रामचंद्र! रघुनायक तुमसों हौं बिनती केहि भाँति करौं। अघ अनेक अवलोकि आपने, अनघ नाम अनुमानि डरौं॥ १॥ पर-दुख दुखी सुखी पर-सुख ते, संत-सील नहिं हृदय धरौं। देखि आनकी बिपति परम सुख, सुनि संपति बिनु आगि जरौं॥ २॥ भगति-बिराग-ग्यान साधन कहि बहु बिधि डहकत लोग फिरौं। सिव-सरबस सुखधाम नाम तव, बेंचि नरकप्रद उदर भरौं॥ ३॥ जानत हौं निज पाप जलधि जिय, जल-सीकर सम सुनत लरौं। रज-सम पर-अवगुन सुमेरु करि, गुन गिरि-सम रजतें निदरौं॥ ४॥ नाना बेष बनाय दिवस-निसि, पर-बित जेहि तेहि जुगुति हरौं। एकौ पल न कबहुँ अलोल चित हित दै पद-सरोज सुमिरौं॥ ५॥ जो आचरन बिचारहु मेरो, कलप कोटि लगि औटि मरौं। तुलसिदास प्रभु कृपा-बिलोकनि, गोपद-ज्यों भवसिंधु तरौं॥ ६॥
Ramachandra, Raghunayaka, how can I make my petition to you? Seeing my many sins and considering your sinless name, I am afraid. (1) To grieve at another’s grief and rejoice in another’s happiness is the nature of saints, but I do not hold it in my heart. Instead, I feel supreme pleasure on seeing another’s misfortune and burn without fire on hearing of another’s prosperity. (2) I roam about deceiving people in many ways while teaching disciplines of devotion, dispassion, and knowledge. I sell your name—the whole treasure of Shiva and abode of bliss—to fill this belly that leads to hell. (3) Within, I know my own sins to be an ocean; yet if I hear them called even a drop of water, I quarrel. I make another’s dust-sized fault into Mount Sumeru, and disdain a mountain-sized virtue as less than dust. (4) Making many disguises day and night, I seize others’ wealth by any device. Not even for one moment do I lovingly remember your lotus feet with an unwavering mind. (5) If you weigh my conduct, I shall boil and die for millions of cosmic ages. Yet, Lord, by your gracious glance Tulsidas will cross the ocean of becoming as easily as a cow’s hoofprint. (6)