Swami Tulsidas ji
Tulsidas was born after staying in his mother’s womb for twelve months.When he was born , he showed strange signs. His health and looks were like that of five year old child. He had all 32 teeth. Instead of crying after birth,he uttered “Ram -Ram”. So , he was named ‘Rambola’ , which means the one who recites name of Rama.
Tulsidas birth was accompanied by bad omens, and according to astronomical predictions, there was an immediate danger to the life of his father after his birth. He was abandoned by his parents on the fourth day of his birth and was taken care of by their female servant named ‘Chuniya’.
She looked after him for five years before passing away .
After her death,Tulsidas led his life as an abandoned orphan and wandered from place to place and begged for food. It is believed that the goddess Parvati assumed the form of a Brahmin woman and fed Rambola every day.
Excerpt from Ramcharitmanas :
मैं पुनि निज गुर सन सुनी कथा सो सूकरखेत ।
समुझी नहिं तस बालपन तब अति रहेउँ अचेत ॥
mai puni nija gura sana sunī kathā so sūkarakheta ।
samujhī nahi̐ tasa bālapana taba ati raheu̐ aceta ॥
And then, I heard the same narrative from my Guru in a Sukarkhet (Varaha Kshetra) Soron. I did not understand it then, since I was totally without cognition in childhood.
“When a minister, a physician and a religious preceptor; these three use pleasing words from fear or hope of reward, the result is that dominion, health, and faith, all the three immediately set towards destruction.”
― Swami Tulsidas Ji
Narharidas , a Vaishnav saint adopted tulsidas at the age of six .
A Vaishnava ascetic of Ramananda’s monastic order who is believed to be the fourth disciple of Ramananda,or alternately, the disciple of Anantacharya . He was given the title of ‘Tulsidas’ and the ‘Virakta Diksha’ (initiation of renunciation). At the age of seven the sacred thread ceremony called ‘Upanayana’ was performed for him at Ayodhya.
Tulsidas heard the first narration of Ramayana from his guru in Varaha kshetra Soron (in kashganj ,Uttar Pradesh) .
According to popular belief Tulsidas was married to Ratnavali. He was so passionately attached to her that he could not bear a separation of one day from her .Once she went to her father’s house without informing Tulsidas about her visit. Out of attachment Tulsidas went to see her at her father’s house at night.
His wife felt it as a humiliation and said to Tulsidas :
“My body is but a network of flesh and bones. If you would develop for Lord Rama even half the love that you have for my filthy body, you would certainly cross the ocean of Samsara and attain immortality and eternal bliss”.
Tulsidas left her at the very moment and lived as an ascetic . He then moved to Varanasi , and studied Sanskrit literature, scriptures, Vedangas, Jyotish and schools of Hindu Philosophy. He travelled to Prayag, Ayodhya, and Chitrakuta and several pilgrimage for the next fourteen to fifteen years.
During his travel he went to far off places including the four Dham – Badrinath,Dwarka ,Puri and Rameshwaram. He also went to Lake Mansarovar (presently in Tibet).It is believed that here he had a sight of Kakabhushundi ( the crow who is one of the four narrators in Ramcharitmanas).
Some scholars believe the story of his marriage to be a later interpolation in the lifestory of tulsidas. They believe that he was a bachelor throughout his life.
The detailed account of Tulsidas meeting Hanuman and Ram is given by Priyadas ( a contemporary poet and saint ) in his work ‘Bhaktirasabodhini’.
Tulsidas used to visit outside Varanasi for his morning nature call . When he returned he offered the remaining water to a tree , which was the residence of a Pret (a type of ghost) . This would quench his thirst. Pleased by this act of Tulsidas ,the ghost asked Tulsidas to ask him a boon.
Tulsidas moved to Chitrakoot and lived in an ashram at Ramghat. While performing circumambulation of Kamadgiri mountain ,Tulsidas saw two princes sitting on horseback passing from there. He could not recognise them and moved ahead. The next day Hanuman told him that they were Rama and Lakshman .
Tulsidas repented of his act of ignorance. He was pacified when Hanuman told him that the two brothers would again visit him the next morning.
The next day , two young boys visited him and asked him to apply the tilak of sandalwood paste on their forehead. This time Tulsidas recognised them and had full vision of Rama. He was enchanted by their looks and lost his senses. Tulsidas was so charmed that he forgot about the sandalwood. Rama took the sandalwood paste and put a Tilaka himself on his forehead and Tulsidas’ forehead before disappearing. In reference to this incident there is a famous proverb:
चित्रकूट के घाट पर हुई संतन की भीर
तुलसीदास चन्दन घिसे तिलक देते रघुबीर.
Chitrakoot ke ghat par hui santan ki bheed
tulsidas chandan ghise tilak kare raghubeer
Source: mahaprasada,
