlok. Tulsidasji took 112 years of his life journey.
Some interesting information about Tulsidas Ji
- Tulsidasji was born with only 32 teeth.
- The first and last word out of his mouth was Rama.
- He started the composition of Ramcharitmanas early in the morning on the day of Ramnavami (ie the birth of Rama based on Tretayuga).
- On 1 October 1952, a postage stamp honoring Goswami Tulsidas as a great poet was issued by the Government of India.
Literary works
The 12 compositions (6 minor and 6 major) composed by Goswami Tulsidasji are very famous, divided into 2 groups based on languages.
duration
- Ramcharitmanas
- Ram Lalla Nachu
- Barvai Ramayana
- Parvati Mars
- Janaki Mangal
- Ramgya question
Braj
- Krishna Gitavali
- Gitavali
- Sahitya Ratna
- Couple
- Vairagya Sandipani
- Vinay Patrika
These 12 compositions are famous, with 4 compositions also very famous, namely Hanuman Chalisa, Hanuman Ashtak, Hanuman Bahuk and Tulsi Satsai.