Rajapur, Uttar Pradesh·c. 1532 – 1623
गोस्वामी तुलसीदास
Goswami Tulsidas
The Poet of Ram
He gave Ram to the people in their own tongue.
“In this dark age of Kali, the Name of Ram is the wish-fulfilling tree. By merely remembering it, one crosses the ocean of worldly existence.”
Ramcharitmanas, Balkand
Life
Born in Rajapur, Uttar Pradesh, around 1532, Tulsidas was orphaned in childhood and raised by Narharidas, a Vaishnava sadhu who initiated him into the Ram mantra. From this early immersion in devotion, the trajectory of his entire life was set.
After a period of married life, a profound turning point came when his wife Ratnavali chided him for his attachment to her: “If you had even half this devotion for Ram, you would be liberated.” He renounced householder life and devoted himself entirely to Ram.
He settled in Varanasi and Ayodhya, composing the Ramcharitmanas between 1574 and 1577 — a retelling of the Ramayana in Awadhi, the language of ordinary North Indians. This was a revolutionary act: it gave the poorest, the unlettered, direct access to the story and grace of Sri Ram.
He also composed the Hanuman Chalisa, Vinaya Patrika, Kavitavali, and Dohavali. He passed away in Varanasi in 1623, but his work lives on in every household, every evening aarti where the Chalisa is recited.
One Heart
“Siya Ram may sab jag jani, karahu pranam jori jug pani. All this world is pervaded by Sita and Ram. With folded hands, I bow to all.”
Teachings
The Supremacy of the Name
In Kali Yuga, the simplest and most powerful sadhana is Naam — the repetition of Ram’s name. The Name contains the full power of God and is available to everyone, regardless of qualification.
Bhakti as Total Surrender
True devotion is not ritual but the surrender of the ego at Ram’s feet. Hanuman is the model — the perfect devotee whose every breath belongs to Ram.
Grace Over Effort
It is Ram’s grace, not human effort, that liberates. The devotee’s role is to make the heart available through love and surrender.
Works & Publications
Ramcharitmanas
The Hindi Ramayana in seven kands. The most widely read devotional text in North India.
Hanuman Chalisa
Forty verses in praise of Hanuman. Recited daily by hundreds of millions.
Vinaya Patrika
A petition of humility addressed to Ram — 279 hymns of surrender and longing.
An Inspiration
The Ramcharitmanas is the primary scripture from which Ananta teaches. Tulsidas’s vision of Ram bhakti — where the Name of God is the supreme sadhana — infuses every satsang.