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There is a village named Rajapur in Chitrakoot district near Prayag, where a distinguished Brahmin named Atmaram Dubey lived. His wife’s name was Hulsi. Goswami Tulsidas was born on Shravan Shukla Saptami in V.S. (Vikram Samvat) 1554, twelve months after his mother’s conception. When the child was born, Tulsidas did not cry, but the word ‘Ram’ came out of his mouth. He was born with all thirty-two teeth. He looked like a five-year-old boy. Seeing such a wonderful child, the father was frightened by the fear of evil and began to fantasize about him in various ways. His mother was very apprehensive about this. On Dhashmi night, fearing for the child’s misfortune, she sent the newborn along with her maidservant to her in-laws’ house and left the world the next day.
The maid, whose name was Chunia, brought up the child with great love. When Tulsidas was about five and a half years old, Chunia also died, leaving the child an orphan. He started wandering from door to door. At this, Goddess Parvati took pity on the young boy. She dressed as a Brahmini and went to him every day and fed him with her own hands.
On the inspiration of Lord Shankar, Shree Narhari Nand Ji, the beloved disciple of Shree Anantanand Ji, residing at Ramshail, found this boy and named him Rambola. He took him to Ayodhya and performed his Yagyopavit ceremony (sacred thread ceremony) on the fifth Friday of Magha Shukla V.S. 1561. Without any teaching, the boy Rambola chanted the Gayatri Mantra, surprising everyone.
After this, Narhari Swami initiated Ramabola into the Ram Mantra, performing the five rites of the Vaishnavas, and began to educate him while staying in Ayodhya. The boy Rambola was intelligent. Once he had heard whatever from his Guru’s mouth, he knew it by heart. A few days later, the Guru and the disciple reached Shukar Kshetra (Soron). There Sri Narhari narrated the Ramacharita to Tulsidas. A few days later, he went to Kashi. Tulsidas studied the Vedas and Vedangas for fifteen years by staying with SheshasanatanJi in Kashi.
Here, his desire pertaining to the world somewhat awakened, and he returned to the land of his birth, after taking permission from his Guru. When he got there, he saw that his family had been destroyed. He performed the ritualistic shraddha (homage to deceased ancestors) of his father and stayed there, telling the story of Lord Rama to the people.
On Thursday, the 13th day of V.S. Jyestha Shukla 1583, he was married to a beautiful girl of the Bharadwaja Gotra and lived happily with his newlywed bride. Once, his wife had gone to her parents’ home along with her brother. Later, Tulsidas Ji also reached there. His wife cursed him for this and said, “If you had been half as attached to God as you are to this body of flesh and bone, you should have crossed the ocean of existence.”
Tulsidas Ji was deeply hurt by these words. He didn’t stop for a moment and then left. From there, Tulsidas Ji came to Prayag. There, he left his household attire and took the attire of a sage. Then he reached Kashi while on pilgrimage. He visited KakabhushundiJi near Mansarovar.
In Kashi, TulsidasJi started telling the story of Rama. There one day, he found an apparition that told him the whereabouts of Hanuman. After meeting Hanuman Ji, Tulsidas Ji requested him to fulfill his desire to visit Shri Raghunath Ji. HanumanJi said, “You will be blessed with the vision of Shri RaghunathJi in Chitrakoot.” Tulsidas Ji then proceeded towards Chitrakoot.
On reaching Chitrakoot, he took his seat at Ramghat. One day, he went for a walk. On the way, he met Sri Rama. He saw two very beautiful princes riding on horses, carrying bows and arrows. TulsidasJi was fascinated to see them but could not recognize them. When HanumanJi came from behind and told him the whole difference, he began to repent. HanumanJi consoled him in a dream and said that he would have a holy sight again in the morning.
On the day of Mauni Amavasya in 1607, Lord Sri Rama again appeared before him. He said to Tulsidas in the form of a child, “Baba! Give me some sandalwood paste.” HanumanJi, fearing that Tulsi might allow this golden opportunity to pass unheeded once again, said this couplet from a nearby tree in the form of a parrot:
“Chitrakoot Ke Ghaat Par Bhai Santan Ki Bhir, Tulsidas Chandan Ghise Tilak Det Raghubir.”
Which simply means “There is a mass accumulation of saints at the ghat of Chitrakoot, Tulsi rubs the sandalwood, and Shri Ram anoints himself.”
When Tulsidas Ji saw that wonderful sight of Rama in front of him, he forgot about his body and was unable to move or speak. The Lord bent down and with his own hand took a little of the sandalwood paste, put it on his and Tulsi’s forehead, and disappeared.
In V.S. 1628, at the behest of HanumanJi, he moved towards Ayodhya. Those were the days of the Magh Mela at Prayag. He stayed there for several days. Six days after the festival, he had a sight of Bharadwaja and Yagyavalkya sage under a banyan tree. At that time, the same Ram story was happening there, which he had heard from his Guru in the Sukra Kshetra. From there, he went to Kashi and lived in the house of a Brahmin at Prahlad Ghat. There, the power of poetry was kindled in him, and he began to compose verses in Sanskrit. But all the poems he wrote during the day disappeared in the night. This happened every day. On the eighth day, Tulsidas had a dream. Lord Shankara ordered him to compose poetry in his own language. TulsidasJi fell asleep. He sat up. At the same time, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati appeared before him. Tulsidas prostrated himself before them. Lord Shiva said, “Go to Ayodhya and write poetry in Hindi. With my blessings, your poetry will be as fruitful as the Sama Veda.” After saying this, both of them disappeared. Tulsidas Ji obeyed their order and came to Ayodhya from Kashi.
V.S. 1631 was started. That year, the day of Ram Navami was almost the same as the day of Ram’s birth in the Treta Yuga. That morning, Sri TulsidasJi began to compose the Sri Ramcharitmanas. The book was finished in two years, seven months, and twenty-six days. On the day of Rama’s marriage in the Margashirsha Shukla Paksha of V.S.1633, all the seven kaands (or chapters) were completed.
After this, by the command of God, TulsidasJi came to Kashi. There, he recited the Sri Ramcharitmanas to Lord Vishwanath and Mata Annapurna. At night, the book was kept in the temple of Shri VishwanathJi. When the gate was opened in the morning, it was found written – ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’ on the book and had Lord Shankar’s sign. The people present at that time also heard the voice of ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’.
When the Pandits heard this, they were filled with envy. They began to denounce Tulsidas and tried to destroy the book. They sent two thieves to steal the book. The thieves went and saw that two brave men carrying bows and arrows were guarding around the hut of Tulsidas. They were very beautiful and divine. Their vision purified the mind of the thieves. From that time, they gave up stealing and engaged themselves in worship.
When Tulsidas saw God suffering for his sake, he gave away all the belongings from his hut and had his book kept at his friend Todar Mal’s home. And then he wrote another. On the basis of that, other copies were made. The book’s popularity increased day by day.
Here, the Pandits, seeing no other way out, inspired Sri Madhusudan Saraswati to look at the book. Shri Madhusudan Saraswati Ji expressed great happiness on seeing it and wrote this consent on it:
“anandakananehyasminjangamastulsitaruh, katavatamanjari bhatat rambhramarabhutashata”
Which meant “Tulsidas is like a walking plant of Tulsi in this forest of bliss named Kashi. His poetic verse, a delicate bud, is ever graced by the divine bee, Lord Rama.”
The priests were not even satisfied with this. Then another method of testing the book was thought of. The Vedas were placed at the top, the scriptures below them, the Puranas below the scriptures, and the Ramcharitmanas at the bottom. The temple was closed. When the temple was opened in the morning, people saw that Shri Ramcharitmanas was placed on top of the Vedas. Now the Pandits were greatly embarrassed. They sought forgiveness from Tulsidasji and took refuge at his feet with devotion.
Tulsidas Ji now started living at Asi Ghat. One night, Kali Yuga came to him in the form of an idol and began to torment him. Goswami Ji meditated on Hanuman Ji. Hanumanji asked him to compose ‘Vinaya Ke Pad’; on this Goswami Ji wrote the Vinaya Patrika and dedicated it to the feet of the Lord. Shri Ram signed it and made Tulsidas fearless.
On the third Saturday of Shravan Krishna V.S. 1680, at Asi Ghat, Goswami renounced his body uttering the words ‘Rama Rama’.
This biography is the English translation of Goswami Tulsidas’s Hindi biography, present in the Ramcharitmanas by Geeta Press, Gorakhpur.