#RAM_NAVAMI
In the lake of Goswami Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas, countless gems and pearls lie scattered. Those who have dived deep have found treasures. In this essay, I have merely attempted to arrange a few of these jewels, and though there are many flaws in my arrangement, the gems themselves shine with their own radiance. If algae or some debris should appear on their surface, know it to be extraneous and unrelated to the gem itself, and set it aside accordingly.
Tulsidas employed the common speech of the village in his writing; the language of the text is not pure Hindi throughout. As he himself said, "Neither the language of the village nor of Sanskrit, but whatever love requires" (Dohaavali). Though the village tongue predominates, Sanskrit, Bhojpuri, the local dialect of Ayodhya, Braj, and other languages are interwoven within it; yet it is essentially the language of Ayodhya itself—"The speech of the village where Siya and Ram dwell, heard by the wise."
In Goswami's language, the letter 'sh' does not appear except in the word 'shri.' 'Sh' is written everywhere in place of the sibilant 'sh.' The word 'amrit' appears as 'amia.' Where 'gya' appears, 'j' is replaced by 'gy,' and where 'ksh' should stand, 'ch,' 'cch,' or 'sh' is written instead. The use of conjunct consonants is sparse in his language—we see dharam, partiti, sahassisu and the like. He does not use the cerebral 'n'; the dental 'n' serves his purpose throughout. The word 'lakshman' is written as 'lshan' in most places. In Ayodhya, singular neuter nouns in the nominative case often take the 'u' suffix when in the accusative case, as in samaju, raju, vichar karam, dharam, sujas; the same usage appears in the Ramcharitmanas.
The final 'v' is pronounced like 'w.' There is also usage of 'u' in place of 'v,' as in prabhaau, sutantra. The 's' is pronounced like English 's.' Where 'j' should be pronounced, 'j' is used rather than 'y'—as in jam (yam), jug (yug). The 'y' is pronounced like 'iy'; yah (this) becomes 'iyah.' Where 'y' should appear, 'i' is sometimes used instead, as in sahi (sahay). The letters 'r' and 'l' are sometimes used interchangeably. In place of 'm,' the nasal 'n' is used, as in paban. With regard to the use of short and long 'i' and 'u' (both as base letters and as diacritics), one often finds the opposite of correct spelling employed.
The entire Ramcharitmanas is written in the doha and chaupai metres. Since the word-forms and verbal conjugations in the language used by Tulsidas differ somewhat from written Hindi, I have presented a brief explanation above for the sake of clarity. Now I turn to the verse-forms themselves—the shloka, doha, and chaupai:
A shloka is composed of two lines, each called a 'pada.' The shloka is written in the anustup or tristup metre. One encounters shlokas in the Vedas, Upanishads, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavad Gita, and other texts. Within shlokas, profound philosophical, ethical, and wisdom-bearing messages are expressed completely and precisely in few words, arranged in a fixed form.
Structurally, the doha is a couplet, a pairing of two lines; each line is called a 'misra'. The two lines of a doha are of equal length and follow an exceptionally simple meter. This makes the doha easy to memorize and recite. Dohas are typically composed in the vernacular languages of India—Hindi, the speech of Ayodhya, Braj, Apabhramsha and others—where the rich culture and diversity of the subcontinent come alive. The philosophical, spiritual, moral, and religious subtleties of everyday experience and wisdom find expression through the vivid imagery and metaphors of dohas in the most accessible and flowing manner. The saint-poets of the medieval age—Kabir, Rahim, Tulasidas and others—are the brightest stars in the literature of the doha. Their dohas have inspired generations upon generations of people in the realms of both literature and the spiritual life.
The chaupai is a quatrain—four lines, each with its own distinctive rhythm and measure. The four lines need not be of identical length; there may be variation in metrical feet (as is not permitted in the sloka or the doha). The chaupai opens wide the possibilities for poetic resonance. Through the fullest deployment of emotion and feeling, the true subject of the chaupai lies in the narration of tales—whether mythological, folk, or conventional—within a framework of moral significance. The Indian epics, devotional poetry, and folk song literature demonstrate the chaupai's triumphant application, offering a delightful reading experience. In the chaupai, events are described with such vividness that as one reads or listens, the happenings seem to unfold before one's very eyes. Because it is composed in the language of speech, the meter of the chaupai is relatively easy to master; and it is for this reason that the folk traditions and wisdom of India have, age after age, spread from mouth to mouth throughout various communities. In Indian spiritual practice, the chaupai holds a place of honor alongside the sloka and the doha.
In the context of the doha and the chaupai, 'sumiran' refers to the practice of remembering or meditating upon the name of God. It is a form of spiritual discipline, one that is often rooted in devotion and intimately bound up with the seeking of solace in both joy and sorrow. Let us now acquaint ourselves with certain chaupais from the 'Ramcharitmanas' that concern themselves with sumiran:
1. Jehi sumirati sidhi hoi
Ganannayak karibар badan.
Karau anugraha soi
Budhirasi subhahgun sadan..
Meaning: He whose remembrance brings perfection, whose face is that of an elephant, who is the repository of supreme wisdom and all virtues—may that Ganesha, the bestower of accomplishment, grant his grace.
2. Mook hoi baachal pangu chadhai giribар gahan.
Jasu kripa so dayaal drabu sakal kalimel dahan..
Meaning: By whose grace the mute becomes eloquent and the lame scales the steep mountain—may that compassionate One who consumes all the sins of the age of darkness grant his mercy.
3. Kund-indu sam deh
Umaram karu krun ayan.
Jahi din par neh
Karau kripa mardan mayan..
Meaning: Whose form is as luminous as the jasmine blossom and the autumn moon, who sports with Uma, who is the embodiment of compassion, whose love for the lowly is unbounded, and who reduced Kama, the god of desire, to ash—may that Shiva show his grace.
4. I bow to the lotus feet of the Guru,
The ocean of grace, the Lord in human form.
His words are rays of sun
That pierce the darkness of great delusion.
Meaning: I revere the lotus feet of the Guru—that knower of Brahman, that very Brahman—whose words shine like the sun's rays illuminating consciousness itself, dispelling the darkness of great delusion (ignorance, the absence of knowledge of Brahman), and who is the ocean of compassion, the divine made manifest in human form.
5. I bow to the lotus feet of the Guru,
Fragrant dust, beautiful and full of grace,
Whose essence is nectar, a wondrous powder,
That cures all the afflictions born of existence.
Meaning: I honor the dust of the Guru's lotus feet—graceful, fragrant, and filled with devotion. This sacred powder is the very source of nectar; to receive it is to be healed of all the sorrows, doubts, and deprivations that bind us to the wheel of becoming.
6. Born of virtuous deeds, radiant and pure,
The auspicious dust brings joy and blessing.
It washes clean the mirror of the heart,
And when worn as a mark, subdues all tendencies.
Meaning: This dust is as pure and luminous as the sacred ash upon Shiva's body, a bearer of grace and auspiciousness. It cleanses the heart's mirror of its stains and, when applied as a mark upon the forehead, brings all the forces of nature (truth, passion, and darkness) under our dominion. (This sacred ash, born of burned cow dung, is prescribed in the teachings and rituals of the tradition.)
7. The jeweled light of the Guru's toenails,
Remembered, awakens the inner eye.
When it shines forth, the darkness of delusion dissolves—
Great fortune for those in whose hearts it dwells.
Meaning: The Guru's toenails gleam like precious gems, a light within every heart. To remember them is to have the divine vision unveiled. When this radiance bursts forth, the darkness of ignorance is utterly dispelled. Blessed indeed is the heart in which this light of Brahman—this knowledge—comes to rest, for then that being too becomes Brahman, the knower of all.
8. The heart's eye opens, clear and bright,
The night of the world and its sorrows fade.
The jewel of Ram's deeds reveals all paths,
Hidden or manifest, in whatever measure they lie.
Meaning: Through the revelation of the jeweled gem of Ram's story, the eye of the heart opens in clarity, and all the sorrows and defects of worldly existence—that night which stands between us and liberation—dissolve away. The precious gem of Ram's deeds illuminates every path, whether concealed or revealed, whether hidden in the depths of the mine of the world.
On the Greatness of the Noble Ones:
1. The conduct of the good is like cotton—
Pure, simple, and bearing noble fruit.
Those who suffer the sorrows and holes of others,
Worthy of worship, they alone shall find release.
The character of the saints is like cotton—pure and beneficent, its fruits austere yet luminous with virtue. Just as cotton, through the hands of the carder and weaver and many others, endures its own suffering to clothe another's body, to preserve modesty and grant warmth, comfort, and ease—so too does the sage endure his own suffering to cover another's wounds, to heal the limitations and sorrows of the world, and thereby earn imperishable glory in this realm.
2. The company of saints is blissful and auspicious,
A moving pilgrimage ground journeying through the world.
Where devotion to Ram flows like the sacred Ganga,
And the discourse of Brahmic wisdom streams like Saraswati.
The gathering of saints brings joy and grace, and in the world it stands as the Triveni itself—that hallowed confluence made manifest and mobile. Here, devotion to Ram flows as the Ganga's current, while the teaching of Brahmic knowledge, the manifold paths to truth, becomes the invisible stream of Saraswati.
3. The prescripts and prohibitions wash clean the filth of the age,
The daughter of the sun speaks of karma and dharma.
The words of Hari and Hara dwell in the sacred braid,
And all who hear receive blessing and grace.
The discourse on duty and its opposite—on what must be done and what must be shunned—purges the stain of this dark age; it flows like the Yamuna, daughter of the sun. The words of Vishnu and Shiva converge in this sacred gathering, and those who listen to such discourse receive unfailing blessing and joy.
4. Unwavering faith in one's own dharma is the banyan tree,
The company of saints is the pilgrimage ground of right action.
Available to all, in all seasons, in all lands,
Those who serve with reverence find their sorrows healed.
This pilgrimage ground speaks the unspeakable, transcends the ordinary,
And grants its fruits manifest and swift.
Steadfast faith in one's own dharma is the banyan tree that offers shelter; good deeds are the Triveni incarnate—this assembly of saints. Available in every season, in every place, for the saints journey everywhere in service to the world. Those who tend them with reverence find their afflictions dissolved. This pilgrimage ground, mysterious and otherworldly, bestows its fruits visibly and at once—its power is evident to all eyes, the rewards of righteous action witnessed directly in this very life.
5. Those who hear and understand with gladdened hearts,
Who immerse themselves in boundless devotion,
Attain in this very body the fourfold fruit—
The assembly of saints, the pilgrimage supreme.
Hearing the counsel of this sacred assembly with a joyful heart, understanding it deeply, and plunging into devoted practice with whole-hearted love—such a one obtains even in this life the four fruits: dharma, artha, kama, and moksha. The aims of human existence are all fulfilled through the grace of the saintly gathering, that pilgrimage ground made living and present.
6. Valmiki, Narada, and those born from the womb—
Each tells in their own words what they have become.
The creatures of water, of earth, of sky, the many kinds,
All that is inert and conscious, every being in creation.
Meaning: Valmiki, Narada, and the sage Agastya each recounted their own births from their own lips. In this world there exist many kinds of beings—both insentient and sentient ('entities' in the sense of: material entities and conscious entities)—that dwell in water, on land, and in the sky—
7. Intellect, renown, fortune, power, and virtue fair
Wherever found, by whatsoever means laid bare
All gained through the grace of worthy company's way
No other path exists in world or Veda's say
Meaning: Whatever they have attained in intellect, renown, fortune, power, and goodness—all of it has been gained through the influence of righteous company. (Without good company, neither joy nor renown can flourish.) In this world there are two paths: the worldly (born of common knowledge) and the scriptural (ordained by sacred texts), and there is no other way.
8. Without righteous company, wisdom cannot bloom
Without the grace of Ram, it finds no room
The root of joy and blessing's verdant tree
Is righteous company—its flower, endeavor's spree
And fruit thereof, perfection's glorious decree
Meaning: Without righteous company, discrimination and true understanding cannot arise. And that righteous company itself is not easily obtained without the grace of Ram (God—or in Advaita philosophy, the awakening of consciousness). Righteous company is the root of the tree of joy and blessing in life's covenant; its flower is effort and discipline, and its fruit (born from the flower) is the perfection of wisdom.
9. The wicked, winning righteous company, grow pure
As iron touched by stone of gold finds cure
By fate, the virtuous fall to base company's snare
Yet like the jewel on serpent's brow they bear
Their own nature, forever bright and rare
Meaning: Through righteous company, even the depraved are purified, as iron becomes gold at the touch of the philosopher's stone. But even if by fate a virtuous person falls into wicked company, they never abandon their own qualities, like the jewel on the serpent's hood—it remains with the serpent yet never loses its intrinsic nature and brilliance. (Yet such virtue can only be truly preserved if one becomes a jewel oneself.)
10. Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, poets, scholars all
Hesitate to speak the saint's glory's call
How then shall I, a grocer of the plain
Who knows no jewels' worth, their praise explain
Meaning: Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshvara, poets, scholars, and Saraswati herself—all grow modest when speaking of the saint's glory. Just as a vegetable merchant cannot articulate the value and qualities of precious gems and pearls, how can I possibly describe such glory? (When such great beings and deities themselves fall short in recounting the saint's magnificence, what capacity have I to speak of it?)
11. (Couplet) I bow to the saints of equanimous sight
For whom no foe exists, no friend in plight
As flowers held together in the palms' delight
Pour fragrance equal on both left and right
Meaning: I offer salutation to those virtuous souls who see all with an impartial eye—to whom there is neither enemy nor friend—those untouched by partiality. Just as beautiful flowers held in the hands diffuse their fragrance equally upon both right and left, so do they bestow their grace without distinction. (The wise, possessed of Brahmic knowledge, maintain equanimity toward all beings—as taught in the Bhagavad Gita, 5:18.)
12. The noble hearts, simple and true,
Who seek the world's good with love's own hue—
Hearing the prayer of one so meek,
Grant me, in mercy, what I seek:
That love for Ram's feet bloom in me.
Meaning: The virtuous souls of simple heart who labor for the world's welfare, knowing their own nature and my (Tulsi's) yearning devotion—when they hear the humble words of one such as I (Tulsidas compares himself, in his excess of humility, to an unripe child), may they grant me their grace and bestow upon me love and devotion for the feet of Lord Ram. (This is a sublime manifestation of the devotional path, the yoga of bhakti, as expounded in the Shvetashvatara Upanishad and the Gita!)