Shri Rama-Charita-Manasa: (Exemplary & Eternal Family Outfit & Outlook with Shri Rama Gita, Shri Rama Rakshastotra, Shri Hanuman Chalisa and Bhajanas)

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Goswami Tulasidasji, describing the origin of his great work. Ramacharitamanasa, says that the story of Lord Rama (figuratively spoken of as the lake Manasarovara) was first composed by Lord Shiva, the most exalted poet, for the purpose of developing unceasing devotion to the lotus feet of Lord Rama, who is all-beautiful, all-wise and all-merciful. He loves the helpless. is the desireless benefactor and bestows eternal happiness upon the devotees. Tulasidasji says that he has rendered the story of Lord Rama in the provincial dialect form dispelling the darkness of ignorance and gloom of his own heart.

This glorious, holy, purifying, blessed and perfectly clear Manasa Lake of the Charita (the life, adventures) of Shri Rama, ever brings happiness, bestows both knowledge and devotion, wipes out the darkness of delusion brought about by ignorance and is brimful with the water of devotion. People who devoutly take a plunge in this lake (Ramacharitamanasa) are never scorched by the burning rays of the sun of Samsaar.

People who repeat to others, listen from others or chant by themselves, this narrative of Load Rama, wipe out the sins that are incident to the Kali age as well as the impurities of their. heart and ascend to the abode of Lord Rama without any difficulty. Indeed, the chief of Raghus cures the maladies, caused by the five-fold ignorance, of those people, who treasure up in their heart even a few couplets of this narrative, that appeal to them as most charming.

Even in vedic parlance. Ramayana is taken as an Itihesa, history along with Mahabharata among the other Vedic books as puranas & prasthana trayi (Triad), viz. Srimad Bhagawata purana amongst 18 puranas as well as prasthana trayi viz Gita, Upanishad and Brahma Sutra. These vedic books are written by great seers and saints of the past millennium in different times and as an essence of their individual experience of the ethical living in constant search of the realization/salvation/liberation/deliverance from the cycle of birth and death.

Ramayana is written first by Veda Vyasa (called Adhyatma Ramayana) and subsequently by Sage Valmiki in Sanskrit. It is the original scripture depicting the social life and the do's and dont's of an individual human being whereas Ramacharitamanasa is written by many authors in the manner each one found the realisation of the 'self' through Bhakti - (devotion). Tulasidasji wrote also as ordained by the Lord Shiva and His consort Parvati in a dream in colloquial Avadhi language for the benefit of the masses as has been repeated hereafter in this note to attain realisation of Self through devotion only. Ramayana was more useful to the people who had fluency in Sanskrit. In the period of Tulasi. when it was not the language of masses. it just became a book to be worshipped without understanding and adopting it in life. Tulasi writing Ramayana in Avadhi offered the masses, the message of values in life which could liberate them from life cycle. Thus we see. in brief. Ramayana and Ramacharitamanasa have a basic difference apparently of the former meant for dharma demonstrated in it for society whereas Ramacharitamanasa for realisation of "Self" through devotion. The contents of Ramayana and Ramacharitamanasa are practically therefore the same save a few episodes here and there may be missing such as Lakshmana Rekha and Lava-Kusha episodes in Ramacharitamanas unlike Ramayana. In Ramcharitmanasa after the disfigurement of Surapanakha, Rama says to Sita that He wants to do some leela a kind of child's sport and she should now reside in fire. As per Tulasidasa. Sita was therefore not taken away by Ravana but it was her replica. After the death of Ravana when she enters into the fire the replica of the image goes to fire, and original Sita comes out. This is not shown in Valmiki Ramayana. In Valmiki's opinion Rama was not ever aware that he was the reincarnation of Vishnu and no where he had held his Divine status since for the death of Ravana it was the prerequisite that his, killer should not be a Deva. Danava, Yaksha or Gandharva as only ordinary man could kill him, as per the deity's curse on Ravana. On this account Valmiki and Tulasidasa differ.

The description of the palaces where Ravana used to live is excessively full of praise of woman features and physique ete. It may be poetic but such contents may not be liked by general masses. Tulasidasa has therefore omitted this. We shall adore Rama so we may not like how Valmiki has written about Sita's fire test. He (Rama) says to Sita" you were stolen by Ravana. I have taken revenge by killing him as being a Kshatriya, it was my duty but since you have stayed in Lanka, therefore you are free to go to Vibhishana or Sugriva but I will not accept you.