Tulsidas

that Tulsidas was extremely attached to his wife and was unable to bear separation from her when she once went to her father’s house for a visit. He therefore went to see his wife stealthily in the middle of the night. Her father’s house was across the river, and it was a stormy night, so no boatman was willing to take Tulsidas across. In his desperation to meet his wife, Tulsidas used a piece of log to cross the river. He then found a rope hanging from the second floor of the house, and used it to climb into his wife’s bedroom. Ratnavali was shocked to find her husband coming to meet her in the middle of such a stormy night. She asked him how he had come, and Tulsidas told her about the log and the rope.

When she peeped out of the window, she discovered that the log was actually a floating corpse, and the rope was a snake that had been climbing the wall. Ratnavali rebuked Tulsidas saying she was only a bag of flesh and bones, and if he had a similar level of attachment for Lord Ram, he would have crossed the ocean of maya and attained salvation. Stung by her words, Tulsidas left his wife and young son and became an ascetic. He wandered around for fourteen years visiting various places of pilgrimage.

HIS WORKS

Tulsidas is most famous for the Ramcharitmanas. Although written primarily in Awadhi language, it also incorporates several local languages such as Brijbhasha, Bhojpuri and the local dialect of Chitrakoot. Like the original Ramayan in Sanskrit, the Ramcharitmanas is held in great reverence in Northern India, and is sung to innumerable melodious tunes. Many of its verses have become popular quotations in North India.

In addition to this, Tulsidas wrote several other works such as the Dohavali, Kavitavali, Geetavali, Vinay Patrika and hymns in praise of Lord Ram and Hanuman. Of these, the Hanuman Chalisa is especially popular.

HIS TEACHINGS

Tulsidas’s doctrine teaches contemplation on the Name, Form, Virtues, Pastimes, Abode and Associates of Lord Ram. As the Lord

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